Catching babies.
Her mind wouldn’t stop rewinding one of her and Dax’s last conversations about working side by side. So far, there had been three births. And seeing each of those new little humans had sent a pain searing through her chest. Working maternity was just as hard as she’d feared it might be. But she’d been desperate not to work with Dax anymore.
What if she hadn’t lost her and Dax’s baby? He or she would be fifteen years old now.
She swallowed. She wasn’t sure which was worse: having this question pelt her with each new baby that she helped deliver or having to see Dax each and every day. This had been the only opening for a nurse the hospital had had, but they’d promised to consider her if something else opened up.
And if it didn’t?
Well, she might have to take the more drastic step of leaving the hospital.
A new thought whispered through her head—or she could go try to talk it out with Dax.
And if he discovered she still loved him after all these years? Well, right now, she didn’t see how that could be any worse than what she was currently facing.
And didn’t she owe it to him to be honest? She’d kept something from him once before, and it had changed her life in ways that she’d never imagined.
Maybe telling him the truth could change it again. In ways that could at least bring closure, if nothing else.
She didn’t expect him to still have feelings for her after all this time. But he’d never married. Never had children. And neither had she.
So getting things out in the open could at least answer the one nagging question that had been swirling through her chest for the last two days. By now, he knew that she was no longer working in the surgical wing.
Did he care? Was he relieved?
The only way she would know for sure was to ask him. Or she was going to drive herself crazy.
She smiled at a fellow nurse, who smiled back. “Nothing like a busy first day, huh? It looks like things are letting up at the moment. Want to take a break?”
“Do you mind?”
“No, go. I’ll text you if something unexpected comes in. You’ll learn to do what new moms do—take your breaks when and where you can.”
Patty laughed. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
She headed down the hallway. What if Dax was in surgery?
Well, then she’d just have to do it later. But she could at least leave a note at the desk asking him to call her when he got a chance.
She rounded the corner to the elevator and pushed the call button. A minute later, the doors opened and she stepped back to let any passengers off.
There was only one passenger. And when her eyes found his face, her breath caught and her heart skipped a couple of beats. Dax? What was he doing here? On her floor?
“Just the person I was looking for.” He stepped off and faced her. “We need to talk.”
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