Nurse to Heal the High Seas Doc - Chapter 17

The clinic was silent.

Shane looked at the computer and pulled a hand across his face. Nicole had made sure they hadn’t been in the same place in the last two days.

She worked the clinic in the afternoon. Him the morning. She kept the walkie-talkie with her the entire time.

The few things that had migrated to his room during the month they’d been inseparable had vanished while he was still trying to figure out how to process what she'd said. The fact that she’d eloped with a man after knowing him for two weeks, and that that choice was one she’d make over and over again—for him.

The clinic door opened and he turned, hoping it would be her, but knowing it wasn’t.

“Doug?”

The researcher had entered, holding out his arm. “I need you to see if there are any tentacles in my arm from the jellyfish I touched.”

“Why the hell did you touch this one?” Shane started running the water in the sink.

“To test a theory.” Doug grinned.

A theory.

“After the last time, I started thinking about protection.”

“You could always not touch the jellyfish, Doug.” Shane pointed to the nearly full sink. “You should put your arm in there.”

“No. There's no pain this time, and I am almost positive there are no tentacles. Which means the waterproof film I crafted worked.” The man was nearly bouncing.

“Film?”

“You’re right, most people can just not touch the jellyfish. But what about those that come into contact with them in the course of their jobs—fisherman, surfers, researchers at aquariums? If you don’t risk anything, you don’t gain anything. This risk might have solved a problem for others.”

If you don’t risk anything, you don’t gain anything.

Shane's parents had made choices and he was paying for them. But those choices also led him to Nicole.

To the woman he loved.

He loved her. That had not been in the plan. In fact, he’d promised himself it would never happen. That he wouldn’t burden another with his debts.

But Nicole knew. She knew his secret, and it hadn’t mattered to her. Until he'd screwed it up.

He’d panicked because people had free will. And with that free will came the risk they’d leave you. Rather than accept that risk, he’d pushed her away.

“There are two tentacles.” Shane needed to focus on this moment. Focus on the patient in front of him.

“Well, the good news is that I don’t feel any sting.” Doug clicked his tongue. “I guess there are still some improvements needed.”

“There might be pain later. There are two tentacles on your arm.”

“Maybe.” Doug nodded his head, clearly focusing on the next steps in the project, not the pain potentially in his future.

Shane had focused so much on the possibility of future pain that he hadn’t accepted the glory before him.

“I'm prescribing pain pills, just in case you need them, but—” Shane waited until Doug was looking at him “—I think you can give the clinic a heads-up the next time you try to experiment on yourself?”

“No.” Doug shook his head. “No time. When I hear there's a specimen, I gotta run with it. Life waits for no one.”