A tension pneumothorax was life-threatening, yet also relatively simple to treat, once you had the correct diagnosis. A glance at the clock told her the day shift would be coming in soon. Thank heavens.
“I love this job,” Maureen said reverently.
Alyssa had to laugh. Normally, she loved it, too. Most of the time. She’d love it tonight if she weren’t so darned tired.
They waited a long time for Curt to be accepted as an ICU admission. Once she and Maureen wheeled him upstairs and handed over his care to the ICU team, they were pretty much free to go.
Alyssa punched out at the time clock, and then headed into the staff lounge for a few moments. Whoever had hung the Christmas decorations must have gotten interrupted halfway through. There was red garland strung along the ceiling, but an artificial tree stood in the corner, bare of any ornaments. If she had the energy she’d finish the decorations herself.
Her feet ached terribly, so she plopped in a chair and lifted them up on the table. The soreness in her legs eased and she leaned her head back with a sigh and closed her eyes. She longed to rest, for just a few minutes.
“Alyssa?”
She pried her eyes open, surprised to see Jadon. For a moment she was confused. Where was she? Then she remembered that she’d sat in the staff lounge for a few moments before heading home. “I’m awake,” she said, wincing a little as she set her feet back on the floor.
“You’re exhausted,” Jadon said mildly. “You’d better let me drive you home.”
“I’m fine,” she protested. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep, it’s just the first time I’ve sat down in hours. And I’m more tired these days than usual.”
“I know.” Jadon’s grim gaze met hers. “You earned the right to rest, Alyssa. Heck, I was surprised to see you back at work tonight anyway. Please let me drive you home. It’s been snowing for the past hour. You don’t want to end up like Curt and Elaine, do you?”
He was right, she was exhausted. But she didn’t live that far from the hospital. “They were on the highway,” she stubbornly reminded him. “They crashed at high speeds. Different situation altogether.”
“A crash is still a crash, regardless. And it doesn’t matter, because I’m not taking no for an answer,” Jadon said firmly. He bent to take her hand, helping her to her feet. “Come on. It’s no trouble. Much better to be safe than sorry.”
She gave in, knowing that arguing with Jadon was useless. He was as obstinate as a mule when he wanted to be. That was one area where they’d butted heads in the past—each of them liked having their own way. But for now she was too tired to argue anyway, so she reached for her coat, surprised when Jadon took it from her grasp and held it for her.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Outside, snow fell from the sky in large, thick flakes. An inch of fresh snow covered the ground, and she knew the roads would be slippery.
Much better choice to sit back and let Jadon drive.
“In you go,” he said, opening the passenger door of his car and helping her in. Her stomach tended to get in the way, so she backed into the seat and then swung her legs around.
Jadon tucked her in, closed the door behind her and then slid into the driver’s seat. He started the car and then went back out to brush the snow away from the windows.
Shivering a little, Alyssa huddled in her coat, remembering how cold she’d been the afternoon she’d fallen into Lake Michigan. At times like this the cold seemed to seep into her bones, making her wonder if she’d ever be warm again.
She’d always been warm in Jadon’s arms, she thought with a sigh, putting her head back and closing her eyes.
Somewhere along the route home she fell asleep. When Jadon gently shook her, she lifted her heavy eyelids, blinking against the bright snow. “Where are we?”
“My house. Don’t argue. Two cars were sitting sideways in the road leading to your apartment complex because the hill was too slick for them to make it up, so I came here instead.”
She let out a heavy breath. “I don’t want to argue, but I hate to cause trouble,” she said weakly.
He sent her a narrow glare. “Don’t be silly. You’re no trouble, Alyssa. At least here I can keep an eye on you.”
An eye on her for what? Because she needed a caretaker? At least before they’d been equal partners in their intimacy. Now he was treating her more like a responsibility.
She didn’t like it. She wanted to mean more.
“Wait for me. The driveway is very icy.”
Since she couldn’t lever herself out of the car without help anyway, she waited. Jadon tugged her out of the car, and then wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her as they gingerly made their way across the slick, snowy sidewalk up to the house.
This close to him, his familiar musky scent filled her head, bringing back memories of the nights they’d spent together. Did he think about those times at all?
She glanced up at him as he unlocked the door, irrationally wishing she could force him to remember. Large, fluffy snowflakes covered his dark hair, clinging to his eyelashes. For a moment their gazes locked and she could tell their closeness affected him, too. But then he stepped back, helping to take her coat off as if she couldn’t perform the simple task herself. And suddenly she wanted to prove she wasn’t weak or helpless.
“Jadon.” He froze when she placed a hand on the middle of his chest. His eyes darkened and his heart beat erratically beneath her fingertips and she knew she finally had his full attention. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she gripped his shirt, lifted herself up on her toes and pressed her mouth against his.
Stunned, Jadon couldn’t move, absorbing the heady taste of her kiss. The intense heat that simmered beneath the surface didn’t take long to ignite and within moments he’d clutched her close, her round belly pressed intimately against him as he deepened the kiss.
She tasted so sweet, he couldn’t get enough. How long had it been since he’d touched her? Held her? It seemed like forever.
“Jadon,” she whispered on a moan, and suddenly he realized what he was doing. This couldn’t happen. He broke off the kiss, breathing heavily.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, trying to regain his equilibrium. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Alyssa stared at him with an oddly hurt expression. “I’m the one who kissed you.”
She had, and he wasn’t sure why. Unless she was under the delusion they could simply pick up where they’d left off before? Impossible.
“I shouldn’t have let things get out of control. This wasn’t why I brought you here.”
“No. I’m sure it wasn’t.” She turned away, leaving him to pick up her coat he’d dropped on the floor, putting it away in the closet.
“Are
