The nurse nodded, unsurprised. “Haley’s usually in oncology, and she’s really interested in complementary therapies and palliative care. I’ll bet she heard about the effect your massages have on your mom’s condition.”
“You talk about that?” Damon asked, a bit surprised.
The nurse cast him a sparkling smile. “That and other things.” She glanced over him with appreciation and her smile broadened. “But the effect is incredible. If anyone in this place were interested, I’d expect it to be Haley.”
“Why isn’t she in oncology now?”
“Oh, she switched off with Anna in the cardiac ward for three months.”
Damon waited and the nurse, predictably, filled the silence.
“Anna had to start her mat leave early. She’s having a rough second trimester and they ended up a bit short-staffed.” She grimaced. “Lots of heart attacks after Christmas.”
“That’s Haley,” said a second nurse who was counting pills into plastic cups at the other side of the nurses’ station. She was referring to a computer screen, presumably double-checking patients and dosages. “Always stepping up to fill the void. I think she’d work double shifts every day if they’d let her.”
That was interesting. Didn’t Haley have any family commitments?
Was she single?
Damon knew it didn’t really matter. He was only going to teach her about massage, but he wanted to know. “Workaholic?” he asked lightly. “I know a few of those.”
The first nurse smiled. “They’re good to know. Haley’s the one to call if you get stuck with a holiday shift.”
“She filled in for me this past Thanksgiving,” offered the second nurse.
“Christmas Eve for me,” agreed the first. “Or if you’re sick, she’s right there.”
“Good old reliable Haley.” The second sighed and straightened, then smiled at Damon. “I guess that’s the hazard of not having a life.”
“She has a life,” the first nurse said, a little bit defensive on Haley’s behalf. “But her family is all in Illinois or Ohio or somewhere.”
Not married then, and without a significant other. The detail gave Damon unexpected satisfaction. He told himself because it was less complicated that way.
“I thought she didn’t have any family at all,” the second nurse said. “She never takes vacation. If she’s off, it’s because she’s taking a course somewhere.”
“Not true,” said the first with a shake of her head. “She always takes January 27th off.”
“Really? Why?” The second nurse asked the question that Damon wanted answered.
“Some family birthday. I guess they’re pretty close.”
The second nurse frowned. “She can’t get to the Midwest in a day. Even Haley isn’t that organized.”
The first one shrugged. “Maybe they come here. I don’t know. It’s an annual thing, though. She always takes that day off. It’s the only day of the year that she won’t work. It’s right in her file.”
“Maybe they come to visit,” Damon suggested. “It’d be nice to take a couple of days to show family around.”
“Queens in January doesn’t sound like a dream vacation.”
“No, it doesn’t, actually,” he had to agree.
“To each their own.” The nurse smiled at him, then a bell sounded. She straightened. “Mrs. Young, right on time.” She turned to the second nurse. “Have you got her meds measured out?”
“Right here. I’m heading that way in a couple of minutes.”
“I’ll take them now and get her settled.”
“Sounds good. Mr. Matheson will be up next,” the second nurse said. A bell rang before she finished speaking and the two nurses exchanged a smile. “Is your mom okay?” she asked Damon as she gathered up meds.
“She went to sleep,” Damon said. “I’ll check on her one more time then head out.”
“We’ll call if there’s any change,” the first nurse said with a smile. “Have a good night, Mr. Perez.”
“Thank you.”
Haley Slater. Single. Workaholic. Interested in alternative care. It was only a superficial glimpse into the character of the nurse he’d met but it was more than enough to spark Damon’s curiosity.
And leave him hungry to know more.
Two
Haley halfway expected Damon to change his mind and leave, to think better of his impulsive offer and go home rather than hang around a hospital at night waiting for her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who attracted gorgeous men, or at least attracted them for very long. She thought of Garrett for the first time in years as she finished her shift, but pushed him out of her thoughts. He had his life and she had hers—without Garrett.
She had her work and that was plenty.
Still, when she was done for the night, Haley hurried to change into her street clothes, running to the elevator as if two minutes could make all the difference in the world.
“Hot date?” Daphne teased from the nurses’ station.
“I wish!” Haley said and laughed because it was expected. She ducked through the closing elevator doors before Daphne could ask anything more. Haley clutched her backpack as the elevator descended, glad she was riding alone. Would Damon be there? She felt a mix of anticipation and uncertainty that had become rare in her life.
It felt kind of good. Tingly. Vital.
She definitely should take chances more often.
The doors opened and her heart sank that the lobby was empty. The streetlights shone through the automatic doors opposite her to illuminate the vacant space. The volunteers’ desk was unmanned. The gift shop was closed. There was no one sitting on any of the chairs arranged in clusters in the lobby and the coffee shop was dark.
She left the elevator and looked around, almost overwhelmed with disappointment. So, Damon had done the practical thing, maybe even the predictable thing. Haley had a whole week to decide whether she should go back to his mom’s room and talk to him again.
Then she heard a rattle. It was exactly the sound a vending machine made when someone gave it a shake. She took a few steps forward and peeked into the nook where the machines stood in a long row. Damon had put on his jacket since she’d seen him last. He was glaring at one of the machines and gave it another shake as she watched.
Haley smiled. “That one eats your money if you don’t know the trick,” she said and went to his side.
“It’s outrageous enough that they want two bucks for a bottle of water,” he replied. “They could make sure you actually get the water.”
Haley hit the machine with her fist on the left side, hard, at a spot just below her waist. The machine wobbled, thunked, then the bottle of water was dislodged. It dropped into the delivery chute and rolled into the bin at the bottom.
Damon cast Haley a smile that turned her inside out. She flushed and dropped her gaze, thinking that a smile like that should be classed as a lethal weapon and come with warning labels. “Thanks.”
She blinked as she tried to slow her pulse. “It’s easy when you know how.”