Page 3 of Heal Me One Night
I take the last bite of my pancakes. “Britt, you’re a single mom. You’re already there.”
Slowly she licks her bottom lip, then pulls it in between her teeth, before dipping her head down. “Thanks. Daily I feel as if I’m fucking up. Hearing it? It’s nice.”
A yawn works its way out of my mouth. “Sorry, I’m exhausted. Now that I’ve eaten, I have about ten minutes to find a bed.”
“I have to go, anyway. Gotta pick up Karli. I saw you and wanted to say hi.”
I’m not the type of man who usually lays all his cards on the table at the very beginning, but last night got to me. I personally attended two deaths, and I’ve been thinking about Britt since I saw her in the ER. “Thank you for stopping in and saying hi. I appreciate it. These last few hours have been difficult, and it’s nice to see you. I’d like to see you outside of here, if that’s possible.”
“Hot doc, are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yeah...” I toss my phone over to her. “Can I get your number so we can plan it? My brain isn’t all here right now.”
“Sure.” She smirks. “Not even a passcode on it? You’re a trusting man.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide.” I watch as she types in what I assume is her number and name before she slides it across the table toward me.
“Talk to ya later, Dr. Blake?”
“You can count on it.”
She gets up and gives me a finger wave before she leaves. When I can’t see her anymore, I look down at the phone, before laughing at the name she put in.
Clumsy Cutie.
That she definitely is.
TWO
Britt
It’s been a busy day. Nonstop running. Well, not literally running. The leg’s not up for that yet. But at least all the pins and screws are gone and I don’t look like a side character in Hellraiser anymore. That’s a solid win for me right now.
Getting out of the car, I walk up to the door of the babysitter’s house. Deanna Stevens has had a hard way to go. But she’s a good mom and I know she can use the little bit of extra income she gets for watching Karli a couple of hours a day after school. It’s not a biggie for her and she swears I don’t need to pay her. After all, she’s picking her own kid up at the same school. But she’s had enough people taking advantage of her for being too nice for her own good.
I knock on the door and Malcolm answers. That boy is taller every time I see him. He literally towers over me. “Whattup, Mal? Or does it make me sound old to say that?”
He grimaces. “I can’t answer that honestly without getting grounded for being rude.”
I have to laugh. “You’re a good kid. Has Karli terrorized you this afternoon?”
“Nah. She was fine. We watched Bluey. And more Bluey. And then Bluey mini-episodes.”
I’m still grinning as I walk past him through their small two bedroom apartment. They have a little patio on the back through a meticulously clean sliding door. Karli is bouncing up and down on a kid size yoga ball. Deanna’s little girl, Addison, is a couple of years older than Karli, but they play well together.
“Hey Dee... how’s it going?”
She shakes her head, her slightly shaggy pixie cut ruffling in the breeze. “I wish I had even a tenth of their energy. You have a good day?”
“Busy. Doctor’s appointment. DMV. Physical therapy. But I’d rather run my tail off and get it all done in one than have to try and schedule that much time away from work.”
“You need to do something other than work! You’re young, Britt. Go out on a date. Have some fun.”
She’s not that much older than me. But she says it like there’s a hundred years between us. I guess maybe there is. Dakota was a faithless ass and perpetual man-child, but at least he wasn’t a violent psycho. “No time.”
“Make time,” she says. “I’ll keep Karli for the night. Malcolm is going over to JT’s for the night. Karli, Addie, and I will paint our nails and watch Disney princesses. It’ll be magical... Even if you don’t do something fun, you can at least relax a little.”
The idea of a long hot bath that isn’t interrupted by a million questions, someone being ‘firsty’ or trying to DoorDash chicken nuggets without permission—that’s the dream. “On one condition... I get to do the same thing for you. I’ll take Addie one weekend and give you some downtime.”