Nursing in Northlake (At the Altar Book 9) Read online

  Nursing in Northlake

  Book Nine in At the Altar

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Cover Art Erin Dameron-Hill

  Copyright 2016 Kirsten Osbourne

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  Nurse Heidi Hart feels life is passing her by. All her close friends from school have married and have children, and she wants what they have. Her job keeps her from dating because she works so many hours, and she’s not interested in the bar scene anyway. When her cousin emails her, excited about how wonderful her marriage is, she asks about the company that matched them. Heidi makes the decision to contact the matchmaker to find the right man for her.

  Slade Henderson has spent his whole life with one goal in mind: Becoming a doctor and starting his own medical practice. Now that he’s accomplished that goal, he’s ready to move into the next phase of life, marriage and children. He goes on a series of bad dates with women he’s matched up with online and decides it’s time for him to do something radical. He calls the matchmaker his twin brother used, going through the testing involved. When he spots Heidi walking down the aisle toward him, he knows she’s the woman for him. Will he be able to break through her hatred of doctors? Or will they not be able to make their marriage work?

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  Dedication: This book is dedicated to my awesome cousin, Heidi Hart Warren. Thanks for lending me your name and nursing expertise to make this book work. I hope I did you justice! We’ll have to go to dinner at Taco Bueno sometime soon!

  Chapter One

  Slade Henderson smiled at the woman in front of him. He’d taken to using a computer dating service, which made him feel like a loser, so he could find a woman who wouldn’t be scared off by his profession. It was ridiculous just how many women wrinkled their nose and wanted nothing to do with an OB-Gyn. He was sure there were other professions where the reaction was the same, but for women to feel that way about him was ridiculous. Having his own medical practice should have been a mark in his favor, not something against him.

  This was his first date with her, and he really wished he could remember her name, but he had no clue who she was. She was a teacher, and that’s about all he remembered from her profile. He’d had too many long nights and been on too many first dates lately for him to remember anything else.

  “So what grade do you teach?” he asked.

  “I teach seventh grade math. I always thought I’d hate junior high, but I find I love it.”

  He took a sip of his iced tea. “Why did you think you’d hate it?”

  “Because you’ve got the bounciness and over-excitability of the elementary kids, plus the raging hormones of the high schoolers all in one group. It does make things more interesting, but I’ve found this is the age when the kids learn whether or not they really like math. I love to watch their love for it bloom.”

  “And their hatred?” he asked with a grin.

  “Well, not that part as much.”

  He noticed she had a K on a chain around her neck. So her name started with a K. He thought for a moment and finally came up with it. Karen! Her name was Karen. “Do you find most kids hate math or love it?”

  “Oh, most are definitely in the hate column. I’ll have five or so out of a class of twenty-five who absolutely adore it, though, and that keeps me going from year to year.”

  “How long have you been teaching?” Slade asked as their steaks were slipped in front of them.

  “Five years. I’m twenty-seven. How long have you been a doctor?” Karen asked, cutting into her steak to make sure it was cooked correctly.

  “I’ve had my own practice for two years. I’m thirty-five.”

  “You’re a PCP, right?” she asked, taking a bite of her baked potato.

  He shook his head. “No, I’m an OB-Gyn.”

  She immediately began choking on her potato, and quickly grabbed her water to try to wash it down. “Really? So you look at women’s…” She trailed off, unable to finish her question.

  “I deliver babies, and I deal with women’s health issues, yes.” He watched her closely, knowing almost immediately that she wasn’t going to go out with him again. He wondered if female urologists dealt with these same issues. Maybe he should try to date a urologist!

  “Have you ever…err…dated a patient?”

  He shook his head. “No, I haven’t. I don’t think that would be a comfortable position for either of us to be in.”

  She took a bite of her steak, chewing it slowly as she studied him, her mind obviously racing with the new information about his occupation. “Do you get turned on when you’re examining someone?”

  He mentally sighed, realizing the night was going to go downhill from there. When his phone rang, and he saw it was the hospital, he was relieved. “Hello?”

  The voice of one of the nurses from Labor and Delivery at the hospital in North Fort Worth where he practiced came on the line. “Dr. Henderson, Abigail Dailey is in labor. Contractions are four minutes apart.”

  “I’m on my way.” This was Mrs. Dailey’s fourth child, and she had a tendency to deliver before he could make it to the hospital. He hung up on the nurse and looked at his date. “I’m sorry. I’ve got a delivery.” He pulled out his wallet and dropped some cash on the table. “It was lovely meeting you.”

  She looked up at him with a startled expression. “You’re leaving in the middle of dinner?”

  He nodded, getting to his feet. “I don’t really have a choice. Babies don’t wait for me to finish my steak.”

  He strode toward the front of the restaurant, glad he’d insisted they bring separate cars. He’d had too many disastrous first dates to be willing to do anything else.

  *****

  Slade checked in with his twin brother, Seth, on his way to work the following morning. Seth had just married, and Slade worried about him. He didn’t know enough about his brother’s new wife. “Hey, you.”

  Seth’s voice sounded sleepy. “Hi. What’s happening?”

  “On my way to the office. You sound tired.”

  “Yeah, we’re in Boston for a bit. I had some work I needed to do for Daniel.”

  Slade knew that Daniel had been Seth’s best friend since college. “How’s he doing?”

  “Great. His wife is having a baby.”

  “Oh, that’s great!” Daniel was a good guy. “I’d say tell him you know a good OB, but I doubt if his wife wants to fly to Texas for her appointments.”

  “I don’t see Brenda doing that, actually.”

  “How’s married life treating you?” Slade asked, getting to the topic he really wanted to discuss.

  “It’s good. Really good. Mom and Michelle met for the first time yesterday, and they got along great.”

  Slade smiled. “I need to see Mom soon. How’s she doing?”

  “Fine. She misses her boys, and it’s time for us both to start giving her some grandchildren.”

  Slade grinned at that. “I knew she’d go there as soon as you got married. What were you thinking?” Their mother always had something she nagged them about, and it had been about them finding a wife for years. Now she’d moved on, and he wasn’t ready to hear it was time for babies.

  Seth laughed. “I was thinking I envied what Daniel had, and I needed a woman of my own.”

  “Tell me about her. How’d you meet?”

  “Oh, I never told you, did I? I hired a matchmaker. She introduced us at the altar. Daniel did the same thing.”

  Slade laughed, sure his brother was joking. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

&n
bsp; “I’m dead serious. Best thing I ever did. Let me know if you want her phone number.”

  Slade made a face. “Despite a series of awful first dates, I’m not quite that desperate yet.”

  Seth laughed at that. “If you saw my wife, you’d know how funny that really is. Text me if you want her number. Seriously. Dr. Lachele could find you the woman who is exactly right for you, and save you all the dating and getting to know you time. Trust me. She’s worth every penny.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “I won’t.”

  *****

  When Slade made the phone call to Dr. Lachele Simpson at Matchrimony a month later, he was uncertain what to expect.

  “This is Dr. Lachele.”

  “Hi, my name is Slade Henderson. You matched my brother to his bride.”

  “Oh, of course, Mr. Henderson. Are you interested in finding a wife?” asked the soft voice that sounded like a little girl’s. She had to be older than she sounded.

  “Yes, I am.” He didn’t correct her about his title. Why bother?

  “Are you in the Boston area as well?” she asked.

  “No, I live in North Texas. I went to medical school here and just never left.”

  “I’m told it’s a fine state.” She was silent for a moment. “I can come, not this weekend, but the next for your interview. Does that work?”

  “Interview? How long will that take?”

  “An entire day.”

  He looked at the weekend in question on his calendar. He had no plans, but he never knew when a baby would decide to come. “I can probably do that. Unless I’m called in to deliver a baby.”

  “Well, I’ll come on Friday night, and we’ll start. If you have to deliver a baby, I’ll just amuse myself, and we’ll keep trying. I’ll plan to be there both Saturday and Sunday just in case.”

  “Will it matter if we have to do half one day and half the other?” he asked.

  “No, not at all. Just so I get all my questions asked and answered. I can’t find you the perfect bride otherwise.”

  If the perfect bride existed, he’d be shocked. He’d try this though. He wanted children, and he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life alone. “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll call you when I get there, and we’ll make plans.” The line went dead. He stared at his phone for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. She hadn’t really hung up on him, had she?

  *****

  Heidi Hart rubbed the back of her neck as she headed back to her office. She’d been working for ten hours straight, and she needed to go home. They were short-staffed again, and it was her turn to cover for the sick nurse. Her boss, Vicki Hamielec, had done it last time. She hoped the stomach flu had run its course. It seemed like everyone had been out with it for at least twenty-four hours.

  “Heidi!”

  Heidi turned, looking at the young CNA who was calling her. “What’s wrong, Ashley?”

  “It’s Mr. Jacobs. I think he finally died.”

  Heidi looked at Ashley. “Finally? It’s a good thing we’re alone.” She didn’t have to scold the girl, because she knew she would get her meaning.

  Ashley sighed. “You know what I mean. He’s been acting like he was going to die for three weeks. Besides, he’s a hundred and two!”

  “Let me go check.” Mr. Jacob’s daughter had signed a Do Not Resuscitate order, so no one needed to stay with him and try to revive him. Dealing with death was Heidi’s least favorite part of the job, but working in a nursing home, she was used to it, whether she wanted to be or not.

  Walking into the patient’s private room, she approached the bed cautiously. The first time she’d checked on a patient someone had told her was dead, he’d started talking to her, and she’d almost had a heart attack herself. She wasn’t going through that again!

  She carefully reached out a hand to touch him, and he didn’t move. Picking up his hand, she put her fingers on his wrist. No pulse. She sighed sadly, slowly shutting off all the machines in his room and removing his IV. She picked up the phone and called his family, before she began the painstaking process of bathing him and preparing him so his family could see him one last time before they sent him to the funeral home.

  “Now, Mr. Jacobs, you know you’ve been one of my favorite patients for a long time. I’m happy to get you ready to go, but we need to make a deal here. As long as I’m touching you and in the room with you, you have to promise not to move. It always makes me uncomfortable when dead people move. I’m not sure why, but it does, so you have to not do it. Okay, Mr. Jacobs?”

  She heard the door open behind her. “You’re losing your mind, Heidi.”

  Heidi jumped, spinning around to see her superior, Vicki, standing behind her. “I know I am. I just hate getting them ready to leave here.”

  Vicki nodded. “It’s not my favorite thing either, but I don’t usually have long conversations with them about how they need to not move.”

  “We each do our job our own way,” Heidi said with a shrug, finishing up. “I’m glad his daughter finally signed the DNR. I was sure she was going to keep dragging her feet, and one of us was going to be stuck here doing artificial respiration until an ambulance arrived.”

  Vicki shrugged. “I had a talk with her about it, and she finally agreed.”

  “I’m not even going to ask what you said, because I probably don’t want to know.”

  “No, I don’t think you do!” Vicki said with a laugh. “I’m heading out. Are you sure you can handle another late shift? You look dead on your feet.”

  “You were here until midnight and came back at eight this morning. It’s my turn. Besides, I have tomorrow off, and I’m going to sleep in.”

  “All right. I’ll be glad when everyone is over this stomach bug, and we’re fully staffed on a regular basis again.”

  Heidi sighed. “Me too.” The worst part about having to have a certain number of nurses working at all times was that the workload was heavy for those in charge. They had an on-call list like every other facility, but the people who were on-call didn’t always choose to take the shift.

  “All right. I’ll see you Monday morning. You sleep this weekend. I can’t afford to have you getting sick too, because then I’ll be taking all these extra shifts myself.”

  Vicki was old enough to be Heidi’s mother. “You don’t need the extra hours any more than I do.”

  *****

  When Heidi got home that night, she sank into her favorite chair with her iPad for a few minutes before she got ready for bed. Her life had become an endless cycle of work and sleep. They needed to hire a few more nurses for the on-call list, so she and Vicki could both take more time off. Soon.

  She tapped on her email and pulled it up, smiling when she saw there was a message from her cousin, Cissie, in Wisconsin. I’m ready for this baby to get here already. Thought you might like a few pictures of how huge I am! Bob says I’m still as beautiful as ever, but we all know Deputy Bob has a blind spot where I’m concerned. Thank God. I don’t know that he’d put up with me otherwise. There was a picture beneath of her cousin, who looked like she was ten months pregnant with triplets. Heidi made a face. That had to hurt!

  Heidi knew Cissie had used some kind of matchmaker to set her up with her husband, and she’d been thrilled with the man the matchmaker found for her. Heidi had cringed when she’d first heard about it, because one of the stipulations had been they would meet for the first time at the altar.

  The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She had no time to date, and when she tried, the men ended up being freaks. Maybe it was time she talked to Cissie’s matchmaker friend and found a man of her own. She didn’t want to be too old when she married, and she was already twenty-nine. Not that twenty-nine was old, but she wanted kids.

  She quickly tapped out a response before she lost her nerve. You look great in a ‘I’m worried you’re about to explode into a million tiny pieces way.’ I hope you don’t
feel as miserable as you look in that picture! I’ve got a question for you. What’s the name of the matchmaker you used? I think I’m ready to take the plunge. The dating scene is as sucky as ever, and you know the hours I work. There’s no time to date anyway.

  Heidi was startled when she had a response ten minutes later. Cissie was an early person, not a night owl like she was. Dr. Lachele Simpson. Name of the company is Matchrimony. Tell her you’re my cousin. She is an absolute wonder. Baby’s sitting on my bladder. Going back to bed now that I’m empty. Cissie had included the matchmaker’s phone number at the end of the email.

  Heidi grabbed her phone off the end table, quickly dialing the number. It was a New York City number judging by the area code, so she knew she’d be getting voice mail, but at least she’d have made the first step. She wouldn’t have the courage if she didn’t just do it.

  When a live person actually answered, Heidi almost dropped the phone. It wasn’t quite as bad as a dead person moving while she was getting them cleaned up, but it was close.

  “This is Dr. Lachele.”

  “I um—I thought I’d be getting voice mail.”

  “Why would you want to talk to voice mail when you could talk to me?”

  Heidi had to chuckle at the question. “No reason I guess. I’m Heidi Hart. I’m Cissie Anderson’s cousin.”

  “Oh, hey there, Heidi Hart. Are you from Wisconsin too? You sure don’t sound like you’re from Wisconsin.”

  “Well, I was born there, and lived there until I was about five, but I’ve lived in Texas since.”

  “Texas. I was in Texas just a few weeks ago. What part are you in?”

  “I live in Roanoke, but I work in Northlake. Both are just north of Fort Worth.”

  “Sounds good. What are you doing this weekend? I went to Babe’s when I was there last time, and I need some more of that chicken fried steak.”

  Heidi smiled. “We have a Babe’s here in Roanoke. And I’m sleeping this weekend. What are you doing?”

  “I think I’m flying to Texas to meet you and interview you. How would that be?”