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

  As soon as they were both finished eating, he got up to go. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  She nodded. “I should be home by nine.”

  Walking around her desk, he kissed her softly. “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Hey, Dr. Henderson?”

  He looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

  “You’re something else.”

  He grinned, walking out the door. He hoped he’d scored a few points with the flowers and the tacos. Not with Mr. Jones, though. He was just doing his job with Mr. Jones.

  Heidi watched him go, sighing contentedly. She really could get used to having that man around.

  She pulled her paperwork to her. She had a pile to get through that night if she wanted to take all of Friday off to deal with moving. Vicki was a great boss, but Heidi needed to be a great employee to deserve her benevolence. And she would be.

  *****

  It was quarter after nine when Heidi walked in the front door. She called Slade’s name, but didn’t see him anywhere. She wandered around until she found him in bed, obviously exhausted. It was going to be a long week.

  She showered and then climbed into bed, snuggling close to him.

  He pulled her even closer. “You made it home.”

  “I did. Everyone was alive and accounted for when I left.”

  “Glad to hear it.” His hand stroked her back. “Now we have to celebrate.”

  “Celebrate what?” she asked.

  “Tuesday. We have to celebrate Tuesday.” His mouth came down on hers and he kissed her softly. “Wanna celebrate with me?”

  She laughed. “Sure. Tuesdays are pretty special. We only get fifty-two per year!”

  “That’s right.”

  *****

  By the time Friday morning rolled around, Heidi was ready for her day off. She stayed in bed to sleep in a bit as Slade got ready for work. He dropped a kiss on her lips before leaving. “Get lots done today.”

  She nodded, trying to keep her eyes open. “Have a good day.”

  An hour later, she was up and showered, gulping down the coffee he’d made. “A man who leaves his wife coffee is special,” she muttered to herself as she took another swig.

  She made some phone calls to get the ball rolling and thought about surprising Slade at his office. Seeing how he worked with his staff was very important to her. She finished up everything she had to do for the morning, and she drove to Fort Worth to his office, stopping to get lunch on the way.

  When she arrived, she went to the window, knowing she’d gotten in just before they’d close for lunch. “I’d like to see Dr. Henderson.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  Heidi shook her head. “I have a wedding ring. That trumps an appointment, right?”

  The receptionist smiled. “You must be Heidi. Would you mind having a seat? He’s finishing up with a couple of patients.”

  Heidi nodded, taking one of the chairs there. She took out her phone and checked her emails, making sure there were no emergencies at work. The woman beside her, obviously in her last trimester, smiled at her. “I thought Dr. Henderson was single.”

  Heidi smiled. “Not since Saturday.” She held up her hand with the wedding ring on it.

  “This is my third baby he’ll deliver. He’s wonderful. I couldn’t ask for a better doctor.”

  “He’s a pretty great husband, too.” Heidi loved to hear good things about him. Maybe he really was the exception to her rule that all doctors were egotistical maniacs.

  “Do you want children?” the woman asked.

  Heidi nodded. “I really do!”

  “Will Dr. Henderson deliver them?”

  Heidi wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “We’re going to be practicing separation of church and state. I won’t even see his partner.”

  The woman laughed. “I can understand that. My husband is a lawyer, and I wouldn’t let him represent me in a divorce.” She winked at Heidi.

  The door opened and a nurse called out, “Mrs. Wright?”

  The woman beside her got up. “It was nice talking to you, Mrs. Henderson.”

  “You too,” Heidi said with a smile, thinking about how strange the name sounded when applied to her.

  The receptionist stood up then. “Come with me. I’m going to put you in his office.” She led Heidi into a small office and had her sit in a chair across from the desk. “I’m going to leave the door cracked and let him know you’re here.”

  Heidi nodded, going back to her phone. She could hear Slade’s voice and listened with a smile on her face, until she realized what he was saying. “I don’t ever want you speaking like that to a patient again. If you worry something is wrong, you come to me, and I will deal with it.”

  Heidi heard some mumbling in response. Slade’s voice had been harsh—very harsh. He said something else that she couldn’t quite make out and then she saw the door open and a nurse came into the room crying.

  “Oh. Can I help you?” she asked, swiping a tear away.

  “I’m here to see Dr. Henderson.”

  “Does he know you’re waiting?”

  Heidi shrugged. “I believe so. I’m not an emergency. Just his wife.” She knew she shouldn’t get involved. “Are you all right?”

  The woman nodded. “I’m fine.” She left the room then, and Heidi felt badly, because she’d obviously just needed a place to calm down a little. She had no idea what had happened, but her first thought was that Slade must have overreacted. Doctors were always yelling at nurses for no particular reason, and it made her mad!

  When Slade came into his office twenty minutes later, he was rubbing the back of his neck, obviously tired. “I brought lunch,” Heidi told him, holding up the takeout bag from a small Chinese restaurant down the street.

  “Oh, good. I usually send my staff out for something, and we eat together, but I’m more than a little frustrated today. I don’t think I could eat with them.”

  Heidi frowned. “What happened?” She didn’t mention she’d heard him getting onto someone, and she definitely didn’t mention that she’d assumed the worst of him.

  He sighed. “We hired a new nurse who just started on Monday. She was using the Doppler with a very newly pregnant woman, and couldn’t find the heartbeat. She told her that miscarriages happen early all the time, and she’ll get pregnant again.” He shook his head. “When I got into the room five minutes later, the poor woman was hysterical. I tried the Doppler and found the baby’s heartbeat. She was still upset, so I did a sonogram and showed her the baby. She wasn’t convinced until she saw it moving around.”

  Heidi’s eyes widened, and she was immediately ashamed of what she’d thought of him. “That’s awful! She can’t be talking to patients that way. What if she had lost the baby? That’s not the way to find out!”

  “No, it’s not. The worst part is it’s the patient’s third pregnancy, and both of the others ended with first trimester miscarriages.” He took the food she offered him. “I wanted to slap that nurse.”

  “I don’t blame you one little bit.” What she’d heard wasn’t nearly harsh enough for what she thought the nurse deserved. What was she thinking? “I’m sorry to intrude on a tough day.”

  “You’re not intruding! I’m thrilled you’re here. Chinese and a beautiful woman to look at are just what the doctor ordered.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Know how I know?”

  Heidi grinned, shaking her head. “How?”

  “Because I’m the doctor.”

  She laughed. “You’re silly.”

  “Probably.” He ate a forkful of orange chicken. “I love this place. Did you get fortune cookies?”

  “Of course! What’s Chinese food without fortune cookies?” She grabbed them both from the bag and threw him one. “You have to wait ‘til we’re done to eat yours, though.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Rules are rules.”

  “That’s not a rule.”

  “S
ure it is. I just made it. And it has to be obeyed. You know how I know?”

  He shook his head, eyeing his fortune cookie, and thinking about unwrapping it despite her rule.

  “Because I’m the nurse.”

  He grinned at her. “Did you get everything done this morning?”

  She nodded. “Lights are set to be shut off. Movers will be there first thing tomorrow to get everything packed up and moved to your house. I’ve also rented a storage unit for some of my stuff that’s not going to fit in your house.”

  “You don’t need to keep it. I have enough furniture.”

  She shrugged. “I’m keeping it. Someone will need it.”

  “Just so you’re not planning to leave me as soon as our year is up, because I’ve decided to keep you, no matter what the contract says.”

  Heidi frowned at him. “And what happens if I refuse to be kept?”

  “I have duct tape.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Duct tape, huh?”

  Slade nodded. “Did you know it’s possible to tape a grown man to a wall with duct tape? Imagine what I could do with a small nurse!”

  “You, Dr. Henderson, have lost your mind.”

  He sighed. “I know. Isn’t it great?”

  When they finished eating, she walked around his desk to kiss him. “I’ll see you in a few hours, I hope.”

  He grabbed her, pulling her down onto his lap. “No babies have ever been made in this office, but a few have been delivered here. We could make the first!”

  She shook her head. “Not so appealing. You look at other women here, not me. Separation of church and state!”

  He laughed. “My patient you met in the waiting room told me you said that to her. I approve wholeheartedly.”

  “I don’t even want to see a doctor you know! It would be too—squicky.”

  “Well, we don’t want anything squicky.”

  “Be ready to go out tonight when I get home. I think we can make it without being called.”

  Heidi smiled. “Country dancing?”

  He nodded. “I’m going to prove to you that I’m an expert on a mechanical bull.”

  She kissed him one last time. “You’d better be. It’s the only reason I married you!” She headed for the door.

  “Heidi!”

  She turned to look at him. “What?”

  “Thanks for lunch.”

  “Anytime.”

  She had a smile on her face as she left. She didn’t know what the future would bring, or what she would find out about him later, but right now, she thought her husband was pretty darn awesome.

  Chapter Six

  Heidi was waiting for Slade when he got home from work. She was wearing her favorite pair of old jeans, a button down shirt, a cowboy hat, and a pair of cowboy boots. She’d added some curl to her long hair, and it was streaming down her back.

  Slade walked in and caught sight of her, grinning. “Let me shower and dress. I’ll be ready in twenty.”

  “No rush,” she told him.

  “I’d suggest you join me, but you look like you’re ready to go out for the night, and I probably shouldn’t smudge you.”

  “Probably not.”

  He sighed heavily, walking into the bathroom and throwing his scrubs off. He started the water in the tub to heat it up. “Next time wait and get ready when I do. You’re taking half the fun out of the night!”

  “Half the fun was showering together? Well, that seems rather high. I mean, shouldn’t half the fun be going to dance and riding the bull and the other half be making love when we get home?”

  He seemed to consider it for a moment. “You’re probably right. But the shower would have been fun.”

  “I’m sure we’ll get sweaty while we’re dancing,” she reminded him, shutting the bathroom door from the outside.

  True to his word, he was ready twenty minutes later, dressed very similarly to her. He was even wearing a green checkered shirt like hers. “We match.”

  Heidi nodded. “We do. I’m not sure if one of us should change, or if we should just go ahead and go.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m taking you out for the best steak you’ve ever had, and then we’re going to dance.”

  “Sounds good to me!”

  He was right about the steak. She had never had one quite so tender. “This really is amazing.” She looked at him across the table as she bit into the meat.

  He smiled. “Yeah, I went through a long series of first dates, and no one was willing to go on a second one with me. I found this when I was looking for a new place to try with one of them.”

  She grinned. “Because you look at naked women all day!”

  He sighed. “I’m glad it doesn’t bother you. Of course, why would it? You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Next to them, you’re Aphrodite.”

  “Oh, you really are trying to butter me up for something. What exactly do you want?”

  He shook his head, grinning. “Not a thing. I just think you’re really special and want you to know it.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at him. “I feel like you want something, but I’ll leave it at that!”

  He shrugged. “Not this time!” He nodded to the phone beside her plate. “Are you on call this weekend?”

  She nodded. “My on call is different than yours, though. I need to arrange for someone to cover a shift if anyone calls in, but I rarely have to go in myself unless we have several people out. We had a stomach bug a month ago, and it was awful. Vicki and I were both covering extra shifts every time we turned around.”

  “But that shouldn’t happen this weekend?”

  “It shouldn’t. I can’t promise anything, of course. You never know when everyone is going to get sick. And they all do it at the same time. Every single time. It makes me crazy.”

  “Well, we’ll make the most of having time off together when we can. Do you want to make plans for tomorrow or just lounge around at home?”

  She shrugged. “My parents are dying for us to come over for dinner, so they can get to know you better. I’m not sure that’s what I want, but they want it.”

  “Are we ready for that?” he asked. “Should we put them off for another week or two? You won’t be on call next weekend.”

  She grinned. “I like the way you think! Then we can have one more weekend alone together before other people start making demands on us.”

  “What other people? Your parents and?”

  “Several of my friends want us to get together with them, which will be a little weird. They all have kids or are currently pregnant. We’d be the only newlyweds, but it’s better than being the only single person with them, right?”

  He laughed. “Right. We’ll wait ‘til later for that too. Like not next weekend, but the next weekend you’re not on call.”

  Heidi grinned. “Sounds good to me. I do want you to get to know them, but my parents need to come first, because I swear my mom is about to wet herself she’s so anxious. I’ve talked to her four times this week, and she’s always sure I’ve been murdered.”

  “She’s still not convinced I’m not going to kill you in your sleep?” He shook his head. “If I was going to murder you, I’d have done it that first night. I mean, why prolong it? I get too attached when I live with a woman for a week before I kill her. It makes no sense!”

  “I’ll tell her you said so!”

  Slade frowned. “Better not. I don’t think she’d appreciate my humor.”

  Heidi shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”

  He sighed. “More people in this world need to appreciate my humor. I’m a funny guy!”

  “Sure. A laugh a minute. I don’t know how your patients have time to push when they’re so busy laughing.”

  “I should have been a comedian. Less student debt and more recognition!”

  “I could see it,” Heidi said with a straight face. “I would laugh and laugh at your humor.”

  He made a face at her. �
��You’re supposed to be supportive of my every dream!”

  “I don’t remember promising that when I married you.”

  “You have no idea what you promised me. You were too busy staring off into space. You couldn’t even remember to say, ‘I do.’ Admit it.”

  Heidi blushed, looking down at her plate. “I’ll admit nothing of the sort! I was paying attention to every word!”

  “Then why did I have to remind you to say, ‘I do?’ Explain that one!”

  “I was contemplating whether you were worthy of me saying it to. I mean, for all I knew you were a mass murderer.”

  Slade sighed, rubbing his head. “Are we back to that?”

  Heidi shrugged. “I was never there. It was my mother!”

  “Uh huh.”

  They finished eating, and he paid for their meal, glancing down at his phone. “We might actually have a whole date night.”

  Heidi grinned. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  “I hope so. I’m trying to make it fun.” He stood and they left the restaurant together.

  “The bar is about a block from here. Do you want to walk or drive?”

  Heidi looked up at the sky, which had darkened while they were eating. “It’s a gorgeous night. Let’s walk.”

  He took her hand in his and they walked through the downtown area of Fort Worth together. “We need to go to the Water Gardens sometime.”

  “Not this weekend. Too much is going on.”

  “I know, but soon.” He looked over at the entrance, thinking they should have had wedding pictures done there. Oh well, it was too late now.

  “So are you still maintaining that you can ride on a mechanical bull while standing up?” she asked. “Do I need to make sure I have a first aid kit ready?”

  “Not at all. I promise, I’ve done it a million times.”

  “A million?”

  “Okay not a million. Probably a hundred, though.”

  When they got to the bar, the guy at the door grinned. “Slade! Good to see you, man! Are you going to put on a show for us tonight?”