The emergency roomwas a bustle of energy and people. Jerica enjoyed it, as harried as it was. She loved keeping busy and not having downtime, though she’d pay for it that night when she was exhausted. Doctors moved through rooms as they checked on patients, and so did nurses.
Jerica had the opportunity to take a step up and switch to night shifts, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to do that to herself yet. The promotion and pay increase would be nice, but it would also mess with her life and friendships. Not to mention, she’d fought hard to be moved to day shift. She shuffled some papers around on the front desk, organizing them even though she didn’t have to. It was such a bad habit.
Her shift was almost over, which was a good thing. She stepped into the break room and started a pot of coffee for those who were coming in. She always liked to leave them with something warm to drink, something that would perk them up for their long night. If the day had been as busy as that, then the night would be worse. It was Friday the thirteenth and a full moon. Some people—not her, of course—would think it would be the worst night in ER history.
June stepped into the break room and smiled. “Please tell me you’re not just starting it.”
“I am, sorry.” Jerica gave her a soft look. “If you wait about ten minutes, it’ll be ready.”
“I’m off in ten.” June shrugged. “And I’m not on call tonight, so I probably shouldn’t.”
“Do you have a hot date then?”
June shook her head. “No, I was thinking about going out with some friends, see if I can just have some fun and relax.”
“Oh, that sounds fantastic.” Jerica smiled at June. “Mind if I tag along?”
“Sure! We’ll be at Pete’s at eight.”
“Perfect.”
Jerica smiled and turned the coffee maker on, letting it percolate. Within thirty minutes, Jerica had her jacket on and her phone in her hand. She leaned against her car in the early fall breeze and stared at it. She’d input the number Bridget’s friend had given her, but she hadn’t called or texted yet. She wasn’t sure which she wanted to do or if the contact would be well-received.
Bridget had seemed to warm up to her each visit, but Jerica was still a nurse, and that could have been purely kindness wrapped in professionalism. She wasn’t sure where the boundary line was. Equally, she had no idea if she should text first or call instead. Bridget didn’t seem like someone who would readily respond to texts, at least not what Jerica had seen of her. She was never on a phone, though the one she’d come in with had been absolutely crushed in the pocket of her uniform.
Jerica had been the one to deal with it once Bridget had been in surgery. Yet, she’d also been stuck with Bridget through most of the rest of her shift as soon as she’d come back. Bridget had been her patient, but beyond that, the only time Bridget’s heart rate stayed even and steady and her vitals stayed right in line with where they should be was when Jerica was there.
She’d stayed in ICU all night with her, leaving only in the morning when Ann had shooed her out. Jerica pressed her lips together tightly, staring at the number in her phone. Eli had given it to her, although she was pretty sure Bridget hadn’t known. Yet, the entire week since Bridget had been released from the hospital, Jerica had struggled not to wonder how she was doing.
Sliding into her car, Jerica started the engine to warm it up. She bit her lip as she hit the call button and pushed the phone to her ear. It rang and rang and rang. Her heart was in her throat, nerves tangling with anticipation. What was she supposed to say if Bridget actually answered?
When it clicked to voicemail and a standard automated message, Jerica breathed out a sigh of relief. She hung up before leaving a message, staring down at her phone.What was she thinking?It was stupid of her to think Bridget would want anything to do with her, not after she’d been one of the first to work on her when she had been brought in.
She was just about to back out of the parking spot when she stopped short. A sedan pulled into the spot next to her, Ann waving through the window, no doubt coming in for her shift. Jerica lowered her window as Ann came over. “Hey! How was the ER today?”
“Busy. Really busy.”
“Oh boy,” Ann answered. “Guess I have it in for me then, huh?”
“Probably.” Jerica winced. “I think we sent two or three your way, actually.”
“I’ll check them out when I get in.” Ann straightened her back but stopped short, leaning down again. “Everything okay?”
Jerica pressed her lips together hard. “I don’t know. It was a good day, not too bad by normal standards.”
“Normal? In the ER?”
“There is a rhythm to it, you know.” Jerica smiled lightly.
“I don’t think that’s what’s bugging you.”
Jerica shrugged, not sure she wanted to confess she’d called Bridget, but then again, she and Ann had had long conversations while Jerica had been sitting with Bridget to keep her calm. “I called Bridget.”
“Oh?” Ann’s eyes lit up. “And?”
“She didn’t answer. I don’t know that I wanted her to.”
“Then why did you call?”