Took the words right out of my mouth. Jess was right. She wasn't thinking clearly about the whole situation. "Which one of us is the psychiatrist again?" Kim asked, her tone light and teasing.
Jess laughed. She rose from her chair and came around the desk to perch on the edge next to Kim's chair. "I could never do what you do every day. But I do have lots of practice handling ER personnel."
"And you're very good at it." And at reading me apparently.
"Thank you, ma'am," Jess said and gave a little bow, making Kim laugh. "Seriously, Penny's not the first staff member to run out of the ER because they had their feelings hurt. I appreciate you telling me so I wasn't worried all day that she was really sick."
Stuffing her hands into her lab coat pockets, Jess stood. A shy smile graced her face. "I um." She shuffled her feet. "I missed you on Sunday."
With those simple words, the tension and anxiety that had plagued Kim all morning vanished as if they had never existed at all.
CHAPTER 25
JESS'S HEAD JERKED up when her office door flew open.
Kim, dressed in blue scrubs and paper slippers, marched into the office. Sparing Jess a single glance, she headed straight for the couch. She dropped the plastic bag in her hand on the floor and flopped face-first onto the couch. She muttered something ominous-sounding into the cushion.
Oh. This is not good. Jess walked over to the couch. When she looked down at Kim's scrub-covered back, she noticed Kim wasn't wearing a bra. She winced. Got her underwear too.
The sight of Kim coming out of the exam room was one Jess would not soon forget. Kim had been in the direct line of fire when the activated charcoal a patient had been given made an explosive exit, along with the rest of his stomach's contents. Her shirt had taken the brunt of the nasty black slurry, but it had run down over her pants and into her shoes.
"Kim?"
"She's not here. She quit."
"You don't mean that." Jess nudged Kim's hip. "Scoot over."
Grumbling under her breath, Kim rolled onto her side and made room for Jess. "I hate Bates."
As Jess joined her on the couch, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face.
Kim glared.
Oops. Remember how well she reads you. Apparently, Kim was not in the frame of mind to see any humor in the situation. Of course, it didn't help matters any that the culprit had been Bates. After Kim laid down the law to him on Monday, he appeared to have given up on his infatuation. In fact, he had been conspicuously avoiding Kim — until this. Had it been anyone else, Kim would probably have laughed it off.
She took a chance and gently stroked Kim's arm. "I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose. ER doctors just have a finely developed 'anti-puke' reflex."
"I've dodged my share of puke." Kim growled. "You weren't there. I hadn't even greeted the patient yet. I had just walked up to the gurney. Bates didn't say a word. He just smirked as he stepped behind me. Then — bam."
Kim smacked her open palm against the couch cushion. "He could've warned me. He knew what was coming." Her eyes narrowed. "I just know that little snake did."
Jess looked down into blue eyes that seemed to glow from within. Whoa. I've never seen her so pissed.
Now is not the time to suggest again that she wear a lab coat. After the last insult Kim's clothes had taken, Jess had asked her why she insisted on not wearing a lab coat. According to Kim, it intimidated her patients and made them less likely to confide in her.
Hoping to soothe her ruffled feathers, Jess stroked Kim's silky curls. "I'm sorry."
Kim leaned into the touch and sighed. "It's not your fault. But I still hate Bates."
Ah. I know. "I could assign him a bunch of really nasty, smelly patients if you want."
A smile ghosted across Kim's face, gone as quickly as it had appeared.
That's better.
Kim huffed. "Don't tempt me." She dropped her arm over her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "Is it Friday yet?"
"I wish," Jess said. "Only one more day to go."
It had been a hellish week in the ER. The situation with a wayward surgical resident had turned into a public relations fiasco. The press had been running loose in the hospital all week, wreaking havoc. Jess had been so tied up with the GMEC and the continuing repercussions of the incident, as well as the upcoming quarterly ER budget, that she and Kim had not managed dinner together even once all week. We could both use a break.
Jess smiled. "I know just what you need."
Kim lifted her arm and peered at Jess. "A stiff drink."
"Well, that's a possibility too. But I was thinking more along the lines of a glass of wine." Jess arched an eyebrow at Kim's somewhat dubious expression. "Okay, maybe two glasses of wine and a nice dinner." Kim still didn't look completely convinced. "Ah... did I forget to mention, a back massage and a long soak in a bubbling Jacuzzi to go along with it."
"That sounds heavenly, especially a good long soak." Kim tilted her head to the side. "You have a Jacuzzi tub?"
"I sure do." Jess had avoided taking Kim outside and showing her around the back deck, where the tub was located. 'Cause you couldn't deal with the thought of her in a swimsuit... but now. Jess grinned. "A big one with lots of jets. Guaranteed to fix what ails you. It's heavenly." Or it will be when I'm in it with you.
"You've got a date." Kim sat up and placed a soft kiss on Jess's lips. "And thank you."
* * *
"More wine?" Jess held up the bottle of Merlot.
"Maybe just a little," Kim said. This was the first time Kim had been at Jess's since the incident on her couch the previous Saturday. She had worried that things would be awkward, but that had not been the case. After sharing a quiet dinner, they had crashed on the couch to relax while the spa heated.
Jess poured while trying to stifle a yawn.
"Are you sure you still feel like getting in the spa?" When Jess had mentioned it at work, Kim had envisioned a Jacuzzi bathtub. She had been amazed earlier when Jess took her outside onto the back deck for the first time. There, tucked in a corner and surrounded by slatted privacy fencing, was a large hot tub.
Jess glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Absolutely. Should be up to temperature by now." She had turned the spa on before dinner.
The ringing of the phone pierced the air.
Jess picked up the portable from the table. She looked at the screen, then tossed the phone back onto the table. "Harold is the most persistent of the jackals. I'll give him that."
Several reporters had begun calling Jess when her membership on the GME committee became known. Watching Jess have to deal with them at work had been bad enough. Thankfully, so far none of them had tried to ambush her at home.
"What a mess," Kim said. "Who would have thought a single punch in a bar would lead to all of this." Although Dr. Woods had made a mistake, her heart went out to him. A mental shiver shook her. She pressed her arm against her stomach. This could have been you. Had the wrong person gotten wind of her situation at Memorial, she could have had her life and career shredded by the media. The truth would not have mattered.
Jess snorted. "Tell me about it. These reporters are driving everyone to distraction. And the negative press is killing LA Metro." She shook her head. "All because some bozo captured the punch on his cell phone and decided to seek his fifteen minutes of fame. It was that damn reporter." Her hand stiffened on her wine glass. "Once he found out Woods was a doctor, he couldn't wait to splash some sensational bullshit all over the media." Jess took a healthy drink of her wine. "I can still see that video clip and damn headline. 'Violent doctors in our hospitals. Could your loved one be next?' Christ."