Love On Call

“Hasn’t everyone?” Glenn smiled wryly. There were no secrets in a hospital, personal or professional. The only way to keep a secret was to keep silent. It occurred to her she’d already broken that rule with Mari, but somehow she wasn’t worried. Mari would respect her secrets.

“A mass casualty alert,” Carrie said. “Pretty wild first day for all the newbies. How’d they do?”

“The students missed the MCA, but the ER team handled that without a hitch.” Glenn shrugged. “Considering it’s the students’ first clinical experience, they aren’t half bad, actually.”

“High praise.” Chuckling, Carrie offered her half-eaten box of popcorn. “Want some?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“We’re going out for pizza in a while if you want to come.”

“Thanks, but I already had some.”

“Really?” The look in Carrie’s green eyes bordered on suspicion mixed with disbelief. “You left the hospital before sundown?”

“Oh, come on,” Glenn protested. “I do…sometimes.”

Carrie snorted. “It’s okay to admit you don’t want to come along. Just don’t think you’re getting out of the hospital barbecue this weekend.”

“I swear! I already ate. I walked down with Mari after shift and—”

“Who’s Mari?” Carrie knew everyone, considering she was the CEO’s admin, and she didn’t know anyone in the ER by that name.

“Mari Mateo. One of the new PAs, just started.”

“Huh. Since the ER is technically freestanding, those hires went through Abby and not our HR department.” Carrie gave Glenn an inquiring look. “Is she nice?”

“Nice?” Glenn felt the word roll around on her tongue like a shoe that didn’t fit. Mari was a whole lot of things—smart, capable, sensitive, maybe a little vulnerable, and, well, why not admit it, beautiful. “Sure, she’s nice.”

“And you went out to dinner with her.” Carrie’s eyes narrowed. “That’s almost newsworthy, considering about the only place you ever go outside of work is Harper and Flann’s parents’ house for Sunday dinner.”

“Pizza, Carrie, pizza.” Glenn sighed. “Give me a break.”

“Uh-huh. Just make sure she gets to the staff cookout too.”

“Flann already reminded me. I’ll make sure she’s aware—hell, I’m not gonna drag her there.”

“Mateo, you said?” Carrie asked, looking like she was only paying half attention.

“Yes, why?”

“No reason.”

Carrie fell silent, an unusual state for her. The crowd started to break up before the last competition was over. Ten thirty was late for most everybody who had to get up before four in the morning to feed the animals, milk the cows, get the work of the day started before the heat or the rain or some other unexpected event interfered.

“I’m gonna get out before the crowds,” Glenn said.

“Headed home?” Carrie asked.

“Yeah.” Glenn toyed with the idea of making a quick stop by the ER to check on the new attending on his first night on call. He seemed solid, but he was still fresh out of his residency, and he didn’t know the place like she did.

“You know,” Carrie said casually, “you don’t actually have to supervise every single person in the ER.”

Glenn laughed. “Are you mind-reading again?”

“Honestly, Glenn, you’re not all that hard to read. I’m surprised you even left today.”

Glenn didn’t mention she hadn’t been planning on it, at least not until she was absolutely certain everything was tight and tidy, but she’d been drawn away by Mari. “Are you trying to say I’m a control freak?”

“I wouldn’t be that harsh. But seriously,” Carrie said quietly, “it wouldn’t hurt to ease up a little bit now and then. You deserve it.”

“This coming from the woman who I know for a fact works twelve-hour days almost every day.”

“Have you seen my boss? She’s merciless.”

From the other side of Carrie, Presley Worth chuckled. “Are you admitting defeat?”

“Me?” Carrie grinned. “Never. I love my work, and if I never had to leave the hospital, I’d be happy.”

“We only have a few more major projects to accomplish,” Presley said, “and then your hours will seem more human.”

“Really?” Carrie snorted. “You mean after you strong-arm the construction crew into getting the new MRI wing done in six months and build the heliport in six weeks…Oh, and don’t forget pushing through the approval for our trauma accreditation so we can actually get the helicopters to land on the heliport that we haven’t built yet.”

“I didn’t say it would be instantaneous.” Presley smiled, the kind of smile fighter pilots wear as they climb into the cockpit. “It might take a month or so.”

Harper Rivers, Presley’s soon-to-be spouse and current chief of medicine at the Rivers, laughed out loud. “Darling, you do realize that at most places, things like that take a couple of years?”

“Well,” the new CEO said nonchalantly, “this isn’t most places.”

“Like I said,” Carrie said with a long-suffering sigh, “I love my job and I would sleep in the office if I could find a place to put a cot.”

“You can always bed down on the floor,” Glenn suggested. “Plenty of room behind the desk.”

Carrie gave her a raised eyebrow. “Some of us are more civilized than that.”