Chapter 2The Nurse Who Tried to Ruin Me

Rage flared in my chest, making my headache even worse. How did getting an IV drip turn into a referendum on my love life and my character? Are single people not allowed to get sick?

I wanted to fire back, but I was too dizzy, too drained. All I wanted was to sleep.

I gave a weak wave of my hand. “Thanks for your concern,” I said quietly. “I’ll handle it.”

She stared at me. “How are you going to handle it? You gonna call your boyfriend to come over?”

I had no idea why she was so obsessed with my non-existent boyfriend. My life was just work, work, work. I was so exhausted I couldn’t even stand the sight of my own reflection, let alone have the energy for a relationship. Honestly, if I did have a boyfriend, I’d be starting to suspect this nurse was his side piece.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I said wearily, “but that won’t stop me from handling this.”

For some reason, that just seemed to make her angrier.

I pulled out my phone, opened a delivery app, and ordered an IV alarm from the nearest pharmacy for rush delivery. I used to use one all the time; it would start beeping when the drip was about to finish. But since I’d come straight from the office, I didn’t have it with me.

While I waited for the delivery, I sat up, too afraid of being woken up again to lie down. I glanced around the room and saw the young nurse whispering with another nurse. She was laughing, and she pointed in my direction. The other nurse covered her mouth in shock, then started laughing too.

Annoyed, I turned away and took a few sips of water.

The alarm arrived quickly. The delivery guy was nice enough to help me clip it onto the IV tube and even tested it to make sure it worked before he left.

Just then, the nurse returned. She was changing the IV bag for the patient in the bed next to mine, talking to them in a sickly-sweet, passive-aggressive tone.

“You know, some women think they can use their looks to flirt with every man they see. Even the delivery guy. It’s just so classless.”

I was just about to lie down, but her words stopped me cold.

“Who are you calling a flirt?” I demanded.

My eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. The constant interruptions had me on a hair trigger. My glare must have been terrifying, because she flinched and her eyes darted away.

“I wasn’t talking about anyone in particular,” she muttered, biting her lip before scurrying off.

I fell back onto the bed, completely drained. I’ve never seen this nurse before in my life, I thought, bewildered. What did I ever do to her? She butchered my arm five times and I didn't say a thing, and this is how she repays me? I should have filed a complaint after the second failed attempt.

Muttering curses under my breath, it took me a long time to fall back asleep.

I dreamed I had wowed the client. My boss gave me a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus and a month-long vacation. I was cheering in my dream when suddenly, someone shoved me, hard. The sensation was like being pushed off a cliff.

My eyes flew open.

And there she was. The nurse. A persistent, walking nightmare.

She pointed at the alarm on my IV line.

“This thing hasn’t made a sound. Are you sure it even works? If it’s defective and we miss the bag change, that could be a problem.”

I gasped for breath, my heart hammering in my chest. For fuck’s sake, I screamed in my head.

“The bag isn’t finished yet, of course it’s not beeping,” I said, my voice trembling. “It will alert me when it’s time.” The sudden shove had left me shaken, my heart pounding like a drum.

The nurse eyed me suspiciously. “Why are you shaking? You don’t sound very confident. Are you lying?”

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm down. “I’m shaking because you scared the hell out of me! And why would I lie to you? What could I possibly gain from that? All I want is to sleep. Please, just leave me alone.”

The frustration and exhaustion of being repeatedly disturbed finally boiled over, and my voice rose with each word.

Her eyes widened, and tears instantly filled them.

I had to laugh, a bitter, humorless sound. With acting skills like that, she should be in Hollywood, not here.

The girl started crying, waving her hands defensively. “Ma’am, you must have misunderstood! I was just trying to be helpful, looking out for your well-being.”

“You can’t blame me for your heart trouble, that’s not fair,” she sobbed. “You came to the hospital because you were already sick. Your health issues are your own problem, they have nothing to do with me.”