Page 83 of Asystole

“I’ll only be a minute, and that shower’s not really big enough for both of us,” I point out, making Kendra waste no time giving me her honest thoughts.

“This whole place is barely big enough for two people.”

“Really, Ken?” I ask, too tired to mask my frustration.

My tone has her crawling out from under the covers and moving toward me. I’d be seriously concerned about the lack of a response stirring between my legs if I wasn’t so damn tired. But anything outside of sleep and calories is no longer deemed essential for survival.

When she reaches the edge of the bed, she climbs off and stands in front of me on her tiptoes, placing her arms around my neck.

Kendra is so small, I can grip my elbows with my opposite hands when I hug her. People often comment on the size difference between us. I used to like it, but now, it just feels like I’m going to break her.

“I’ve missed you,” she mumbles against my chest, and I force myself to take a deep breath.

Only it gets caught on the way in, making the inhale shallow.

“I’ve missed you, too. I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for making the trip.” It sounds robotic even to my ears.

I stand in her embrace for what feels like ten minutes before the pull to the shower overrides everything.

“Why don’t you get back into bed? I’ll only be a few minutes. A quick shower and an even quicker bite to eat, and then I’ll be ready.”

“I want to hear about your day,” she argues with a yawn. “I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”

Will this day never end?

Chapter 31

Logan

Standing in the kitchen fixing Chase’s plate at damn near two a.m. while his girlfriend hangs off him without giving him a second to breathe is not my idea of a good time. After heating up his lasagna and toasting a fresh piece of garlic bread, I pour him a stiff drink, assuming he could use it, as I set his dinner in front of him.

“Holy shit, this is perfect,” Chase groans. And no, my dick did not like it, fuck you very much.

“Babe, I could have picked something up and had it waiting if you’d told me what you wanted,” Kendra whines.

I want to chime in so badly with the snarky reply my brain conjures immediately.

But that’s just it, isn’t it? Chase needs someone to anticipate his needs because he doesn’t have time to assess what they are. He just needs someone to call the shots and make it happen without a million follow-up questions, adjacent demands, or a fucking guilt trip.

Changing the subject, Chase excitedly says, “Oh, Logan! You’ll never guess what happened tonight,” as he takes a sip of the whiskey I poured.

Meanwhile, Kendra, who has her feet in Chase’s lap, asks, “Should you really be drinking liquor this late if you have to be back at the hospital in six hours?”

Chase just laughs.

“Six? I have to be back in four. And trust me, I’ve earned every drop of this.”

Before she can give him more shit, I redirect the conversation, wanting to know what he was going to tell me.

“What happened tonight?” I ask.

“Romella was working upstairs, and she totally let me look through Marcy’s chart an⁠—”

“Who are Romella and Marcy?” Kendra pipes up.

“A nurse and a patient,” Chase explains quickly, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

“Anyway, the plan is for Marcy to go home in two and a half weeks!” he says, his face splitting into the widest grin I’ve ever seen.