Chapter 65
[ 490 words ]
Chapter 65:
Caroline didn’t look at her. She kept walking. But deep in her chest, a cold, lethal anger began to freeze over.
By noon, Caroline’s legs felt like they were made of lead.
She had been assigned the worst, most physically demanding tasks on the floor. No one helped her turn the heavy patients. No one spoke to her.
When the clock struck twelve, the other nurses immediately clustered together, laughing and chatting as they headed to the elevators. They deliberately left Caroline behind to finish cleaning a soiled bed.
Ten minutes later, Caroline walked alone into the basement cafeteria. The massive room was packed with doctors and staff. The smell of fried food and bleach hung in the air.
Caroline grabbed a plastic tray. She didn’t have the energy to choose. She pointed to a sad-looking tuna salad and poured herself a cup of black coffee.
She turned around to find a seat.
In the center of the room, Melanie and her clique were sitting at a large round table. As Caroline’s eyes swept past them, Melanie stopped talking. The entire table turned and glared at her with open hostility.
𝖱om𝗮𝘯𝖼𝗲 a𝗻𝗱 р𝗮𝘀si𝗼𝗻 o𝘯 𝗀alոo𝘃𝘦𝗹s.𝗰o𝗺
Caroline’s face remained blank. She walked to the absolute farthest corner of the cafeteria and sat down at a small, wobbly two-person table facing the wall.
She stared down at her tuna salad. She picked up her plastic fork and poked at the lettuce. Her stomach was tied in knots. She couldn’t eat.
Suddenly, a murmur rippled through the cafeteria.
Caroline didn’t look up until a shadow fell over her table.
Dr. Julian Croft stood there. He was wearing his pristine white lab coat over a tailored blue shirt. He looked incredibly handsome, and every female nurse in the room was watching him.
At the center table, Melanie immediately sat up straighter, running a hand through her hair, preparing a smile.
Julian didn’t even glance at Melanie’s table. He walked straight across the room, his eyes fixed entirely on Caroline.
He pulled out the plastic chair opposite her and sat down.
Caroline blinked, a piece of lettuce hanging off her fork. “Julian?”
Julian smiled. It was a warm, incredibly grounding smile. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion. I hate eating alone.”
Caroline quickly swallowed the lettuce. “No, of course not. It’s… it’s nice to see a friendly face.”
Julian looked down at her tray. His brow furrowed in clinical disapproval.
Without asking, he picked up the plate of grilled chicken breast from his own tray and slid it directly onto hers.
“You look like you’re about to collapse, Caroline,” Julian said, his tone shifting into a gentle, authoritative doctor’s voice. “Tuna and lettuce won’t keep you upright. Eat the protein. That’s an order.”
Caroline felt a sudden, overwhelming rush of gratitude. Her eyes stung. She picked up her knife and cut a piece of the chicken.
Across the room, the temperature at the center table plummeted to absolute zero.
Melanie’s face turned an ugly, mottled red. Her fingers gripped her plastic fork so hard the cheap plastic bent.
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