Chapter 289
[ 544 words ]
Chapter 289:
After the trauma code ended, she retreated to the small charting room behind the nurses’ station. She stood at the counter with a patient file open in front of her, a pen frozen in her hand. The words blurred on the page. The adrenaline that had carried her through the morning had long since evaporated, leaving behind a hollow, bone-deep exhaustion that made her limbs feel weighted and slow.
She had declined Brenna’s lunch invitation the moment it was offered, too tired, she’d said, just wanted to finish her charts and go home. Brenna had let it go, but not without a long, searching look that Caroline pretended not to see.
Now, twenty minutes later, Caroline was still standing in the same spot. The same blank line on the form stared back at her. She had not written a single word.
The door behind her swung open. Brenna stepped inside, still wearing her surgical bouffant cap. Her expression was carefully casual, but her eyes moved quickly, taking in the untouched chart, the rigid set of Caroline’s shoulders, the faint tremor in her hand.
“Still charting?” Brenna asked lightly, leaning against the doorframe.
Caroline straightened, forcing a weak, unconvincing smile. “Just finishing up.”
“Uh-huh.” Brenna crossed her arms. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right? You said you were going home. That was half an hour ago. Now you’re hiding in the charting room staring at a blank form.”
Caroline set the pen down. “I got distracted.”
“Caroline.” Brenna’s voice softened, the teasing edge falling away. “You’ve been pale as a ghost all day. You flinch every time your phone buzzes. You look like you haven’t slept in a week. Talk to me. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together.”
Caroline’s heart skipped a violent beat at the sincerity in her friend’s voice. A wave of guilt washed over her. She desperately wanted to confide in Brenna, to share the crushing weight of her secret marriage and her terror for Jarrod’s life. But she couldn’t. The truth was a weapon that could get them both killed.
𝘈𝗱d𝘪𝖼𝘵𝗂𝗏e 𝗇𝘰𝘷𝗲ls 𝘰𝘯 g𝗮l𝘯оv𝗲𝗹𝗌.с𝗼m
“It’s just a migraine,” Caroline said quietly. “And I didn’t sleep well. That’s all.”
Brenna stared at her for a long moment, her jaw tight with frustration. She knew there was more. She had known it since that morning in the trauma bay, when Caroline had moved with a precision that went far beyond nursing instinct. But pushing had never worked with her best friend, and it wouldn’t work now.
“Fine,” Brenna said at last. “Keep your secrets. But you’re not walking out of here alone. I’m walking you to the pickup zone.”
“I don’t need—”
“I wasn’t asking.”
Caroline let out a breath that was almost a laugh. She closed the patient file, abandoning the pretense of productivity, and grabbed her bag from the counter.
They walked together through the quiet back corridor toward the employee exit. Halfway down the hall, they passed Julian coming from the opposite direction. He was still in his white coat, a stack of lab reports in his hand. He saw Caroline’s face and stopped.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, his voice low with concern. “Brenna said you weren’t feeling well. Is there anything I can do?”
Caroline shook her head, offering him a tired but genuine smile. “I’m fine, Julian. Just need sleep.”
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