The Medic for You Read online

  The Medic for You

  Sarah Taylor

  Published by Sarah Taylor, 2020.

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First printing edition, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 Sarah Taylor.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Noah

  Briefly, I scour the bustling hospital lobby.

  As a paramedic, I should probably be focusing on my job, but right now, I'm on a mission.

  Nurses, doctors, and patients make their way across the spacious hall in a sea of multicolored scrubs and various bandages. Sunlight pours in through the many windows and dances on the sterile white floor.

  None of the people match the image seared upon my brain of a cute nurse with bright blue eyes and long dark hair constantly pulled back into a ponytail. When she walks, the ponytail sways against her shoulders like the undulating tide of a silky river.

  “Damn,” I mutter under my breath, trying not to pout.

  Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her when I'm here.

  I don’t even know her name. What I do know is that she works here on some upper floor of the hospital and is always flying from one corner of the building to the other.

  I also know that she’s not the kind of girl that I typically go for, and by that, I mean that even from afar, I can tell she’s ambitious and determined — and sexy as all get-out. She’s so gorgeous she makes even scrubs look good. My typical type of girl is usually more flighty and flirty. I like them that way. There’s no pressure for anything more than just one steamy night. There’s just hooking up, no hanging out involved.

  But my sweet nurse angel, I can’t imagine she’d ever be down for that.

  The EMT at my side chuckles and glances over at me with an arched brow. Liam’s just finished signing some paperwork about the patient we’d just dropped off. The poor guy had choked on a chicken wing, but we’d managed to extract the offending bone during the drive over. The guy would live to chow down another day.

  “You good, Noah?” Liam asks, amused by my persistent hunt.

  Every time we swing by the hospital, I have to take a long look around. I don’t know why I insist on this. It’s not like I’ve ever talked to her. Just seeing that cute nurse is enough, I guess.

  I shoot him back a grin and then shrug my brawny shoulders. “You bet. Just thought I might see my little angel if I looked hard enough.”

  Liam laughs, seeming even more amused now. He folds his arms over his chest. “You don’t even know anything about your mystery woman. She might not be such an angel if you ever worked up the nerve to talk to her, you know.”

  “That would only make things even more interesting,” I state with a smirk. “And it’s not that I haven’t worked up the nerve to talk to her. It’s just that we’re too busy saving peoples’ hides day in and day out. I can’t stop to flirt while lives hang in the balance.”

  After an eye roll, Liam just nods. “Sure, pal. Whatever you say. I think you’re scared of her, that she might make you want to settle down for once in your life.” His face wrinkles a little, as if his last statement left a sour taste in his mouth.

  As I thought, Liam and I seem to have been cut from the same cloth.

  Neither one of us is very keen on steady relationships.

  I just don’t see the appeal of settling down with one woman for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t it get boring? I know I have friends who seem happy about being paired off for the rest of eternity, but I just don’t get it. When Liam and I have a rare night off work, we go out and have the time of our lives surrounded by beautiful women.

  Why would you trade in that so you’d have just one girl in your bed day in and day out?

  That’s why my nurse angel will remain a fantasy and nothing more.

  Despite this inner insistence, even as Liam and I finish up in the lobby and get ready to head back to our waiting ambulance, I linger a moment longer. I find myself continually glancing over my shoulder, hoping that my gorgeous mystery nurse would make an appearance. It’s usually around this time of day that she seems to be getting off work — not that I'm keeping tabs on her or anything.

  “By the way,” Liam says when I finally stop dragging my feet and march out with him through the wide hospital doors. The sun is high in the sky, just beginning its descent as evening approaches. It’s hot and sticky outside, and beads of sweat instantly form on the nape of my neck. “My sister is having a party tonight. You should swing by.”

  “Why? Is she hot?” I ask playfully.

  When Liam makes a dramatic gagging noise, I laugh heartily and nudge him in the ribs.

  “She’s dating one of the local cops, so I’d keep my hands to myself if I were you,” he quips.

  I pretend to heave a pensive sigh as I climb into the front seat of the ambulance.

  For just a moment, as I always do, I have to take a second to appreciate how lucky I am to be sitting here. We may not make the big bucks driving his ambulance around, but we do make a big difference in our community. This is my reason for getting up every day. There’s a certain sense of power that comes from gazing out through this crystal-clear pane of glass on the dashboard. It’s a reminder of what I have to offer the world, and how much I love my job. The people in this city trust me to work my ass off to save them or help them in any way possible, and since the day I first became a paramedic, it’s been my goal to do just that.

  Even though I do love a good night out on the town, when my shift is over, I usually just head back to my quiet apartment and spend a quiet night in.

  Working these crazy hours as an EMT doesn’t leave much time for anything else. I'm practically always on the clock, and you never know when someone will need saving. I prefer to be rested and ready when someone needs me rather than tired to the bone or hungover. Sometimes, the wildest thing I do is swing by the local convenience store to grab a few of their beef and bean taquitos. They may not be healthy, but damn if they’re not some of the best snacks I’ve ever had. I’d even gotten Liam obsessed with them.

  But, maybe just this once, I’ll go out on a work night and have a good time. I deserve it.

  “Why not?” I announce, grinning at Liam. “What harm could one night do?”

  Liam chuckles and leans back in his seat. “Those sound like famous last words to me.”

  Chapter 2

  Ava

  “Oh my god, Emma! There he is again,” I gasp, grabbing my friend’s arm and thrusting a finger through the throngs of people winding through the packed hospital lobby.

  It isn’t often that Emma and I have shifts that allow for us to get off at the same time, and I'm glad that she’s here now to witness the fact that I haven’t been completely making up the handsome stranger I’ve been spotting recently.

  “Who, Ava? You mean that hunky paramedic you’ve been talking about for weeks?” asks Emma. The doctor begins to giggle. “No matter how much you insist you don’t date other people in the medical field, you sure seem to bring that guy up a whole lot.”

  I bite my lip to keep myself from sighing wistfully at the sight of the EMT’s broad shoulders vanishing out the doorway. “Well, you don’t see guys who look like that a whole lot either. And I don’t date other people in my profession because they’
re all so boring!”

  When Emma gives a wounded scoff, I clear my throat.

  “I mean, you’re not boring. Emma. If you were a sexy dude, I’d totally be down to date you,” I stammer, trying to hastily course-correct the conversation.

  Emma’s brows judgmentally lift, though her eyes gleam with mischief. “No thanks. I’ve already got the man of my dreams.”

  I laugh and roll my eyes. “I just mean in general there’s nothing interesting to talk about when I date other people who work in medicine. All we end up discussing is what patients we saw that day or how many hours we’ve put in this week. I want more. I want excitement — spontaneity. I want someone thrilling.”

  I'm glad I'm hanging on to Emma’s arm, because now I'm staring off into the distance, fantasizing about a man who makes me feel electrified instead of paying any attention to my surroundings.

  Emma clicks her tongue thoughtfully. “And you really don’t think there’s even a chance that the guy you’ve been pining over might be able to give you that?”

  “Fantasy is always better than reality,” I sigh. “It usually is. Right? Ignorance is bliss and all that.”

  Emma shrugs her slender shoulders. “I never thought I’d meet anyone like Jaxon, yet here we are. Even Charlie loves him. He’s stepped up to the plate to care for that little girl in a way I never thought possible.”

  I smile fondly as I think of Emma’s boyfriend and her little sister, who Emma has guardianship over. The three of them are so sweet and cute together. They’ve quickly become a happy little family, and being around them certainly makes me yearn for something like that... But is it even possible for everyone to find their soulmate? Or does that only happen for a lucky few like Emma and Jaxon?

  “Even Jaxon is a cop, not a doctor like you,” I point out.

  “Jaxon could’ve been a drifter for all I care,” Emma answers without hesitation. “The moment I first met him, I knew there was something different about him. He made my heart sing.”

  “Does he have any cute cop buddies?” I mutter, though I'm still staring at the door of the hospital after my cute paramedic. I’d seen the red ambulance flash by a few moments ago.

  He was gone. I never knew when the last time I’d see him might be. It could’ve been just now, for all I know.

  “Jaxon’s cute cop buddies are all taken,” says Emma with a faint laugh. “And speaking of cops, we need to get to Wolf and Violet’s party. We can stop by my place to get ready real quick. Jaxon is staying home with Charlie tonight.”

  I nod, eager to know why Violet and Wolf, who works with Jaxon on the police squad, had arranged such a last-minute get-together.

  They’d picked a good time for this shindig too, because my cousin is just about to come to town, and I’ll be busy entertaining her. Maggie, a photographer for some bigtime travel magazine, is finally returning to her little hometown, though I doubt she’ll stay too long. She isn’t the type to sit still for more than a moment, it seems.

  We pile into Emma’s car and race off toward her house. I live just across the street from Wolf and Violet, so Emma and I had decided earlier to ride into work together so we could go to the party together, too.

  Once we’ve changed out of our scrubs, Emma says goodbye to Jaxon and Charlie, and we again dive back into her car. As we head down the road, Emma keeps throwing glances up into her rearview mirror back at the home she shares with Jaxon and Charlie. Even though it isn’t like Emma is heading away for an extended amount of time, it seems like leaving them at all is almost too much for the blond doctor to handle.

  If I had to guess, Emma would make it at most thirty minutes before she slipped away to return home. I guess some people might be irritated by that, but I find it adorable that Emma loves her home life so much that she can’t stand being away.

  “We’re here!” Emma announces as she parks in front of the house. She’s trying to sound excited, but I can tell she’s more enthused about eventually going home than she is about going to this party.

  As we get out of the car, we can hear lively music pulsing from inside the house and see people milling about through the windows.

  Inside the house, as I’d anticipated, it takes all of five minutes before Emma starts fiddling with her keys and shooting longing looks out at her car. Even while greeting Wolf and Violet, she’s distracted.

  I take a peek around the room, wondering where I might be able to drink, when time suddenly seems to screech to a halt. I blink hard, almost refusing to believe what I'm seeing in front of me.

  There, by the drink table, is my hunky paramedic.

  “No way,” I whisper. I suck in a shallow breath and whirl toward Emma. I grab her arm to steady myself and jerk my head toward the table. “Do you see him too? Am I hallucinating? Or wait, am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep during the car ride over here?”

  “It’s your guy!” she yelps, all but jumping up and down out of excitement as she stares around me.

  Gulping, I take a hesitant peek over my shoulder. There’s no way he’d notice me through all of these people... But through the crowd, his eyes find mine like twin golden homing missiles.

  My heart has turned into a battering ram against my ribs. My pulse throbs. Heat like I’ve never known surges through me.

  Of all places, he’s here... Can it just be a coincidence? Or is fate at work?

  Chapter 3

  Noah

  It’s a good thing that Liam has already vanished into the crowd to either go find some cutie to flirt with or to check in with his sister, because I don’t think he’d let me live down the sheer shock written on my face now.

  I’d just been standing by the drinks, trying to pick something good, when I felt the strangest prickling sensation wash over me, as if someone was staring at me. At first, I tried to ignore it... But then, my body had seemed to move on my own.

  My chin tipped up and my eyes pierced the crowd...and there she was. My blue-eyed beauty; my sweet nurse angel — and believe me when I say she’s looking exceptionally sweet tonight. I’d noticed that she had a killer body, but in a pair of tight jeans and a floaty blue blouse that crept scandalously down her cleavage, I can hardly stand how gorgeous she looks. Her hair is down from its normal ponytail too, and the dark locks frame her pretty face.

  Plus, the way she’s looking at me now...it’s as if she recognizes me.

  Has she noticed me at the hospital like I’ve noticed her?

  Jolts of electricity spark from pore to pore as I gaze at her, absorbing her beauty in the same way I’d look at a lovely painting. I’ve never felt so powerfully drawn to anyone before. Even though this isn’t an especially-large living room, it suddenly feels like it’s tens of thousands of miles long — and I need to be near her. I need to look into those eyes up close. I need to memorize every inch of her.

  “Hey, everybody!” Wolf’s deep voice suddenly penetrates the crowd, and my eyes reflexively shift toward him. “Welcome to our house.”

  The large, muscled cop stands beside his curvy, younger girlfriend, who’s beaming from ear to ear like she just won the lottery.

  “Thanks for coming tonight,” Violet adds as Wolf slings a protective arm around her shoulders. They take a moment to gaze into one another’s eyes and seem to forget that anyone else is around.

  Then, suddenly, Violet remembers that there are other people in the room and clears her throat. Her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink as she looks back out at us. “We actually gathered you guys here to celebrate something... We’ve eloped!”

  Violet and Wolf both lift their left hands, revealing matching silver bands on both of their ring fingers.

  As everyone goes crazy, I steal another look across the room in pursuit of my beautiful nurse — only to find that she’s gone.

  Startled from the strong wave of disappointment that rushes over me, I almost drop my cup.

  “What the hell?” I mutter under my breath. I whip around, trying to spot her.

  Had I really
let her slip away that easily? By complete chance, she and I were in the same place at the same time, and I was just going to let the chance to even learn her name pass me by?

  Frustration rising, I turn sharply toward the door, ready to chase after her, when I about knock over a beautiful girl standing only inches away.

  “Sorry,” I mutter, almost barreling by her when I catch sight of her deep blue eyes.

  It’s her.

  I freeze in place, gazing down at her. Up close, she’s even more beautiful than I could have anticipated.

  Her head tilts, and a faint smile twitches the corners of her mouth upward.

  “It’s fine,” she answers, her voice so sweet I want to drink it right from her lips.

  “Uh, hey,” I choke out, trying to force myself to look calm even though my pulse has skyrocketed.

  “Hey, yourself,” she answers simple. She pours herself a glass of chardonnay and takes a sip, still gazing up at me.

  I swallow hard, Adam’s apple bobbing. If I don’t make a move fast, she’ll be gone before I can even blink. I’d already almost lost her. It wasn’t happening again.

  “You want something a little harder than that?” I ask, gesturing toward her glass of chilled white wine. “I have it on good authority that there’s a bottle of whiskey in the kitchen. It’s not top-shelf or anything, but it’ll liven up this party a little. We’ll have to be sneaky though, or else everyone’s going to want some.”

  I’d seen Liam bring in the bottle of booze himself, and he wouldn’t mind if I used it as a chance to get a little closer to the blue-eyed nurse angel. Hell, I’d bring him three bottles as a replacement if I so much as learned her name.

  She sips at her wine and glances back through the people. “I don’t know...” she says slowly.

  My mind scrambles to come up with something — anything — that will keep her from walking away from me right now.

  “Might make things a little more exciting here,” I offer. “And who doesn’t need a little excitement in their life?”