Wildflower Hearts

4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

“ Y our gomer is in Room Three.”

“Thanks, Diane.”

Gomers were patients who came into the hospital at the first sign of a sniffle.

Lyla entered the room and smiled at the elderly man dressed in a hospital gown. He was perched on the examining table, a deep frown on his face. “Good evening, Mr. Drowser. It’s a bit late for you to make a hospital call.”

“You’re open twenty-four hours a day, ain’t cha?”

She chuckled and placed her clipboard on the counter, nodding as she slid the stool over to the table. “For you, Mr. Drowser, always.” She put her hands on her knees. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Same as the last! I got these dang hives, and they’re not going away!”

“I understand, but like I told you the last time, it’s due to eating peanut butter. You’re suffering from a mild allergic reaction to the nuts.”

“But I always eat peanut butter when I watch Wheel of Fortune.”

“Perhaps you should try turkey or only jelly?”

“If you say so,” he grumbled. “Are you sure it’s peanuts? It’s not a reaction to some deadly disease or… kidneys? Is it a kidney problem?”

She shook her head, covering her laugh with a cough. Leaning over for her pad, she slipped a pen from her coat pocket. “Let me write down the name of a doctor. She’ll write you a prescription for some ointment. She can try to give you some more enjoyable substitutions to regular peanut butter.” She slipped from the room to give him a moment to dress and rolled her eyes at Diane laughing by the nurse’s station. With a smile, she made her way down the hallway.

She checked in on the Kingsley family an hour later, smiling at Elias asleep beside Noah, his brother’s hand still in his. On the opposite side of the bed, Mark was sprawled out snoring in a lounge chair, head back with his mouth open wide. There was no sight of the rest of the family, and she returned to the hall.

She bumped into someone and turned, recognizing Mark’s wife. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. You look exhausted. Shouldn’t you be resting?” Debra gave her a look of concern, her hands full with two cups of coffee.

“I would, but tick-tock goes the clock.” Lyla gestured at the cups. “That’s sweet of you to bring them coffee.”

“Not Elias, unless you serve rat poison at this hospital.” She smiled at Lyla’s surprised expression. “I’m kidding. Yes, they’re for my man and the brute.”

“I heard that.”

They glanced at the doorway to see Elias stretching and rubbing his eyes. “Talking to Debra will rot your brain. She’s like smelling Sharpies for too long. I keep telling Mark that, but he won’t listen.”

Debra scowled, thrusting the cup at him before slipping inside the room. He looked thankful it had a lid. He took a sip and eyed Lyla from his slouched position against the door frame. “Do you ever go home?”

She clutched her folders against her chest. “I’m working a double.”

“I don’t see how you do it, being on your feet for hours rushing around helping all these people.”

“When they start to look like family, you think differently about them.” She blushed, brushing away a lock of stray hair from her eyes at seeing his amused expression. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get some coffee.”

“Wait, I’ll come with you.”

She slowed but kept her eyes forward while he walked beside her to the elevators. Stepping inside the metal car, she punched the number for the cafeteria floor. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes to see him sipping his coffee and leaning against the elevator wall, his gaze on her. “Something on your mind, Mr. Kingsley?”

“You seem a little young to take on all this responsibility.”

“Age does not denote wisdom.”

“I’m not the literary type,” he smirked. “Don’t ask me to name the speaker of the quote or anything like that.”

She flashed him an amused smile. “It’s an old Jewish proverb, Mr. Kingsley.” She stepped out as the elevators dinged open, and he followed after her.

“How many times do I need to tell you to call me by my name? I haven’t been called Mr. Kingsley since I got a speech from my mother the day they kicked me out of high school.” He chuckled at her sideways glance. “I told you I wasn’t the literary type.”

“What type are you?”

Elias shrugged as they walked toward the cafeteria. “I’m a simple kind of guy. I take care of my family, and I watch my back. Those are the only two things I worry about these days.”

“When you put it like that, you sound more like the complex type of man to me.”

“I hear women usually go for that kind.”

“I’m sure you have no trouble with members of the opposite sex.”

“I’m flattered you think of me that way.”

She sent him a teasing smile and snatched a cup from the dispenser. She turned to face the coffee machine. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“I’d say I was flirting versus trying to, Lyla.”

She filled her cup, and taking a lid, she popped back the tiny plastic tab before snapping it into place. “I would say I’m flattered, but I don’t usually fall for smooth lines.”

“Women who say that are open to change in their lives.”

“Well, aren’t you the expert?” She moved away to pay the cashier when Elias leaned over and handed the woman money. He winked as he accepted his change and put it in his pocket. She couldn’t help but smile back. She turned in the direction of the elevators. “Are you hiding more secrets I should know about? Yodeling maybe? Let me guess, you have a weakness for Hallmark Christmas movies.”

He barked in laughter, a wide grin on his face. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“Sarcasm and quick repartee inspire a rise in your hormone levels?” She acted shocked. “I should put a bulletin out and warn the entire hospital staff.”

“It might be best to narrow my weaknesses down to a beautiful face and intelligent mind.”

She was silent until they arrived back to her floor. She sipped her coffee, and when they exited, she looked up at a nurse calling her name. Without another word, she rushed off, leaving him standing there watching her with an amused expression. He cursed as the doors shut on him.