Page 6 of Fever: Love In Scrubs

I t was an all hands on deck day at Saint Ambrose.

I’d been in the pit, also known as the ER, all day long running back and forth performing labs. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. We’d finally begun clearing out, giving me a moment to catch my breath. As I made my rounds to see if I was still needed, I heard a fussing behind a curtain.

“Ouch! What the hell are you doing!”

“Ma’am—”

“You clearly don’t know what you’re doing. Find me another doctor.”

“Ma’am—”

“Now!”

I could tell the person treating her was an intern by the way they couldn’t seem to take charge of the situation. Sighing, I pulled back the curtain and stepped into the space.

“What’s the problem, Carson?” I asked, recognizing the familiar, incompetent intern.

“She won’t let me touch her, Dr. Pierre.”

“He’s cutting off my circulation with that blood pressure cuff.”

I turned to address the patient, only to find the beautiful face I couldn’t forget, even all these months later.

“Ms. Driscoll.”

Her brown eyes searched mine. “You…you did my father’s autopsy, right?”

“Yes’ ma’am.”

“What are you doing up here?”

“Well, I spend the bulk of my time in the morgue, but I also work in the pathology lab. Whenever testing needs to be done, I’m your guy. Enough about me. What seems to be the problem here?”

She sighed. “I was moving into my house when I tripped and fell down the stairs. I think I broke my foot, and my arm is killing me.”

“We’ll get you taken care of, I promise.” I turned to Carson. “Page Dr. Yerba for an x-ray.”

“Yes, sir.”

He disappeared from behind the curtain, leaving the two of us alone.

As I picked up her chart to read it, I unintentionally took a moment to appreciate just how beautiful she was.

If I remembered correctly, she was a few inches shorter than my six foot two height.

Her skin was a smooth cocoa brown. Her naturally curly hair sat in a pineapple atop her head.

It gave way to beautiful brown eyes and full lips that drew you into her gorgeous face.

My eyes passed over her thick frame housed beneath a fitted t-shirt and yoga pants. Baby was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.

“Is something on my face?” she asked, touching her skin. “Did I scrape something when I fell?”

“No, no. Your face is perfect. I mean, it’s perfectly fine.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just… I didn’t think I would see you again. How are you holding up? You didn’t seem to be in a good space.”

“Oh.” She nervously rubbed her arm. “I’m getting there. I found a letter from my father. He said some things I really needed to hear, so my heart isn’t as heavy anymore.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that. You said you were moving in?”

“Yeah. I renovated my childhood home and decided to move back.”

“Well, then. Congratulations. Maybe I’ll see you around. Hopefully not here, though. I don’t need you making it a habit of having hospital visits.”

“Trust me, I want to be anywhere but here. How are you?”

“The many hats I wear tend to keep me busy.”

“Doctor. Son…”

“Brother. Uncle. Father.”

“Oh. You have a kid?”

“She’s not a kid anymore. More like twelve going on twenty-five. She gives me a run for my money. I guess that’s me getting my karma back from when I was her age.”

She smirked. “So you were a rowdy kid?”

“More like curious.”

“I work with kids back home. Specifically teen boys and girls. Curious behavior is code for getting into things you aren’t supposed to.”

I chuckled. “Sometimes. You can’t tell me you were an angel growing up.”

“I um… I didn’t have many friends. Kids were kind of forbidden to hang out with me. I mean, you wouldn’t want the girl from the hoarder house in your home.”

“I would have. My parents raised me to be understanding, open minded, and to never judge a book by its cover. I mean, you were a kid. Your living situation was beyond your control. I wouldn’t have faulted you for that. We could have been the best of friends.”

She gave a soft smile. “Thank you.”

Grabbing a stool, I sat next to her bedside.

“How’s your pain right now? On a scale of one to ten?”

“A seven. I’m too damn old to be falling my big ass down stairs.”

I chuckled. “It happens to the best of us. I’ve taken a tumble or two in my day. I promise you, you’re gonna be okay. St. Ambrose is one of the best hospitals around here. We’ll get you taken care of.”

“With interns like that? I don’t know if I can agree.”

“I apologize for that. It’s all hands on deck right now.”

“Yet you’re in here chatting it up with me.”

I grinned. “To be fair, I came to see what the ruckus was all about. You were quite loud out there. Once I saw you, I just wanted to check in. That day kinda stuck with me for a while.”

“Well, thank you for checking on me. I guess I’m gonna be out of commission for a little bit. So much for getting my house together.”

“If you need help, I could recommend someone.”

She eyed me curiously, her gaze traveling my frame. “Is that someone you?”

“Actually, my sister owns an interior design, home staging, and professional organizing company. It could be me if you want.”

She smirked. “I wouldn’t subject you to that kind of labor.”

I chuckled. “I don’t mind. It would give me a reason to get to know you a little better.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are—Are you flirting with me?”

“Not if you’re offended.”

“I’m… not. Just surprised.”

“Why surprised?”

She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t think I’d be your type.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Ms. Driscoll. Pardon me for being unprofessional.”

“Under any other circumstances, I would probably tell you to fuck off. But… you’re cute, so I’ll allow it.”

Just as I went to respond, the curtain opened, and Dr. Yerba stepped in.

“Somebody called for ortho?”

I glanced at Ms. Driscoll who had her gaze trained on me.

“Yeah,” I said standing. “Thirty-year-old female presenting a possible broken or sprained foot and arm after a fall down the stairs. Vitals are normal. She’s all yours, Doc. I’ll see you around, Ms. Driscoll.”

“Thank you, Dr. Pierre.”

I nodded at her and Dr. Yerba before exiting the space.

I hoped like hell I would see her around.

I said a silent prayer as I opened the door to let Amandela into my house.

Tonight, we were having a family dinner.

This was a weekly occurrence for the sake of Jamari.

She needed to see that we could be cordial, even if I couldn’t stand her mama.

I could suck up my distaste for her for a few hours for my baby.

Amandela stood on the other side of the door dressed in a pair of tight ass shorts and a crop top with a face full of make up. I couldn’t lie and say she didn’t look good because she was beautiful. It was her spirit that was ugly.

“Hey, baby daddy.”

“Don’t start. I’ve never been a baby daddy.”

She rolled her eyes as she stepped into the house. “You’re so sensitive, Jaxson. Lighten up. Where’s my daughter?”

“In her room. I’ll go get her.” I started past her, but she grabbed my arm.

“Well, wait a minute,” she said, pulling me back. “Let’s chat.”

“About?”

“I’m sorry about the bra and make-up thing.”

“Apology accepted.”

Again, I tried to walk away, but she grabbed me. “Jaxson.” She slid her arms around my waist and peered up at me. “I miss you.” She cupped my face and kissed my cheek. “I miss us.”

I rolled my eyes as I slapped her hand away.

She’d been doing this same shit off and on since our divorce.

Ever so often, she got on this apology kick and wanted to get back together.

The answer was always no. The only reason she wanted to get back together was because she could no longer live the lifestyle I once provided for her.

“Dela, please. You miss me? Us? Did you think about having to miss us when that nigga had you bent over my desk? Did you think about that when you were giving him my money?”

“I made a mistake, baby.”

“No, you made a choice and now you have to live with that.”

“Can we at least try to work things out again? For Jamari? She was supposed to grow up in a two parent household, Jaxson.”

“Who’s fault is it that she didn’t?” I asked, shoving her hands away from me. “Exactly.”

She scoffed. “Well, it’s certainly not all mine,” she said, crossing her arms. “You had more time for your little career than you did for your family.”

“My little career? Dela, please don’t piss me off.”

“Don’t piss me off, Jaxson.”

“You got what you wanted, right? You and your mama were soooo happy about you marrying a doctor. You planned for the life you would live, right? You got the house, the car, the money, and got to be a stay at home mom for a time. Shit, now you have more freedom because look at who is raising our kid while you get to be a weekend parent. You wanna be her fucking friend when she needs a mother.”

“I am a mother!”

“A mother that would rather help her child get attention from boys than to tell her how beautiful and special she already is!”

“Would you guys stop!”

We turned to see Jamari coming down the stairs with a frown on her face.

“I hate when you two start fighting.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

“Can we just eat? I have to finish my homework.”

“Sure.”

I waved the two of them into the kitchen, glaring at Amandela as she walked past me. It was crazy that we were in this space when I once loved her so damn much. Now, she was someone I couldn’t stand to be around. She missed me? Us? That was laughable.

Dinner was quiet. Not much could be heard but the sound of forks scraping against plates. Ever so often, Amandela tried to make conversation with Jamari, but she gave her short answers. I really hated to fight in front of her, but Amandela had a way of bringing the worst out of me.

Jamari didn’t even want dessert, opting to go back to her room once she finished eating. She got up from the table to dump her plate and headed for the stairs.

“Jamari,” I said, firmly. She huffed as she looked back at me. “What did I tell you about that? Fix your face and tell your mama goodnight.”

She slowly walked back over to Amandela and gave her a hug, then a kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Ma.”

“Goodnight, baby.”

Jamari retreated upstairs as I stood to clear the table. Much to my surprise, Amandela stood to help.

“I’m not ready for the teenage years,” she muttered. “Nothing but attitude.”

I shook my head. “I wonder where she gets that from,” I mumbled.

“You know, Jaxson. Since you seem to think our daughter is sooo much like me, maybe I should raise her.”

I turned from the dishwasher to look at her.

“What sense would that make? You decided a long time ago that being a mother wasn’t a priority for you.

You remember leaving her at daycare? You remember all those trips you took with your friends, but when I tried to plan family trips, you couldn’t be bothered?

I’m reluctant to let her go with you now, Dela.

The only reason I do is because she’s old enough to tell me if something is wrong. ”

She scoffed. “So you don’t trust me with her?”

“I don’t trust you, period. You’ve already proven that you can’t be trusted. She’s never happy when she comes back from your place and won’t say why. If you think I’d ever let Jamari live with you full time, you got me fucked up. Dinner is over. Get out of my house.”

She glared at me as she tossed the dishes on the countertop, making them land with a loud clank.

“I hate you,” she spat.

“The feeling is mutual. Goodnight, Dela.”

She stormed from the kitchen, and a few seconds later, I heard the front door slam. Shaking my head, I went back to cleaning the dinner dishes. Amandela proved time and time again why I should have just left her where I found her.