Page 49 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter thirty-eight

Jake

I told Wyatt I was going to talk to Lucy. That I'd show up, say something—anything—that might help resolve the mess between us.

But somewhere between leaving the Whitlock mansion and pulling into the parking pad behind my apartment, the weight of it all just…settled on me.

Despite how eager I was to reconnect, I needed to sit with what happened at Lucy's apartment. To dig deep and puzzle out where things went wrong. What Lucy and I had— it was special. And because of that, it felt important to figure out the next right thing. Lucy was worth it.

And maybe…I was worth it, too.

Could Lucy and I still have a chance? But didn’t she say we were a mistake? That I was a mistake?

When I revisit the conversation, though, Lucy never actually said anything about me specifically. She only talked about our relationship being wrong. And that statement was in response to her feeling torn between her family and me. She never said I wasn’t good enough.

Then I think back to the conversation we had about Sam.

Maybe I misinterpreted Lucy’s dismayed reaction.

What if she wasn’t siding with Sam at all?

Maybe instead, Lucy felt like I was giving her an ultimatum: she had to choose between her parents and me.

And then on top of that, her parents were pressuring her about Peter, Weston was ambushing her, and I brought up my insecurities after her stressful conversation with her mom.

God, no wonder she freaked out.

Was this outburst just a moment of stress? Or did she really want to break up?

My thoughts scan through all the moments we shared together, as if flipping through a keepsake album of our relationship.

The first time I met Lucy in the ER and that handshake that changed my life forever.

The coffee date where I learned her favorite color was blue and laughed until my sides hurt.

Flirting with her in the ER, then visiting her apartment.

Singing “All I Ask of You,” never realizing how true the lyrics would become.

Lucy defending my honor at the Centennial Dinner and then our escape to Bill’s.

Flirting over sushi, cuddling on my couch while watching Armageddon at my apartment, and the most incredible lovemaking I could ever imagine.

Skin to skin in the call room for the first time.

Feeding her. Lucy meeting my friends and fitting in so well, like she had always been part of our group.

During that time, Lucy has never put me down or made me feel less than. She’s always backed me with steady, unwavering support. After a lifetime of my father making me feel inadequate, it’s amazing how Lucy always made me feel ten feet tall.

My heart spasming inside of me, I realize I can’t give up on her because of one panicked moment. I will show up and support her the way she’s always done for me. And I'll keep doing so until she tells me to stop.

Being there for her is more important than whether or not we make it as a couple.

What does Lucy need most right now?

And then it comes to me. She needs what I already promised her I’d do.

I shoot off a quick text to Trix, and she immediately responds that she’ll meet me at Bill’s.

Twenty minutes later, I pull into Bill’s parking lot—I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve been here this month.

As I enter, Bill gives me a friendly wave as he expertly flips burgers at the grill. “Hey, Jake! Good to see you again so soon! Your regular?”

“Hey, Bill.” While I’m glad to see him, I still have to plaster on a smile I don’t feel. It’s unusual for me to feel so out of sorts here—but what’s going on with Lucy trumps everything. “Not yet. Have some business with a friend.”

His eyes twinkle. “Ah. You’ll find her in the back booth. Just let me know when you want your burger started.”

“Will do,” I say.

Trix likes the back booth—it’s far enough away from other people, and Bill knows to not bother her when she’s working. She has her headphones on, so I have to tap her shoulder to get her attention. Her piercing blue eyes meet mine only briefly before returning to her computer.

“Hey, Jake,” Trix says, the flow of typing never faltering.

“Hey,” I say, fighting a grin for the first time since I left Lucy’s apartment. Gotta love how focused Trix is. “New project?”

“I’m just cleaning out my inbox right now, but we do have something new,” she says. “I’m not personally working on it, but we hired a new consultant, and she brought this neat idea with her.”

“Anything I should know about?” I’m always interested to know what she’s working on, especially with TechMedCo’s focus on the medical field .

“Actually,” Trix says, finally pushing away her laptop, “you might. It’s an app for evaluating heart attack risk. And the app’s data is looking impressive—over 99 percent accuracy.”

I remember Frank from my ER shift a few weeks ago, the man who inadvertently brought Lucy and me together. God, I miss her.

“Damn. That’s amazing,” I say, my eyebrows raised. Can it really be that good? Seems implausible. But then again, this is Trix; I would never bet against her.

“Well, I can’t take credit,” Trix says, a strange gleam in her eye. “My consultant, Sydney Rose, did the bulk of the work. Everyone’s pretty excited.”

Trix doesn’t date, but I can sense something in her tone—admiration? “So… you and Sydney?”

She blushes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Trix blush. “We’re working together. Not a good idea.”

“I’m sure someone as smart as you can get around that problem,” I laugh.

“Anyway,” Trix says, changing the subject. “Tell me why you need my help.”

I’ll have to ask her about Sydney later, but I need to stay focused on helping Lucy. “I want you to look into someone. Weston Ashcroft.”

“Is that the asshole that’s been terrorizing Lucy?”

I should have realized that Trix was paying attention. “Yeah, that one.”

“Sure thing. It won’t take me too long—I should have some info in a few hours. I’ll text you.”

“That would be great.”

Trix looks at me for a long moment. “Okay, Jake, you know that I’m not good with facial expressions. Is there something going on with you and Lucy or do you just have indigestion?”

I bury my face in my hands. “I don’t fucking know! It was going so well and now it feels like it’s over.”

I update Trix on the past week with all the ups and downs. “I honestly don’t know if Lucy will ever talk to me again, but even if she doesn’t, I want to help her get rid of that fucker Weston.”

Trix shakes her head. “I don’t know Lucy that well. But I'd be surprised if she’s not regretting letting you go.”

I raise my head a bit. “You think so?”

“I know so. Now get out of here, I gotta get some shit done.”

“Thanks, Trix.”

“Of course,” she says, slipping her headphones back on, acting like it’s nothing. But it’s not nothing to me.

Trix has everything she needs, but I know she always appreciates food. After I say goodbye to Trix, I stride up to Bill, handing him some money. “Can I get Trix a burger and fries and whatever drink she wants? Nothing for me this time. But I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Bill grabs the cash and places it in the cash register. “You got it, son. Good to see you.”

“You too.” I head out the jingling door. I was planning to wave at Trix, but she’s already buried back in her laptop.

No matter what happens between Lucy and me, helping her with Weston will make all of this worth it.

True to her word, a few hours later, I get a text from Trix.

Trix: I hit pay dirt. Want to get together to talk about it? And I think Ian can help, so he should come too.

Me: Okay.

Now, what do I do? I can’t move forward without contacting Lucy. Should I call? Text?

After a moment of indecision, I decide to text, which I’m hoping will be less invasive. Then I type, delete, re-type, delete again, multiple times before I settle on what I’m going to say.

Me: Hey. Don’t feel obligated to respond, but I wanted to let you know that I reached out to Trix, and she has information on Weston that I think you’ll want to hear.

I can either set you up directly with her, or if you want, I can plan to be there too.

She also says that Ian should come. I don’t know why, but she says he can help.

The three dots appear and disappear, and I wonder if Lucy is having as much difficulty finding the words to say.

Lucy: Thank you so much for reaching out. I’d like you to come too if you could .

My heart leaps at her text. After a few more exchanges, we agree to meet the next day at Bill’s.

Who knows what will come of this, but the thought of seeing Lucy again is the best news I’ve had since our fight.