Page 110 of When You Blush

“Yeah, she is.” Cindy smiles through her tears and watches the baby. “Okay, I’ll eat something. My husband should be back soon, too.”

“Great. There’s a menu right in that drawer next to you. Just let me know what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”

“Thanks.”

With Cindy reading the menu, I get to work checking on Amelia. A lot of my job is reassuring parents because they’re terrified and sad, and I understand that. I would be, too.

Suddenly, behind me, I hear something bang against the floor. Someone screams, and then running feet pound on the floor.

“Harper!” Amy looks like she’s seen a ghost. “Help!”

I run with her across the unit and see a man standing over one of my nurses, who’s cowering on the floor.

“Call security,” I tell her.

“Already on it,” Amy assuresme.

“I saiddon’t touch my son,” he yells at the nurse on the floor. “What the fuck is wrong with you people? It’s your fault he’s in here.”

“Whoa. What’s going on?”

I quickly survey the scene. Baby Oliver is safe in his bassinet, but his mother’s face is white, and her hands are trembling. A medical tray of supplies is on its side, everything from the top of it scattered around the area, and the dad, who I haven’t met yet, is breathing fire, his hands fisted.

Is he on something?

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the nurse in charge, and I’d like to know why you’re abusing my staff.”

His eyes narrow, his lips curl into a snarl, and I stand my ground as my nurse stands and quickly moves away.

He’s just like Nathan.

“I told her to stay away from my kid.”

“We can’t stay away from Oliver. He’s in our care. He’s a sick little boy?—”

“Because. Of. YOU!” he screams, getting right in my face. “If the staff here hadn’t fucked up when my girl was having him, he wouldn’t be in here. I don’t want any of you touching him. Am I clear?”

“You’re going to need to back away from me.”

His eyes travel up and down my body, and nausea rolls through me. “Is that right? Or what? You’re not going to do anything. You’re a piece of shit. A pitiful excuse for a nurse. Who the fuck are you saving?”

“You’re a shitty nurse, Harper. I don’t even know why you bother.”

Blinking, I try to stay here and not go back there. Jesus, I thought I was through this.

“Back. Off. Or I’ll have you kicked out of here, and you won’t be allowed back in.”

“You’re not going to do shit to me. You’re nothing. I’m taking my boy.”

“No. You’re not.”

“Rich, they’re trying to help—” the mom says, but then he rounds on her, and I glance back, relieved to see that Amy is on the phone with security. She gives me a thumbs-up, and I take a deep breath because I’ve started to shake. I know I’m going to have a panic attack, but I cannotdo that in front of this guy.

“You’re nothing, Harper. No one wants you. That baby probably died because you didn’t know what to do. Just give it up already.” Nathan’s lips curled up in a happy sneer when he would start in on that shit, lecturing me for hours on end, always the same things over and over again.

“You’ll shut the fuck up,” this guy yells at the mother of his child. “If you weren’t so goddamn pathetic, we wouldn’t be here. Jesus, it’s just childbirth. Women do it every day without almost killing their baby?—”