Avery:
By six, I was dragging. My feet hurt, my back ached, and my head throbbed from the relentless buzz of call lights and the constant shuffle of squeaky sneakers on waxed tiles. I’d barely had a sip of water all day, and the caffeine high from this morning’s coffee had long since crashed.
I was ready to grab a protein bar, hide in the break room, and stare at the wall in blessed silence for fifteen minutes. Maybe even text Cruz. I’d told myself I wouldn’t be the one to reach out. Not this time. But the silence since noon gnawed at me. I missed him more than I wanted to admit.
“AVERY!”
I flinched.
Carmen stood at the nurse’s station with a hand on her hip and an irritated squint in her eye. “Can you get the call light on 102 before you disappear on lunch?”
“I just clocked my break
