Cowboy Protector

2. Brynn

2

BRYNN

“He’s adorable,” I said with a sigh as I sipped hot coffee from a styrofoam cup in the nurses’ lounge. “He’s beaten up pretty good too. But you wouldn’t know it from the way he’s talking. He’s as tough as they come.”

“Don’t go falling in love, Brynn,” Bethany, a fellow nurse, teased me.

“Doctor Green would kill me if I did anything remotely romantic with any patient.” I knew better than to do anything that was against the doctor’s rules.

“I bet he’s a real cowboy,” Tammy, another nurse, said with a sigh. “Hardworking and doesn’t complain about anything.”

“You’re right about that. The only thing he asked for was a Dr. Pepper, which the doctor refused him for some odd reason.” I didn’t see why Roman couldn’t have a soda if he wanted one, but I wasn’t about to question Doctor Green.

“You should totally take one to him, Brynn. Some doctors can be assholes,” Bethany said, “Doctor Green being one of the biggest ones who works here.”

I didn’t like to talk about people behind their backs. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to say bad things about the man who’d taken me under his wing since I’d first shown up to intern for his office. “He’s strict but fair. An utter professional at all times, too. I shouldn’t even have questioned why he didn’t want the patient to have a soda.”

“Um, you are human, right?” Tammy asked, then laughed. “Sometimes, you can be such a Stepford.”

“A what?” I asked.

“You know,” Tammy said, “Like the movie Stepford Wives? The women were all very pretty and totally subservient to their husbands. That’s you, but you’re that way with Doctor Green instead of a husband.”

“I am not!” There was no way I would’ve ever considered myself to be subservient. “He’s my boss, Tammy. I’m supposed to follow his orders.”

Bethany added her two cents, saying, “But do you have to enjoy doing it so thoroughly?”

“It’s not like I enjoy following orders, Bethany.” I couldn’t believe these two, ganging up on me. “You both follow orders too.”

“At least we gripe about it though,” Tammy said as her hands moved to rest on her ample hips. “That’s all we’re really saying to you, Brynn. Stop thinking that Doctor Green is always right. He’s not. And he’s not even as fair as you say he is either. Personally, I see him as a control freak. And since you’re the only one who actually allows him to control you, he’s turned you into his favorite puppet.”

I would show them. They would see that I wasn’t some puppet for the doctor. Going to the fridge, I found a couple of cans of Dr. Pepper inside and grabbed one. “You two are wrong about me.” I stomped away, on a mission now to get the carbonated beverage to the poor cowboy who was in need of something fizzy and sweet. “I am not anyone’s puppet!”

Grumbling to myself as I went into the hallway, I missed seeing the man who had obviously spotted me. “Nurse Davis, where do you think you’re going with that thing?”

It was Doctor Green, and the frown he wore told me he had already figured me out.

So, I had to come up with something quick. “Um, nowhere, sir.”

“You looked like you were definitely heading somewhere.” He looked up the hallway, his eyes on the door to Roman’s room. “You wouldn’t be going against my order that he not have any soda right now, would you?”

“No, sir.” But I did want to know why he would deprive the poor broken man of anything. “May I ask you why you told him that he couldn’t have any soda? I mean, for my own medical knowledge. Not that I’m trying to challenge your decision.”

His dark brows drew together as anger became clear in his expression. “Do you have any idea how sugar-laden that soda is?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “But how can a little sugar hurt him?”

“You’ve seen the bruises on his body. He’s got a lot of healing to do, and sugary substances won’t help him do that. Plus, there’s caffeine in that soda, and that will interact with the morphine and make it less effective than he needs it to be right now. Even though he may be acting tough, that boy is in a lot of pain right now. He was just putting up a front to impress you.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “I saw the way he looked at you, Brynn. And I noticed the way you looked at him too.”

I froze at that comment. “I didn’t look at him any differently than I look at any other patient, Doctor,” I lied. I hadn’t realized I’d been such an open book while in Roman’s company.

“Don’t try to fool me.” He removed his hand. “I’m too old and wise to ever believe that lie you just told me.”

“If I looked at him in any way that was unbecoming of a nurse, then I am sorry. And I will be sure to watch myself whenever I have to check up on him.” I lifted the can of soda. “As for this, it’s mine. I had no intentions of giving it to anyone but myself.”

“Brynn, if you continue lying to me, there will be consequences.” He looked at the door across the hall from us. “That storeroom looks like the perfect place for a time out.”

“A time out?” Does he think I’m some spoiled child?

“You know what I mean. Put that thing in the trash and get on with your duties,” he ordered.

“Of course, Doctor Green.” I did not like the way he’d treated me as if I were some child who needed to be punished.

Just as I turned to go back to the nurses’ lounge to put the soda back into the fridge, I felt his fingers graze up my arm. Then he rested his hand on my shoulder, turning me back to face him. “Hey. You know that I care about you, right?”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “I know you do.”

“Good. I just don’t want you to get hurt. Cowboys are nothing but trouble. You don’t need any trouble in your life. You’re going places, Brynn. Someone like that self-destructive kid would only slow you down. He could even bring you down to his level — if you let him.” He placed his hand on my cheek, looking at me as if I were the only person around — which I was not, as Tammy and Bethany had just come out of the lounge and into the hallway.

I cut my eyes at them as they moved past us, giggling. Insanely embarrassed, I felt my cheeks heating with a fierce blush. “I’m not about to let anyone bring me down.”

“Good. Because you deserve to be happy. But you need to be careful of who you’re happy with. When you’re as gifted as you are, you have to be on the lookout for those individuals who are looking to take advantage of you. That boy in there is definitely looking to take advantage of your generous nature. But he’ll give you nothing in return. You do understand what I’m saying, right?”

“I understand.” The words felt thick in my throat, as I knew exactly what he was saying. I honestly doubted whether he had the right to tell me such things. But I had no idea how to say that to him without sounding rude. “Thank you for your concern, Doctor Green.”

“That’s all I have to say about that. Just know what I said is only for your own good.” He removed his hand from my shoulder. “Now go ahead and get rid of that thing.”

“I’m going to put it back where I found it.”

“So, you were going to give it to him,” he said with a smile.

I wasn’t going to admit a thing. “No, sir. I was not going to give this to him. When he brought up the drink, it made me crave it myself. But after talking to you and this thing stirring up so much, I’ve decided that I no longer want it.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t seem to know whether to believe me or not. “Don’t you see that the boy has already manipulated your mind?”

I could not believe him. “I can’t see how he’s managed to do that in the few minutes I was in that room with him.”

“He said he wants something, and you end up wanting the same thing. Don’t be a sheep, Brynn. You’re much too smart for that.”

I almost wanted to tell him the truth so that he wouldn't think I was some dumb sheep. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. “I’ll watch myself when I’m around him, like I said before.”

“See that you do. You know, his looks will diminish as he ages. You might think he’s hot stuff right now, but the life he’s living will ensure he looks ninety by the time he’s only forty. Mark my words. I’ve never seen a cowboy who hasn’t aged remarkably badly.”

It almost seemed as if the doctor was jealous of Roman. “What makes you think that I think he’s hot stuff?”

With a chuckle, he put his hand back on my shoulder. This time, his thumb grazed my chin. “I can read you like a book, girl. How long have we known each other?”

“I was eighteen when I walked into your office for the internship. I’m twenty-two now. So, about four years.”

“Plenty long enough for me to know who you really are. You know that I think the world of you, and I know you’re going places. Like when you join me to take on jobs for Doctors without Borders. I can count on you. I can trust you. I’ve always got your back. Just know that.”

He’d begun to make me feel a bit uncomfortable with all the touching, so I took a step back to put some space between us and make it so he couldn’t touch me anymore. “I know that, Doctor Green. I understand you perfectly too. I’ll keep myself in check. I’ve got patients to see to now.”

“Yes, you do,” he went back to stoic mode and strode away from me.

“So, what was that all about?” Tammy asked as I turned around and found her walking up to me.

“Well, he thinks I’ve got a crush on the broken cowboy.” I held up the can of soda. “And he was sure I was taking this to him too.”

“Man, he’s good, isn’t he? Like he can read your mind or something.”

“I guess he does have a point, though. I mean, we did just meet. And how do I know that cowboy isn’t trying to take advantage of me?”

“It’s impossible to take advantage of someone when you share a mutual attraction, Brynn,” she shrugged. “Maybe you should at least give him the soda before you make any final judgments about him.”

“You’re right.” I looked over my shoulder to check that the doctor was nowhere to be seen. “What the doc doesn't know won’t hurt him. I don’t think a little Dr. Pepper will take the edge off the morphine. And now that I can see that he’s sort of jealous of Roman, I know he did it out of spite.”

Tammy smiled. “So, you’re okay then? I mean, he really worked you over.”

“It was that noticeable?” I winced with embarrassment.

With a nod, she said, “I think you should try to distance yourself from that man. Not the cowboy, the doctor. He gives off a weird vibe when he’s with you. I don’t like it at all. It’s not quite fatherly either. It’s more like he has this idea that you’re his in some way. You know what I mean?”

“Not at all.” I didn’t see Doctor Green that way. “He’s my mentor, that’s all he is to me. He’s trying to train me so that I can be the professional that I’m seeking to be. I trust him.”

Tammy looked dubious. “I don’t know, Brynn. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to trust him with anything.”

“You don’t even know the man well enough to be talking bad about him.” I arched an eyebrow at her accusingly. She was just trying to drive a wedge between me and the doctor. The bad part was that the doctor had warned me that people might try to do this — so they could shove me out of the way to make room for them to be mentored by him.

“Maybe you’re into him,” she said with a snarky sound to her voice. “Sorry I didn’t realize that sooner.”

“I am not into him in that way.”

“Well, he’s into you. You can’t really be that blind, Brynn.”

“Whatever, Tammy. I’m done with this conversation. I’ve got work to do, and so do you. We need to get back to it and stop talking about dumb things that don’t matter at all.” Every direction I turned toward seemed to lead to me feeling awkward and sort of attacked, and I was done feeling that way.

Shoving the can of soda into my pocket, I headed toward Roman’s room. I wasn’t sure if I would give it to him or not. But I would be the one making that decision, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t let what anyone else said influence my decision in the least.

No matter what, I was going to try and be a professional in this situation. It didn’t matter how good-looking the cowboy was — he was just a patient. I had to think of him in that way and in that way only.

Doctor Green was right. I had been looking at Roman with stars in my eyes. I had to stop doing that. Even if Roman had looked at me that way first. That didn’t matter at all.

If I were going to be the professional that I wanted to be, I had to not think about how a person looked. I couldn’t care if they had amazing eyes or lush, thick dark waves of hair. I had to deal with their symptoms. I had to help them alleviate their pain. I had to help them get back on the road to good health again — and nothing more than that.

In my career, there were sure to be handsome men who would come and go. I couldn’t go falling for any of them. And I had to maintain professionalism so that they wouldn’t fall for me. Since Roman was the first patient that I had immediately been attracted to, he would be the one I would learn from. I would learn to separate my personal and professional sides. I had to learn how to do that anyway.

Letting myself be around him more would help me find ways to make that separation. Inundating myself in the attraction and learning how to make it not matter was my mission. I would be the epitome of professionalism.

No matter how hard it would be to learn, I would learn to do it.