Page 25 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

Ten minutes later, the blood was draining out and Faith only yelped for a second in fright more than anything.

True to his word, he pulled out a Yo-Yo and made it walk the dog.

“That’s cool,” Bobby said.

He handed the toy to the boy and one to Faith. “Now you both have one and can learn that trick yourselves. The nurse will be in soon to take you down for an X-ray and then we’ll set your finger if it’s broken.”

“If it’s not?” Faith asked.

“Then we’ll just wrap it up with aftercare instructions.”

“So I can still dress up and go out tonight?” Faith asked.

“That seems to be the hot question of the night. That will be your parents’ decision, but from a medical standpoint there is no reason you can’t if you carry your bucket in the other hand.”

He left the room and went onto his next patient, continuing to go back and forth until he stopped for a quick dinner break and returned to the pediatric ward to check on the two patients and the other he’d admitted.

By nine thirty, he was back at his rented home. He showered, then crawled into bed knowing he’d be up by four to get ready for his day again.

The long days and exhaustion were exactly what he needed to help him sleep.

For him to shut his eyes and not see Zoe’s face.

And this night, when he shut his eyes, it wasn’t Zoe’s face in his sight.

It was Gabriela’s friendly smile. Her laughing eyes.

Her hand on his arm in comfort, then in humor. Like she was trying to get his attention to share some funny comment one of their patients had just said.

And rather than be stunned by those thoughts, he felt the smile tug at his lips.

It’d be his secret.

8

NEVER WORKS OUT

“Hot damn,” Gabriela muttered.

She’d climbed on the bike at the gym on Wednesday mid-morning, knowing there wouldn’t be many around. Her earbuds were popped in, music found and started, then the program that was going to kick her butt.

Now she had some eye-popping candy to look at while she sweated her ass off.

A man on his back, his arms pressing the weights over his head fast and urgent like he was pushing all the demons on his tail away from him.

He set the bar down, then got up and added a shit ton more weight to it, telling her he was just warming up.

From her angle, she couldn’t see his face. That was fine. The sweat glistening on his biceps was more than enough for her.

Her legs were pumping faster on the bike as he lay back down, reached up, wrapped nice, large strong hands around the bar, flexed his fingers some to make sure his grip could hold it.

Then up it went, down to his chest, up again. Not as fast. Not as urgent.

Steady and strong. Building muscle and producing sweat.

She had some sweat pooling at her back, her heart racing, maybe even some dampness between her legs.

Not the normal place she got worked up here. Or not like this. Or for this reason.