Free Finding Faith by Ysabel Wilde

mother.
    “Grace, I don’t want to talk about it. How about Barney? Did he pistol whip you last night, if you know what I mean?” I said wagging my eyebrows.
    Taking a long gulp from her cactus glass, finishing it off, Grace clipped, “I don’t want to talk about it,” her smile fading for the first time since the pitcher was made. She poured herself more and went right back to chugging. Glad I wouldn’t be getting that brain freeze.
    I didn’t want to talk to her about John, making us even. This was going to either be a long, torturous day or a short, quiet one, depending on how much I could get Grace to drink before she passed out.
    “Do you want me to make more margaritas?” I asked getting up, already aware of her response.

 
     
     
    After a couple of days off, I was finally back at work. I had been running calls nonstop since the minute I set foot in the firehouse. George was my partner for the day and wasn’t a slacker.
    The most recent call was an older man who had a heart attack. While filling out paper work at the hospital I realized I was missing some of the man’s vitals for the report. A short, slim, grey-haired nurse was the one in charge of the patient, so I went up to her for the information I was missing.
    “Excuse me.” My face instantly flushed as I looked down at her ID badge. “June, do you have a copy of the vitals we took while in transit?” Why didn’t I know her name? Shit, Luke was right. Was I that unobservant, or just self-absorbed?
    “Sure, John, I’ll be one minute.” June’s eyes twinkled up at me as if I was her grandson. Still recovering from my embarrassment, I tried to hide the shock that she actually knew who I was.
    While heading back to my chair to wait for June, a winding noise that sounded like a kid’s electric jeep but ten times louder approached. I’d seen portable X-ray machines before, that was nothing new. What was new is I paid attention to who was operating the massive metal box. As I focused my attention on the machine that was coming down the hall, Dr. Price came over and took a chart and started looking it over.
    Without lifting his gaze he said, “I wonder if it’s going to be that little druggie slut. If I can give you any advice, stay away from her. She’s nothing but trouble.”
    I responded with a blank expression, not wanting to get involved in the hospital rumor mill. How did he get away with talking about people like that? Then the driver came into view. It was the Amazon Barbie from the bar. What was her name, again? Greta, Gretel? Grace? Grace. That was it.
    It had been a week since I’d met her at the bar before I chased after Faith. It had been the longest week of my life. I didn’t want to scare Faith off. I figured I was well on my way after showing up at her place. Instead, I chose to use her friend as my in, but every shift I worked they never needed X-rays while I was there, making me miss my opportunity to get to her.
    I watched Grace slide behind the curtain of my patient’s room with a cassette when a gentle hand rested on my shoulder.
    Oh, God, was it her? If I turn around and see her I’ll come. Then I’ll look like I peed my pants, how humiliating. I was already starting to twitch.
    In slow motion I spun the chair around, preparing myself to look into those eyes that used to see through me. I jumped and my dick shrank, startled to see June with the information I asked for.
    In back of her was George with a scowl plastered on his face. His eyes bore a hole directly past June’s shoulder and through the curtain Grace had gone behind.
    Was George still mad at her for what happened at the bar? He had his chance to walk Faith home and he hadn’t done it. Curiosity was eating away at me about their situation, but I didn’t think it was a very good idea to say, “Hey, George do you play hide the woody in Faith’s pants?” while we were hovering over a man giving him life-saving compressions. The questions would have to