Free Wake for Me (Life or Death Series) by Isobel Irons Page B

of the reasons he’d chosen internal medicine as his specialty, instead of the more glamorous fields of surgery or neurology. He’d been interested in both, and his grades had been good enough, but there was something about those fields that made his palms sweaty. Too many things could go wrong at a moment’s notice. “I think being comfortable with what you do, morally speaking, is really underrated.”
    “Like working in a bar, for example,” she said, with a laugh. “Thank God I’m a huge believer in the power of the holy spirits. Our Father of Captain Morgan, may he grant us an everlasting buzz and a ready excuse for bad behavior.”
    Sam laughed genuinely, for what felt like the first time all night. He was really starting to like Johanna. She seemed like one of those people who felt completely comfortable in her own skin, which was something Sam had only ever aspired to.
    “You must see a lot of crazy things in this job, though.”
    “Oh, I’ve seen my fair share of hasty hook ups and staggering douche bags, if that’s what you mean. Matter of fact, your friend over there barely rates a five on the scale.”
    As he glanced over at Brady, who was regaling a group of older women with a story, something caught his eye. For a brief second, he could’ve sworn he saw her, sitting alone at a corner table. But it was just an empty table, with an unattended wine glass.
    Something prickled at the back of Sam’s neck, a deeply-rooted instinct. He rolled his shoulders, trying to get rid of the sensation. But it wouldn’t go away.
    “Johanna, can I ask you a question?”
    “Sure, Sam.”
    “Do you believe in love at first sight? Or, I don’t know, fate?”
    She raised a pierced eyebrow. “I hope that’s not a line, because if it is, I really think I’ve misjudged your sincerity.”
    “No, it’s not,” he said, unable to tear his eyes away from that wine glass for some reason. “I just mean, as a bartender, you must see a lot of people meeting for the first time. Right?”
    “I guess so. I’m not going to say it hasn’t happened, but not to me.” She laughed. “At least, not yet.”
    When Sam swiveled back to face her, all thoughts of hooking up with someone that night—Johanna or anyone else, for that matter—had left his mind completely.
    “I need to ask you for a really weird favor.”
    “Okay, shoot.”
    Ten minutes later, Sam left the bar through the back door, with Johanna’s arm draped around his waist.
    He hung out in the alleyway for a few minutes, while the bartender grabbed a smoke and Sam fought the urge to lecture her on the statistics of lung cancer. When he got the ‘Way to Go’ text message from Brady, he thanked Johanna for her escape assist, promised to call her if he ever found himself in a less complicated romantic situation, and hailed a cab to take him to his apartment.
    As the cab drove, Sam slumped down in the seat and rubbed his eyes. He needed sleep. He needed time and distance from Viola, from the entire situation. But there was one thing he did not need, and that was to get involved with someone romantically while he was battling with whatever personal issues were causing him to fantasize about a comatose girl.
    Maybe he’d take a few sick days, and drive up to Syracuse for the weekend. Ben’s anniversary was coming up, and his mom shouldn’t be left alone to deal with that. Especially not with his dad gone now, too.
    But when the cab pulled to a stop, and Sam opened his eyes, he was shocked to see rows upon rows of bright hospital windows staring down at him.
    “Uh, sorry I think there’s been some kind of mistake,” he said through the partition.
    “No mistake sir,” the cab driver said. “This is the address you gave me.”
    “Son of a bitch,” Sam muttered. Then, “Sorry, not you.”
    Talk about proving Brady right. When Sam had jumped in a cab and thought of home, his mind had automatically filled in the blank with his job, and he hadn’t even noticed.