The Nurse’s Brooding Boss
Laura Iding
Table of Contents
To the wonderful, wild, wacky women of CAFA. I look forward to seeing you every year.
Dear Reader
Many of us have done things in our past that we regret. Unfortunately there is no way to go back and fix the mistakes we’ve made, so somehow we end up finding a way to live with them.
But what if the mistake is something that has farreaching consequences? Life and death consequences? This is the main dilemma facing Elana and Brock in their touching story of love and forgiveness.
Brock Madison was driving his car when Elana’s sister pulled out in front of him. The crash wasn’t his fault, but Elana’s sister died at the scene despite his efforts to save her. Nine years later, Elana finds herself working for Brock at Trinity Medical Center’s Emergency Department. They are both dedicated to their careers, but will they let go of the pain from the past in order to find love and happiness?
I hope you enjoy THE NURSE’S BROODING BOSS. I love to hear from my readers, so please stop by and visit me at www.lauraiding.com
Happy Reading!
Laura
Laura Iding loved reading as a child, and when she ran out of books she readily made up her own, completing a little detective mini-series when she was twelve. But, despite her aspirations for being an author, her parents insisted she look into a ‘real’ career. So the summer after she turned thirteen she volunteered as a Candy Striper, and fell in love with nursing. Now, after twenty years of experience in trauma/critical care, she’s thrilled to combine her career and her hobby into one—writing Medical™ Romances for Mills & Boon®. Laura lives in the northern part of the United States, and spends all her spare time with her two teenage kids (help!)—a daughter and a son—and her husband. Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE
ELANA SCHULTZ dashed into the emergency department of Trinity Medical Center, heading straight for the time clock, swiping her badge at exactly three o’clock in the afternoon.
On time. Barely. Breathing a sigh of relief that she’d made it, she quickly stuffed her purse into her staff locker and crossed over to the arena where the charge nurse was going through the shift assignments.
“Elana, you and Raine will take the trauma bay,” Stacey informed them. “Suzette, you’re taking the urgent care area. Emma, you’re arena team one. Liz, you’re arena team two…”
“How was your long weekend?” Raine asked in a hushed whisper so as not to interrupt Stacey’s monologue.
“Good. Everything went well. I’ll fill you in later,” Elana whispered back.
“Any questions about the assignments?” Stacey asked, looking up from her clipboard. After a moment of silence she nodded. “All right, there are twenty-seven patients on the board, with eleven still waiting to be seen. The trauma bay is currently empty; the last patient has been dispatched to the medical ICU. It’s been abusy day, but not too crazy. Let’s hope it stays that way for our shift.” Stacey set her clipboard aside. “Call me if you need help.”
That was their cue to leave. The group of nurses broke up, scattering to their various assignments.
“How’s your aunt Chloe?” Raine asked as she fell into step beside Elana on their way to the trauma bay.
“She’s much better. Her cardiac stent procedure went off without a hitch.” Technically, Chloe Jenkins wasn’t Elana’s blood relative, she was Elana’s foster mother, the last and by far the best in a string of horrible experiences. If not for Chloe, Elana knew there was a very good chance she would have ended up on the streets.
She owed Chloe her life.
“I’m so glad she’s doing all right,” Raine said softly.
Elana smiled. “Me too. You know how close I am to Chloe.” Her mother, Louisa Schultz, had been in a nursing home since Elana was fifteen after suffering a complete relapse of her nervous breakdown. Her mother’s emotional state had collapsed after Elana’s father had walked out on them. She’d gotten better slowly over time until Felicity’s death had sent her into a deep emotional breakdown. Elana still loved her mother and faithfully visited every weekend, but it had been nine years, and her mother still hadn’t spoken a single word.
“You missed the big announcement while you were gone,” Raine said.
Elana raised a brow and took the trauma pager from the first shift trauma nurse, who looked all too eager to give it up. “What? We’re all getting pay raises?”
“Yeah,