“Are you kidding me? The hospital loves the publicity. Besides, there’s a clause in the nurses’ union contract mandating that the hospital allows you two weeks off on a moment’s notice for emergencies you volunteer to help with. They won’t fire you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Monica didn’t know about the contract. In fact, she often tried to ignore the fact that she even belonged to a union. Sadly, she didn’t have a choice if she wanted to work where she did.

“I don’t know.”

“I have to be honest. The hours are hard, you don’t sleep, and they don’t pay.”

“Why do you do it?”

“Sanity. There’s something about helping the truly helpless that energizes me to come in here every day. The hours are crazy insane when you’re out there. You see shit you’ll wish you hadn’t, but when it’s all over, you’re damn happy you helped. Not everyone can be a part of a relief effort outside of giving money. Doctors and nurses…search and rescue…we have skills that money can’t buy.”

Walt put in a good pitch.

Hell, helping people was what she did.

“What do I need to do?”

Walt let his grin spread. “I have some paperwork in my locker and there’s a training session in Florida this weekend. They pay for the flight, hotel, and food. All you have to do is show up.”

“I’ll have to check my schedule,” she told him.

“You’re off. I already checked.”

Monica crossed her arms over her chest. “You checked?”

He nodded. “I like working with nurses I trust. Out there, trust is everything. So, yeah, I checked.”

The training was more than a weekend, it was a full week. But it only took a couple of swaps on the schedule to give her the time off she needed.

That night when Monica was eating dinner and talking with Katie, she knew she’d made the right decision.

“I’ll be gone a week. Which is perfect. Jessie won’t think I’m snubbing her and the chances of me having a moment to even talk to her are slim. You’ll have the place to yourself.”

“What brought this on?” Katie asked.

“I don’t know. It was a crazy day at work. Lots of accidents. When one of the doctors suggested I sign up, I thought, What the hell? There will probably be a day that I can’t do this. I might as well do it now.”

“Sounds like you’ll be going into war zones. Earthquakes, tornados, floods…I don’t know how you handle the things you see locally, let alone something on a disaster scale.”

Monica shrugged and forked in another bite. “Who knows if I can cut it,” she said around her food. “I won’t know until I try. Besides, you’ve paid my rent for the whole year so why not?”

They had argued about the rent thing but, in the end, Katie won.

It was as if something bigger than Monica was leading her in the direction of helping others.

“I’ll support you any way I can.”

“Just water the plants,” Monica said laughing. “Oh, and I was thinking today…maybe it’s time you bought a bigger car to drive. Convertibles aren’t the safest cars to be driving out there, especially with kids in the passenger seat.”

Nothing like a little bit of manipulation to make things right in her world.

Dr. Eddy had taught her that earlier.

Chapter Eighteen

“I’m buying a car and I don’t have a clue where to start.”

Dean shook his head and stared at Katie across his desk. “A car?”

“Yeah. I’ve driven plenty. But I realized that I’ve never bought one before. Yeah, my dad picked out the little black number I drove around in high school…but…”

She didn’t have to continue that story. She’d ditched it in a waterless aqueduct while showing off to her friends before her eighteenth birthday. After that, Gaylord paid a driver most of the time. Then she started renting cars. Convertibles, sport cars…anything flashy to get noticed.

Now Dean watched the girl turn into a responsible woman…a mother before his eyes. She waved several brochures at him like a flag. “Safety and reliability are paramount. I can’t have Savannah flying out a window or through a soft top because some ass**le pulls out in front of us.”

Dean sat back in his chair, smug in his thoughts. “Where did this come from?”

Katie waved him off as if he hadn’t said a thing. “Monica. She suggested it before she left.”

“Monica left?”

“Yeah, some nurses without borders thing. She’ll be back in a week or so.”

Dean’s smug smile fell. “You’re alone at her apartment?”

Katie rolled her eyes. “I’m not alone. Savannah is there.”

“Oh, that makes me feel so much better. Nothing like a dirty diaper to deter unwanted guests.”

“Are you suggesting I can’t take care of myself?”

“No.” Yes.

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not.” Yes, he was. Damn…and Katie saw right through him. The daggers sprang from her eyes with sparks of anger. He diverted her attention. “So Monica’s gone and she suggested you buy a car before leaving, to where exactly?”

“Florida.” Apparently, Katie’s grudge wasn’t going to last long. As was expected when her mind was centered on something else. Dean scooted forward when she moved around the desk and placed the brochures in front of him. “My first thought was one of those big numbers. You know, an old Lincoln or Escalade. They hold up in a crash…right?”