Stern Desire Love Redeemed (4 page)

"I don't know why I talk to you sometimes."

She spoke the truth, but I had no idea how to do what she was suggesting. I'd cut off all feelings for so long. I didn't know how to turn them back on. I began to play with the ring on my left hand.

"You know, sometimes you make me regret finding that ring and giving it to you," Jenn said.

"If it was not for this ring, we would not have been best friends," I pointed out.

"Who knows? Maybe you would have been happier and not been held hostage by it. Do you ever take it off?"

"Only to clean it."

"Why don't you try wearing it on the other hand, for
starters?"

"I don't know, Jenn, but I'll try," I promised.

She leaned back in her chair, and a smile crept across her face. I knew she was coming up with something smart.

"What?" I said, annoyed.

"After eight years, you should be like a virgin again."

"Oh my God! Jenn, you are insufferable."

"You are going to make someone very happy." She
smiled mischievously.

I took up my tray and dumped it in the trash. She sure knew how to irritate me, but I could not ask for a better friend.

Back on the floor, I did the rounds on my patients. I opened
the door to 825, hoping that he was asleep, and it seemed like I lucked out. J.C. was in the recliner by the window on his phone. Did he ever sleep? He constantly watched over his friend. I silently closed the door and walked over
to the bed. Mark looked so peaceful and angelic asleep. I gently touched the top of his left foot; he had a very strong pulse. The warmth from his foot traveled through my fingers. I looked at his pain pump. He had not pressed it since the
last time I was here. As I placed my hand on the door handle to open it, I heard: "Thank you, Kyra."

It was Mark, and he had not been sleeping.

"You're welcome," I mumbled, pulled the door open,
and stepped out.

.

Seven o'clock could not come fast enough. I needed an escape from the hospital, Mark Stone, and hopefully, my conflicting feelings for him. My body and brain were fatigued and I could not think straight anymore. Maybe
after getting some sleep I'd realize how ludicrous all this was. A patient...how could I feel this way about a patient? Sophia would be Mark's nurse today. I know she shared my exact sentiments about VIPs, but she was a
very good nurse, with a great personality, and would take excellent care of him.

I loved to see the day shift in the mornings. It signaled an end to my stressful twelve-hour shift. I finally got to go home.

"Kyra, am I getting two VIPs?" Sofia asked, a
worried look on her face.

"The VIP is in 825, and his family has 826."

She was baffled, just as I had been. "Who is he?"
Sophia asked.

"Nobody knows."

"I hate taking care of VIPs," she mumbled under her breath.

"Likewise, and we always get stuck with them, but we do our jobs the best we can, and it is such a good feeling when we convert that
terrible patient, and he or she requests you as their nurse. Otherwise, there is nothing you can do to make them happy."

"By now we are experts at kissing butts and smiling
through the pain." She fidgeted with her pen nervously. "So, is he a bad one or a good one?"

"I think he is a good one," I assured her.

Relief washed over her face.

We'd had patients that were so demanding, inconsiderate, and rude that we had to rotate nurses to take care of them. Nurses refused to take care of them, and would even call off from work to escape that assignment. With the VIPs, the stress was greater because of who they were or who they knew.
Nobody wanted to be the one that dropped the ball.

I gave her the report and we both walked to the room, so that I could introduce her to the patient. Maybe I should have given her a
heads-up on his attractiveness. I knocked quietly and stuck my head in to see if he was sleeping. Mark and J.C. were awake, and watching soccer.

"Come on in, Kyra," Mark said and turned the light on.

"Mark, this is Sophia. She will be your nurse
today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophia."

"The pleasure is all mine," Sophia replied, staring at him.

"Sophia, can you please check the pain pump?" I
asked, before she started to drool.

"Uh...okay," she said, and walked over to the pump to check the settings.

"So, will you be back tonight?" Mark asked.

"Yes, I will."

"And will you be my nurse?"

"I'm not sure." I knew Amanda was going to give him back to me tonight, but I didn't want him to know that yet. "I'll see
you tonight," he said. "Get some sleep."

"Thank you and have a good day," I said politely.

"He is so gorgeous," Sophia said, as the door
closed behind us.

I smiled. "See you later, Sophia."

It was always such a relief to walk out those hospital doors in the morning. This morning, it was a bit different. I felt like I had
forgotten something, and could not remember what it was. I flashed back to Mark's reaction when I offered to look at his bandaged left wrist, and wondered why he had been so abrupt and guarded. Why wouldn't he let me take a look?

My cell phone rang. "Hi, Nate."

"Good morning, Mom." His voiced sounded over the car speakers. "Calling to say good morning, and I'm on my way to school."

"Have a good day."

"Aunt Maggie is going shopping. She said she'll see you later."

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom. Bye."

Aunt Maggie had rescued us after Rob died. She never had
kids of her own and I'd always considered her my second mom. She moved in with us and had taken care of us ever since. I pulled into my garage and noticed my recurve bow mounted on the wall. I removed it, got the arrows, and went into
the backyard where the target was set up. I put on my arm guard and finger tab, assumed an open stance, and notched my arrow. I held the arrow, raised the bow, and drew in one smooth motion. I aimed, pulled the strings farther, and
released the arrow. The arrow went flying. Nothing was more exhilarating. I heard the thud, worst shot ever. A few more inches and the arrow would have been in the lake.
Concentrate, concentrate
, I chanted to myself. I notched another arrow.

Rob's voice was in my head:
Lift your head, and focus on the target.
I did.

Now draw the bow. Take a deep breath and hold it
, Rob's voice said.

Now release the strings
.

The arrow went flying right where I wanted it, the center of the bullseye. I fired off a few more arrows, and was very happy with my target practice.

"What's going on, Kyra?" Aunt Maggie called from
the back porch. "Haven't seen you do that in a while...bad night?"

"Something like that." I planted a kiss on her cheek as I passed by her.

I returned the weapon to the garage, showered, and went to
bed. As I lay there, I could not help but wonder how Mark was doing, and for the first time ever could not wait to get back to work. My right hand instinctively played with the ring on my left hand. I quickly pulled the ring off my finger and gently placed it on the night table. My hand felt free,
light, and unburdened. I settled in bed, hoping sleep would take away all this anxiety. Then a thought came to me. Who was Mark Stone? I grabbed my iPhone and googled "millionaire," but the list was too long and Mark Stone was
not his real name. I remembered his mother's last name was Stern, and Carlos had said he was in telecommunications, so I typed in "Stern Brazilian telecommunications millionaire" and presto! A picture of him appeared on
my screen, along with an article on how he started his business and his rise to billionaire status. He was Jared Stern, Brazil's most eligible bachelor.

The Stern family was American-Brazilian and their primary residence was in Brazil. He owned the largest mobile-phone carrier in Latin
America and the Caribbean. His parents owned a successful real estate firm, which he had taken over and expanded internationally into commercial real estate, therefore, acquiring a mass interest in both telecommunications and
real estate. His charitable contributions had placed him amongst the top twenty-five philanthropists in the world. His causes addressed severe social and economic problems and provided education, food, and medication to children
in high poverty areas around the globe. He made my contributions to saving an inner city dance studio seem so minute, but if we all gave a little, we would make such a positive impact on people's life.

After losing their unsafe dilapidated dance studio, these
children were dancing in an open lot. This was their after school activity an escape from the harsh life of the inner city - the drugs, gangs, and violence. The Robert Greene Foundation was started and funding to purchase and remodel
the dilapidated building came from some very willing family members, friends, local businesses, and coworkers.

I was very proud of these kids they have gone on to win several competitions. Dancing is a release, an escape and a healing tool for me
and I understand it is also true for these kids. They live to dance and they are good at it. Not only did dancing rescued them from the street, but dancing fosters discipline, encourage teamwork, give them a sense of achievement, and
belonging.

My heart raced as I scrolled down and there were pictures of Jared and a very attractive girl. Her name was Ella Knight: tall, beautiful, brunette and a model. There were a few pictures of them together, and a couple
with them smiling; his smile never reached his eyes, but she looked immensely happy, always clinging onto him.

So, he did have a girlfriend. That was good to know. Where was she? Why wasn't she at his bedside holding his hand? What was his game?

As usual, Nate woke me up right on time. Aunt Maggie made us garlic salmon, baked potatoes, and vegetables for dinner. We ate together. I got dressed, and left to go to work. As I drove through the iron gate of my community, I caught sight of my hands on the steering wheel. I had forgotten to
put my ring on. I should go back; it would only take a few minutes, and I would still be early. I had never left this early for work. I was always rushing to clock in by seven PM. I wanted to turn back for the ring, but the urgency to
get to work was much stronger. So, I drove on. Jared's face — those tantalizing, mesmerizing, gorgeous eyes — beckoning me forward.

I got to work half an hour early. At the hospital entrance,
I noticed several television vans with their antennas stretched sky high. Something big was happening. I would probably hear about it later.

I could not believe I had forgotten my ring. Usually, I took it off, cleaned it, and put it back on. Now, after meeting this angel, I felt
as though he had a controlling power over me that made me feel and do things that I would not normally do. I walked into the hospital feeling like a teenager going to meet her boyfriend: all anxious, excited, and deliriously
happy. What was I doing? And why was I acting like this? What were the chances that he was really interested in me? Maybe it was a game for him. He was way out of my league, and if this ended badly I was going to be right back into
that dark hole, buried even deeper. I was absorbed in my thoughts when I heard my name being called. I looked around: it was Jenn, standing by the emergency room entrance. I waved and continued to the employee entrance. I did not want to be seen here; she would notice that I was not wearing the ring and make a
big deal out of it.

"Kyra," she called again. "I'll come up later."

"Later," I called back.

I hoped she would be so busy tonight she would not find the
time to come up.

I heard the voice of Amanda, my nurse manager, before I saw her on the unit. I wondered what she was still doing here. She was hardly ever here this time of the evening.

"Kyra, I hope you got a good sleep." She took my hand like I was a child. "Come, let's go to my office."

"Am I in trouble?"

She smiled and closed her office door behind us. "You
know, you are one of the best nurses on this unit. I have never gotten a complaint about you from anyone, patient or coworker. Everyone loves you. Your coworkers think of you highly, you are a hard worker, and you never complain
about anything."

"Amanda, am I getting a promotion or a raise?" I interrupted.

I knew where this was going. Her praises were always followed by requests for a favor. If Amanda was here at this time of the
evening, obviously waiting to speak to me, something was definitely wrong.

"I need a favor," she finally admitted.

"Another one?"

She smiled.

"Please, Kyra, I need you to work with me on the new schedule."

"What new schedule?"

"First, those are for you." She pointed to her windowsill. I turned to see an elegant silver vase containing some stunning
yellow and orange orchids with intricately woven red veins and bright red lips. The vibrant hues were amazing and reminded me of Mark's vibrant, multi-faceted, hazel eyes.

"From whom?" I asked, pretending not to know who
they were from.

"Mr. Mark Stone."

"Wow, they are beautiful," I said with just a little excitement in my voice.

"I'm not sure if you saw the news vans at the entrance
of the hospital. Our VIP, Mr. Stone, seems to be very newsworthy, and that entire media circus is for him. So, we changed his name today again to Phillip Jacobs. Security has a list of his visitors, who should know the security code.
Security will call you or him when he has a visitor, and they will escort visitors up to the room."

"Okay."

"Also, for his safety, we would like for him to have
the same staff members throughout his treatment."

She leaned back in her chair and paused.

"Kyra, I wish I did not have to ask you this, but can you pick up an extra day Mondays through Thursdays?"

"I'm sorry, but you know how busy I am with work, school, and clinical."

"You made me feel so proud this morning when I did rounds on our VIP. He had nothing but good things to say about you and the
hospital. Then my boss, the chief nursing officer, and the chief executive officer, visited him; they were all very impressed."

She leaned forward in her chair. "Kyra, he is requesting that you be his nurse."

"No, Amanda, you can't do this to me." I shook my head.

"Please, Kyra. He thinks very highly of you, and he wants you to be his nurse."

"So, you want me to work Mondays through Thursdays, for
how long?"

"About two weeks."

I was having a hard time already fitting all the things I had to do in a week, and now I needed to work an additional night. Luckily I
did my clinical hours at Dr. Sanchez's practice. He was Jenn's fiancé, so I could work around my clinical hours.

"Okay, but only for two weeks, and there's going to come a time when I'm going to need a big favor."

"And when that time comes, I'll be happy to grant it." She looked relieved. "Jasmine will do the rest of the week, and if you guys need to switch days around please feel free to do so."

"Also, my evaluation is coming up, and I need my six percent raise. This new three percent is not going to do it." I stared her in the eye.

"Six percent and that's only between us." Amanda
agreed.

"Thank you."

Next to the orchids was a sealed envelope with my name. I picked it up and placed it in my back pocket. "Get home safely," I said.

"Thank you, Kyra," she said sweetly.

Sophia was tied up with another patient, so I went to see Mark Stone. I entered the sitting area and a man who looked like a bodyguard glanced up from his newspaper. He placed the paper on the chair next to him and
stood up. He looked like a wrestler, well-built and tough.

"Change of shift?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, a bit uncertain, wondering if he was going to frisk me before I entered. "I'm Kyra. I'll be the nurse
tonight." I showed him my badge.

"Go on in, ma'am."

"Thank you." Glad that he did not frisk me, and upset that I had to be screened to see my patient, I took a deep breath to calm
myself, knocked, and entered the room. A delicately balanced scent of lemon, cedar, and lavender floated up my nose.
Whoa, it smells good in here.

"Hi, Kyra, nice to see you. Are you all right?"
Mark asked, concerned.

"Why would you ask that?"

"You don't hide your feelings very well, Kyra."

"I'm fine. How was your day?"

"It has gotten much better now," he answered. I
noticed his eyes shifted to my left hand.

He was sitting up in bed in a tight white t-shirt and some white basketball shorts. I could see every ripped muscle on his chest and arms.
No more hospital gown, even though he could make them the latest fashion craze. The hospital pillows were gone, except the ones elevating his left leg. He had his own pillows and a plush, comfy bedspread. He smiled, his eyes twinkling. I
was drawn closer to his bedside; the green in his eyes was more vibrant than ever.

"Are you in any pain?" I asked, hoping he would not ask about my ring less hand.

"Sophia medicated me twice today. When she cleaned the
pin sites, that solution stung like hell." The sparkle from his eyes disappeared as he remembered the pin site care.

"I'll medicate you before I do the dressing."

There was a knock at the door and Gabby, his beautiful,
bubbly sister, stuck her head in.

"Hi, Kyra," she said. "Just checking on my brother."

She had a mischievous look on her face.

"I'm fine," Mark said, sounding annoyed at his sister's interference.

"Haganos saber si podemos volver," Gabby said.

Let us know when we can come back.

She gave him a wink and her head disappeared out the door.
The door closed. I smiled to myself. He kicked them out at the change of shift when he knew I was coming.

"So, what are we calling you today? Is it Mark or
Phillip?"

"Jay."

"Pardon me?"

"My name is Jared Stern, but my friends call me Jay." He paused; our eyes met. "You can call me Jay."

"Well, Jay sounds like a great nickname for your friends to use, but I don't know you that well so I'm going to stick with Jared," I said. He looked away because I couldn't. If only he knew the things he could make me do by looking at me the right way. His eyes shifted to
my left hand again.

"Is there something you would like to ask me?" I turned to write the names on the board of everyone who would be taking care of him tonight.

"Am I allowed to?"

"Please go ahead. This might be your only chance."

"I noticed you are not wearing your ring."

"You are very observant, Mr. Stern." I turned
around. I was not prepared to spill it all. I took a quick glance at him. He was waiting for an explanation, but I said nothing.

"You are an enigma, Nurse Kyra."

"Mr. Stern, you made an observation which does not
necessarily warrant an answer. You should have asked me a question."

"You're right." He chuckled. "Can I get a do-over?"

"You had only one chance. No do-overs."

He gave me that sad, boyish look. "I trusted you enough to tell you my name."

"I took it off to clean it when I got home, and forgot to put it back on."

"Have you ever played the game 'Truth or Dare'"?

"I have."

"Well, we should play. Here are the rules," he said. "One truth or dare per day, so use it wisely. There is a twist to
our game, though. The question is asked first. You have the choice to reply with truth or dare, and then you have twelve hours to carry out the dare."

"I prefer not to play games."

"Why not?" he enquired.

"Fine," I conceded.

"We start tonight."

"You used up your question already."

"That was before the game arrangement; furthermore, I
did not get an answer."

"I have to go. Call if you need me."

"Did you get your orchids?" he asked as I turned to leave.

"Thank you, they are beautiful. I got distracted when I
came in and totally forgot."

His eyebrows raised. "Distracted, by what?"

"They are exquisite. Thank you very much."

"Did you read the card?"

"No, not yet."

"It's tucked in your back pocket." He pointed at me.

My hand instantaneously went to my back pocket. I forgot I
put it there.

"Orchids are the most delicate, beautiful, exotic flowers. They symbolize beauty, affection, elegance and perfection. I think orchids are your flowers. They are a perfect symbol of you."

There was a knock at the door. Thank God. It was getting too hot in here for me. I needed to escape. "I'll get that."

I opened the door, and of all people it was Jenn standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Jenn.

"Who is it, Kyra?" Jared asked.

I stood back and gestured for her to come in.

"Jenn," Jared said, like he had known her forever.
"Come on in. You two know each other?"

"Unfortunately," Jenn answered jokingly. "She is my best friend."

She placed her arm across my shoulders.

"I came to see how you are doing, and also to thank you for that lovely bouquet."

"You guys have been exceptional. I am very happy with the care I've received, and the nurses are simply the best."

"We try our best."

"So, Jenn, how did you guys meet?"

I was about to panic. Jenn looked at me and gave me her
I've got you
look. "It's a long story and I have to get back to the
ER."

"Jenn, I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Please stop by anytime," Jared said.

"I will."

"I felt like I walked in on something," Jenn said
as we walked down the hall.

"No, you didn't."

"What is going on?"

"Just drop it."

"You are going to tell me everything." She reached
into her pocket, took out her iPhone, touched a few keys, and handed it to me. On the screen was a huge bouquet of flowers.

"They are beautiful, Jenn," I said.

"These are those beautiful fake flowers that you could
not tell if they were real or not...they felt real, even smelt like real flowers."

"I remember we looked at them in that store, and they were very expensive. A bouquet like that would cost hundreds of dollars."

She nodded with a big smile on her face. "What did you get?"

"Orchids."

"I'm sure they are beautiful," she said, as she
placed her phone back in her pocket. "Kyra, I think he likes you." Jenn gave me a hug and whispered into my ear, "Where is your ring?"

Nothing escaped her.

"I'm coming up for lunch. Tell me about it later."
She was gone.

I did rounds on all the patients, making sure everyone was comfortable and happy, and with those who were not, I did damage control. My phone rang. It was a nurse from another floor asking for help. She had a patient
who had a wound vacuum, and they were having difficulties getting it to function properly. I asked Marie to cover for me while I went to Three South to help fix the dressing. I had just gotten to Three South when my phone rang. It
was from Room 825.

"Mr. Stern, how can I help you?" I asked.

"What's with the formality?

"I'm off the floor right now."

"Kyra, when you find time, can I please have some pain medicine?"

"I'll have someone come in and medicate you."

"I'll wait." Then, in a very low sexy voice, he
said, "I only want you to medicate me."