Genesis beams proudly. “Do you think you can make this work?”
I nod, opening the drawers and taking in the surplus of supplies. “I can definitely make this work.”
She hoists herself onto the clinic bed. “Thank you again for doing this.”
“It’s no trouble,” I tell her. “I loved being a nurse. Plus, it gives me something to do.”
She points at me, her nails bright red. “You used to work at the hospital, right?”
“I did …” My words trail off as nervousness hits me. “I was, uh … fired.”
Volunteering or not, being terminated from a job, especially one as serious as this one, never looks good on a résumé.
Genesis raises a brow. “For what?”
“The attending physician put his hands where they didn’t belong. I kneed him in the balls.”
A grin stretches across her face. “Niiiice.” She cringes, holding up a finger, and her dark brows crush together. “Wait. You got fired, not him?”
I nod.
I’m reminded of that day, and anger knots in my stomach. I thought I could trust HR to do the right thing. I went to them straightaway. I cried and told them the situation, and they swore they’d fix it.
Theirfixing itwas firing me.
Genesis shakes her head, disgust lining her flawless features. “That’s some bullshit.”
I nod in agreement, a hint of sadness mixing with that anger.
She studies me for a second, kicking her feet back and forth. “Did you tell Emilio about that?”
I rest my back against the counter and stretch out my legs. “I think he already knows.”
She smirks. “Is the doctor alive?”
I slowly shake my head.
“Then he knows.” She does a mocking clap of her hands. “Nice job, Emilio.”
Even though I most definitely shouldn’t laugh at the murder of a man, a small hiccup of a chuckle leaves me.
“How are you adjusting to your marriage?” she asks.
I fake excitement. “Perfect. Like a honeymoon that never ends.”
She laughs. “It’ll calm down. I promise.”
“I hope so,” I grumble, massaging the space between my brows before motioning toward the doorway. “Is that why you spend so much time here? To get away from the craziness?”
She stops swinging her legs and shakes her head. “I’ve volunteered here for over a decade. It’s one of my favorite places.” Her posture tenses as she squeezes her eyes shut. “It’s always been more of a home than mine ever was, if that makes sense. Now that my parents are gone, it seems even more so.”
“Both of your parents are dead?” I suck in a deep breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“Just my father is … well, dead. But my mother might as well be.”
I see her visibly gulp as she tries to make herself more comfortable.
“My mom fled the country just before my father committed suicide. She knew the feds were coming for them. She didn’t tell me goodbye or ask me to go with her.” She scoffs. “She couldn’t. They’d sold me to your cousin.”
