Just One Night (ONC 2023)

Chapter Fourteen

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"I think Iron Man is the most important Avenger," I state. Travis gives me a quizzical look. I'm escorting him back with a few nurses, all of us had been arguing on the way back from the x-ray about the Avengers.

"I thought you'd be more into Doctor Strange, 'cause he's you know. A doctor." Travis said, still with a confused look on his face. He's been team Strange, one of the male nurses was team Hulk and the other was Captain America.

"Strange was not the greatest guy in the beginning, he was.." I try to find the appropriate word to describe him without saying a bad word in front of my young patient. "Stuck up."

"And Tony Stark isn't?" The nurse behind me asks.

"Strange tried to play himself off as a good guy when he was stuck up and full of himself. Tony is stuck up and full of himself, but he never tried to be anything but himself." I looked over to Travis, he was looking ahead as we turned the corner towards his room. "The point is, Tony never hid who he was. And let's be real, he was crazy smart and built a lot of helpful things for the group."

Travis looked back towards me, his face still held a pinch of pain in it. At least he wasn't white-knuckling the bed railing anymore, he was in pain but a lot less than before. From what I saw it was just a minor fracture, and he was handling it really well for a 10 year old kid.

"But Doctor Strange's powers are the best," Travis said.

My head nods, agreeing with him. "I agree his powers are awesome."

When we turn to go into the room, I almost trip over my own feet when I momentarily forget how to walk. My heart feels like it goes into my throat and I know my eyes widen like a deer in headlights before I can even think to contain my reaction. I was so lucky Nancy was facing away from me, facing towards a tall, broad-shouldered, bearded man with a biker vest.

Oh fuck, oh shit.

That repeats in my mind, then picks up speed when his eyes snap up at the movement of us coming into the room. His eyes go straight to Travis, then I see the moment he sees me, and it registers. Dice's eyes widen mouth parts in surprise. I snap my mouth closed and try to regain myself before Nancy turns around.

She looks over Travis quickly then looks at me. I move off to the side so the nurses can situate Travis's bed back into its spot. "His leg?"

Right, doctor time. I focus on Nancy, trying to ignore Dice's stare that feels like it's heating the side of my head with how intense it is. "It looks like a minor fracture, but our orthopedic attending will be here any moment to go over Travis's x-rays with you."

"Dad?" Travis asks. I look to Dice just as he looks down at Travis.

For a moment I felt like that meme of the confused woman with floating math problems in front of her. The obvious hit me like a ton of bricks and I try to not let my shock and surprise show on my face. How slow was I for just now realizing why Dice was here? Travis is his son. Dice has a kid. The man I had sex with and was flirting with has a kid.

"I'm going to go check on where the attending is." I rush it out, and Nancy's brows go up. Before she could remark I had turned to leave.

When I make it to the door, I hear her. "What did you do to her?"

"Mom." I could hear Dice's voice say in exasperation.

I only make it a few feet out of the room before my upper arm is grabbed and I'm turned halfway back around. My eyes go up to meet those blue ones, the same ones his mom and son have. His lips turn down into a frown when he asks, "Anywhere private to talk?"

My nod is a jerky movement, he lets go of my arm and I turn once again and start a fast walk down the hall. He's hot on my heels as I move. Turning at the end of the hall I grab the door to one of the hospital room doors and tug it open. I was glad to see it was still empty. Dice walks in and I shut the door behind him. When I turn back, his hand is in my hair, my gasp is swallowed by his lips roughly pressing to mine. His kiss is hungry, frantic almost and I reciprocate it. His other hand travels under my jacket, over my scrubs, over my hip to my lower back and he pulls my body against his.

My brain feels like it short circuits until it bursts with a million thoughts. Gripping and balling his shirt in my hands I push back on his chest. Dice breaks the kiss, not backing up when he asks. "So New Mexico?"

"Are you married?" The question makes my stomach drop as I ask it. He never mentioned a kid, was he hiding something else?

When he pulls back to fully look at my face, I think my stomach dropped further and my throat started to feel tight. Slowly, he shakes his head. "My last serious relationship was Travis's mom, it ended eight years ago."

A sigh of relief escapes my mouth, my head falls forward bumping into his chest. "I couldn't do this if you were married."

"I am a lot of things Mouse, a cheater is not one of them." Looking up I feel his fingers leaving my hair, he brushes his fingers along my jawline. "You don't get off of work until tomorrow."

It's a statement, not a question. I nod in confirmation anyway.

"Try to get a good nap in, you'll need it for tomorrow." My face heats at his promise - or threat. I'm not sure which one it is yet. Dice leans down to place a soft lingering kiss on my lips, God help me. This is the reason I didn't want him to know where I was because once I see him tomorrow I won't be getting any sleep I'll need for my next shift.