Yesterday Is Ours (The Yesterday Series Book 3) Page 2

  I nod, having nothing to say to him.

  “Well, I’ll see you bright and early. Make sure you get plenty of rest or as much as you can in this zoo.” He grins as a monitor serenades us from somewhere out in the hall.

  A young nurse bursts into the room. “Excuse me, Doctor Rayson. Doctor Cooper has been paging you. It’s urgent.”

  He nods, slowly rising from his chair. I notice he winces as he does, rubbing his chest. It’s evident the surgeon is exhausted. He’s the best in the state, so I don’t worry about the fatigue or his awkward presence.

  He doesn’t bother himself with a goodbye as he groans and rushes from the room. I’m left staring at the white walls of the room. The journal Jules gave me to write feelings or some shit in lies on my bedside table. The spine is still stiff and unbroken and will remain that way. I’m not about to burst the jar of crap open tonight.

  The night flies by once two nurses come in and out of my room getting my IV in and recording my vitals. It’s annoying as hell, even though one of the nurses is hot as hell. She has an ass that would make any man dumb. And the fact I’m an ass man doesn’t help me in the least. She’s generous as she leans across me to hook up tubes, allowing her plump tits to graze my chest.

  Before the fire, something like this would get me hot and bothered, ready to tango in the sheets. Now, not even a stirring happens besides the fact I’m appraising what the good Lord gave her. It’s another reminder I’ve got to get my head screwed back on.

  The two nurses gave up on talking to me, so they engaged in a personal conversation.

  “Did you see the size of the ring?” the older brunette asks while fiddling with a machine.

  The bombshell nods with her eyes going all glowy like women do when diamonds come into the conversation. “It’s gorgeous, but there’s just something off about him. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “You’ve always said that. You’re crazy, Britt, and the only one that thinks that.”

  “Well, if a man ever puts a ring on my finger like that one, he’d best have only eyes for me and his flirting gear turned to low.” Her cheeks blush a bright red.

  Shit, all I need is popcorn at this point.

  “He’s friendly. Nothing wrong with that.” The older nurse winks.

  I clear my throat, curious as hell at this point. “Is this some reality show you’re talking about?”

  God knows I need something to pass the time. If I’m lucky, this show will be on Hulu.

  Both nurses turn to me as if they were busted with their hand in the cookie jar. The older one is the first to talk. She brushes her bangs back and shakes her head.

  “Sorry, we shouldn’t have been talking about that.”

  “So, it’s not a reality show?” I crook up an eyebrow.

  “No,” Britt shakes her head, “co-workers. So not professional of us.”

  “You were so quiet,” Amber responds, or at least that’s what her name badge reads. “But it’s no excuse.”

  I wave them both off, seeing the stress painted on their faces and dancing in their features. “No worries. Sounded hella entertaining, and a man in my position could use some of that right about now.”

  Amber lets out a bated breath and rushes from the room with no further explanation. Britt relaxes on the bottom of the bed.

  “Well, since we’ve already gossiped way too much in front of a patient…It’s about two doctors here. Everyone is all goo-goo gah-gah over the new surgeon, and well, I think he’s a slimeball. I’ve seen and heard things, but I’m just here for a paycheck, you know?”

  “I get that.” I nod, finding it pleasant how easy it is to talk to her. Even though she’s hot and right up my alley, not one single thought drifts that way.

  “Enough about that.” She smiles at me. “How do you feel about tomorrow? Doctor Rayson is amazing.”

  “Nervous as hell.” I slide up further in the bed. “You gonna make sure the saw blades are sharpened?”

  Her eyes go wide, but when she realizes a smirk plays out on my face, she giggles. I’ve always been known for my carefree humor and light-going attitude. Feels damn good to get a glimpse of that back.

  “I’ll make sure you get the sharpest.” She pats the bed as she stands up. “Just push the button if you need anything. I’m here all night.”

  “Will do.”

  Right before she’s about to round the corner out of my room, I holler her name.

  “Britt.”

  The crazy curls bundled high on top of her head whip back my direction.

  “Got any suggestions for mindless television shows to pass the time?”

  She taps the center of her chin a few times. “I love Grey’s Anatomy, but not tonight for you because, well…”

  “People kick the bucket because of shit care.” I grin wide.

  Her smile matches mine. “Yeah, probably not the best. How about Survivor?”

  “I’ll check it out.” I wink, not telling her Survivor is my freaking jam and I’ve watched every single episode ever aired. Shit, my bar, Cody’s Shaggin’ Shack, has a quiet hour when it airs. The only time you can ever hear a pin drop.

  “It’s my favorite. Absolute crazy fan here. I’ve even thought about submitting an application when they audition for fans.”

  God, to see her full ass in a little piece on my big screen at the bar does get something rustling under the scratchy hospital sheets. Not to mention what her tits would look like bouncing on the waves.

  “When I get this bionic hip, let’s give it a shot.”

  “Deal.” Her one word comes out a half question and partially an answer.

  I seal it with gusto. “Deal. Britt, our alliance has already been formed.”

  She shakes her head and disappears. A surge of energy bolts through my veins at the sensation of being the old Cody. It’s way more addicting and exhilarating than what vodka ever did for me. I’m not saying Britt is the one by far, but it’s energizing to talk to someone who isn’t geared up to have a pity party in my honor.

  I find myself grabbing the journal and pen attached to it. I smirk at the colossal flower hot glued to the top of it, knowing damn well it was one of Emma’s craft projects. My family may not be blood, but it’s way more powerful than any blood connection could ever hold. Jessie, Jules, and their three kids, Whit, Jack, and Emma. Then there’s Max, who Jessie and Jules adopted. Hell, the kid became like mine when he moved back home.

  I flip open the journal, coming face to face with a blank page. I find myself jotting down some of my favorite songs, ones that take me back to a time for when I’d give anything to have a redemption button. Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, and several other artists begin to fill the blank space that used to haunt me. But now I find myself smiling at the memories dancing in my mind. It’s all I have.

  Chapter 3

  Cody

  Sleep was shit. Well, that’s a lie. After I spilled out several song titles on the pages, I slept like a baby for a few hours. Better than I have been getting lately, but then it was the scratch and noise of the hospital keeping me up. I swear my eyelids would grow heavy and I’d be on my way slipping off into sleep, then bam, wide awake.

  “It’s the big day.” Britt rounds into the room, tapping on an iPad.

  “Awesome. Did you check that saw blade?” I grunt, pushing up in the bed.

  “Yep, sharp as it comes.” She winks at me.

  This woman is a breath of fresh air. I can’t quite place it, but it’s comfortable with her. Britt’s fine ass is just a cherry on top of the sundae.

  “You pull an all-nighter?” I ask, doing my best to cover my morning wood. The thin hospital sheet is tenting into a towering teepee.

  “Sure did. Getting you off into good hands and then I have a date with my pillow.” She checks the monitors.

  “You know you could bust me out of here and we could party together.” My chest puffs up, feeling a bit of my old self flare to life. I’d never take her up on the offer if there
was one. I mean, the old me was a gentleman taking the lady to dinner and offering her unlimited drinks.

  “You’re too much.” She shakes her head.

  A new nurse rushes into the room. I have no clue who she is, but I do know she is frazzled and upset. She shakes her head at Britt, and in the same moment, Britt’s bright smile dims. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist or even a damn surgeon to know something isn’t right.

  “What’s going on?” I sit up taller in the bed, swinging my legs over the side of it, being careful of the tubes coming from my arms. My morning wood is a long ago thought.

  “Nothing.” Britt shakes her head and clears her throat. “A surgeon will be in soon to talk to you.”

  Panic strikes. Doctor Rayson said my bloodwork came back fine. Did they find something wrong, and now a doctor specializing in cancer or some other life-threatening disease is about to march their ass in here and break it to me?

  The nurse of death or whatever you want to call her marches out of the room. My breathing quickens, and I’m ready to shred this room until I get some answers.

  “Cody.” Britt rests on the edge of my bed near my pillows, placing her hand on the top of my thigh. “Nothing concerning you is wrong. I can’t tell you anything else. It’s nothing for you to panic over.”

  I clear my throat, trying not to sound panicked and freaked the hell out as I place my hand on top of hers and glance toward the door, waiting on the bad news to enter. “What in the fuck is going on?”

  I don’t even give two shits about the language I just dropped. Something is wrong and about to turn my world upside down. Britt is a kind and sexy-as-fuck nurse, and a gentle friend as I enter her world. It’s evident in her adoring cocoa eyes as she continues to prove her soft touch and warmth on my skin. It’s not the attraction hitting me strong for this woman; it’s the missing puzzle piece of my life. I’ve missed the human touch. Just a simple hand-hold to let me know everything is going to be all right.

  She’s a great friend, even though it’s been less than twelve hours. Britt has no idea who I am, what I own, or what I’ve done. It’s unlike the prying stares in my hometown where everyone and their dog knows just how much money Cody has and whispers about the silver spoon stuck between my lips. I’ve never bothered to correct any of them. I didn’t use a dime of my parents’ money to build my business.

  I shake the vortex of stupid shit from my mind. I’m a damn mess; there’s no denying that. I open my mouth to speak.

  “Britt,” I grit out again. “I’m about to lose my shit. You evidently think I’m stronger than I am.”

  Her tender fingers graze the silver hair gracing my temples. Her plump lips part but nothing comes out. I’m dying to know what is dancing on her lips but continue to relish the joy of pure friendship.

  “Excuse me.” We whip both of our heads toward the sound of a foot stomp at the door of my room. “Whenever you two are ready, I’d like to meet with my patient.”

  Britt stiffens, straightening out her coarse teal scrubs and staring at a monitor near the corner of my bed. I want to pay attention to my new friend who seems desperate right now. But it’s the blonde-haired raven clutching the iPad in her hands who catches my eye. It’s the same woman who once owned my heart, and I tossed that love away.

  Life has been damn good to her. She’s no longer the string bean nerd I used to grow drunk on in high school. No, she’s filled out so much more in the best possible ways. But there’s no mistaking the worn and tired lines under her eyes.

  “Sorry, Doctor Cooper, Cody was upset about not being taken into the operating room at his scheduled time. I’m—uh, trying to comfort him.”

  “Yeah.” Bertie clicks her iPad alive. “Real grand of you, Britt.”

  Basically, short and to the point, the tension in the room is suffocating as hell. I find myself blinking once then twice before realizing the woman before me isn’t a mirage. It’s really her. The one soul I ever loved. It didn’t end when I screwed up shit. Hell, no; I’d never be able to forget her. No amount of booze would ever diminish the flames of love I hold for her.

  Britt dashes from the room without another word. I wince at the cruelty that just brushed through the room. Britt is an innocent party in this situation. I open my mouth then snap it shut. I have no damn idea what to say.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” doesn’t seem appropriate. I run my hands through my shaggy hair, knowing nothing I say will be worth it. I have no idea what to do or even how to feel. All I can seem to do is stare at her. This can’t be my life.

  And on the other hand, my head bounds and bounces off the walls of the suffocating room. I finally gave in to having the operation, did my research on surgeons, and now I want to know what in the hell is going on.

  “Cody.” She clears her throat, avoiding eye contact. “Cody Sterling, right?”

  I nod like a goddamn fool. So many thoughts race through my head. She damn well knows my name, but it seems that I’m still tongue-tied.

  “Well, I hate to inform you that your surgeon suffered a massive heart attack last night. He’s recovering right now but will be unable to perform any surgeries in the near future.”

  I don’t miss the fact Bertie doesn’t take it upon herself to sit in the chair in my room or near my bed. Nope—she has one foot in the room and the other one out, as if she’s ready to run any moment now.

  “Okay,” I manage to get out.

  “I’ll be taking all surgeries in his absence.”

  “You’re a surgeon?” I grit my teeth the second the dumbass question leaves the tip of my tongue.

  “Yep.” She smirks then blows her loose bangs from her face. “It’s not Halloween, Cody, and even if it was, I quit dressing up years ago.”

  She did it. Damn, my girl really did it, are the only thoughts that race through my head—on repeat. Bertie had a passion for learning. She was bound and determined to become a doctor. Back in the day, she wasn’t sure what field she wanted to study. From day to day, she’d drift from wanting to be a vet, scientist, and then would come right back to a doctor. I always teased her that even if she did become a doctor, that I’d have her ass in a sexy, naughty nurse outfit cooking dinner for me. That would ensure a hot and heated make-out session.

  “Okay,” I stutter out.

  “Due to scheduling conflicts, I won’t be able to get you into the operating room until tomorrow morning. The hospital will be compensating you for this delay.” She taps her iPad one more time, not making eye contact. “Unfortunately, you’ll have to fast once again, starting at nine tonight. You will be the first surgery in the morning.”

  “Stop.” I raise my hand, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Finally, she glances up at me, and I find myself speechless once again for a few brief seconds. “Bertie, it’s you. It’s really you.”

  Her true emotions shine through for only a few seconds before her mask of indifference reappears.

  “Is this how we are going to do it?” I ask, standing to avoid the tug and pull of the tubes and stifling the muffle of the pain that wants to escape as my hip creaks and cracks.

  She sighs, tucks her iPad under her arm, and gives me the full force of her stare. It’s powerful, just like it was back in the day. She has me hypnotized and eating out of the palm of her hand in a matter of seconds.

  “Yes, it is, Cody.” She takes a step closer, allowing a familiar scent to attack me. It’s the same one from years ago. I’m trapped in a damn time vortex. Coconut Kissing Lime will always be my favorite. “I’m the surgeon that will be performing your surgery tomorrow. End of story.”

  “Bullshit,” I grit out.

  Her temper flares as she closes the distance between us. Her pointer finger thumps my chest. “You chose to walk away, Cody, and you also thought it best to give me some type of bullshit excuse. What was it?”

  She taps her chin for a few beats.

  “Oh, that’s right.” Her eyes grow big. “We both had different wants and dreams, and our
paths would never be the same. And you even had the nerve to get all teary-eyed and shit. It was well-played.”

  “Bertie.” I don’t have another chance to get a word out before she’s going off in my face again.

  “Don’t worry, you coward. Bethany had the audacity to tell me what really happened. And I’m smart enough to put two and two together. Let’s see how did the story fold out?” She backs up.

  “Oh, that’s right, I had to study for my first college exam. You wanted to party. I mean, big shocker that Cody Sterling wanted to party. I told you to go and that we would go to the first home football game the next day. Then Cody drank too much and fucked my dorm neighbor and friend, Bethany. Didn’t have the balls to tell me the truth, kicked me to the curb, and dropped out of college the next day, leaving the so-called love of his life behind without a second thought.”

  “I didn’t…” Again, I’m cut off.

  “Save it. I’m your surgeon and will see you in the morning.” With that, she whirls around, her messy blonde hair following the same action as she disappears out of the room.

  My jaw is still slack and open, wanting nothing more than words to spill, but it never happens. I flop back on the bed more desperate than ever. And to think that minutes ago, I was dreading cancer or being told I had weeks to live… This is worse than either of those scenarios.

  Chapter 4

  Cody

  Chocolate pudding can go straight to hell. If I never see that shit again, I would be a happy man. I have no idea who the last nurse was and don’t give two shits. I was thankful when she allowed me to sit upright in a chair in my room. The same monotonous beeps and chatter echo from the hallway.

  Max and Jessie called a couple of times. I told them what happened with my surgeon but didn’t tell them who is now my new surgeon. That piece of the screwed-up puzzle is a part I’m not ready to process.

  The seconds feel like hours and the hours feel like an eternity as I stare at the ceiling or the hospital wall. I pick up the journal and read the lyrics; I’d even put pen to paper and found myself slamming it back down. Not even the sweetest song could bring back the flicker of hope I held for years.