My Only - Alex & Jamie (The Crossroads Series: Book 3) Read online

  My Only

  by

  Melanie Shawn

  Cover Design by Hot Damn Designs

  Published by Red Hot Reads Publishing

  Copyright 2013 Melanie Shawn

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing from Melanie Shawn. Exceptions are limited to reviewers who may use brief quotations in connection with reviews. No part of this book can be transmitted, scanned, reproduced, or distributed in any written or electronic form without written permission from Melanie Shawn.

  This book is a work of fiction. Places, names, characters and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Sneak Peek: My Everything - Seth & Amber

  Excerpt: Sweet Reunion

  Excerpt: Scandalous

  Other titles by Melanie Shawn

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Coffee. Food. Sleep. Sex.

  Her body ached for all four of those things…not necessarily in that order.

  Jamie Miller closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cold, stainless steel wall of the elevator. A ding sounded, penetrating through her foggy-headed state and indicating that she had arrived at her intended floor. The doors opened and Jamie stepped out onto the linoleum hallway. She walked briskly down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

  Coffee and food. Those were going to be the only two things on her mental list of physical needs that she would be able to satisfy in the immediate future. Sleep…maybe later. She might be able to get in a few hours, before her first shift at The Grill tomorrow afternoon. Sex…not likely. She sighed to herself. She hadn’t been able to scratch that particular itch for so long, that it was too depressing to think about.

  She inhaled deeply, breathing in through her nose. The smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils and she instantly felt more alert. Yes! She was four hours into her third consecutive sixteen-hour shift, or “double” as the hospital staff referred to them, and she needed all the help she could get to perk herself up.

  Most people hated the smell of hospitals, but Jamie had always loved the distinctive aroma. To her, hospitals were clean and safe places where people were taken care of, and the fragrant odor of disinfectant represented that safety. Part of the reason she had always wanted to go into nursing was because she couldn’t think of any better place to spend her days than inside the safe, clean walls of a hospital.

  As a teen she had volunteered as a candy striper at Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She had only been required to spend twenty hours per week ‘on duty,’ but more weeks than not she was there closer to forty hours. She just loved helping people! Whether it was just being in the room to provide moral support while a patient nervously awaited surgery, distracting them with board games and chit-chat to keep their minds off of the pain they were in afterward. Even just silently keeping them company while they recovered from whatever illness had landed them there – Jamie didn't care, she loved it all.

  Hospitals never depressed her or gave her the heebie-jeebies, as they did for some people. Nope, from the first time an asthma attack had sent her to the emergency room at four years old, she had felt more at home, and more safe, lying in that hospital bed in the E.R. than she ever had in the small one bedroom apartment she grew up in.

  The automatic doors slid open and she stepped into the brightly-lit cafeteria. She glanced around the room to see if she recognized any of the staff that she had met over the last few days. She didn’t. She sighed as relief coursed through her. She wouldn’t want anyone to think she was rude, or intentionally ignoring them, but she could seriously use a few minutes to herself.

  She had only been in Harper’s Crossing for a little over a week. Everyone she had met so far had been friendly, in that ‘small town’ kind of way. People here seemed to genuinely care about one another. This was exactly the kind of place Jamie had always dreamed of living in as a kid.

  After securing the nursing position at Harper’s Crossing Community Hospital a little over a month ago, she had asked her Aunt Hazel if she might be able to pick up a few waitressing shifts at Gerard’s Diner. Jamie thought it was a no-brainer since Hazel had worked there for over two decades and was the manager. Initially, Aunt Hazel said it would be “no problem.”

  But, a scant few weeks later when Jamie had arrived at Harper’s Crossing, her aunt had suggested she apply at The Grill, a restaurant and bar overlooking the Riverwalk. Jamie hadn’t questioned the about-face. Her feelings hadn't even been hurt. She had learned early on in her life that people rarely kept their word, and she never depended on anyone. Talk was cheap, actions were what counted – and selfless actions were rare in this world, so why get your hopes up?

  It wasn't that she was bitter. Jamie was grateful for what kindnesses she received from others. It was just that she didn't expect people to come through if they said they would. If they did? Great. If not? Still fine. Jamie knew that, when it came to people she could depend on, she was best off if she kept that list real small. As in...one name. Her own.

  So, instead of worrying about why her aunt had done the one-eighty, she’d just headed down to The Grill and applied. She had been immediately interviewed by the owner Jack. He’d hired her on the spot.

  When Aunt Hazel had heard the news, she’d explained how happy she was because she thought Jamie would make a lot more money in tips at The Grill than she would at Gerard’s Diner.

  But then she had blown her 'make-better-money' cover when she had added in a conspiratorial whisper, “Plus, a lot more people your age tend to go there. That’s where all the young men seem to be.”

  Jamie had known then it was just another in a long line of well-meaning attempts to set her up. However, all of those attempts were destined to be in vain because Jamie simply was not interested in any kind of relationship. She shook her head, remembering the mischievous smile that had lit up her aunt's wrinkled face, and the way her eyes had twinkled as if she were 20 again. She hadn't had the heart to take the wind out of Hazel's sails when she was clearly having so much fun matchmaking, but it just wasn't going to happen.

  I mean, sure. Was she lonely sometimes? Of course. Did she miss the feeling of being held in strong arms? Sure. Did she miss sex? Most definitely. Was it worth it to have to date random people (mostly losers) to find that one special person? Nope.

  Her life was full. She did not have room - nor did she possess an overwhelming desire to make room - in her life for someone else. It was
n’t in the Ten Year Plan, and she had to stick to The Plan. The Plan was everything to her. And it had to work because, honestly, she didn’t have a plan B. Plan B did not exist! There was only The Plan: capital T, capital P. No room for failure. The stakes were simply too high.

  After selecting a delicious-looking cream-filled pastry and filling up a disposable paper cup with steaming hot coffee she made her way to a small, secluded table nestled in the corner of the cheery room. She sat and sipped her coffee as she enjoyed her well-chosen tasty treat. She closed her eyes, reveling in the moment and blissfully zoning out the rest of the world.

  A commotion on the opposite side of the room pulled her out of her near-comatose state. She turned and saw several women rushing from table to table, passionately and animatedly talking about something in hushed voices. Jamie couldn’t hear what they were saying, but whatever it was looked to be getting quite a response. Most of the time those seated at the tables would either get up and rush out the sliding doors, or remain seated, gasping and shaking their heads in shock.

  Jamie was just about to get up and make sure everything was OKAY, to see if anyone needed her help, when she felt her pager buzz on her hip. She looked down and saw that it was Vickey, the head nurse on her floor, paging her to get back upstairs ASAP.

  Well, maybe Vickey would know what all the hubbub was about. In the few days Jamie had been working at the hospital, she had observed that Vickey seemed to know everything that happened - not only in the hospital, but around the town in general. Jamie’s new supervisor was probably close to sixty, but looked to be in her forties. She was all business and was definitely a ‘problem solver.’ In the short time Jamie had been on staff, she had seen Vickey calmly and efficiently put out more than one fire. Jamie liked her, quite a bit, and had no doubt that, with Vickey at the helm of whatever catastrophe might be befalling the hospital, they were, at the very least, in highly capable hands!

  Jamie picked up her napkin and empty coffee cup and quickly disposed of them. She hurried out the door and made her way back down the corridor toward the elevators. She pushed the 'up' button but nothing immediately happened. None of the four elevators seemed to be on the floor. Dang. Normally, she wouldn't care about the wait, but this was a 911 page she was answering – she needed to make tracks, and quickly! She briefly thought about taking the stairs, but before she could make a decision, the doors to far left opened and she quickly hopped inside, pressing the button that would take her to the 4th floor.

  Two attractive young nurses slipped into the elevator car just under the wire, right before the doors closed.

  “Is it true? Is he here?” the blonde asked the redhead.

  “Yes,” the redhead affirmed her brown eyes as wide as saucers.

  “He’s really here?” the blonde asked again, seemingly not satisfied with the previous confirmation.

  “Yes, I saw him,” the redhead stated, her voice bathed in a reverence that would normally be reserved for the pope.

  “Did he look bad?” the blonde asked nervously.

  “I don’t know. The paramedics were blocking most of my view.” The redhead wrung her hands in front of her.

  “Is he going to be okay?” The blonde’s clear green eyes suddenly filling with tears.

  Hmm...Jamie thought to herself, I probably would have led with that question but…que sera sera.

  “I don’t know.” The redhead joined her blonde friend in tearing up as she made that admission.

  Jamie was beginning to wonder if maybe there was a celebrity here in the hospital. Who could it be, in this tiny little town? She thought about it but came up empty. She didn’t know of any movies that were filming there, or any sporting events or concerts that were being held in Harper’s Crossing.

  When she had worked at Grace Memorial, there were several times that celebrities had been rushed to the emergency room and even been admitted for care. Some had been athletes with various injuries. There had been several actors and singers that had to be admitted for “exhaustion” or “dehydration.” She had met some of them, but she had never gotten star struck like some of the nurses and almost all of the other candy stripers had. Some of the staff there had even been rendered speechless.

  Jamie never understood what all the hype was about. Celebrities were just people. Gorgeous, charismatic, talented people. But still…just people.

  --- ~ ---

  Alex Sloan slowly opened his heavy eyelids as he tried to lift his head to see where he was and what in the hell was going on. As soon as he made even the smallest of movements, searing pain ripped through his chest. He immediately laid his head back down.

  He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to scan the area around him but couldn’t see anything clearly. Everything was blurry. What the hell? He couldn’t focus his vision. He heard muffled voices and tried once more to lift his head, but he wasn't able to do more than feebly tilt it a little to the side.

  He suddenly felt overwhelming exhaustion spread through his entire body. It seemed as though a powerful wave of debilitating weakness was crashing over him, taking him down. He tried to fight it, to not let it overwhelm him. But, damn, he was so spent. He had no energy, no will. It was pulling him under despite his best efforts to stay afloat. Tired of fighting against the current of severe fatigue that was claiming him, he decided he would just go with it.

  He closed his eyes. Sleep…that would be good. He needed to sleep.

  “Alex! Alex, open your eyes!”

  He heard a harsh voice interrupting his peaceful flight to slumber-land. He ignored it. He just wanted to sleep.

  “Alex! Stay with us now!”

  The voices sounded too loud. The shrill sounds grated against his already-pounding head. Irritation now replaced the languid sensation of floating. He decided to tune out the voices and push away any frustration they were causing, trying with everything he had to just relax and fall peacefully asleep.

  “Alex, open your eyes! Come on man, stay with us!”

  Alex desperately tried to shut out the voices. Screw the voices. He didn’t want to stop floating.

  “Alex, I need you to open your eyes!”

  He felt someone slapping his face. That he couldn’t ignore. Now he was pissed! If it was one of his brothers batting at his face like a cat with a toy, he was gonna kill them. He just wanted to sleep. Why, for the love of God, would they not just leave him alone and let him sleep?

  He attempted to push away the hand that was currently hitting his cheeks, but he couldn’t seem to move his arms. They were too heavy. He simply wasn’t able to lift them.

  That was odd, but he was prevented from thinking too deeply about it by the more pressing issue – the fact that someone was slapping his face like it was going out of style. Yeah, that was definitely the more important problem to solve. Since he couldn't seem to push them away, instead he tried to move his head away from his slap-happy assailant. Frustratingly, he didn’t have much luck with that either. As soon as he turned his head, the pain came back even more severely than the first time.

  He heard a loud cry that sounded like an animal dying. God, what was that? He moved to see what it was and then heard it again. The second time, he realized it was coming from him.

  “We’re getting you something for the pain, stay with us, Alex.”

  Holy. Shit.

  HOLY SHIT!

  What in the name of God was happening?

  His mind began to race as he once again tried to pry open his eyes. Where was he? Why couldn’t he breathe? Why couldn’t he lift his head?

  What the hell was going on?

  Everything was dark. His eyes were closed. Open…he needed to open his eyes and see what was happening. He tried. They didn’t cooperate. He scrunched his face and then lifted his brow, hoping that it would force his eyes open. He tried to accomplish this several times and failed before, finally, he succeeded.

  As soon as the lids of his eyes separated, Alex was overwhelmed by bright light
s and what looked like a blur of activity surrounding him. His eyes managed to focus on one single figure that was hovering over him.

  “That’s good, Alex. Look at me. Just keep your eyes open and look at me.”

  The shadowy figure above him turned and barked an order, “Give him 5 more CCs!” He immediately turned his attention back to Alex.

  “You’re going to be OKAY. I just need you to stay with me. Keep those eyes open.”

  Confusion swept through his mind and Alex felt the sudden need to find out exactly what was going on. He tried to sit up. The pain came back, more excruciating then either of the previous times it had intruded. Panic flooded through him like a raging river. Was he going to die? He had to get out of here!

  “Don’t, Alex! Just lie still. Don’t try to get up.”

  The voice of the shadowy figure now sounded familiar. He knew that voice. How did he know that voice?

  He looked again and, as his eyes adjusted to the bright lighting, he was able to make out the face. It was Garret. He went to school with Garret. Why was Garret telling him to lie still?

  Wait. Garret was a doctor now. He worked in the E.R. He must be in the hospital. But why? This wasn't making sense.

  Alex tried to ask Garret if he was, indeed, in a hospital, but he didn’t hear any sound come out when he opened his mouth to speak.

  “Don’t try to talk. Just stay calm,” Garret instructed. “You are at the hospital. You were hit by a falling beam at Harper’s Garden Nursing Home.”

  What?

  Fear rushed through Alex’s body, as acrid as the smoke had been inside of the nursing home. The adrenaline from that jolt of fear, however, must have been what he needed to clear his head, because his memory came back to him in a flash.

  They had gotten a call that there was a fire at Harper’s Garden. His rig had been the first on scene. He had pulled out several patients and was going back inside to clear more rooms...

  That was it. The next thing he remembered was waking up here. He must have been knocked unconscious.

  He was trying to sort everything out while he listened to all of the tests that Garret was ordering. They were all the basics you would need to order for a trauma patient.