The CT results were in on her abdominal patient, so she found Max and they went over treatment options. After she finished there, she went to update the chart.
“You were absent for a while,” Katie said, eyeing her with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
“Oh. Uh. Tucker and I grabbed a bite to eat.”
Katie let out a snort. “You two might have grabbed a bite, but it was more likely of each other, not food.”
Aubry concentrated on the laptop in front of her, ignoring her friend. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“What I mean is there are red marks on your neck, and you’re wearing a post-sex glow on your face, not an I-had-an-awesome-chicken-sandwich glow.”
She turned to Katie. “You are way too observant.”
Katie shrugged. “I am when other people are having sex. And here in the hospital? You naughty girl.”
An hour ago Aubry would have laughed off the suggestion that she’d have sex in the hospital. Now? “I’m not even going to blush.”
“I wouldn’t, either. Someone needs to have some fun around here.” Katie studied her. “So . . . was it?”
“Was it what?”
“Fun.”
She laughed. “It was amazing. Tucker definitely brings out my bad side.”
Katie linked her arm in Aubry’s. “There’s nothing wrong with that. You’ve been good for way too long. Time to tap into your inner bad girl. Now that you’ve had fake food, let’s go get some of the real stuff before it gets busy in here again.”
She followed Katie toward the cafeteria, thinking about what her friend had said.
Is that what she’d done? She’d always followed the straight and narrow. College, then medical school and now her residency, never once deviating from her carefully chosen path. Her father had always told her that her career was vital, and she should never allow anything—or anyone—to distract her.
She never had before. Not that she’d been a saint. But she wasn’t a bad girl, never had been. She’d had her share of fun, just never the kind that would get her in trouble.
Tucker, though? He’d tapped into her wild side, the part of her that had fantasized about doing crazy things.
Like having sex in the hospital.
He could be trouble, in so many ways.
THEY’D WON ONE GAME AND LOST TWO IN PITTSBURGH. Tucker had pitched one of the losses, and he felt pretty shitty about that.
He knew they weren’t going to win every time he pitched, but still, he hadn’t been on his game. He’d given up two earned runs. Something had been off and he’d thought about it ever since that game. He still couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong, even now as he and the other pitchers ran through warm-ups.
“You’re still bugged about that loss the other night.”
He looked over at Garrett Scott, who was throwing balls next to him. “Yeah.”
“Let it go. It was just one game. You’re going to lose a lot of games, Tucker.”
“I know that. But my curveball was off that night. My curve is never off.”
“Did you talk to Bobby about it?”
That’s what he should do. As pitching coach for the Rivers, Bobby Sloan could spot a problem with a pitcher’s mechanics better than anyone. “Not yet.”
“Do it. Trust me, Bobby will know if there’s something off about your curve.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“And Tucker?”
“Yeah.”
“Let go of that game. It’s one down, and a lot more coming up. You let that one get in your head, it’ll fuck you up for the rest of the season.”
He nodded. “You’re right about that. Consider it gone.”
Garrett laughed. “If only everyone took my advice so easily.”
“What a crock, Garrett. Who listens to you?” Tommy Mahoney asked.
“All of my peers should, Mahoney. Like you. Because I’m full of wisdom.”
“What you’re full of is shit,” Tommy said with a laugh.
Garrett shook his head. “And that’s why you’re a relief pitcher, and not a starter.”
“No. I’m a relief pitcher because someone has to come in and save the game after you’ve fucked it up.”
Now it was Tucker’s turn to chime in. “Come on, Mahoney. You know that’s not how it works. You come in and take over when we have to take a piss.”
“And you can suck my dick, Cassidy.”
Several of the other pitchers came over, both starters and relievers, and they all spent several minutes giving each other shit. It was a good stress reliever, and something they did a lot to ease tension. No one ever took offense since they all respected each other’s work. Tucker relied on middle inning relievers and closers. Without them to save games, he’d be toast and he knew it. So did Garrett and the other starting pitchers.