Flatline (Med Rom Series) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Damaged Series DamagedBrokenMedRom SeriesFlatline

  Copyright © 2017 Kristine Dugger

  Dedication

  CONTENTSChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3

  disclaimer

  Flatline’s Playlist1: Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande2: T-shirt – Thomas Rhett3: Closer – Nine Inch N...

  Chapter 1C

  Chapter 2H

  Chapter 3L

  Chapter 4M

  Chapter 5A

  Chapter 6M

  Chapter 7M

  Chapter 8T

  Chapter 9S

  Chapter 10O

  Chapter 11T

  Chapter 12T

  Chapter 13T

  Chapter 14T

  Chapter 15W

  Chapter 16T

  Chapter 17B

  Chapter 18I

  Chapter 19M

  Chapter 20T

  Chapter 21U

  Chapter 22F

  Chapter 23T

  Chapter 24T

  FROM THE AUTHOR.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Flatline

  (Med Rom Series Book 1)

  Kristine Dugger

  Damaged Series

  Damaged

  Broken

  MedRom Series

  Flatline

  Copyright © 2017 Kristine Dugger

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13:

  Dedication

  To my parents,

  Thank you for accepting and embracing this crazy wonderful journey with me.

  Next to the girls and Dave, you are my biggest fans.

  You might think your daughter being a romance author is crazy

  but you encourage and promote me every step of the way.

  I love making you proud.

  I love you, mommy and daddy.

  ~Love, Kris

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  chapter 4

  chapter 5

  chapter 6

  chapter 7

  chapter 8

  chapter 9

  chapter 10

  chapter 11

  chapter 12

  chapter 13

  chapter 14

  chapter 15

  chapter 16

  chapter 17

  chapter 18

  chapter 19

  chapter 20

  chapter 21

  chapter 22

  chapter 23

  chapter 24

  From the author

  Acknowledgements

  About the author

  disclaimer

  No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Flatline’s Playlist

  1: Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande

  2: T-shirt – Thomas Rhett

  3: Closer – Nine Inch Nails

  4: Hands to Myself – Selena Gomez

  5: Only Girl - Rihanna

  6: All The Time - Jeremih feat. Lil' Wayne & Natasha Mosley

  7: Needed Me – Rihanna

  8: Doin It – LL Cool J

  9: Adrenalize Me – In this Moment

  10: Say My Name – Kng Davd

  11: Pony – Ginuwine

  Chapter 1

  Consult after consult was coming in before it is my time to leave for the day. It is a Friday and as a courtesy to the on-call Dietitian, we all stay until 5 p.m. to help with any new patients that come through. It is 4:30 p.m. and I am already behind on my work. Intensive Care rounds took a lot longer than normal. I had numerous patients on the ventilator requiring numerous recommendations for tube feeding calculation and formula adjustments. Then there were the patients who needed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) - intravenous nutrition. I have been slammed since I set one foot in the door. I’m just grateful I am not the Dietitian on call.

  Don’t get me wrong, I love being an ICU Dietitian - been one for five years now. The job requires a lot of brain power and critical thinking. It can be quite exhausting. This is my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world. They would have to kick me out before I would ever think about leaving.

  While working on the floor, charting my recommendations on a patient, one of my nurse friends, Delilah, came up to me. She nudges me, “Paige, whatcha doing tonight?”

  Sighing, “Probably going to bed.”

  “Really, that’s too bad.”

  “Why? What’s going?”

  “Well, since it’s been a shitty day, few of the other nurses and I are going out for drinks. You should come with us?”

  “I don’t know. I just kind of want to go home and chill tonight.”

  “Are you for real? Stop being such a bore and come out.”

  “Del, it has been a long week.”

  “More reason to come out with your favorite people in the whole world.”

  Sarcastically I say, “I’ve been at work with you all week. What makes you think I want to come out and spend more time with you?”

  Batting her big brown eyes at me, she says, “Because you love us.”

  With a deep breath in, I smirk, “Fine. Count me in.”

  “Saweet! If we all get off on time, meet us at Bexter’s at 8 p.m.”

  “I will be there smelling like hospital and all.”

  Walking away, shaking her ass and laughing at me, she says, “Seriously.”

  Delilah goes back to her fabulous life of being an ICU nurse, answering call buttons from patients or the fun stuff - wiping butt. I go back to calculating energy needs. Such an exciting life we live.

  ***

  Arriving at Bexter’s, I am completely exhausted from the day. The day was long and busy. I spot Delilah, Karrie, and Britnee sitting at one of the tables in the bar. Bexter’s is a crowd favorite to many employees at University Hospital and the local medical colleges in the area. It is a fun, little dive bar in Omaha. I have frequented here many times with my favorite trio of nurses -we have this special bond over our patients.

  Delilah and I started working at University Hospital at the same time - even in orientation together. She has become one of my closest friends. Del is feisty, funny, hardworking and an amazing nurse all bundled up into one person. I just love her. Then there are the other two knuckleheads, Karrie and Britnee. They started in the ICU two years after Del and I did.

  Karrie, the kid sister of the group and the hopeless romantic, married her high school sweetheart after college. She has everything she wanted in life; the husband, the home, the dog and hopefully, a bun in the oven. She is perfect. Then there is Britnee, she is our nerdy little cheerleader; always encouraging us to work harder and more efficient. Brit is so incredibly smart. She could’ve been a doctor but chose nursing as her passion. On top of being ridiculously intelligent, she is beautiful. When the new male residents see her on the floor, they quickly try their hardest to get her attention. She quickly denies them and states, “They are trouble.”

  Then there is me, plain old Jane me. My life is centered around my work. Straight out of my internship, I landed my dream position, ICU Dietitian. I was one of the fortunate ones to get hired on at the hospital. All I do is work, work and work. No time for a love life or any life at all. Del and the girls try their hardest to make sure I’m not stuck at the hospital all the time. They are lucky I agree
d to come out, tonight.

  Delilah ordered us a round of shots. She jokes, “Y’all really need to loosen up and have some fun.” Shaking our heads at her, we chuckle before taking our shot. Our conversation at the table is quite boring, mostly about work life and our patients. I have no clue why we talk about work, especially since we have been together all day long working together. It makes no sense but that is what we do.

  Finally, Karrie changes the subject. Looking at each one of us as she asks her question, “So, my single friends, any new prospects? Brit, which resident was trying to get with you today? Del, who is the flavor of the month? Paige, when are you going to dust off the cobwebs?”

  Del starts laughing her ass off with Karrie’s last comment. “Karrie, what an appropriate question? Well, Paige, cobwebs?”

  Brit and Karrie are smirking at me, waiting for an answer.

  “Ha ha, very funny guys.”

  Del is grinning. “But seriously, when are you going to let some fine man make a better woman out of you?”

  “Del, are you for real?”

  “Yes! You’re so freaking uptight, lately. How long has it been since you let a man have his way with you?”

  “Del, really?”

  “Yes, really. Okay, you are hooking up with someone tonight.” Del leans back in her chair, turning her head and scanning the crowd for potentials for me. I was nervous. Knowing Del, she was serious about finding someone for me. Yes, it has been some time for me and I am fine with it. Men are so complicated. They say us women are, but they are so wrong.

  Del points at some random guy across the bar. “Okay, that one. I don’t see a ring and he is hot. Go talk to him.”

  Karrie and Brit crane their necks in the least subtle way.

  “Del, are you serious? I’m not going to walk up to him and say, ‘let’s fuck.’”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not you.”

  “Girl, you need to get laid.”

  “You keep telling me that.”

  Del shakes her head at me and stated she is going to the bar to get us more shots. As she walks up to the bar, I look once again at the man across the bar. He was pretty darn good looking; actually he is quite hot. He is talking with another guy, both of them laughing and enjoying a beer. His smile is gorgeous – lighting up the entire bar. He stood out.

  Then he noticed me looking at him. His eyes focus in on me, then he shot that playboy smile at me. Turning my head quickly away, really hoping I wasn’t too obvious, I start drinking my beer, hoping that it was my imagination that he caught me looking at him. Who am I fooling? I swear I could feel him still looking at me. I slowly turn my head in his direction again. Yep, he is staring at me. This time, he lifts his beer to me. No clue what the hell that means. Is this his form of saying hi? Who knows? Again, men are complicated idiots. I turn my attention back to my friends.

  Del sits back down at the table with another round of shots. I quickly grab mine. My friends hold theirs up in the air for a toast but I quickly down mine. Del looks at me weird. She knows I’m not one to down a shot so quickly. Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I’m sorry. I got anxious.”

  With her shot glass still in the air, Brit demands, “Well, go get yourself another. We need to cheers for another beautiful ladies’ night and to you getting laid tonight.”

  I shot her a nasty look before heading up to the bar.

  When I approach the bar, I have to wait some time for the bartender to notice me. I feel really weird, like awkward weird - as if someone is watching me. This time, I’m not looking around.

  And I didn't need to.

  Still waiting for the bartender, I feel someone’s presence move in from behind me. I take a deep breath in, turning my body to see who it is. To my surprise, it is the hot guy sitting across the bar. He looks at me and smiles, “Hey!”

  He hollers at the bartender, “Max, can you get this girl and me a drink.”

  The bartender looks at him and nods his head in agreement.

  What the hell? Just like that.

  He continues to shine his smile at me.

  I didn't know what to do. Should I say thanks? Should I say no thanks?

  Still grinning at me. “So, what is your name?”

  Shocked as hell, this gorgeous man is talking to me. “What?”

  Laughing. “Your name?”

  Still not able to speak my name to him, I am mesmerized by his hazel green eyes, contagious smile, and wavy, perfect frat boy hair. He stood roughly about 6 foot 1 inches with broad shoulders, his t-shirt hugging his firm chest and perfectly sculpted arms. I can only wonder what he looked like under those clothes.

  Crap, I need to stop.

  He knew I was staring at him. Chuckling, he said, “I take it you like what you see in front of you. Since you won’t tell me your name, I will introduce myself. I’m Leo.”

  Stumbling over my words, I tried to say my name. “I…my name is Paige.”

  His smile still beaming at me, teasing me. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me buying you a drink.”

  “I guess.”

  “You are not making this easy for me.”

  “Easy?”

  “I’m trying to talk to you. I noticed you looking at me earlier.”

  “Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess I was looking at you.”

  Laughing at me, almost mocking me. “So, you weren’t looking at me?”

  The bartender brought over our drinks. Ignoring Mr. Hottie McSexy I ask the bartender, “Can I get a round of shots of tequila for my friends and me.”

  Leo advises the bartender, “Max, add three more and I have it.” He looks at me. “I hope you have three more spots at the table for my friends and me. We’re crashing your little party.”

  I snicker, “I guess.” The bartender brought over the round of shots. Leo helps me carry our drinks and shots over to my table of friends. His friends were approaching the table as we were. Del should be happy about me bringing the guy she chose for me to hook up with to the table. I’m most likely not going to hook up with him, but a little friendly flirting isn’t going to hurt anybody.

  Well, I was wrong.

  ***

  Walking out of Bexter’s, I was drunk off my ass. Leo had his arm around my waist guiding me to my Uber ride. I had so much fun with my friends, Leo and his friends. There was no work talk, just a bunch of mid to late twenty-year-olds talking random movie quotes, sports talk, and what was going on in Omaha. Leo is ridiculously sweet. His attention was toward me the entire time. I loved every minute of it. It has been some time since a man has shown any interest in me. Funny thing about Leo, not once has he mentioned getting my number. Maybe he had one thing on his mind and honestly, I’m considering that one thing.

  Approaching my ride, Leo tickles my side. I giggle like some teenage girl meeting a boy for the first time. I am drunk and quite pathetic – not really caring at all. Leo opens the door for me. Before getting into the vehicle, I turn toward him and look into his emerald eyes. Taking a deep breath in, my arms wrap around his neck and bring him close. This is his invitation to do something and he did exactly that. He leans into me and presses his lips to mine. His arms hug my body close to his. The kiss is sloppy but full of lust. Yeah, I want him. I could feel him wanting me too - well at least the bulge poking me.

  I push away from his kiss - both of us breathing heavy. His eyes stare me down, sending chills up and down my body. Del wants me to hook up with him and that is exactly what I’m going to do. I mention, “We should tell the driver where you live.”

  He grins, “Well, okay then.”

  We hop into the Uber ride and continue our make out session. I feel kind of bad for the driver, but then again, not really. He was getting a show. Leo’s hands start to caress every inch of my body. My body lights up with urges to take him on in the car, but I need to resist.

  When we arrive at his apartment, we waste no time. From getting out of the vehicle to the elevator, our hands are all ove
r each other. With his arm around my waist, his hand gripping me tightly, my head buried in the small area between his neck and pectoral muscles, this is turning out to be a fun night.

  We wait for the elevator, both of us fidgety in anticipation for one another. Once the elevator door opens, he pushes my body up against the back of the elevator, laying his lips on mine. My hands roam along his white Diesel shirt, feeling his firm torso, and then onto his belt buckle. He moans, “I want to fuck you so bad, right here and now.”

  I purr, “Not here, not yet.”

  “Why can’t I have you here? It would be fun.”

  “It would be fun but no. I just want you to fuck me.”

  The elevator door opens. He stops kissing me and grabs my hand, leading me to his apartment door. I follow him in with the biggest I am going to get laid smile on my face.

  He shuts the door behind us. His eyes examine me from head to toe. “You are mine.”

  I smirk, “Then fucking take me.”

  There was no hesitation, he comes up to me and grabs my face, smoldering me with a forceful but playful kiss. My hands went back to his belt buckle, quickly undoing it. His hand reaching up from underneath my blouse and bra, grabbing my breast – I moan.

  My hand went straight down for his cock, wrapping my long fingers around it, then moving my hand back and forth. This time he moans, “That is it. We need to stop wasting time.” He picks me up. I squeal as he puts me over his shoulder and heads to his bedroom.

  Leo slams my body onto his bed. He stands in front of me at the foot of the bed. I examine him. He smirks. Slowly, he takes off his shirt, exposing his slender yet muscular build. If I were a dog, I would be salivating right now. Anticipation is building up inside of me, I am excited and nervous all at once. I can’t believe I’m about to have a one-night stand.

  He smiles at me. “Start stripping down. I want to see you naked.”

  And hello, alpha male. Fucking hot!!

  One by one, I start with my teal blouse and end with my white and blue polka dot boy shorts. All he did was watch me, taking me all in. The way he looked at me - the look of want, turned my internal light switch on.