contest, someone cleared his throat loudly just behind Brandon, snapping them out of it.
A young man held a clipboard and smiled broadly then pulled a pen out of his front pocket. “Good evening.” He spoke quickly, holding the c lipboard in front of him. “I’m Rob, and you are Mrs. Brady, right?”
“It’s Ms .” She corrected him politely. “I’m not married, and you can call me Regina.”
Rob looked up at her then at Brandon, his eyebrows furrowing. “Oh, I’m sorry, Regina.” He looked back down on his clipboard and wrote something. “The nurse out front said you were here with your husband.”
Ms. Brady glanced at Brandon, her poignant eyes looking even more innocent as he saw how she tried to hide the pain she was feeling. She quickly brought her attention back to Rob. “No, um.” She winced now, unable to hide it anymore. Brandon had had his share of sprained ankles and ligament injuries, and he knew how painful they could be. “I guess she just assumed,” she continued, pressing her lips together for a moment. “This is Sergeant Billings. We work in the same building where I fell. He was there when it happened and was kind enough to help get me here.”
Rob and Brandon’s eyes met for a second before Rob turned back to Ms. Brady. “Ah, I see. Okay, wel l, now that we got that straight, I need to get a little more information from you before we start with your vitals.” He looked down at her ankle. “Yep, that’s pretty swollen. It might even be broken.”
“Can you get her some painkillers first?” Brandon spok e up, knowing firsthand how long this could take.
“I can, ” Rob said, his brow lifting without looking up, “but I need to get some info from her first.”
Brandon looked down at Rob’s ID. Corporal Robert Lansing—ER. The fact that this young corporal hadn’t referred to him as sir was enough to piss Brandon off. He’d never tolerated that kind of disrespect, but the fact that the asshole didn’t even bother to look at him when he addressed him and that he’d used a condescending tone was more than Brandon would tolerate.
“Do you have a supervisor, Corporal Lansing?”
Immediately, he had both Ms. Brady’s and Lansing’s attention.
Chapter Nine
Lansing stared at Brandon wide-eyed. “Yes, I do.”
“Yes, I do, what ?” Brandon raised his voice just slightly, but there was no masking his signature drill instructor demanding tone.
Lansing stood up a little straighter, blinking a little faster. “Yes, I do, sir .”
“Then I suggest you go get him or her in here now.”
“He, uh, he’s not here tonight, sir.” Lansing glanced back at Ms. Brady and down at her ankle again. “But, uh, I apologize for any disrespect. I assure you there was none intended, and, uh, I can get her those painkillers no problem. I just—”
“No excuses, Lansing. Ms. Brady is in a lot of pain. Go get them now.”
“Yes, sir,” Lansing said, nodding at Brandon and then at Ms. Brady.
“I still want your supervisor’s name,” Brandon informed him coldly.
“Yes, sir,” the corporal said again before walking away in a hurry.
The only reason he let him off the hook and didn’t demand he get one of his higher ups, anyone , was because getting Ms. Brady her pain medicine took precedence at that moment. But he had every intention of speaking with Lansing’s supervisor.
Brandon turned back to Ms. Brady. She was staring him wide-eyed.
“Are you really gonna get him in trouble?” she asked, her brows coming together suddenly. “For not moving fast enough?”
This time the little princess’s glare was not quite as amusing. He didn’t expect her to understand, and he wouldn’t bother to explain himself, but it was still annoying as shit that she’d question him. The Marine code of honor and respect was not something you explained. It was something instilled in you by living it. “I said I’d be speaking with his supervisor. It’s up to his
A young man held a clipboard and smiled broadly then pulled a pen out of his front pocket. “Good evening.” He spoke quickly, holding the c lipboard in front of him. “I’m Rob, and you are Mrs. Brady, right?”
“It’s Ms .” She corrected him politely. “I’m not married, and you can call me Regina.”
Rob looked up at her then at Brandon, his eyebrows furrowing. “Oh, I’m sorry, Regina.” He looked back down on his clipboard and wrote something. “The nurse out front said you were here with your husband.”
Ms. Brady glanced at Brandon, her poignant eyes looking even more innocent as he saw how she tried to hide the pain she was feeling. She quickly brought her attention back to Rob. “No, um.” She winced now, unable to hide it anymore. Brandon had had his share of sprained ankles and ligament injuries, and he knew how painful they could be. “I guess she just assumed,” she continued, pressing her lips together for a moment. “This is Sergeant Billings. We work in the same building where I fell. He was there when it happened and was kind enough to help get me here.”
Rob and Brandon’s eyes met for a second before Rob turned back to Ms. Brady. “Ah, I see. Okay, wel l, now that we got that straight, I need to get a little more information from you before we start with your vitals.” He looked down at her ankle. “Yep, that’s pretty swollen. It might even be broken.”
“Can you get her some painkillers first?” Brandon spok e up, knowing firsthand how long this could take.
“I can, ” Rob said, his brow lifting without looking up, “but I need to get some info from her first.”
Brandon looked down at Rob’s ID. Corporal Robert Lansing—ER. The fact that this young corporal hadn’t referred to him as sir was enough to piss Brandon off. He’d never tolerated that kind of disrespect, but the fact that the asshole didn’t even bother to look at him when he addressed him and that he’d used a condescending tone was more than Brandon would tolerate.
“Do you have a supervisor, Corporal Lansing?”
Immediately, he had both Ms. Brady’s and Lansing’s attention.
Chapter Nine
Lansing stared at Brandon wide-eyed. “Yes, I do.”
“Yes, I do, what ?” Brandon raised his voice just slightly, but there was no masking his signature drill instructor demanding tone.
Lansing stood up a little straighter, blinking a little faster. “Yes, I do, sir .”
“Then I suggest you go get him or her in here now.”
“He, uh, he’s not here tonight, sir.” Lansing glanced back at Ms. Brady and down at her ankle again. “But, uh, I apologize for any disrespect. I assure you there was none intended, and, uh, I can get her those painkillers no problem. I just—”
“No excuses, Lansing. Ms. Brady is in a lot of pain. Go get them now.”
“Yes, sir,” Lansing said, nodding at Brandon and then at Ms. Brady.
“I still want your supervisor’s name,” Brandon informed him coldly.
“Yes, sir,” the corporal said again before walking away in a hurry.
The only reason he let him off the hook and didn’t demand he get one of his higher ups, anyone , was because getting Ms. Brady her pain medicine took precedence at that moment. But he had every intention of speaking with Lansing’s supervisor.
Brandon turned back to Ms. Brady. She was staring him wide-eyed.
“Are you really gonna get him in trouble?” she asked, her brows coming together suddenly. “For not moving fast enough?”
This time the little princess’s glare was not quite as amusing. He didn’t expect her to understand, and he wouldn’t bother to explain himself, but it was still annoying as shit that she’d question him. The Marine code of honor and respect was not something you explained. It was something instilled in you by living it. “I said I’d be speaking with his supervisor. It’s up to his
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