In Good Hands With My Dad's Best Friend (BBW Contemporary Medical Taboo Romance) by Ava May Page A

snuffles. “Where’s my mommy?”
    “She’s coming, honey.” Jan had no idea what the status update on that was, but she couldn’t really spare the time to check. Her text message alerts were blowing up, but she’d get to those when she could. “And your daddy.” He did have a dad, didn’t he? Jan hoped she hadn’t messed up there.
    “And Daddy,” he agreed. “I hurt. I have a big ow,” he told her, pointing to his immobilized leg. She thanked god that it didn’t seem as if he’d noticed the bone protruding. This would require more than a cast and the paramedics seemed to be treating the injury, and Brady, for that matter, with kid gloves.
    “I know, Brady, but you’re being very, very brave,” Jan said, and one of the paramedics nodded enthusiastically.
    “I want a SpongeBob band aid and a lollypop,” Brady announced, glaring at one of the paramedics. “I don’t want my ow.”
    “I know you don’t,” Jan soothed as they pulled up to the hospital. “But you’re going to have to be really strong, a really big boy for me. And then we can see a doctor and get you a SpongeBob band aid.”
    And maybe even a yellow cast.
    “What do we have here?” someone said, and Jan’s head shot up. She recognized the voice from somewhere, but she couldn’t place it. She moved outside, following the stretcher, the paramedics and doctor conferring.
    “Are you the...Mom?” Jan startled at that question.
    “No. I’m his...Keith!”
    “Jan?” her father’s best friend asked.
    “Yes. He’s one of my students. His parents aren’t here yet and…” She trailed off, staring at her father’s best friend. She’d known he’d moved hospitals, but had never expected him to be here.
    Keith nodded. “Med proxy?” he asked, all business, though he was watching Jan carefully.
    “Yes.” She handed it over to him and he scanned it before giving it to a nurse and hurrying into the bay where Brady had been taken. She followed hot on his heels. The medical personnel moved Brady onto a hospital bed, each of them wishing Brady well. The last paramedic handed Jan several lollypops for Brady, but Jan had the feeling they wouldn’t be eaten any time soon.
    Dr. Keith and his staff were efficient, getting Brady down into X ray in moments. Jan freed up enough time to check her texts, and found that it was bad, worse than she’d expected.
    Shit, the TV station is here.
    The police are questioning Mr. Phillips. What do we say?
    I just closed the school for the afternoon. Parents will be picking up their kids.
    How is Brady?
    Jan had to stop after that; the texts were coming in way too quickly, the flow of information too much for her already frayed nerves. Seeing Brady on the ground like that, knowing their supervisor’s drinking problem had been the cause, had broken her heart. Jan loved this job; it was the first step toward running her own facility. She’d given five good years here, starting the day after she’d gotten her Masters. Jan loved her kids; she’d worked up the ranks and despite Mr. Phillips and his attitudes, Jan had hung in because of her coworkers, and the kids. Should she have expected this? Could she have?
    Jan rubbed the back of her neck and sank into a chair, brushing the knees of her dress pants. Brady would probably be in imaging for a few minutes and she could let off a little tension. She was strung out, her entire body locked down. She closed her eyes, tears welling up. Jan hated this; loathed the fact that her supervisor had put them in this position.
    How dare he?
    “Hey, kid. Want something to drink?” Keith’s warm voice washed over her, and Jan opened her eyes. He’d come in, bending down, his hand resting on the damp knee of her pants.
    “I can’t go anywhere,” she told him, trying to blink back her tears.
    “I know. I can get you a water or a soda. It’ll be a bit yet. They’re going to get some pain medication into him and he’ll be drowsy. We won’t be able to do surgery