A prouder nurse might have argued back. Sarah did neither. She simply adjusted her glasses, picked up her clipboard, and walked over to him.
“I’m not going anywhere, Colonel,” she said, her voice dropping to a register that was steel wrapped in velvet. “Because in about ten minutes, that hip is going to lock up completely, and you’re going to need help just to stand up. I’ll be right here.”
Sterling glared at her, his eyes narrowing.
“You’re dismissed, nurse.”
“This is a hospital, Colonel, not a parade deck,” she replied smoothly. “And until you check out, you’re my patient.”
She took a seat directly across from him, crossed her legs, and waited. The battle lines were drawn.
The standoff in the waiting room of the Naval Medical Center lasted for forty-five minutes. To the casual observer, it was just a man sitting in a chair and a nurse sitting opposite him, reviewing charts. But the tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.
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