Vital Signs Read Online Free PDF Page A

Zedyck’s name is mentioned. But then, Becky drools a lot. I swear she’s got an extra few ounces of estrogen going for her.”
    Hailey laughed. “She’s got a good eye for malebeefcake, and in this instance she’s dead right. You’d have to be neutered not to notice how sexy Zedyck is.”
    And he must have more gray matter than she thought, if he’d impressed the court that way.
    â€œTell Becky to give it up. He’s got a knockout for a lady, gorgeous and caring, really friendly, name of Nicole. She was with him. They were all duded up for a party or something.”
    â€œLucky them.” Karen wrinkled her nose. “How come some people get the full-meal deal and the rest of us have to make do with the forty-nine-cent special?” Hailey knew that Karen was going through a messy and painful divorce.
    â€œIt has to do with astrology.” Hailey got to her feet, careful not to disturb David. “I better get home. I left my rabbit in the staff lounge. If I don’t get him out of there, somebody’ll rat to Margaret and I’ll be getting a rabbit reprimand on my file.”
    Karen giggled. The ongoing conflict between Hailey and Margaret Cross was constant entertainment for the rest of the pediatric nursing staff. And they were right to laugh. If you didn’t laugh about Margaret and her tantrums, you’d be tempted to smother her in the linen closet.
    â€œI’ll bring the IV,” Karen offered. “You just carry him.”
    They paraded down the corridor and Hailey settled David into his crib. She bent and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
    â€œNight, little Davie. Sleep well. The angels will watch over you and keep you safe.” She told all herlittle patients the same thing when she took leave of them.
    When they were out in the hall again, Karen gave Hailey a warm smile and a hug. “You need a dozen or so of your own. You’d make the best mom ever.”
    Hailey’s smile felt strained. Kids of her own was the thing in life she most wanted. “I’ll settle for just one.”
    â€œHow’s the adoption process coming?” Most of her co-workers were aware that Hailey had recently applied for single-parent adoption.
    â€œSlow.” Hailey grimaced. “They really check you out on all fronts. I guess it’s a good thing, but it kind of wears you down after a while.”
    Karen nodded. “I can imagine.” She heaved a sigh. “I’m glad now that Jim and I didn’t have any kids. It would make this whole divorce thing that much harder, and God knows it’s tough enough as it is. But I’m getting older, and I guess every woman wants kids sooner or later.”
    â€œFor me, I hope it’s sooner,” Hailey said. “I’m gonna be thirty in another month. That’s old compared with when people used to have kids. My mom had my sister when she was twenty-four and me two years later.”
    â€œPeople generally had kids earlier then. Now it takes time to be able to afford them, and with birth control we have the option of waiting.”
    â€œSome of us, I guess. David’s mother’s only seventeen. One of the ER nurses heard it from a cop.”
    Karen shook her head and clucked her tongue. “Sometimes there’s a good argument for abortion.”
    â€œOr adoption.”
    One of the monitors began to beep.
    â€œGotta go. Take care and enjoy what’s left of your evening.” Karen waved a quick goodbye as she hurried off.
    Hailey made her way out to the car park and climbed into her battered red half-ton. She’d bought it a year ago, a few months after she purchased her house, trading in her cherished old Grand Prix for it when she realized how many deliveries she’d paid for from Home Depot and how many times she’d wished she could get rid of her own building debris.
    The good news was that it took her and the half-ton only twenty minutes to get