LifeOverLimb by Stephani Hecht Page B

strangle all the mothers on that show, I’d take you up on that offer.”
    “By the way, don’t think I don’t realize what you’re doing.”
    Ricky briefly glanced up from his orange to shoot his best who-me look. “And what’s that?”
    “You’re trying to divert the topic away from Tanner, and by that, I mean your Tanner and not the actor.”
    A jumble of butterflies started doing the two-step in Ricky’s stomach. “He’s not my anything. We just talked a few times.”
    “Funny, I usually call what you guys did flirting.”
    “Nah, he was just being nice. There is no way in hell a guy that good-looking could be interested in me.”
    “Why not?”
    Really ? Was Ben blind or something? Didn’t he see how different Ricky was from Tanner? While Tanner was tall and muscular, Ricky barely topped five-eight and had the build of one of the Olsen twins. Then there was the fact that Tanner always kept his short, dark hair perfectly combed, whereas Ricky’s brown locks usually looked like they lost a fight with a cat. Damn, even Tanner’s eyes were a dream come true. They were such a warm brown that they made Ricky want to drool over them for hours. And what did Ricky have? Green eyes that he often covered with a pair of glasses since he was nearsighted.
    A bit of the juice from the orange seeped into a paper cut on Ricky’s finger. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but he continued with his task. It was a lot less painful than dealing with the emotions that always came along with Tanner.
    “So, do you know why he’s been MIA for so long?” Ricky asked.
    “Nobody is talking. All I do know is that he’s coming here, and now it’s my responsibility to make sure he knows all the ins and outs of the ER.”
    Ricky blinked a few times. “They’re actually trusting you with that?”
    “Why wouldn’t they?”
    “Ah, let’s see…there was that incident in the drug room.”
    “Hey, it was just one little prank involving a speculum and cervical scraper.”
    “Okay, then how about the time you scared the ladies from the lab department?”
    “I just sent one baby doll through the pneumatic shoot.”
    Ricky rolled his eyes. “The doll was missing its head and had the words Red Rum written on its chest.”
    “It’s not my fault that they’re not Stephen King fans. Anybody else would have appreciated the cleverness of that prank.”
    “How about that time you directed that Flint medic to the morgue instead of the EMS room?”
    “Hey, Matt is just the kind of guy who could appreciate that kind of joke. Plus, I owed him for taking all my money the last time we played poker.”
    Okay, maybe Ben had a point on that last one. Matt was a great guy, but he was the king of practical jokes, so it was kind of funny to see the medic get some of his own medicine for once.
    Ricky bit into an orange section, shuddering at the bitter taste. How in the hell was it that the hospital didn’t have fresh fruit? One would think that would be the ideal place to get healthy food since they were all about…well, health. He made a silent vow never again to forget to pack his own lunch.
    He pushed the tray away, not willing to test anything else. Of course, Ben had to comment on that. “Did you take your insulin?”
    “Of course, I did.”
    “Then you need to eat.”
    With a glare, Ricky picked up the apple and took a bite. While it was mushy, at least it wasn’t bitter. In fact, it had no taste at all, but if it got Ben off his back, then Ricky could live through it.
    Ben grabbed one of the eggs from Ricky’s tray and began to peel away the shell. “When’s the last time you checked your blood sugar?”
    “I’m not one of your patients,” Ricky protested. When Ben gave him an arched brow look, Ricky sighed, “I tested it right before I came down here.”
    “What was it?”
    “It was just fine.”
    “Do you want me to drag your scrawny ass back to the ER and check it for myself?”
    Ricky could see Ben doing just that.