Not Quite Enough (Not Quite series) Read Free Page A

a wave of water retreated from the camera, taking everything with it.
    “Oh, God.”
    “Makes me damn happy I don’t live on the beach.”
    Inside her purse, her cell phone buzzed.
    She fished it out, staring at the broadcast.
    “Yeah?” she asked without looking at the name on her phone.
    “You watching the news?”
    It was Walt.
    “I am.”
    “I put in a call to BD. You in?” BD stood for Borderless Doctors. Monica helped with Borderless Nurses. The relief organization put in time and skill from trained professionals to help with aid after nature shook, flooded, or blew up an area. With Borderless Nurses, she’d go straight into the devastation, live out of a backpack for a couple of weeks… help.
    Getting away from John and the ER for a while wouldn’t suck, even though she knew she’d be walking into the soggy depths of hell.
    “I’m in.”

Chapter Two

    “You ready for this, Mo? I know you think you’re tough… but you lost it when you learned that Santa wasn’t real.” Jessie was talking to her on the cell phone before the team was about to pile into the second airplane of the day.
    Monica laughed. “I survived. I’m ready. Besides… why did I become a nurse if not to help people?
    “You can do that at home.”
    “But these people really need me. If no one went where would they be?”
    There was a long pause. “Be safe, Mo. Watch out for you.” Right about then someone was giving Monica a vaccine of some sort. She didn’t even bother asking what it was for. She didn’t want to know the risk. She was going… she had to.
    “I love you, Jessie. Kiss Danny for me. I’ll try and call.”
    “Once every couple of days.”
    “I’ll try.” She’d do more than try. Unless the lines were completely down, she’d call.
    The flight from Florida to Jamaica was on a cargo plane. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since the tsunami hit the northern coast of the island, and the death toll was estimated in the thousands. There hadn’t been a tsunami of this nature on the shores of the island in recorded history. Even earthquakes were rare. Therehad been an earthquake in the ocean hours before the shaker hit the island, causing the tsunami to hit close behind the quake. It really didn’t matter how or why the devastation happened, it needed to be cleaned up and the suffering people needed help.
    According to their team briefing, bodies were washing up on shore and those who survived filled the hospitals and clinics all over the island.
    Earlier, Monica had attempted to sleep on the flight from LA to Miami but only managed about an hour. Even with the ear protection, the noise in the cargo plane was too difficult to think past to allow her brain to turn off and rest.
    The conversation with John hummed in the back of her mind… but the conversation with her boss, Pat, was what really weighed on her mind.
    “You’re due in on Saturday.” Pat never had liked Monica. Her voice and words echoed the sentiment Monica knew was there.
    “It’s a humanitarian effort. The hospital can release a press statement about allowing your nurses and doctors leave.” This was a practiced line Walt had said to use. On top of that, Walt had spoken with the head of the doctors’ group expressing his need to be there. “The hospital can always use good PR.”
    There had been a long pause. “Get your shifts covered, Monica. And use the part-time staff to do it. I’m not authorizing any overtime.”
    Monica’s vacation time would keep a paycheck in her absence. Five to eight days was usually the limit to these efforts. What kind of vacation it would be… that was left to be seen.
    Instead of giving Pat the snarky reply that sat on Monica’s tongue, she smiled. “I’ll get it covered.”
    Monica’s ears popped as the plane began its descent. Unlike a commercial flight where a smiling attendant reminded you to stay seated and keep your seat belts on, this one was met with the headof their team attempting to