by Terri Lane
“In fact…” she grabbed onto my arm and dragged me along with her. I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to, which admittedly I didn’t because I was so intrigued, “let’s go and see him right now.”
I hopped anxiously from foot to foot as we stood outside an office with Dr. Turner’s name on a plaque on the door. I wasn’t sure how appropriate this recommendation was, and I certainly didn’t want the first impression that I made to be a bad one.
“Come in!” a muffled voice called through the wooden door.
Miranda shoved the door open and stood in my way, blocking my view. I was happy to hide behind her for a moment, just until I worked out how mad we were making this doctor.
“Dr. Turner,” Miranda’s voice was warm now. “I have a great newbie here that I wanted to recommend to you. She’s probably come from one of the schools you’ve taught at, so you may already know her.”
Wait…did she just say teach?
My face heated up, my whole body began to tremble, I started to really freak out. There was no way…that would be too much of a coincidence. Then again, he did work at some hospital and I wasn’t sure which one.
Then Miranda stepped to one side, and my heart dropped to my shoes as I lay eyes on him once more.
“Ah yes, Violet Green. I remember you.”
He remembers me? Out of all the people he’s taught…why me?
He stepped forward to shake my hand, which I allowed him to do…with a very open mouth. I really wanted to find something to say, anything to make me look slightly less like a dumbass, but I couldn’t seem to find the words anyway.
Dr. Turner had me speechless.
“So, you’re doing well are you?” he continued, ignoring my sheer awkwardness. “That’s wonderful to hear.”
“Y…yes, thank you.” Urgh, did I have to sound like such an idiot? “Miranda has been great.”
“Yeah well, Miranda is great. I’m more interested in how you’re doing…”
With that, much to my relief, Miranda took over the explanation leaving me to wallow in shock.
***
I stumbled through the rest of my first week in a bit of a haze. I kept up the amazing standard of work, which helped me to outshine the rest of the new staff members, but as for everything else I blended into the background.
I just didn’t know how to act now. Not only was Dr. Turner here, working in this hospital (well, it seemed like he was practically in charge of this hospital!), but that he knew me. He remembered me, after all this time. My face, out of hundreds, was the one that he recognized.
What did it mean that he remembered me? Surely it meant something! Then again, did it even matter what it meant, he was still above me in my place of work, he still taught me once, it was still wrong for me to even think about reaching out to touch him.
“Are you coming out tonight after work?” Nancy asked as she caught up with me in the lunch room. “A big group of us newbies are going to a bar to blow off some steam. You up for it?” It was strange, we’d never really been close before, but something about this job was bringing us closer together, creating a friendship. I didn’t even find her as annoying as I once did. “There will be guys there. Cute ones too, I’ve been checking them out all week long.”
As she wiggled her eyebrows at me, I wanted to screw my nose up at the idea. I hadn’t met any guy that’d had any sort of impact on me yet, except for the one that I needed to stop thinking about. That wasn’t going to be enough to encourage me to go out, but maybe I did need to blow off some steam. It could be fun, right?
“Okay, sure, sounds good. What time are you leaving?”
“Everyone will be at the bar at eight. The one near you actually, on the corner. Should be a good laugh.”
Then she pinched my hip, smirked at me, and she walked off, leaving me alone to try and get myself in the mood for some much needed fun.
***
I shouldn’t have come out. That was one mistake I never should’ve made. I knew it the moment I crashed back into my small one bedroom apartment that I wasn’t in the mood. All I wanted to do was fall into bed, to sleep the long, hard week off, but I didn’t. Mostly because Nancy kept texting me to insist it was what I needed.
I pulled on the red dress that swung out at the hips, and I straightened my long dark hair. I even went as far as to put on some make-up, all to keep Nancy happy.
And where was my so-called friend now? She’d abandoned me to make out with one of the guys on the dance floor. Actually, it had gotten to the stage now where it was almost inappropriate, it was slowly getting to the point where I might need to go and separate them before things went too far…
I didn’t begrudge her having a good time, and I wasn’t even really annoyed that she’d left me by myself. My issue lay solely in jealousy. Ever since I’d seen Dr. Turner in the hospital, a fire had been lit in the pit of my stomach and I knew it could never be sated or dulled. I would love to think that he could walk into this bar, that he would make a beeline for me and he’d kiss me passionately, but that was never going to happen.
I wasn’t in the classroom anymore, I couldn’t daydream about a relationship that was never going to happen. I was supposed to be more grown up. Urgh, what the hell was wrong with me?
“Would you like to dance?” I was suddenly shaken from my thoughts by one of the other guys–Ted, I thought his name might be. “I mean,” he shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, “you don’t have to, you just look a little bored.”
He seemed nice enough, he was cute in a preppy boy way, but there was no point in even considering it. He didn’t give me that spark, that instant burn, the pulse racing right through my body, and I was a great believer that meant everything. Without that, I didn’t think that any couple could last.
“I’m sorry,” I told him regretfully. “But I’m exhausted. I think I’m just going to go home. It’s nothing to do with you, it’s just been a long week, you know?” He’d been through it too, he had to understand. “Will you make sure that Nancy gets back okay?”
“I think Carl has control over that,” he smirked while nodding over to where they were now in an intense conversation, probably about whoes home they were going back to. “But sure. You have a good night.” Luckily he didn’t look too disappointed, I certainly wasn’t breaking his heart.
“Yeah, thanks, you too.” I touched his arm, and got nothing. The mere handshake with Dr. Turner had me buzzing with electricity. That was what I needed. “See ya.”
I moved through the crowd of dancing, sweaty bodies in the club, all of them just getting started as I was headed to bed, but I didn’t regret that decision. I needed to be by myself. As the cold air hit my face letting me know that I was finally outside, a smile reached my lips.
It had been a long, confusing, yet fabulous week. All I needed to do was recover from the shock of seeing Dr. Turner. Once I got over that and I pushed my crush to one side, I could focus on going down the positive path that I wanted to be on. Things were going so well with work, I didn’t want to wreck it over some man I didn’t even know. It was too damn important for that.
***
“Okay, you will feel a sharp scratch,” I told my new favorite patient, Mrs. Davies. She braced herself, so I waited for her to relax before I slid the needle into her arm. Mrs. Davies was eighty-seven years old and riddled with all sorts of health issues, but she had a positive outlook on life which I adored. We saw a lot of different people in the hospital, and it was always the positive ones that left their mark upon me.
“Ooh you are good at this,” she commented with a happy grin, getting through this with sheer strength. “Are you sure this is your first time working in a hospital?”
“Well I’ve done training, but this is my first time properly, yes.” I couldn’t stop smiling around Mrs. Davies, she just had that awesome aura around her.
“You’re very good. Pretty too. Before my hair went grey mine was a little like yours.” She reached out and touched my hair
with her liver spotted, wrinkled skin. “It was what attracted my husband.”
I checked my watch, disappointment coursing through my veins. “I could stay here and talk to you all day long, Mrs. Davies…”
“Please, call me Edna.”
“Well, Edna, I have a lot of other patients to see this morning but if I get some more time later in the day I’d love to come back and hear more about your husband. I would love to know about the man who managed to make an honest woman out of you.”
“Really?” She gave me a skeptical look that I understood fully. All the medical staff spent their lives rushed off their feet. They didn’t have time to sit and chat, but I needed to be different. I didn’t get into this job just to see everyone as a number on a never-ending train. “Would you?”
“Of course.” I giggled and held onto Edna’s hand. I truly did like her, and I found her fascinating. I knew that she’d been in for a while too, with absolutely no visitors. She deserved a listening ear, and I believed that lifting someone’s spirits could aid with their recovery. “I would love to, if you want to talk to me of course.”
“Oh my goodness, that would be lovely.” Her face fell and my heart went out to her. “I know that I have to be here, but it does get lonely sometimes. I know that my family lives too far away to visit, but still I do feel all by myself.”
I glanced at my watch again, not wanting to get behind schedule. “I will be back soon, I promise you.” I was utterly determined to stick to that promise. Edna needed me and I really wanted to get to know her better.
***
I didn’t actually remember my conversation with Edna which culminated in my promise until the end of the day flew around and I was grabbing hold of my backpack. I hadn’t even stopped for lunch, it had all been a blur, but now that her face had filled my mind once more I knew that I couldn’t leave her disappointed.
It was time for me to leave, my shift was over, but I wouldn’t be able to settle at home. It was worth taking an hour just to see her again. I knew myself well and there wasn’t a chance that I’d get any sleep knowing that I’d left her alone.
I flew down the hallway, feeling terrible as I moved. Edna had probably been sitting around waiting for me all afternoon long. What if she’d stayed awake rather than resting, just on the off chance that I’d come back? What sort of person did it make me that I hadn’t? It was only because I got busy, I really didn’t mean to!
“I’m so sorry,” I cried out breathlessly as I pushed the door to her room open. “It got crazy, but I’m here now.”
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you!” Her eyes widened in surprise. Edna propped herself up onto her elbows and she gave me a confused look. “Especially not this late. Aren’t you finished now?”
“Not yet,” I lied so she wouldn’t feel bad. I sat in the chair by her bed feeling warm and fuzzy. This was definitely the right thing to do. “Now, let’s pick up where we left off earlier on.”
“What was I talking about? The time I travelled across Asia on the Orient Express?”
“No,” I exclaimed with glee. “It sounds like you’ve had a really exciting life. I want to hear about all of it.”
The wrist with my watch fell to the side, I was no longer interested in the time, it didn’t matter to me how long this took. With Edna talking at me at a hundred miles an hour, it really didn’t matter. I didn’t even feel tired anymore.
We spoke for hours, until darkness and a hush fell over the hospital. I’d been in other medical buildings at night time, but never this place, and it changed the whole atmosphere of the place. It felt like somewhere completely new. There were still the artificial lights flickering, but it wasn’t the same as natural light.
“Oh, I am sorry, Violet,” Edna finally declared. “The meds are kicking in now and I need to get some sleep. I don’t mean to be rude.”
“Oh my goodness, it’s nearly ten o clock.” I jumped up and moved to her bed to wrap my arms around her, as much as I could with all the tubes and wires sticking out of her. “I’m so sorry, I probably kept you awake.”
“I’ve had a wonderful time. I hope we can do it again.”
“Oh for sure, there’s still a lot that you haven’t told me yet. If you’re up for it tomorrow, I would like to do this again. It’s been awesome.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She turned onto her side and almost immediately started breathing deeper. Then I crept out of the room, leaving her to rest.
***
“Ooh, Miss Green.” Almost immediately a voice shattered the silence, making me jump. “What on Earth are you doing here at this time?”
“I was just…” My face heated up, I felt embarrassed to still be here this late talking to someone. Why did it have to be Dr. Turner that discovered me here? “I was spending some time with Edna. She needs someone to talk to, and she’s had no visitors.” Did I sound pathetic? Weak? Too emotionally attached? Were those considered bad qualities? I wasn’t too sure.
“Oh wow, that’s really nice of you to notice.” He touched my shoulder and I felt a buzzing flowing through me. I hadn’t ever gotten one on one attention from him when I was at school, which allowed me to maintain some sort of distance. It seemed that I wasn’t about to get so lucky here. “Not a lot do, they become so involved in the clinical side of the job that they forget about the humans attached to the cases.”
“Well, I did do all my work first.” I didn’t want him to assume that I was going too far in the opposite direction.
“No, I know,” he chuckled lightly. His hand was still on my shoulder while he talked, I was unbearably aware of it. Why hadn’t he removed it yet? Could he see the effect that he was having on me? “I’ve been watching you from afar. I know that you’ve done a good job.”
The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. He’d been watching me. That was all I could think of. “Erm, yes, thank you.”
“So.” Finally his hand moved off me, but I immediately missed it like crazy. I was much colder without it. “Are you enjoying it here?”
“I am, yes.” I felt like he could see deep into my soul, and I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with that sensation. “It’s a great place to work, everyone has been really helpful.”
“Good, good. Are you leaving now?” He indicated behind him, so I nodded awkwardly. “Okay, I am too so I’ll walk down into the car park with you.”
“I don’t have a car,” I interjected quickly. “I’ll catch the bus.”
“Oh nonsense. I’m not having you catch the bus at this time, you’ve been here talking to one of my patients. I will give you a lift.” My heart thundered loudly, I couldn’t even speak with shock. How the hell was I supposed to sit in such a confined space with this man that I felt such a strong attraction to, but that I couldn’t touch? “Come on.”
Unable to speak, I followed Dr. Turner wordlessly. My whole body was on fire, speaking to him had only ignited that further.
As the doors opened and the cold night air brushed past my skin, I realized just how boiling hot I was. My face was probably bright red, which only made me feel worse. It was difficult enough to have such a strong attraction to this man, I didn’t want him to know all about it!
“Here.” He pressed a button on a key, which brought a sports car to life. It was a lovely car, red and sleek, a real stand out number, but there was something about it that felt dangerous.
Or maybe that was just him.
There was a storm brewing in the pit of my stomach for something, that I was certain of.
“Come on, take a seat.”
I slid into the passenger’s seat of the car, squeezing my legs awkwardly together as I waited for him to take his seat too. As he brought the car to life, he did so with such a commanding aura that the heat between my thighs only intensified. I wasn’t sure that I could disguise it any longer.
I couldn’t stop looking at him as we drove, but I had to do so out of the corner of my eye so he wouldn
’t see me. His strong jaw clenched as we whizzed around corners, his eyes flashed and burned into the road as he concentrated, the muscles in his arms flexed as he gripped tighter onto the steering wheel.
God damn, this was like a nightmare and a dream all rolled into one.
“You’re gonna have to give me an address at some point,” he chuckled. “Unless you want me to keep driving aimlessly around forever.”
“Oh right, sure.” My cheeks flamed as I reeled my address off to him, leaving me wondering if I would ever be able to act anything other than a bumbling idiot around him. Yes, I had no chance, this wasn’t about that. I just didn’t want to make a fool out of myself.
As we pulled up outside my apartment block, I let out a deep breath that I hadn’t even realized I was holding in. This car was a torturous prison, and I was torn between desperately wanting to escape, and never wanting to leave his side.
“Well, thank you Dr. Turner, that certainly was better than getting the bus.”
I unlocked the door and moved my boiling hot leg out into the cold night. I hadn’t even realized how fast my blood was tearing through my body until the air rushed over me.
“You’re welcome, Violet.” My name sounded far too sexual on his lips, it was almost inappropriate. A light shiver ran up and down my spine which I barely managed to disguise. “I will see you at work tomorrow.”
Tomorrow…work, with him, with these feelings. It was going to be impossible. Even worse now. “Yes, of course, goodnight Dr. Turner.”
“Please, call me Aron,” he replied, with a sly smile playing on his lips. Our eyes locked, I could feel a mutual pounding between us, everything fizzled and buzzed, it was almost as if our hearts were beating at the same pace and velocity. Something was going on…
Then he turned away from me and flicked the engine to his car back on, shattering the moment on his terms.
And with that, I was in love.
Shit.
***
“Hi, Edna, how are you doing this evening?”
“Good, good.” She forced herself into a sitting position as she saw me, actually showing a bit of pain as she moved. I raced to her side and tried my best to help her, but as stubborn as she always was, she didn’t need much of it. “I feel really refreshed after our talk, but I don’t expect you to stay again, you know that, right?”