by L. Michael
After hours of unpacking, I was sweaty, so I grabbed a quick shower to freshen and changed into a fresh pair of scrubs. Emergencies taxed most hospitals, and it meant no one to answer calls, so I didn’t bother calling in. When I arrived, I went in and found my new boss, Dr. Julian Spencer.
“Dr. Spencer?”
“Oh, thank God, Darrell. I was going to call you, but I wasn’t sure if you already settled in.” The relief in his face was visible when he walked over to me and held his hand out.
“Yeah, I just finished unpacking, and I caught the news. I figured you guys were going to be busy. So here I am. Where can I help?” Shaking his hand, I looked around the busy floor.
“I have to go to the OR. So, it’s best if you see Tilly down in the ER. She should be able to tell you where she needs you. We’re in taking as many people as we can. Just prepare yourself for a long stretch.”
“No problem, Dr. Spencer. We had this happen in San Fran a couple of times, so I’ll get through it.”
“Thanks again, Darrell. You don’t know how much this means to us and how many lives this could save.” My new boss smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “And please, stop that Dr. Spencer nonsense. I’m Julian or Jules.”
“Alright, Jules. I’m going to see where I can help.”
“Thanks again, Darrell.” His pager went off, and with an apologetic smile, Jules left me alone.
Wasting no time, I turned and made my way down to the ER to find Tilly. In the middle of the ER stood a short lady in her mid-40s. But even if she was maybe only five years older than me, she reminded me of my grandmother. It was the way she stood there, all take-charge, giving orders in a strong voice and directing people into different directions. She had the look of a tough woman who was no-nonsense and took no shit from anybody. Stepping up to her, I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, are you Tilly?”
“Yes, I’m Tilly, and who are you?” She turned around and gave me a once over.
“I’m Dr. Darrell Warren. I’m going to start as the new doctor next week, but I heard about the accident on tv and decided to come in early and lend a hand.” That changed her whole demeanor. Within a second, her attitude changed from general to grandma.
“Oh, bless your soul. Aren’t you sweet? Yes, we can use lots of help. Let’s get you started.”
Tilly was efficient and showed me where to find supplies, move patients through the department, and chart all in record time. I had to admit that I was impressed how she managed the ER even in a situation like this.
“Ok, Doc. That’s pretty much it. If you have any questions, find me. Again, thank you so much for your help. Go ahead and pick one of these and get started.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I saluted and got a slap on my arm in return.
“Don’t you dare to ma’am me. And now get out of my way. We have a new emergency coming in.”
Hours later, I was still busy with the car crash victims and other emergency cases when a sweet, little eight-year-old named Jody was brought the next on my list. She’d had been in the accident with her mother, but while the young mother needed immediate surgery, Jodie was surprisingly unharmed. She’d gotten away with some scratches and bruises. What was worse was the shock, and I had my hands full to calm her down enough to let me lock at her wounds. Looking at a nasty scratch on her head, I heard footsteps behind me, and then the most beautiful voice reached my ears.
“Hey, I’m Josh. Tilly told me you might need a hand, so here I am.”
I stood up and turned toward that sweet voice and was instantly captivated by the sight before me. And what a sight that was. He looked strong and masculine but also soft, and there was something else that tickled my brain. The man seemed equally open and closed off in a way that had me wanting to look behind these barriers. I mentally shook myself; we had a small child to help and no time to get into a love story.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Warren, and yes, I can use all the help I can get.” I stepped away from the gurney and motioned towards the bed, “This is Miss Jodi. Her mama is in the OR. She is being so brave right now.”
He looked past me to the little girl, and I could see how much it affected him. His face lit up in a perfect smile, and his features softened when he spotted Little Jodie. Tapping his chin, he looked her over and tilted his head to the side. “I think something is missing here. Hmmm, what is missing? Oh, I see it now! I know just what you need, Jodi. You wait one second, and I’ll be right back.”
It was cute how he spoke to Jodie, and for the first time, there was a little smile on her worried face. And, I had to admit that it was cute to see him rush out, too. It was a pleasant sight. Sighing, I turned back to my little patient. “Where do you think he went?”
“I don’t know,” her small soft voice answered me, but she kept staring at the door. It appeared that Josh had not only gotten into my heart quickly, but Jodie’s as well.
“I bet he has the best surprise for such a brave girl.”
Only a moment later, Josh came rushing back in with his hands behind his back. But what caught my eye was the adorable smile he pointed at Jodie.
“Ok, Miss Jodi. I found an important visitor.” Josh brought a stuffed raccoon dressed in doctor scrubs out from behind his back and handed it to Jodi. “Here you go, sweetie. This little man will keep you company. You just need to hold onto him.”
Jodi’s demeanor changed immediately. She reached out for the raccoon and clutched it to her chest while whispering a “Thank you.”
Josh winked at her, then he looked at me, and a small smile played around his lips. Nodding in appreciation, I got a good look at his beautiful, brown eyes. It was a brilliant move and deserved appreciation, but there was something else in his eyes. Sadness. It was just a flash of emotion, and then he was all business again.
We worked together for hours, yet it felt like we had been doing this for years. Josh anticipated my needs and never got in my way. Even though he was a paramedic, he sure knew his way around the procedures. It was like we were dancing around our patients. I would move one way, and he would move with me. There was a connection, and I felt it tug at my heart. This man was meant to be mine, and I would do everything in my power to win him over.
The day seemed to last forever until finally, Tilly stuck her head into the area we were working. “You can both go take a break when you finish this patient. We have a bit of a break in the action.”
“Thanks, Tilly,” I said without raising my head from the suture I was tying, and Josh only grunted in response. It was cute in a way, like a growling puppy, who got disturbed at playtime. When I glanced over at him, our eyes met for a second before we both got back to work.
Sighing, I closed the door of the doctor’s lounge behind me, got myself a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table, where Josh already sat. Pleased with his food choice, I watched him eat some salad before I unpacked a sandwich. While I ate, I watched him. He peaked up at me and blushed adorably whenever I caught him staring. That was the reason why I just blurted my next words out.
“Do you want to go out with me?” Josh looked as shocked as I felt. His eyes got big, then he laughed.
“What? I don’t even know you.”
“Dates are supposed to get to know each other.” Slowly and carefully, Josh put his fork on the table and looked at me.
“Sorry, Doc. I don’t date colleagues.”
“Technically, we’re not colleagues. I am a doctor, and you’re a paramedic who just helped out in the ER. So, no conflict there.”
“I’ll be busy.” was Josh’s next try, but it came out even weaker than the protest before.
“Josh, you don’t work every day.”
“Yeah, I do. I don’t have time to date.” It was his third try to decline my invitation, but I didn’t buy any of them. It was the way he said it, almost clinical, and there was this look of sadness again. Along with something else. Interest.
“Look, you might as well say yes because I’m not going to stop till you go out w
ith me.”
“Why? We probably don’t have a thing in common.”
“Listen, Sweet Boy. You will have no idea if that’s true unless you go out with me.” I flinched after the words slipped from my mouth, but Josh only blinked at me before he took a deep breath.
“I am not a sweet or little anything, and I still don’t think it’s a good idea to go out on a date.”
“Ok. Give me three good reasons why and if they are not good reasons, then we are going out on Saturday night. End of the discussion.” Internally, I cringed again. Crap. I had just gone all Daddy on Josh, but like before, he just blinked and took a deep breath.
“Wow, you are not going to let this go, are you?”
“No. When I see something, I want, I don’t stop until I get it.” This time, he didn’t protest immediately. Instead, he took his time to think about it.
“Fine. Saturday, I’m working. My shift ends at 6 P.M.”
“Very well. I’ll pick you up then.” In response, Josh rolled his eyes at me, and I suppressed a laugh. Obviously, he was right with one thing. He was not sweet. Well, not all the time, anyway. He was bratty, too. “And Josh? Don’t sound so enthused. You know, you may enjoy yourself.”
That earned me another eye roll, and this time, I laughed out loud. He was just so damn cute.
Chapter 3
Josh
“Hey, Josh, you have a visitor.”
I shook my head and wondered who the hell was visiting me at work. Based on the time, I would say my date had arrived. Crap. I walked out of the ambulance bay into our visitor area and saw the most mouthwatering sight. Even though he faced away from me, I knew it was Darrell. The dark suit he wore hugged his broad shoulders. It was a custom suit because an off the rack suit would not fit him like a glove. His broad shoulders filled out the jacket, and it cut close to show his waist. The bottom of the jacket covered his butt, which was a damn shame because Darrell had a butt I could just worship. What can I say? I was a butt man and could not resist a man with a fine ass.
Even though I still couldn’t believe that I agreed to go out with him. Fine ass, or not. The minute I’d spotted the new, handsome doctor, I knew that I had to keep my guards up. Not only did my gaydar ping like mad, but he also screamed Daddy to me. And that was a part of me. I would shield myself to death if necessary. Okay, that was maybe a little overdramatic. But true nonetheless.
Darrell turned around as I was looking him over. He had a smirk on his face and held a single white rose in his hand.
“You like what you see, Sweet Boy?”
I whipped my head around to check the room, but we were alone. Then I walked up to him, and whisper yelled at him. “Look, you can’t say shit like that at work. No one here knows...wait.” No one here knows, but he seemed to know. Damn. “That’s the third time you’ve said that. Do you? Are you?”
“Oh, this is going to be a good first date. I can already tell,” Darrell said while he handed me the rose with one hand and lifted his other to stroke my cheek. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Yes, I know about you, Baby Boy. It’s not a good secret to keep from a Daddy.”
I shivered from his breath in my neck and from the meaning behind his words. “You don’t. I mean you-”
“Shh. It’s ok. We can talk later about it,” he said and put a finger to my lips to silence me, “How about you go get changed so we can officially start our date. Oh, and there’s a surprise in my car for you. So, you might want to hurry.”
I stepped back and blinked; my mind stuck on the word surprise. A rose and a surprise? Wow. Darrell was serious about us dating. He nodded at me and mouthed to word go. That shook me mentally, and I headed back to the locker room to get a shower and changed. While he was wearing a freaking suit, he’d told me to dress casually, so I wore my best jeans and a t-shirt with my favorite clownfish on it. I still felt underdressed, but I trusted Darrell that he wouldn’t set me up for a joke. When I got out to the waiting area, Darrell had changed into shorts and a tank top. He looked even more mouthwatering, and it took me a second to realize that he had changed as well.
“What happened to the suit?”
“I only wore it to impress you. This outfit is much better for our date. Just wait and see.” Darrell winked, and I just stared at him.
“Wait and see? Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. And now, let’s go.” Darrell led me outside to his car, which was surprising. I was sure that he was the type of man to drive a flashy, high powered car. Nope. But I was way off. He led me to a navy blue, practical Honda Accord. Darrell opened the door for me and waited until I buckled my seat belt before he closed it again and walked around to get into the driver's seat. After we settled in the car, he set a bag in my lap.
“Go on, Baby Boy. Check out your surprise.”
“What? Am I not your Sweet Boy anymore?”
“I’m still trying to find the perfect nickname for you, so I’m trying things out. Right now, Baby Boy is my favorite.”
“Whatever.” Ignoring the nicknames, I dug into the bag and threw the tissue everywhere. I could clean my mess up later. Right now, the surprise was more critical. At the bottom of the bag was the softest, fluffiest, stuffed fish I had ever seen.
“Oh my God, it’s a clownfish.” Tears gathered in my eyes, and I clutched it to my chest and squeezed. Emotions in my heart overwhelmed me, and I could feel tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. I’d never gotten a stuffie from anyone, especially not from a date. I bought them for myself and hid them in my closet when I wasn’t at home. But Darrell bought one for me, without even thinking about it. He just...His finger, which rubbed across my cheek, startled me. Turning my face, I looked deep into Darrell’s eyes, and I could see that he understood. He really understood.
“Are you real?”
“Yes, Baby Boy. I’m real.”
“Like really real.”
“It can’t be more real, Josh.” He reached over, took my chin, and looked me square in the eyes. “I am a real Daddy. This is not a game for me. I have been searching my whole life for a man to love, who would be strong enough to let me care for him. A man so strong that he could surrender and let me care for him. I could see the hurt in your eyes when you handed Dr. Racoon to Jodie, and I knew. I just had to give it a try and see if you could be this man for me. So, please, give me a chance.”
My heart pounded in my chest. It was so hard to believe that something so precious could just drop in my lap. Darrell wiped my tears away with his thumbs, then he leaned in, kissed my nose, and winked at me. “Are you ready for our date?”
“Yeah.” And to my surprise, now I really was. Nodding, I squeezed my stuffie harder. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise. Can you keep your eyes closed till we get there, or do I need to blindfold you?”
“How long? Where are we going? Will I like it?”
“Ok, blindfold it is. I know we haven’t talked about safe words or any of that, but will you trust me to blindfold you until we get to our destination? If you get scared, you can say red, and I will stop, and I’ll take it off. I would like for you to try and wear the blindfold so you will be properly surprised. Can you do that for me, Little Fish?”
He was asking a lot after working with him for a few hours, but my heart reached out to him, and I felt comfortable and safe, so I nodded my head.
“I need to hear the words, Little Fish.”
“You can blindfold me. Dad-Darrell.”
“Good Boy, I’m enormously proud of you. Darrell will be fine for now, but one day I hope you will call me Daddy. But when you say it, I want you to mean it and not feel pressured. Ok?”
“Ok, Darrell.” I smiled at him, then I frowned. “But please don’t call me Little Fish. I can live with Baby Boy, but Little Fish is...just no.”
Darrell
To keep our destination a secret, I had to get Josh to agree to wear a blindfold or keep his eyes closed. But I knew that he would never be able t
o keep his eyes closed, and I wanted my surprise to be perfect, so I sighed in relief when he agreed to the blindfold. He was so brave as he told me to put on the blindfold, and I couldn’t have been prouder of him.
“Okay, Baby Boy.” I reached over to secure the blindfold over his eyes. Baby Boy, it was for now. Even if the way he’d wrinkled his nose when I’d called him Little Fish had been adorable. But as I just told him, I wanted his nickname to be perfect, which meant that I needed to try some name. After I secured the blindfold, I reached out and put a hand on his.
“If I need to get your attention, I will touch your hand like this. Ok?”
“Ok, Darrell.”
“Is the blindfold ok? It’s not too tight?”
“No, it’s not too tight, but I can’t see,” Josh complained, and I chuckled.
“Oh, Josh, that’s the point. Now, remember if you get scared or if the blindfold is too much, you can say your safeword. If you say yellow, we can talk about how you are feeling. If you say red, I will take the blindfold off for you. I will not be disappointed in you. I just want you to be surprised.”
“Yeah, I get that. I would have peaked without it.” Josh admitted with a shrug. Yeah, I’d already figured that out.
“Now, you can be a good boy and not worry about peaking.”
“I just hope the surprise is worth it. If I don’t like it, I will never go out with you again.”
“Oh, trust me. You’ll love it.” I patted his leg and started the engine. “Just let me know when something is wrong.”
“I’m blindfolded, I don’t know you, and so far, you could be a serial killer who is just about to abduct me. I know a million things that could possibly go wrong.”
“Wow.” I glanced over at him and raised my eyebrows. That was not the answer I’d expected. “You do realize that I would not be a good serial killer looking for my victims at my workplace, right?”