Clementine

by R. Jean Wilson

  “Those are beautiful flowers by the way,” Addison continued.

  The elderly woman looked up, her dark blue eyes full of appreciation.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she blinked, casting her eyes back to the bright red blooms placed before her. Addison nodded her head, wondering who the flowers were from. For some reason she guessed they weren’t from a family member; the woman seemed too astounded by their presence and red roses seemed too romantic. When the woman didn’t attempt to continue their conversation Addison quietly left the small room, allowing the woman some privacy to read the note that accompanied the bouquet.

  Walking back into the bustling hallway, she pushed her cart out of the way up against the wall, and checked to see where her next delivery was. The list read Room 304 – General Surgery. Great, how do I get there? She pulled out her folded map and began to search aimlessly for the ward. It took her a few minutes before she finally figured out an easy path to get there, or so she hoped. Sighing to herself, she folded the map into the back pocket of her jeans and looked up.

  Her heart raced at the image before her. Halfway down the brightly lit hallway, amongst a handful of other doctors, stood Dr. Taylor. She couldn’t believe it. Out of every section of the massive hospital, he happened to be standing only feet away from her. She found herself momentarily stunned, taking in his strong demeanor and the ease in which he made his doctor’s coat look damn good. His day’s worth of stubble paired with his strong jaw made her subconscious beg to move closer.

  Seriously, his patients probably don’t even care when he tells them bad news, his face more than makes up for it. Addison smiled to herself before collecting her thoughts enough to remember she was meant to be delivering flowers, not secretly ogling one of the doctors. Just as she was turning to begin pushing her cart toward the elevators, Dr. Taylor turned from his discussion and locked his dangerous gaze onto her. She was like a deer caught in headlights. He saw me, and is still looking at me. I’m still standing here.

  Unsure of how to approach the awkwardness of the situation, Addison offered a shy smile before swiftly turning on her heel and bee lining for the elevators. Oh awesome, how attractive. Stand motionless for a full minute, smile like a fool and then sprint away, how can he resist my charm?

  “Addison?” she heard him call behind her.

  She reached forward and pushed the down button near the elevators before turning to acknowledge him. “Oh! Hi, Dr. Taylor,” she spoke in mock surprise, as if she hadn’t just been staring at him. Faster elevator, faster.

  “Seriously, you can call me Holden. What are you doing?” he said, eyeing the last few bouquets left on the cart.

  “Volunteering.” she said curtly, but as Dr. Holden remained with his exploring gaze pinned to her she realized she was meant to elaborate. “You see, I’m getting some much needed hospital training. You have to work from the bottom up you know, day one is flower delivery, but I’m pretty sure by the end of the week I’ll be doing brain transplants,” Addison smirked, unable to look at his intense gaze for any longer. She scanned the top of the elevator where the lights were flashing much too slowly. Seriously is someone just holding the door open up there? C’mon elevator.

  Holden laughed. “Ahh, so you got roped into our volunteering program.”

  “Every Wednesday, starting today.”

  The elevator dinged behind her letting her know the doors would soon open. She fidgeted with the cart, unsure of how to mend the uneasy feeling surrounding their encounter. Dr. Taylor was intimidating and he sent every good sense she had out the window. She couldn’t act like a normal person around him and as a result she wanted to flee and save herself the inevitable embarrassment.

  “Oh, well...” He paused for a moment, running his hand through his tousled hair, “Have you had dinner yet?” Addison blinked twice, trying to determine if she’d made up his last sentence. Surely he’s not speaking to me. Maybe the elevator doors opened and there’s a gorgeous doctor standing behind me.

  She turned around to make sure her suspicions weren’t correct. Shockingly, there was only a dad with two small children stepping out of the elevator. She pushed her cart out of the way so they could walk by while she absorbed the shock that Holden had, in fact, been talking to her.

  “Umm, volunteers get a free meal at the cafeteria...I just have a few more flower deliveries.”

  “I have a few minutes left on my shift but I could meet you there around seven?” Holden asked, his eyes displaying a sense of urgency as he saw her beginning to push the cart into the elevator.

  “I think I could do that... Holden,” she answered, trying out his name for the first time and registering his smile in response. His adorable dimples dotted his cheeks as Addison watched the doors to elevator close. It was a full minute before she realized she was just standing in the elevator not having pushed any button for a new floor.

  She knew the vision of him standing there would remain burned in her memory; his intense gaze on her as if he found her as attractive and irresistible as she found him. He must be confused; maybe he’s been on like a 50 hour shift and doesn’t realize he’s just asked me to join him for dinner.

  She rushed through delivering the rest of the orders and, thirty minutes later, she used her map to find the cafeteria. Holden was sitting outside on a bench, scrolling down his iPhone, giving her a few seconds to process his appearance and brush off her nerves. He’d removed his white coat and she wasn’t sure if that made him more or less attractive. At least it made him a bit more approachable.

  “Hyde Park Hospital volunteer at your service,” she mocked as she approached him, cursing herself for the corny joke. She scrunched her nose, hoping he didn’t hear.

  Surprisingly, he looked up and flashed a wide grin, exposing his perfect teeth and that charming set of dimples.

  “Wow, how did I get so lucky as to have a volunteer all to myself?” he asked playfully as he stood up and pocketed his phone.

  She rubbed her lips together, completely unnerved by the situation she now found herself in. He was hard to handle on Saturday when they were in a large group, but now that it was just the two of them, she had nowhere to escape and nowhere else to focus her attention. He seemed to tower over her and she couldn’t help but jump slightly when he placed his hand on the small of her back, directing her into the cafeteria.

  “Now I usually get to eat in the doctor’s lounge, so I’m not sure what food they serve here, but I promise I’ll make up for it another time if it’s completely terrible,” he offered sweetly as they both began to survey their options.

  You could just keep your hand on my lower back for say, eternity; that would make up for just about anything.

  “Doctor’s lounge, huh? I feel honored you decided to dine in the cafeteria with us mere peasants,” she smirked, trying to give him a hard time.

  “The food is free there,” he smiled, defending himself.

  “Well that and the fact that all of our food is dipped in gold, and we’re given foot massages at the snap of our fingers,” he quipped, pulling a sandwich off the food line.

  Addison laughed, appreciating the fact the he could joke right back at her; most people didn’t quite grasp her perpetual sarcasm. Maybe this won’t be so bad. She found herself becoming a bit less nervous as they continued to talk and gather their food.

  “I’m surprised you wanted to stay at the hospital to eat after your shift ended,” Addison mentioned as they both put their food down on a table and slid into opposite sides of the small booth.

  “I don’t usually,” Holden answered simply, not elaborating further as he unfolded his sandwich wrapper.

  Addison didn’t know how to follow up his statement so she decided to pick at her salad for a bit. The lettuce leaves on her plate were the only neutral ground she could focus her attention on as she tried to come up with something to say. Her earlier confidence was beginning to wear off and she was left questioning why he’d asked her, of all people, to
dinner.

  “How old are you, Addison?” Holden asked, finally breaking the silence.

  “Twenty-three. Why?”

  “I was just wondering, you seem older,” he said, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head to the side playfully.

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-seven. I’ll be almost thirty when I finish my residency,” he answered.

  “That seems right. Most of the residents at my work are in their thirties. Although, with the hours you guys work, you all easily look ten years older,” Addison said in between bites of salad.

  “Ouch. Are my greys showing or something?” he asked playfully, drawing Addison’s attention to his thick brown hair.

  She narrowed her eyes pretending to be examine the perfection that was, Holden Taylor.

  “Eh, you look 60 tops,” she joked. He had to know how good-looking he was, there was no point in inflating his ego even more. He let out a rich laugh and ran his hand through his hair. She was beginning to see it was one of his most adorable habits.

  “It’s definitely a rough life during the resident years, luckily I only have three more to go,” he said with an easy smile.

  “Are you able to get out much or do you pretty much live here?” she asked, motioning toward the hospital hallway.

  “I try to get out on the weekends, especially in a city like Austin. I bought a kayak a year ago and have been pretty good about taking it out a few times a week ever since.”

  She finished chewing a cherry tomato before she admitted she’d never been kayaking before.

  “I’ve tried to get a group together to go but it’s never worked out.” How convenient. He owns a kayak, I’ve never been kayaking. It’s destiny if I’ve ever seen it.

  He raised his brows in shock, “We’ll have to go then. If nothing else, you can’t leave Austin having never kayaked on Town Lake before. It’s like a rite of passage,” he said, as if his casual invitation didn’t cause her stomach to do somersaults. Nod, chew, and swallow. Act like a normal human.

  “Uh, yeah, that’d be fun,” she managed to get out before eyeing her salad hoping he wouldn’t see the blush creeping up her cheeks at the thought of them hanging out again.

  A few minutes of silence went by as they both took bites of their food and scanned the cafeteria. She felt like she was on a first date in high school, when everything felt new and strange. This isn’t a date though. She could feel his gaze on her but for some reason she couldn’t meet it most of the time. It was easier to focus on the other patrons eating their dinners.

  Holden wiped his mouth and put his napkin on his plate. “You know you seem familiar for some reason,” he began, “I’ve been thinking about it since Saturday night but I can’t pinpoint where I would have met you before.”

  He paused as Addison licked her lips, keeping her eyes focused on the table in front of her. She didn’t trust herself to meet his furtive gaze just yet; she wanted to absorb his words fully. He does recognize me?

  “I thought having dinner with you tonight would trigger some memory, but I can’t figure it out,” he continued.

  She took a deep breath and finally glanced up at him.

  “I know what you mean,” she began, “but for me it’s almost more than a faint familiarity. When I saw you at the coffee shop with Stacy I instantly knew you... without knowing you,” She said quietly, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck, her eyes focused on attempting to unlock their past.

  She suddenly realized how silly she must sound to him, but looking up, she found the same curiosity in his eyes.

  “I completely agree,” he said, his gaze increasing in intensity. His eyes searched her face, as if by looking over every feature, he’d be able to jog his memory. The energy between them shifted, curiosity and interest hung in the air.

  Suddenly, Addison’s phone alarm buzzed, letting her know that she still had another hour of volunteering. The alarm brought both of them back to reality, breaking a moment that she didn’t want to end. What horrible timing.

  “I have to get back to the gift shop. I only had a short break for dinner,” Addison explained dejectedly beginning to stand and grab her trash.

  “Wait,” he said, reaching out to touch her hand.

  The second his hand reached hers, Addison felt warmth spread through her body. The innocent contact stopped her mid-stand and she whipped her head down to look at their hands. His sturdy hand was barely resting on hers, and yet it was as if he had clenched it directly onto her heart. Whoa. She pulled her hand back instinctively, confused by her body’s reaction to such an innocent touch.

  “Let me put your number into my phone, you know... for kayaking.”

  She concentrated on his boyish smile as she nodded robotically, letting her mind wonder. Why does he want my phone number? He could have any woman in this hospital. Hell, any woman in Austin.

  Addison knew she had an effect on men. She never lacked for dates in high school and college, but none of those men compared to someone like Holden. She didn’t see why a man like him would be going out of his way to ask her out. Her heart was glad to give him her phone number and leapt at the chance of seeing him again, but her head knew that a man like Holden wouldn’t be tied down to one girl at his age.

  Chapter 4

  Addison walked into her organic chemistry class feeling confident and exhausted. She was about to take her last final exam of the prerequisite classes needed for PA school and she was ready to get it over with. This was the last obstacle standing in Addison’s way and she couldn’t imagine the complete bliss that would ensue once she was completely done. She’d texted Stacy the night before asking her to study but her classmate had shrugged off her invitation. Addison knew things had been weird between them last Saturday but it would have still been nice to have a study partner. She routinely set down her coffee on the seat next to hers, saving it for Stacy like she’d done the past few days.

  Stacy walked in a few minutes later, hesitating a beat too long before taking the seat Addison had reserved for her. Addison smiled at her friend, picking up her coffee and taking a sip of it.

  “Hey Stacy,” Addison spoke.

  “Hi Addison. Feeling prepared for the final?” Stacy asked with a slightly bristled tone.

  “Eh, I’ll just be glad to walk out of here. You?”

  “Oh yeah, same here. I didn’t manage to study much this past weekend... All of us stayed out pretty late on Saturday after you left.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess you guys are pretty close, all working together as much as you do.”

  “Exactly. The nurses stick close together… and the doctors stick close to the nurses,” She said with a suggestive smirk that left Addison with a harsh feeling at the pit of her stomach.

  I get it, the doctors, including Dr. Taylor, are your territory. Addison turned back to her study guide not knowing how to follow up Stacy’s statement. A few minutes passed before Stacy spoke again.

  “So you and Dr. Taylor talked for a bit on Saturday, huh?”

  Addison stilled, surprised that she would bring up the subject. Are they dating or something?

  “Yeah, Dr. Fischer introduced us. He seems nice... I actually ran into him while I was volunteering at the hospital the other day,” Addison offered, taking another sip of her coffee and watching as the other students filed into the classroom. Probably shouldn’t mention his dinner invitation.

  Stacy’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh did you? Was he with other doctors at the time?” she asked obviously wanting Addison to elaborate about the encounter.

  “Um, yeah I think they were discussing a patient or something.” Addison had barely registered the doctors standing with Dr. Taylor that night; they had all paled in comparison.

  “Ha, yeah, or their plans for this weekend. Those residents know how to let loose. Well, except Dr. Taylor. I’ve only seen him out a few times, including Saturday...” That’s surprising. “Don’t get me wrong, he never seems to lack female attention when we
can drag him out with us, though,” Stacy finished, looking in her purse for something.

  Addison stared at the chalkboard, allowing Stacy’s words to sink in. She didn’t know if she should rejoice because he rarely took Stacy up on her offer to go out, or feel sick at how many girls Holden had to choose from when he did. He asked for my number, probably so he could set me up with someone in my own league.

  Addison had her fair share of loves and losses growing up. While she hadn’t had a relationship that lasted longer than six months, they at least all ended on her terms. She’d allow herself to be swept up in the idea of the guys she’d meet, and she’d let it to play out until she became too stuck on their idiosyncrasies to keep the relationship going. She had let one or two of them get close to her physically, but none of them set her heart on fire the way she knew it was meant to when you found someone special. She thought back to the warmth that spread through her body when Holden had barely touched her hand at dinner. It was a platonic touch but it felt more alive than any of the hugs or kisses she’d shared with the guys from her past. Maybe he had a minty lotion on and I just thought that it was him sending tingles through my hand. She smiled, knowing she was being ridiculous trying to talk herself out of feeling any sort of attraction toward Dr. Taylor.

  A beat later, their chemistry professor entered the room, pulling Addison out of her daze and reminding her that she only had ten more minutes to review before the exam. I’ll just have to keep Holden at bay. He may have an odd familiarity about him, but it’s not worth the pain that would ensue if I let myself get close to him.

  Addison walked out of her final exam and stopped to take a deep breath and appreciate being undeniably done. The warm Texas sun beat down on her when she pushed through a set of double doors and she was glad she didn’t have a long walk to her car. She twisted her hair into a simple bun at the nape of her neck as she pulled her phone from her purse. She had two text messages waiting for her. The first was from Alicia, explaining that Addison was going out with her that night to celebrate the end of finals “whether she wanted to or not”. Addison half smiled to herself, loving how well her friend knew her. The second text was from an unknown number.