WELCOME TO THE ER
The other nurses warned her about him, at least the female ones. She had shown up out of nowhere, coming from one of those prompt care facilities working that beat for nearly two years fresh out of nursing school. She had entered that life bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but over time the luster and promise of that life faded, and now she was yearning for more. Lack of a purpose caused her to apply to the hospital; she was planted in the ER and told it would add some excitement to her life.
As she was already a night owl and the difference from one hour to the next would be the unexpected knifing, gunshot wound, or out-of-their-mind patient, honestly, it was the luck of the draw, and this is what she lived for. Within days, shadowing a nurse named Pepper with an afro of red hair is when she got to meet the doctor the nurses had warned her about, and he was as good-looking as they come. He had thick curly blonde hair, a more handsome version of Mark Zuckerberg with broad shoulders and deep dark brown eyes. He spoke with a British Essex accent, a tricky part of England that took no prisoners. That exact night is when she met Dr. Livermore. She saw how he commanded the ER as a patient had come in with a life-threatening knife wound that was bleeding profusely. She watched, ready to assist at a moment, yet he could not only stop the bleeding but suture the wound without much of a fuss from the seasoned doctor.
She spoke with the doctor days after that night. She was fully assisting on a slow night with Pepper out that night. In the still of the ER, she found a moment to introduce herself and share a cup of coffee with the Dr., where she found they had much in common. She liked hiking, as did he making tentative plans to go sometime. In other instances, as she became a regular, they would talk on their break or in passing by, making flirty faces. All of which further endeared him to her. All the time, imagining the body he had under his crisp navy blue scrubs. There was a policy about co-working relationships, but the word was if you kept it quiet and the staff behind the desk didn’t find out, it was possible. It wasn’t like she was looking for a relationship, but anyone who worked in a hospital knew there was plenty of time for extracurricular activities.
She didn’t go into this thinking she wanted him. His charms and pure unbridled sex appeal convinced her of that. Again, she heard the stories about him, a bit of a womanizer, but she let it go in one ear and out the other. He was the perfect bad boy. And yet she felt she could put the brakes on at any minute like a drug addict thinks they can still keep the same friends. She was caught and didn’t even know it mesmerized by his gaze.
Shit hit the fan one night when she was working side by side with him. They were saving a woman’s life; a patient nearly drowned dead with no pulse or breath. The stress of the moment was off the charts. He dealt with her firmly, working in tandem, guiding her with compassion and professionalism. Her attraction grew to its utmost, and to have the woman live sealed her fate as not more than 30 minutes later, she uncontrollably made it to his office. She put her cards on the table, as did he. Both of them stood there in his office, and without a pause, he drew the blinds and cleared space on the daybed in his office. His intentional moves drove her crazy, not knowing if he was really into her till he walked up to her and took her hand, sending metaphorical sparks of energy up her arm. Then looking into her eyes with those warm brown eyes, he leaned to kiss her.
She engaged and pulled away, not knowing why. She was fighting good and evil in her mind while her body tingled with passion. That was what she wanted sheer unbridled passion. The moment felt too big, and she could feel herself slipping away in her thoughts as the doctor stood there holding her hand, wondering if he should pursue it. And like the gentle breeze that could set a feather to flight, she let herself go and kissed him back, throwing caution to the wind.