Chapter 1 #3
The instant she asked the question she knew the answer. She'd seen it all before."
He shook his head and took his helmet off his head, holding it in his hands in front of his chest. "We'll wait."
Her smile deepened and she started to walk away.
She stopped short of the automatic doors and turned back to him, her brow furrowing slightly. "Pits?" She looked at the ground for a moment and then back up at the lieutenant. "Pits Berg?"
The firefighter grinned, one corner of his mouth climbing higher than the other. "Yeah. Pittsburgh. It's where he was born."
Smiling, she rushed off to do just what she promised.
Gibson walked into the ER waiting room and saw his crew standing there trying to stay out of the way of staffers and other visitors alike but still craning their necks to see into the examination bay.
He stopped beside Theo. "Anything?"
Mats looked up at him. "The big oaf is flirting with the nurse."
"Flirting?" Gibson shook his head. "Is he getting anywhere?"
The curtain moved aside, and Gibson saw Pits grinning at the pretty Asian nurse, barely flinching as his skin was cleaned around the wound.
"Well, if it keeps his mind off of the pain... I guess there's no harm."
Mats snorted at that. "Harm?" He shook his head. "He wouldn't dare go over the line."
Gibson saw the tall male nurse preparing a tray nearby and lifted his chin in his direction. "He does look like he could handle anything coming his way."
Webb lifted his head and looked at Gibson. "Not him. That nurse, Thuy?" He blew out a breath. "She can handle it herself. My dad still tells the story of how she got a belligerent drunk under control with a pressure point."
Gibson was sure he was hearing things. "With what?"
Mats held up one hand, his fingers splayed open, and then with his thumb, he pressed on the top of his open hand. "It's a pressure point. It's like reflexology. You can use pressure for healing or for pain."
Webb snorted a laugh. "Or pleasure. Maybe Pits is trying to get a date."
As his men continued to banter back and forth, Gibson watched the way the hospital staff cleaned the wound and extracted the jagged piece of wood from his arm. Through it all, Doctor Kay Hata kept pulling his focus to her.
Well, she didn't do it, but he couldn't seem to help himself.
He'd interacted with the ER doctor a few times over the last year, but this was the first time that she'd reached out and touched him.
It was such a small thing, and he wasn't a man who went out of his way to touch others and hardly anyone touched him, unless it was a hearty slap on the back or bumping fists after a good call. That was the extent of his physical interactions with most people.
He knew that Doctor Hata must touch people all the time. Hell, she had to examine people every damn day!
So what exactly had it been that had rocked him to the core?
Was it more than just her gentle touch to this arm?
The way she gave him a gentle squeeze to connect with him?
Maybe it was the look in her eyes that reminded him of warm chocolate, of a deep emotional connection, of the scent of her skin or the taste of her on his lips and his tongue.
"Braun."
Theo bumped him with his shoulder.
"Put your tongue back in your mouth. She's coming this way."
Gibson looked at him, frowning. "My tongue isn't out."
"No?" He raised a rather eloquent brow. "Well, I suggest you pull yourself together, so you don't look like you're about to drop down on one knee in front of her."
Gibson frowned even more.
Theo turned his back as the doctor came closer, pulling off her blood-stained gloves.
"I'm not saying as if it's a bad thing. I've done it. And I'm a better man for it."
"Uh, Lieutenant Braun?"
Gibson saw her come to a stop before him and he felt his breath catch in his lungs.
Theo clapped a hand on his shoulder and gripped him in a hard, reassuring hold. "You will be, too."
Gibson wasn't at all sure of what Theo was saying, but he had other things to focus on.
"Doctor?"
"Well, I want to give you an update."
He managed to change his expression. Not a smile but one that wasn't so severe as he usually had.
"How is he?"
She smiled and he felt his heart swell in his chest.
"He's good. Strong." She looked around the room at his crew. "Like all of you, but I suspect that he's the one with the most bravado as evidenced by his shameless flirting with my nurse."
The whole group chuckled at that.
"Well, he's going to need some rest. Physical therapy. And he's going to probably be a little grumpier than usual."
Mats and Webb groaned in unison.
Gibson almost managed to fight off the laughter he was trying to hold back.
Kay knew something was up and smiled at him. "What?"
Shaking his head, Gibson smiled back. "He's always been a grouch, Doctor. If he's going to be worse than normal, heaven help us all."
"You folks can stay around, but Hank has a request for all of you."
That brought the others in close.
Webb leaned in and waved a little. "Hey, Kay."
"Russell! Nice to see you again."
Gibson knew that Russell's dad was a doctor here. A bigwig surgeon if he remembered correctly. He saw the smile dim a little on Russell's face.
Webb didn't let it affect Kay which Gibson appreciated.
"Always good to see you, Kay. Sorry about Grumpy."
"He wanted me to tell you all," she laughed softly and then lifted her gaze to meet his, "that you all stink. He wants you to go back to the station and," she cleared her throat, "do something important... like shower."
Theo laughed out loud. "He's going to be alright."
Kay nodded. "Yes, he is."
"All right," Gibson looked at his men. "Let's take his advice because I know I could use a hose down." He looked at Kay. "Please let us know if you need anything."
She lifted her hands in a surrendering gesture. "We'll take care of him, no worries."
He looked at her and hesitated. "Uh, okay. Well, you know how to find us if you need... anything."
"Doctor Hata? A moment please?"
Kay looked away and Gibson saw that it was a nurse he recognized but didn't know the name of. She was on the other end of the ER and not anywhere near Pits' exam area.
"Excuse me," Kay gave him a half smile and moved on quickly toward the other nurse.
Gibson stood there for another moment before he headed outside to the truck.
Chief Campanelli would put them back on the rotation if they could find a floater to join them at Twenty-Nine. It might be easier if they did. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was mull over the feelings that Doctor Kay Hata brought out in him.