Chapter 8
Laney
The life of a surgical resident was one hundred percent less glamorous than people imagined.
I was required to be at the hospital at five thirty, so I woke up at five.
Upon my arrival, the overnight intern handed me the sign-out.
I had time to digest that until the chief called the rounds, which usually lasted one hour.
I didn’t actually spend that much time in surgery.
A big chunk of my day was spent on the floor, checking on the patients and doing discharges.
However, after being an intern, this was actually an improvement.
I only recalled that year through a haze.
The hours were even longer, the work even more boring.
Now I had my own interns. Four years from now, I would be a general surgeon, unless I chose a specialty that required further training, but I didn’t think I will.
As part of my general surgery residency, I had to spend a few months in every specialty, and I quite liked being a jack of all trades.
The changing room was full when I arrived.
There was no such thing as shame in that room.
We each had a tiny locker, and men and women changed side by side.
Slipping into my scrubs and sneakers, I felt like myself again.
I skimmed my hands down them, smiling at how familiar the fabric felt against my palms. I pulled up my hair in a tight bun, slipped my phone and my pager in the pockets of the pants.
I had been truly shocked the first time I realized pagers were still used, but I unraveled the mystery quickly.
The pager signal was more reliable than the one for a phone.
Since hospital walls had extra insulation because of X-rays and so on, there were certain floors where there was no signal at all.
After getting the list from my intern, I immediately told him that I’d want to catch up with him and the other three. I’d been gone for too long, and I didn’t want to miss anything. It was going to be outside of working hours, but he didn’t question it. We all did what we had to do.
“Sure. I’ll talk to everyone, and we’ll find a time,” he said.
“Thanks.”
The rounds went by quickly. I had immense respect for the chief of surgery. He was efficient and fair and didn’t hold back from the residents—he regularly asked us to attend complicated surgeries. I’d learned a lot from him.
The rest of the day was a mayhem as usual.
On top of the usual workload, we had a stream of patients from the ER: two car accidents and one construction site mishap.
I barely had any time to draw in a breath.
Most days were like this, and I was used to them.
The funny thing was, when it was just me and the patient, I didn’t feel any tiredness or sore feet or even hunger.
Adrenaline kicked in, keeping me focused. The patient was all that mattered.
In the afternoon, they called me down to ER to tend to a young woman who’d been hit by a car.
Luckily, it was far less serious than the previous two cases—the car drove off while the light was still red and hit her waist with the side mirror.
She lost her balance, hitting the side of her head on the pavement.
Her X-rays were clear, but she had an ugly wound at the side of her head that required sutures.
“We’re almost done, I promise.” I kept my voice steady and gentle, but it wasn’t until I paused, squeezing one of her hands reassuringly, that some of the tension in her body melted away.
“You’ll be just fine,” I whispered, squeezing her hand again before focusing on the sutures.
“There, you’re good as new,” I said once I was done, taking a step back.
I smiled, happy that the fear in her eyes had subsided considerably. Unfortunately, a new patient was rushed in the next second, so I couldn’t linger. The nurses were taking it over from there.
It was after I was done with my shift that every emotion I’d suppressed slammed into me.
In the short walk from the ER to the changing rooms, I stumbled twice, and a bout of nausea hit me.
I leaned against the wall, fixing my eyes on the ceiling.
Hmm… when was the last time I took a swig of water or had a snack?
I couldn’t remember, which was a clear sign that it had been far too long.
No wonder I was light-headed. Unhitching myself from the wall, I walked with measured steps.
I couldn’t wait to get home and shower, get rid of the smell of disinfectant.
It was one of the things I couldn’t get used to, even though it was part of my daily life.
Some of my colleagues swore they couldn’t even smell it anymore, but unfortunately I did.
I left as soon as I changed, throwing my bag over my shoulder without even looking in the mirror.
Bed, here I come .
Once outside the building, I took a deep breath, basking in the cool evening air.
The hospital’s back entrance was exclusively for personnel.
Ambulances pulled in around the corner, but this patch was entirely ours.
It was like a miniature park with a huge oak tree, a bench underneath it, both surrounded by grass and roses.
“Good evening, doc.”
Holy shit! Oh, no!
“Cole, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot we were meeting.”
He stood a few feet away from the entrance, under the massive oak tree, and completely took my breath away. He was wearing a dark blue suit and a white shirt. I pressed my palm to my belly, and this time I had no doubt. Those were definitely butterflies, and Cole Winchester had brought them on.
I’d only seen him in jeans and a shirt in Rome, and he’d been a damn fine sight then too.
But something about him in a suit was extra mouthwatering.
The outfit highlighted his lean but toned body.
He walked over with large, determined strides.
His eyes were trained on me. They were blazing hot.
In an instant, my body went from exhausted to on edge.
Every cell lit up. Holy shit, Cole was doing unspeakable things to my senses.
“You look exhausted, doc,” he said with a smile, stopping in front of me.
I narrowed my eyes, placing a hand on my hip. “These are supposed to be your famous charmer skills?”
“Nah, I’m waiting until we’re alone to put those to use.” He dropped his gaze down my body slowly, then back up even slower. I was on fire. How could he light me up just with one look? I caught myself biting my lip. Oh, wow. This man.
“I’m really terribly sorry for forgetting. It was an insane day. What time is it?”
“Seven.”
I dropped my chin to my chest. “Awww, man.”
I’d been so excited this morning, and then the day had completely gotten away from me.
“Doesn’t matter, Laney. You’re here now.
” He lifted my chin with two fingers. The contact singed me.
His gaze was so damn intense. My heartbeat accelerated.
His touch felt so familiar that it startled me.
I was a little scared, but I wanted to spend time with him.
I wasn’t even sure what I feared: getting close to someone, loving again, or losing?
I remembered his swoon-worthy words on the phone, and I wanted to follow the impulse that had led me to agree to meet him tonight instead of hiding in my shell.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“I was going to suggest we head over to a restaurant. I remember you having quite an appetite.”
I laughed. God, I’d forgotten how it felt to be around him. He just had this inner light that made him addictive.
“I’m a bit too tired for a restaurant,” I said. I probably looked like something the cat dragged in. My hair was a mess for sure. I’d worn a plastic cap for a few hours in surgery.
“How about we just take something to go and head over to your place?”
“Wow. You’re already inviting yourself over, huh? This escalated quickly,” I teased. I was a bit panicky at the thought of having him over, though. I’d never asked anyone to my New York apartment. But Cole made me feel so at ease that it was surreal.
“I’d invite you to mine, but you have another shift tomorrow, and you have to be here at five thirty. You said you live close to the hospital. My place is further away.”
He remembered I had a shift tomorrow! I felt so special.
“Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?” I said.
He winked. “I was counting on you saying that. Let’s go. Is it in walking distance or do you want me to call an Uber?”
“We can walk.” We headed up a small street behind the hospital. “So… you’ve really been grouchy this whole week, huh?”
“I’m an honest man. I might use subterfuge, but never lie. I can call my sister right now if you want. She’ll give you all the proof you need.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Not really necessary. I was at Isabelle’s yesterday, and Josie was there too. She confirmed it.” I glanced at him and continued, “She only had good things to say. Dylan and Ian, on the other hand…”
“Those two. Don’t believe everything they say.”
“I guess we’re back to you working that first impression, huh? Or well, second.”
He brought his hand to the middle of my back, his mouth to my ear. “I’m on it. As soon as we’re alone.”
“Why do we need to be alone?”
He pulled back just a notch. “For now, trust me.”
“I don’t know. I might need more details.” I was trying to tease him, but honestly, I was already breathless.
“Rome wasn’t enough proof?”
“I might need some reminders.”
“You’ll get them… as soon as we’re alone.” I felt his exhale on my lips, and my knees weakened a little. We’d barely spent a few minutes together, and I was already completely wrapped up in him. His eyes were just molten hot, and so was his body language.
We bought burgers and fries from a food truck next to my building. My apartment seemed even smaller with Cole inside it. I hadn’t finished doing the laundry, and the mess made the space even smaller. I placed the bag with food on the chair by the entrance.