Chapter 5
Nick
“Mrs. Troy, you’re back.” I smiled as I walked into the room.
“Dr. Russo, I think I’m dying,” she whined.
“And why do you think that?” I glanced up at the nurse, and she rolled her eyes.
“I have this pain right here.” She pointed to her right side. “And my chest hurts so bad. I think I’m having a heart attack.”
“When did this start?”
“Last night. I was up all night.”
“What did you eat for dinner?” I asked her.
“Well, I stopped at Taco Bell on my way home, then I ate some hot Cheetos, and before I went to bed, I ate a donut.”
“Mrs. Troy, we talked about this last time you were here. You have to change your diet.”
“I know, but I was stressed.”
I listened to her chest and then pressed down on her abdomen. She moaned in pain.
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I gestured for Robin, the nurse, to follow me out of the room. “Let’s give her the GI cocktail and wait an hour.”
“Okay, Dr. Russo.”
I walked back into the room. “Mrs. Troy, we’re going to give you some medication to ease your pain. Just relax for the next hour, and I’ll be back.”
“Aren’t you going to run any tests?” she asked.
“I’m going to wait a bit. Just relax.” I smiled as I placed my hand on her arm.
Walking out of the room, I saw Christian at the nurses’ station.
“Hey.” I smiled.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Not much.” I glanced at my watch. “You have time for lunch?”
“Yeah. Actually, I do.” He smiled.
We went to the cafeteria, grabbed a couple of sandwiches, and took them up to the rooftop.
“I met this girl,” I said.
“Oh yeah?” A grin crossed his face. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Claire Monet. She just moved in next door to me.”
“Is she hot?” He smirked.
“Yeah, she is. She’s about five foot eight with long, lean legs, long blonde hair, and the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s fucking gorgeous, Christian.”
“Ask her out.”
“I did. We slept together last night. Afterward, she couldn’t kick me out fast enough.”
He laughed. “What’s her story?”
“I really don’t know much. She just moved here from Connecticut and said she needed a change.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.” I bit into my sandwich. “I don’t know, man. There’s something about her.”
“Does she work?”
“I don’t think so.” His brows furrowed. “This girl is mysterious.”
“I get the feeling you want to get to know her better.” A smirk crossed his lips.
“I do, but—you know.”
“Yeah, Nick, I know. But you have to move on. Put the past behind you. You moved here for a fresh start.”
“I know.” I sighed as I looked at my watch. “I have to go check on my patient.”
“Yeah, me too.”
We both got up and threw our trash away.
“Mrs. Troy, how are you feeling?” I asked as I walked into the room.
“So much better, Dr. Russo. The pain in my side and chest is gone.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” I smiled. “I’m going to write you a script for Omeprazole. I want you to take one pill every morning before you eat breakfast. The pain you felt was from your choice of food yesterday. I’m giving you the name of a nutritionist again, just in case you lost it when I gave it to you three weeks ago. Lay off the Taco Bell and hot Cheetos.” I winked as I left the room.
“Hey, Nick.” I heard someone behind me.
“Grayson.” I smiled, turning around.
“What’s up, man?”
“Just heading to X-ray to see if one of my patient’s films is ready.”
“I’m heading that way too.”
“I want to ask you something. I met this girl, and she said she knows you.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“Her name is Claire Monet. She said she saw you at Four Kinds last night.”
“Beautiful woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes?” he asked.
“Yep. That’s her.” I smiled.
“Yeah. Funny thing. She was one of my patients at Mass General. She was in a car accident a couple of years ago, and she came in with a broken ankle. Nice girl. Where did you meet her?”
“She just moved into the apartment next to mine. We went and had a drink at the Kind Brewhouse last night.”
“Is that so?” His brow arched.
“Yeah. Then we went back to her place.” I smiled.
“Way to go.” He playfully punched my arm.
“She still won’t give me her phone number.”
“Why?” His brows furrowed.
“I don’t know. There’s something about her.”
“You are her next-door neighbor, so you don’t need her number. Just knock on her door or the wall.” He smirked as he patted my back. “I’ll see you later.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about Claire or last night. I wasn’t looking for anything or anyone, but there she was. I still had healing to do, and getting involved with someone again wouldn’t be a good idea. Maybe it was for the best that she remained mysterious. The less I knew about her, the better off I’d be. But last night left a mark on me. It was one night I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.