Chapter Twelve
Reese
“This is the biggest clean supply room we have,” Charlie, my preceptor for the day, said as he showed me a large closet right across from the charge nurse’s station. “If you need ortho supplies, those are in a separate room.”
I walked through the main supply closet, trying to memorize where everything was.
Luckily, most items were labeled on the shelves, and the supplies were separated into specific categories.
I once worked at a hospital that just randomly shoved supplies in, and I always needed a buddy to help me find what I was looking for.
“On this back wall is where you’ll find all the sterile kits you will need. There are chest tube kits, central line kits, and lumbar puncture kits right here.” Charlie led me to the very back of the closet.
I tried my best to listen to everything closely, mostly because I was only going to have two more shifts before I was on my own, but my mind kept drifting to yesterday and a particular yellow house.
I needed to focus.
We left the clean supply room and returned to our pod. It was 9:00 AM, and we only had two patients. Both were women in their twenties with a chief complaint of abdominal pain. We’d already gotten IVs on both, sent down blood work, medicated them, and were waiting for results.
I sat at the nurse’s station and documented my earlier assessments. Charlie was chatting with the other nurse at our station, a guy named Stewart, about how ‘freaking sick the swells’ were this weekend at the North Shore.
I tried to stay focused on my tasks, but the Iona house was all I could think about. Hanging out with Kelly’s family had turned out to be more effortless than I had imagined. After my nerves had eased, I found myself actually enjoying myself.
Kelly’s family was the opposite of mine.
They were loud and passionate, and you could tell how close they all were.
I was used to strict order and numerous rules that had to be followed.
I couldn’t fathom the idea of cussing in front of my parents, let alone shaving someone’s eyebrows off.
I found the whole affair thrilling. Even Kalani, after all the drama, had kissed everyone goodbye.
But it wasn’t just Kelly’s family I couldn’t get off my mind.
It was that kiss.
All previous experiences paled compared to that kiss.
I’d had actual sex that didn’t live up to the electricity of that kiss.
I could still feel the way Kelly’s body had pressed against mine.
How soft his lips had felt against my own.
The world had melted away, and it was truly just Kelly and me at that moment.
I had been hesitant at first, even nervous about kissing Kelly for the first time, especially in front of his family. But as soon as his lips touched mine, I knew I was in trouble.
It was official: I had a crush on my fake boyfriend.
Yes, Kelly was handsome, charismatic, and funny.
But I couldn’t get any more attached to him.
When my contract was up, I’d have to leave him behind, and I sure as hell didn’t need to be thinking about all the amazing kisses I was going to miss out on.
Even though Kelly swore he hadn’t had a girlfriend in years, I could tell he’d had plenty of practice with other women. Just thinking about it made me feel jealous, which was completely outrageous because I had no claim on the man.
I was just an ordinary woman helping a ridiculously handsome guy avoid the hordes of women who wanted him, and in return, I got to have a personal guide to the island. That’s exactly how this relationship was going to stay.
After dinner, he’d driven me home silently. It had been quiet in the car, but a comfortable quiet. There was a buzz in the air as neither of us talked about the kiss. It was like a silent agreement that it was great, but we shouldn’t—no, couldn’t—let it happen again.
“Hey, Topanga,” Charlie said, snapping my attention straight back to him at the mention of my legal name. I had already told him three times that I preferred to be called Reese, but it didn’t seem to stick. “When do you like to take lunch?” he asked, glancing at his watch.
It was now only 10:30 AM, way too early for lunch, especially when you clocked out at 7:30 PM. “I usually go sometime around 1400,” I said, using the standard military time that was the norm among healthcare workers. “But I’m flexible,” I added as I saw his face tense.
“Oh wow, 1400 is kind of late for me. I like to go early. Do you mind if we go in about half an hour?” He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his short brown hair, and smiling sweetly at me as he winked.
Charlie was wearing a pair of black scrubs that stretched almost too tightly across his biceps.
Not in a ‘he’s super fit’ way, but more in a ‘he should wear one size up’ kind of way.
The scrubs were a popular, expensive brand.
He had pale blue eyes and dimples on both sides when he smiled.
I had noticed right away that Charlie was attractive, and it was clear as we walked around this morning that he was well-liked.
A week ago, I might have thought more of him, but I couldn’t get a different pair of blue eyes out of my mind.
“Let’s meet in the middle,” I said, catching him off guard as his smile faltered just the slightest bit. “How about we go at 1230?”
It was clear that Charlie usually got what he wanted from women. “I guess that could work,” he said flatly.
“And Charlie,” I tried to keep my annoyance at bay, “I go by Reese, remember?”
Stewart cackled and slapped Charlie on the shoulder. Charlie’s smile was long gone. “I’m sorry! You should go get your badge changed.” He crossed his arms like a child, making his scrubs stretch within an inch of their life.
“Or you could just remember that her name is Reese,” Stewart laughed. Stewart looked to be in his forties and was sporting a gold wedding band. His black hair was buzzed close to his scalp. “I’ve got some tape we can use to cover the name,” he offered.
I smiled in gratitude as my phone buzzed. I couldn’t even help the huge smile that formed at the sight of Kelly’s name.
Kelly: Are you free on Saturday? I promise no one will lose their eyebrows this time.
Me: I don’t know if you can make promises like that. I think the risk of losing an eyebrow is a constant threat.
Kelly: I promise not to shave off your eyebrows...on purpose.
Me: Much better.
Kelly: So, you’re free then?
Me: Sure. I can pencil you in.
Kelly: It’s a date ??
I stared at the words and couldn’t help the fluttering in my stomach at the idea of seeing him again soon.
“Who are you texting?” Charlie asked, rolling his chair closer to glance at my phone.
“No one.” I pushed my phone back into my pocket, like a teenager who got caught texting at dinner.
“You can trust us, Reese,” Charlie said as he exaggerated my name.
“Are you guys picking on the new traveler already?” A female voice came from behind me.
I turned to see a short woman with bleached blonde hair, her dark black roots showing.
Her hair was perfectly curled and fell to the small of her back.
She had a full face of perfectly applied makeup, and she was wearing tight, hot-pink scrubs that accentuated her petite shape.
She looked like a nurse version of Barbie.
I subconsciously fidgeted with the hem of my old but favorite olive-green scrubs. I was excited to hear that this hospital allowed staff to wear any color scrubs they wanted. Many hospitals require different specialties to wear specific colors.
“Hi,” I waved from where I was sitting. “I’m—”
“Topanga?” She cut me off, reading my ID badge.
“She goes by Reese.” Charlie scooched his chair closer until our legs were almost touching. I felt uncomfortable by his sudden proximity.
Charlie and Nurse Barbie were having a silent face-off. I tried to read her ID badge, but her hair was covering it.
Instead, I stood, happy to leave Charlie behind, and towered over the petite nurse. “I’m Reese. It’s nice to meet you.” I extended my hand to her.
She grabbed it gingerly and gave me the world’s saddest and weakest handshake. My stepfather would have torn her to pieces.
“I’m Alana,” she said, giving a million-dollar smile. “Sorry about the name mishap, I was just—”
“Reading my badge,” I finished for her. “Topanga is my legal name, but I’m trying to get my badge fixed.” I had received an email from the manager saying they were working to get it changed. In the meantime, all my notes in the hospital system were being signed ‘Topanga R. Phillips, RN.’
“I’ve never heard the name Topanga before.” Her chocolate brown eyes blinked with heavy fake lashes. “What nationality is that?”
“You’ve never watched Boy Meets World?” Stewart asked incredulously.
“Never heard of it.” Alana shrugged. “We didn’t watch a lot of movies when I was a kid.”
“It’s not a movie. It’s a freaking awesome TV show,” Stewart argued.
“Must have been before my time. Anyhow, are you named after Reese Witherspoon?” she asked sweetly, but there was something in her voice that felt like snake venom.
“Nope,” I tried to say, easy breezy, but I didn’t feel like discussing this with her.
“This one is quite the talker,” Alana said sarcastically. Charlie snickered from behind me.
One of my patients’ call lights chimed, and I happily took the escape. I left without acknowledging any of them.
After helping my patient to the bathroom, I returned to find Alana and Stewart nowhere in sight, and Charlie was twirling his thumbs together at the desk. I sat back down and checked the computer to see if any new patients had checked in.
“What do you like to do for fun?” Charlie asked, scooting closer to me again.
“I really like hiking,” I said, not making eye contact as I scrolled through and saw the lobby was empty.