Authors: Hope Navarre
The woman went pale. “Oh, Lord. I had no idea.” She grabbed his hand. “Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here. You knew just what to do.”
“I'm a nurse. But this is really important, ma'am. If you wouldn't have known what to do, can I suggest you take a CPR course? You never know when something like this can happen. I'm sure Mercy Hospital or the kids' pediatrician can point you in the right direction.”
The mothers nodded in agreement. “That's a great idea. We'll do that.”
One of the other girls pointed to Peter's forehead. “What happened to your eye?”
He'd forgotten about his wound. He must look awful. “Car accident. It looks worse than it feels.”
The girl grimaced. “It looks bad.”
He smiled. Kids were so damned honest. “It'll get better soon.” He gestured to the counter. “I'm going to grab my lunch. Have a good day.”
The woman reached for her purse. “Please, let me at least buy your pizza.”
He waved away the woman's offer. “I already paid. Please, no thanks.”
He patted the girl's shoulder, noting she still sat with her head against her mother's chest. She'd had a brush with a little terror and would probably be staying away from pizza for a while. He stooped down to the girl's level. “You're fine now, honey. I know that was scary. Just chew your food really well next time. Okay?”
Jenny nodded, complete trust in her eyes. Her expression pulled at Peter's heart. Yeah. He loved being a nurse, especially for kids. Someone had to help them feel safe.
Back on the sidewalk again, his direction led to Mercy Hospital. Four days until his first day at work, but he was curious to see how the E.R. operated. Doc had told him there was a staff of fifteen in emergency, including five nurses. He made six. He'd like to get familiar with the flow of the department before starting his first day. He didn't want to admit a small part of him hoped to run into Cassie.
The glass doors swished apart as he walked into the hospital. The waiting room was a decent size, painted a soft hue of yellow with lots of natural light through the windows. Large potted plants framed the windows, giving the effect of the outdoors inside. He'd exited through the staff entrance on Tuesday with Cassie so he'd missed the reception area. The modern comfortable seating, a widescreen television, a play area to distract kids and a sign offering free Wi-Fi and laptop borrowing made the place seem more like a family room than a hospital waiting room. Nice.
He approached the reception desk, where a woman sat behind an open window. “I'm Peter Chapman. New nurse. I start next week. I was hoping I could come in and look around a bit.”
She returned his smile. “I remember you. Your eye looks better.” She held out a hand. “I'm Carmen.”
“A pleasure. So, is Dr. Bailey around?”
She hit the buzzer on a door. “Come in. He's here somewhere.”
The charge nurse with the shiny black hair caught back in a bun and a fun smile was the first person he saw.
She waved from the nurse's station. “How's the eye?”
“Looks worse than it feels. You're Rachel, right?”
“Yes, indeed. What brings you here?”
“My truck is in for repair.” He gestured to his feet. “Since I'm limited in range, I thought I'd see if I can get some orientation around the E.R. before I start work. Maybe fill out my papers and get all the red tape out of the way.”
As he spoke, Cassie emerged from a nearby examination room. His heart almost stopped in his chest. So much for thinking his initial reaction to her had been a fluke.
Her long locks were pulled back in an elastic band, her eyes bright and smiling. She wore a white long-sleeved crewneck shirt beneath a pair of charcoal V-neck scrubs. Gray sneakers with pink laces adorned her feet. A stethoscope around her neck, a chart in her hand, she looked at home and thriving in her profession. Everything about her screamed she was his version of the ideal woman. An angel and a caregiver wrapped in one. Amazing.
He blew out a breath just to make sure he was still breathing. He didn't know if he liked her better in scrubs or biking clothes. He'd like the chance to see a few more choices to round out his decision.
A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw him.
He waved. “Hi.”
She came over. Her momentary frown disappeared. “You're not due until Monday.”
“Slept most of the day away yesterday. Wanted to do something useful today.”
Rachel chimed in. “Now, Cassie, don't be discouraging our newest employee from showing some enthusiasm for his job.”
Cassie held up a hand. “Oh, I'd never want to do that.”
Something in her body language set Peter's antenna pinging. Cassie was uncomfortable, as if she were wrestling with thoughts about him. Had his flirting turned her off?
He pressed on. “I don't want to put anyone out. I know you're busy. I just thought if someone could set me up I could nose around the computer to learn your charting system, the department layout. Things like that.”
“Getting your paperwork done is a great idea,” Rachel said. “I'll take you to human resources, if you'd like. I can make sure you have passwords for the computer and for access to the supplies and meds on Monday.”
“That would be great. Thank you.” He glanced around. “Is there anything I can do to help today?”
Rachel shrugged. “I'm just about to get off shift. I can take you to HR to process you. Afterward...?” She looked at Cassie.
Cassie looked apologetic. “I'm sure all of us can show you around as we free up. Given that you're not in scrubs and your eye still looks pretty raw, I'm not sure you want to meet patients today.”
Rachel sighed. “There you go again, discouraging the new help.”
“No. No. I'm simply saying that I can't take the time right now to show him around.” She gave Peter a soulful glance. “Come find me when you get back from HR. I'll take you to the back nursing station, and you can get a feel for the area, check out the computer. Is that okay?”
There were other nurses walking around, glancing over as if they knew Peter was the new hire. “That'll be fine, Cassie. I don't want to intrude.”
“Doc is here, as well. He'll be glad to see you.”
Rachel tapped his arm. “Come on. I'll take you to HR.”
An hour later, Peter returned to find Cassie exactly where he left her at the nursing station.
She smiled when he walked up. “All set?”
He nodded. “You've been standing here since I left?”
She waved a hand. “Hardly. Come with me. I'll introduce you to Brenda and Anna.”
Her perfume wafted around him as they walked side by side down the hall. He inhaled another long breath. He'd just spent an hour around three other women going through his orientation and he tried to catalogue Cassie as just another woman. Yet, why did she seem to shimmer and shine, her voice like music to his ears? He shook hands by way of introduction with the two other nurses, registered their smiles, welcoming words and willingness to help him acclimate to the department, but all he could hear, see, smell and concentrate on was Cassie.
Man. He had it bad.
Not until she walked away, leaving Brenda to show him how the computer entries worked, was he able to focus on the task at hand. Holy smokes. If Cassie continued to have that effect on him, he'd never be able to work with her as a teammate. He'd be too wrapped up in her to concentrate. Or maybe he'd get used to her in time. The infatuation would die and she'd just be another coworker. No. Maybe not.
Twenty minutes later, Doc appeared at the nursing station. “Cassie said you were here. Showing up to help before your start date is a great way to brownnose the boss. Well done.”
Peter laughed. Brenda did, too. He stood up from his seat to shake hands. “I was going stir-crazy at the hotel. Been hunting for an apartment. Got frustrated there, too. Couldn't think of anywhere else to go.”
Doc held up a hand. “Oh, come on. Tell me you're so dedicated you couldn't stay away. That'll improve your job review.”
Both men laughed, then Peter asked, “So, how's it going today?”
Doc and Brenda exchanged glances. “Pretty quiet so far, but it's only Thursday.”
“Believe it or not, Mondays are our busiest,” Brenda said.
“Oh, I remember well from the E.R. in Los Angeles. Everyone nurses their problems through the weekend so they won't blow their days off. Then, Monday morning hits and the E.R. becomes jammed.”
“Exactly.” Doc waved for Peter to follow. “If Brenda's finished with you, join me. I'll show you the trauma unit.”
“He's all yours,” Brenda said.
As the two men walked, Doc asked, “Did you get a chance to look around?”
“A bit. Nice facility. Great waiting room.”
“The trauma unit is state-of-the-art. Everything is on wheels so that we can move the equipment wherever we need it.” He led Peter down another hallway into a room with glass partitions that opened into an identical adjoining room, both holding a bed, supply cabinets and a monitor station with an overhead operating light.
Doc motioned to the partitions. “That wall opens in case we get hit with multiple trauma victims. We can fit up to four beds in here.”
“Looks great.”
“Rachel will get the protocol list to you. You'll see. Our routine is pretty straightforward.”
“Do nurses work rooms individually or as teams?”
Doc met his gaze. “Usually depends on the day. If we're crowded, we work solo, unless help is needed. On quiet days, we'll attend patients in teams. Keeps the experience fresh and two sets of eyes can observe more. Helps to double-check charting.”
This all sounded routine to Peter. “I'm clear on that. A second observation helps prevents oversights. Important in today's litigious world.”
Doc grimaced. “My worst nightmare. We've been lucky so far in avoiding lawsuits. Let me show you our new CT scan.”
Peter followed Doc to the tech room. Passing a treatment room, he saw Cassie dressing a patient's wound. She must have heard their voices in the hall because she glanced up as they passed. Doc stuck his head in. “All good here?”
The patient, a young woman who was watching Cassie's ministrations with concern, pouted when she saw John. “It still hurts.”
“We're almost finished,” Cassie added.
“Sue scalded herself with boiling water. Second-degree burn,” Doc explained to Peter. He returned his attention to the patient. “If you don't want to change the dressing yourself, come back in. We'll help. Don't get it wet. You have to treat this wound gently.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Doc waved. Peter followed suit. Cassie's smile when their eyes met hit like a punch to his heart, which cinched his decision. He'd ask her out before leaving. Made no sense to wait. Just thinking about being one-on-one with her again made his pulse race while his mind settled into liking the idea. So much for backing off.
Luckily, tech-geek that he was, he became distracted by Doc's new toy. They weren't five minutes into checking out all the features of the CT scan when Doc got called for patient aid. When he took his leave, Peter went in search of Cassie.
He retraced his steps to the last spot he saw her. The patient room was empty. Next step would be to document Sue's treatment. He made a mental note to recall the woman's name should she show up next week. Nothing like fostering good patient-hospital relations with name recall. He liked doing that. Remembering names to faces was like a game to him. And, folks always seemed to appreciate being recognized. He headed for the nurse's station in the back. Cassie glanced from the computer as he walked up before returning to her task.
“My goodness. I already recognize the sound of your steps,” Cassie said as she typed in a sentence.
“That's impressive.”
She shrugged. “You start to use all your senses around here. Matter of survival.”
He leaned both elbows on the high counter to watch her work. “I understand.”
She raised a brow. “Do you?”
Of course he did. Not only from working the E.R. in Los Angeles, but also from listening to cars pulling into his driveway as a kid, or the footsteps on the walkway up to the door announcing friend or foe. He'd know the sound of the social worker's footsteps in his sleep. He grinned. “Sure. I'll tell you all about it sometime.”
She stopped what she was doing to meet his gaze. “Okay.”
“How about tonight. Dinner?”
She shook her head, an odd look in her eye. “Sorry. Working 'til midnight.”
He shrugged. “I don't mind eating late.”
She laughed. “Thanks, but I'll pass. Another time. Okay?”
Damn. Shot down. He gave her what he hoped was a careless smile. “I'll hold you to it.”
The sinking feeling disappeared once he noticed the rising color in her cheeks. What did that mean? She certainly wasn't shy. Hmmm. Maybe he had a chance here, but didn't want to spook her. He'd play on his need for help since she'd chided him about that the other day.
“I spoke to Mike before coming here.”
Bingo. She seemed to relax once more. “I'm guessing you'll need a ride to work on Monday.”
“Actually, the entire week.” When she looked at him again, he wasn't sure what the look on her face meant. Surprise? Satisfaction? He held up a hand. “But, I can walk if that's too much.”
She frowned. “It's almost a half hour to get here on foot from the Oceanside.”
“So?”
“I don't know about you but a half hour extra sleep is like gold around here.”
He jumped at her reasoning. He wanted the ride. “True.”
“Give me a second to finish logging this chart. We can see if we can coordinate our schedules.”