I muttered a curse as I tried to pull on my dark shoes and they wouldn’t go on easily. Did everything have to be upside down today? Was it not bad enough that Lauren and I, usually both light sleepers, had not woken up to the alarm? I finally got my feet in and I rushed to the couch to grab my bag. I looked around; the TV was still switched on and so was the fan. I went to turn them off and then rushed out of the house. The bright rays of the morning sun temporarily blinded me, and I quickly raise my hand to cover my eyes. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the intensity of the light. I locked the door and slipped the key under the flowerpot, the spot where Lauren and I had been keeping it since Lauren misplaced her key. She was the older sibling, but she was more careless about the little things. I had suggested that we cut a new key or buy another lock, but Lauren said there was no point since the key wasn’t stolen, she had only misplaced it. She was sure that she would find it. I had resolved that on my way back from work today, I was going to get a new lock with keys. I couldn’t rest easy knowing that one of the keys to where I lived was missing.
I was in luck as a taxi came down the road just as I stepped past the low white fence that framed the red brick house that Lauren and I had chosen after seeing different options that were available in the area.
“Rockland hospital,” I called to the driver.
“That’ll be ten bucks,” the driver replied.
“Yeah, sure, let’s go,” I said as I settled in the backseat.
The driver began to drive away from the road that ran past the cottage I shared with Lauren. I had been to the hospital only two times before and I had timed both trips, ending up with an average of a ten-minute drive. If the driver took the same time to get me down to the hospital then I would get there on time.
I still had those lingering thoughts about how my working relationship would be with those that worked there already. I had not had many dealings with the staff there. Until this moment, I didn’t know what the resident doctor looked like. I had only met the board who directed the hospital, the head nurse and the assistant physician that was already there. They had told me that the doctor was out seeing patients outside the hospital on both occasions.
I had stuck around for a chat with the assistant physician. He was a tall, thin fellow with a kind smile. He had come to meet me after the board had agreed for me to come on board and he spoke in a low voice.
“Congratulations,” he had said.
I had thanked him and we spoke a little about what he did every day at Rockland, and I wasn’t disappointed because it fit perfectly my expectations of what the job would be like in a small town like this. He told me his name was Garret, and he spoke to me about some of the staff who were in the hospital; the motherly head nurse, the doctor who was easy going even though he had served in Afghanistan as a medical officer and a few other people who worked there. He was beginning to talk about a funny thing that had happened in the hospital earlier that day when a call from one of the wards attracted his attention. He went off and I didn’t see him again that day.
He and the head nurse, Mrs. Hunt, were the only members of staff that I had really interacted with, and that had been mostly during the interview. Now, I was going to be introduced to everyone, and I had a nervous feeling in my stomach as the taxi neared the hospital.
I could see the hospital right ahead. It was a large white building, with beautiful flowers of many colors lining the path that led to the entrance. This would be an important fixture of my life for the next few years, until Lauren and I decided that we had had enough. It might be longer if we decided to stay here for a long time.
“Here we are,” the taxi driver announced and took a hand off his wheel to deliver something like a salute, but I was not sure what he was doing.
“Thanks,” I said. I handed him my fare and hurried out of the car.
I stood in front of the building, trying to steady my breathing. To both sides of me, people walked towards the threshold. People who needed to be in the hospital for one reason or the other, or visitors wanting to see their loved ones.
I joined them in walking swiftly towards the front door, but when I got inside I didn’t join the long line for those that wanted to see the doctor. I went straight to the office of the head nurse. She seemed to scowl briefly when she saw me before smiling widely. I wasn’t sure if the scowl really happened or if it was just my mind playing tricks.
“Come with me,” she said.
I followed her, still puzzled slightly about what I thought I had seen. I followed her to a row of offices, to one particular office with a wooden door that had a tag on it. Dr. Durham. The head nurse was taking me to see the doctor then. That elusive doctor who had been out of the clinic when I visited before. Garret had told me the man had so much to do that the board had floated the idea of taking in another PA to help reduce the doctor’s workload. Now, I was going to meet him, assuming he was really behind this door and hadn’t headed out of the hospital to see his patients around the community. I wondered what he would look like; maybe a portly middle-aged man with glasses and a soothing smile to keep the patients calm and believing that everything was under control.
The head nurse opened the door after a sharp knock, and I followed her in. I saw the doctor seated at his desk, his pen scribbling busily on a piece of paper. His glasses were perched on his nose as he peered at the old man sat opposite him. He had short dark hair that was swept over his forehead. This man was good-looking, I had to give him that. He was handsome in a way that was simple and welcoming. From what I could see, he didn’t have the big, buffed up body or the tough face I’d expect from someone who had seen military action in the Middle East, even if his role was focused on caring for the sick. I had no doubt there would have been one or two occasions when he came face to face with real danger, just like we see in the movies. Looking at this man, he didn’t look like a heroic doctor who would join in firing at enemy soldiers when the men in his side were being pushed into a corner.
As Mrs. Hunt and I entered the doctor’s office, the man raised his head and looked at us. In the moment that his eyes flicked from the head nurse to me, I saw a flicker of recognition. Then it was gone, and all that was left on his handsome face was a questioning look. He must be wondering who I was.
“Doc, this is the new PA,” the head nurse announced. “Sonia, this is Dr. Durham.”
The doctor smiled at me, flashing his pearly whites, and I felt a knot forming inside my stomach. This man looked even better when he smiled.
“Sonia,” Dr. Durham repeated as he reached out and shook my hand. We locked gazes and I saw a twinkle in his eyes that ignited something deep within me. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but he decided against it and returned his attention to his patient.
When the doctor was not so busy, we would get the chance to properly get to know each other. For now, I followed Mrs. Hunt out of the office, looking around as I tried to get familiar with this part of the hospital. I had not ventured this far on the two occasions that I had visited Rockland Hospital. As the head nurse took me on a tour around the hospital, I saw Garrett talking to a young patient. I smiled, knowing I was going to be doing worthwhile work.
“Hey, Garrett,” I called from where I stood beside the head nurse. He looked up and waved at me. For a split second, when Garrett smiled I saw the handsome face of Dr. Durham widening into a happy smile, like he had been looking forward to seeing me. I blinked and the image was gone, replaced by Garrett’s face. I waved back at Garrett and hurried to follow the head nurse on the tour.
It was time for me to go home after a not very eventful first day at work, and I was standing outside the hospital, beside the rows of flowering plants, chatting with Garrett. I had quickly found that he was the kind of person who liked to talk more than to listen, and I liked that. It was a welcome change from most guys I knew, plus I was interested in the things he was telling me since they were related to our workplace and the people there.
I listened to him ramble on about how the hospital had been before Dr. Durham came around. The whole place was at all sea, he said, the arrival of the good doctor had turned things around, and the people of Rockland were again able to get medical care without having to travel far distances.
“There is only so much we PAs and the nurses can do,” Garrett said, fiddling with the roll of black tape wound around his left index finger. “It is important that we have doctors here, always.”
It was a real shame that Garrett and I weren’t going to share the same free time like this, as once I started my shifts, my free time would begin when he started work. I would have loved to just chat with him like this after work, but I doubted it would be possible after today.
I listened to Garrett while I watched the evening sun drift slowly further into the western horizon. I had a friend at Rockland Hospital already, and I was sure that I was going to make a few more before the week ended. I enjoyed being friendly with the people I worked with because many times it helped to just be in people’s good books. There were already two among the nurses who had warmed up to me. I could explore friendships with either or both of them.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took a moment to check who was calling. It was Lauren. She had probably gotten home and was wondering why I wasn’t back yet when my workplace was closer to home than hers.
“Hey, Sonny,” Lauren said on the other end of the phone when I answered the call.
“Hi, are you home already?” I asked.
“Yeah, and I’m surprised you’re not here already,” she said. “Are you still at work?”
“I’ll be home soon, I’ve just finished work,” I told her. “What are you making?” I had heard the clanging of pots in the background. It sounded like she was in the kitchen fixing dinner.
“It’s your turn to cook,” Lauren said. “Get your ass down here already.”
From the quiet giggles that followed her words, I knew she was cooking already. I repeated that I was going to be home soon and ended the call. While I had been on the call, Garrett had whipped his phone out of his pocket and was playing a racing game.
“It’s been great talking with you, Garrett,” I said. “I have to go now.”
Garrett nodded as he took his eyes off his phone to look at me. “Thanks, Sonia. I’m sure you will have a great time working here. Have a good evening. I’ll have a word with the doc before I head home too.”
The mention of the doctor reminded me of the handsome doctor with his soulful brown eyes peeking from behind his glasses. I hadn’t really had the chance to speak to him as much as I wanted to. He was quite a busy man, and the fact that he was still in his office while I was already on my way home showed just how much of his time he spent in the hospital.
Garrett walked back towards the front door and I watched him as he took each step in a slow leisurely way. I took my eyes off him and concentrated on getting a taxi home. I had been lucky when this morning, and I hoped that I would be able to get a ride home just as easily.
I could see that a number of people were still heading towards the hospital at this late hour. I chuckled as I wondered when exactly Dr. Durham would be free to leave work. I saw a taxi moving swiftly towards me and quickly hailed it, but just when I thought it was going to stop, it zoomed off into the rapidly darkening evening. I heaved a sigh as I began to look out for another taxi. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long for me to get a taxi home.
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About Vanessa James
Vanessa James is from a small Midwest Western town but now live s in sunny California with her husband Mike, 3 kids and Benji the dog.
She’s always had a passion for writing, especially romance novels and simply love the fact that she gets to do this full-time now.
Her guilty pleasure apart from all things romance is rugby, yes that’s right rugby. Maybe it’s because she’s married to an Englishman and lived in the UK for many years.
Or is it because she can spend 80 minutes watching 30 hunks running around tackling each other?
Shhhh, don’t tell Mike. LOL!!!
When she’s not watching rugby, writing or reading, she loves nothing more than to be outside with her family and Benji creating wonderful lasting memories together.
Oh and there’s also a passion for homemade cookies, who hasn’t right!
Dr. Rock (Healing Hands Book 5): A Steamy Workplace Romance Page 11
