The One Left Behind (The One Series)

by Lena Nicole

  I love working the night shifts since I’ve always been a night owl, but tonight I’m starting to wish I had been placed on the day shift. You don’t see too much happening during the night shift unless you’re working in the trauma unit. At the front desk, it’s just your usual sick patients whose doctors’ offices are closed since all the trauma patients come through a side emergency entrance. Looking at the clock, I see it is twelve thirty in the morning. I sigh, dreading the next seven and a half hours until I get off.

  A short girl who looks to be about my age catches my attention as she walks into the emergency room. She has familiar looking brown eyes that I can’t quite place peeking out from beneath her bangs. She take a number and is headed toward the seating area when I call her to come over.

  “Hello, there’s no need to take a number. Everyone is already checked in.” The girl looks around at the full waiting room and walks my way.

  “I guess that’s a bad sign if all these people are checked in and the waiting room is full?” She grimaces and I can tell she is in a little bit of pain by the way her jaw clenches every now and then.

  I have gotten a lot of complaints tonight about how we aren’t moving fast enough. We are two doctors short, both of whom were called away for an emergency trauma coming in, so there was nothing we could do to speed up the wait time. The only thing I can do is apologize. I give the other nurses who work the desk a lot of credit. The patients in the waiting room are just downright mean and I’m glad I don’t normally have to deal with this.

  I brace myself for another person’s attitude when I answer her question. “Yes, I apologize, but there was a very bad trauma that came in and they needed all the hands they could get. So we lost two of our doctors until the surgery is done.”

  As I’m anticipating another attitude, the response I get is not at all what I’m expecting. “Eh, it’s okay. I just hope the people in the trauma pull through. It must be bad if they needed extra hands. I’ll say a silent prayer for them.”

  I admire the sincerity in her voice. This one patient made my night a little bit better knowing that not everyone I come across in here will be rude.

  “I’m Addison. I’ll be checking you in and taking your vitals. I’m just going to ask you a couple questions if you don’t mind.” I ask for her insurance card and other information and she hands it over. I glance at her I.D. to get her name so I can address her by it. It seems more personable to me. I want my patients to know I care about them and I’m not just here for a paycheck.

  “So Lexi, what brings you in tonight?”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure it’s a kidney stone. I get them all the time so I’m good at recognizing when I have one.” She clenches her jaw again.

  I take her vitals and ask her about her pain level. It’s pretty high on the scale and I tell her I’ll get her some pain medication before she sees the doctor after she signs the consent form.

  I didn’t see her walk in with anyone and wonder how she got here in that kind of pain. “Did you drive yourself here?”

  “No. I always try to wait it out for as long as I can before I have to come to see the doctor. My brother thinks it’s ridiculous because he’s always stuck driving me to my late night emergency room visits. I just tell him to get over it and look at it as sibling bonding time.” A warm grin spreads across her face showing the fondness she has for her brother.

  I hand her all the paperwork she needs to fill out and enter her vitals into the computer and tell Cameron, the male nurse who is working with me, I’m going to go check with the doctor for medication. He gives me a nod and I disappear into the back. After finding the doctor I am looking for, he gives me a Percocet and I grab some water on my way back to the front desk. I finally get a few minutes to finish up some paperwork I’ve been working on when I see someone standing out of the corner of my eye with a clipboard. I glance up to collect the paperwork and standing in front of me is Pierce. For some reason, I get butterflies in my stomach at the mere sight of him.

  You can hear the surprise in my voice when I say, “Pierce, how nice to see you again. Are you feeling okay?”

  What a stupid question. Obviously he isn’t feeling well if he’s in the emergency room. I really just want to take those words back the moment they leave my mouth, but it’s too late. I try to cool my features hoping Pierce doesn’t notice my embarrassment. It only takes him a second to respond to my stupid question.

  His eyebrows are drawn in and he tilts his head to the side. “Have we met before? You will have to forgive me, I have a horrible memory.” A huge grin slowly breaks out on his face, so I decide to play along and give him a run for his money.

  “Ah, I guess that is why I never got a call back from you. You must have forgotten that I called.”

  He looks surprised clearly not realizing I’m just messing with him.

  “Did you?’ he starts digging for his phone and I start to laugh. “Ha, you’re messing with me, good one. I guess it’s not nice of me to joke about your situation. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine, Pierce, it’s nice that someone can be relaxed enough around me to joke about it. So, what brings you in?” I’m curious to know why he’s here since he looks fine.

  “I drove my sister here. She suffers from kidney stones and I suffer from being her late night chauffeur.” He’s trying to play it off that he’s put out by his sister, but I see the affection he has for his sister in his eyes while talking about her.

  “So, you’re Lexi’s brother. From what Lexi tells me, she prefers to call it sibling bonding time.”

  “I see you met her then.”

  “Yes, she seems sweet, but I know she’s in a lot of pain. So I have some pain medication if you wouldn’t mind getting her.”

  Pierce takes a few steps backwards away from me and then turns around to retrieve his sister. She’s resting with her eyes closed in one of the chairs and he is so gentle to wake her without startling her that it warms my heart. He whispers something into her ear before helping her stand up. I got a glimpse of his caring side on the beach when we first met, but watching him interact with Lexi sheds a whole new light on it and I have to pry my eyes away from him. It feels like I’m intruding in on a private family moment.

  I give Lexi the medication and tell her that I will lead her to a back room to lay down in a bed.

  I turn my attention to Pierce and notice him rubbing her back to help comfort her. “If you would like to wait with Lexi, you’re more than welcome to.”

  He looks at his sister and her pleading eyes give him his answer. “Sure, that would be great. My sister gets a little freaked out in hospitals.”

  I scan my access card up against the wall and the door to the emergency room opens. As we are walking, Pierce begins to talk. “So, I wanted to call you and see how you were doing but I realized I didn’t have your number.”

  Lexi stops mid step and we both pause to make sure she’s okay. I know the pain medication hasn’t kicked in yet. I’m about to offer to get her a wheelchair when she says, “Wait, you two know each other?”

  I wait for Pierce to say something but he doesn’t answer which makes me wonder if he has a girlfriend or if he’s hiding something. I answer for him. “Yes, we actually met a couple days ago on the beach. Pierce was kind enough to stop and help me out with a problem I was having.”

  Lexi has a look on her face and I’m not sure if I should be nervous or not. “Was this by chance on a Thursday?” she asks with her head tilted to the side, examining the both of us.

  I think back to the day I went home from the hospital and it was in fact a Thursday, but I still didn’t know where she’s going with this. With slight hesitation in my voice I respond, “Yes, it was actually.”

  Lexi snaps her fingers, “I knew it! You were late to our family dinner because you were with a girl! How long have you guys been dating?” Her eyes are wide with excitement.

  “Oh, Pierce and I aren’t dating, we just met that day.” I don’t want P
ierce to feel awkward so I hope this correction helps alleviate that.

  Lexi puts her hands on her hips. “You guys don’t have to hide it from me. I won’t spill the good news to Mom. It’s just been forever since Pierce dated. That bitch Samantha really did a number on him. We never thought he would get over her.”

  I can now see why Pierce was keeping silent. Once Lexi had an idea, she clearly ran with it. I notice Pierce rubbing the back of his neck when Lexi is accusing me of being his girlfriend, but I see anger flash across his face when she mentions Samantha.

  “Lexi, that’s enough,” he says in a stern voice that leaves no room for argument. “We’re not dating, we met once. She was having a hard time and I helped her. We’re just friends. Can we please get you into a bed now?” My eyes quickly snap over to him. I wince at his small outburst and have a slight pang of disappointment settle over me with how easily he dismisses the idea of a relationship with me. I’m not sure where these feelings are coming from since I’ve only met him once, but the more I think about it the more it stings.

  I walk them over to an empty bed and get her settled in. Cameron comes back to find me and tell me it is time for our break. He asks if I want to join him but I politely decline. Cameron has had a crush on me since we were in nursing school and I don’t want to put myself in any situations that will lead him on. I have enough on my plate as it is.

  “Okay, Lexi, that should do it. You’re all set, so if you need anything you can either hit the call button or send Pierce out to go get a nurse.”

  Lexi has a mischievous glint in her eye. I’m not sure I like it. “Pierce, I’m feeling really tired. Why don’t you go with Addison on her break and keep her company.”

  Before I can say it isn’t necessary, Pierce surprises me with his response. “I would love to. If it gets me away from you and your horrible match making skills I’ll go. Shall we?” I look at Pierce and see he has a small grin on his face which shows he’s just teasing his little sister. I’m a little confused by his shift in attitude. He goes from quickly dismissing the idea of being with me to being excited to go on break with me.

  He holds out his hand and, staring at it, I replay what just happened in my head. How did I go from turning down Cameron to accepting Lexis’ invite for her brother to accompany me on my break? I need to start paying more attention. I grab his hand and turn to walk out as Lexi shouts, “Have fun kids!”

  I shake my head and continue walking. “Is she always like that?”

  “Worse, much worse. I tried to keep quiet to spare you the match making wrath of my sister but she is ruthless. Every time I have to take her here she always embarrasses me asking nurses if they are single. I love my sister and she means well, but sometimes she’s just too much.” Hearing him explain his silence at her question sends a wave of relief through my body. It also explains his sudden outburst if he has to endure this type of thing from Lexi constantly.

  We get to a sitting area by the twenty-four hour coffee shop that’s in the hospital. I get a French vanilla coffee with a sesame bagel. Pierce also orders a French vanilla coffee but with a blueberry bagel.

  “So, as I was saying before Lex cut me off, I wanted to call and see how you were doing but I didn’t have your number. So how are you? How are you adjusting since the day I saw you? Have you remembered anything?” He’s staring intently into my eyes waiting for my response.

  “Sadly no, but you gave me a different outlook on the situation and I can’t thank you enough for that.” I start to play with the bottom of my shirt feeling the need to keep my hands busy.

  Pierce gives me a big smile. “No need to thank me. What are friends for?”

  Friends. He considers me a friend. That is nice to hear I guess. I don’t know why, but hearing him put me in the friend zone feels kind of like a letdown.

  I don’t have a long break – only twenty minutes – so the rest of the time flies by. Pierce asks me a lot of questions which makes me happy that he’s showing so much interest in getting to know me. He wanted to know everything from my favorite color, my favorite movie, even my favorite superhero. He got a good laugh when I told him my favorite superhero is Harley Quinn. He informed me that she’s a villain and doesn’t count. The next thing I know we are back at my desk.

  “Thanks for keeping me company on my break. I’m sure you will hear an earful from Lexi. Try and let her down easy.” I wink at him as I nudge his shoulder. He grins, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

  “Well, it’s not her fault she’s a hopeless romantic. It runs in the family, so I better get back to her before she starts planning our wedding. But how would you like to grab lunch with me this week?” He’s looking at me straight on with a hopeful sparkle in his eyes.

  I don’t even have to think about my answer. I have a good time in Pierce’s company and it will be nice to have a friend I can just relax with.

  “Definitely, how’s Saturday?”

  “Saturday is great. I’ll see you then.”

  He starts to walk away and I realize I still haven’t given him my phone number.

  “Pierce, wait.” As he comes back to my desk I say, “I forgot, let me give you my number that way if something comes up and you can’t make it you can let me know.” I give him my number and don’t see him or Lexi for the remainder of my shift.

  IT’S EARLY SATURDAY morning and I’m sitting on the deck of my house looking at the ocean above the roofs of the other houses with a coffee in my hand. It’s a gorgeous day without a cloud in sight, which is exactly what I need to help get me in better spirits.

  It’s been three long days since Addison gave me the ring back. I haven’t looked at it since I stored it in my desk. I feel like it’s boring a hole in my drawer, but I refuse to dig it out and open up that fresh wound again. It’s best to just leave that one alone.

  Addison said she wanted to be friends, but she hasn’t reached out to me at all. Friends call each other to talk, right? So why wouldn’t she call me just to chat? Because she doesn’t know or remember you, idiot. After I give myself a scolding and take a deep breath and set my coffee down, I decide to call her.

  The phone is ringing as I begin to bounce my knee up and down nervously. I have to wipe my hands on my jeans because they’re so sweaty. I want to see her, but what if she doesn’t want to? I’m not sure how much more rejection I can take from her before my heart stops beating all together.

  On the third ring she answers, “Hello.” She says it a little hesitantly and it hurts that she’s not comfortable with me.

  “Hi, Addison. It’s Colin. How are you?” I say, trying to keep my voice upbeat and hide the pain.

  “I’m fine, just waking up. How are you?” The image of her just waking up with her hair messed up and her eyes half shut from sleep is enough to make me weak in the knees. She would always do this cat-like stretch, arching her back with a small smile on her face and her eyes closed. I really miss waking up to her face in the mornings.

  “I’m doing pretty good, just staying busy with work, you know?” She doesn’t need to know that I’ve picked up drinking as my new hobby.

  “That’s good.” There’s a long pause. God, why is it so awkward every time I talk to her? I know this woman inside and out. I know her likes, her dislikes. Hell, I know her intimately. The problem is she doesn’t remember those things about me. I have to keep reminding myself of this fact. I really hate this.

  “So, I was wondering,” I say as I start to rub the back of my neck, “would you want to get some lunch with me today? I know it’s kind of late notice and all, but if you’re available I’d love to get together with you for a little bit.” Sound desperate much? I roll my eyes at how pathetic I must sound to her.

  “Uh, I can’t today. Sorry.” Not the answer I was really expecting.

  “Oh, okay, no worries. Maybe another time.” This time, I can’t hide the pain in my voice.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to,” she quickly adds. “I’ve just alrea
dy made lunch plans with another friend today.”

  I feel a little better now, so I say, “Oh, are you and Colby getting together for a girl’s lunch?”

  Again, I hear the hesitation in the answer that follows. “Um, no,” she says quietly.

  I’m curious to know who she’s going with. It feels like I don’t really have the right to question her since we aren’t technically together, but it’s killing me not knowing. I don’t want to come across too pushy, overbearing, or intrusive with her either. So, against my better judgment, I ask her anyway, “Oh, with who?” I try really hard to come off as nonchalant and sound like I’m just asking as a friend. I’m not quite sure it works.

  “It’s just a friend I met randomly on the beach. His name is Pierce.”

  I’m clutching the phone so tightly I think it might snap at any minute. I feel hurt…no, I feel rage. I can’t even speak for fear of what might come out of my mouth. I instantly get up and start pacing to try to calm myself down. Seriously, she’s going out with another guy? What. The. Fuck?!

  “Maybe we can get together next weekend. Do you have any plans?” she quickly adds in. I wonder if she could sense I was about to lose my shit.

  I swallow the large lump forming in my throat from the pure resentment coursing through my body. “Sure, sounds good. I’ll call you. Look, I just remembered I have something to get to at the office, so I better go. Have fun with your new friend.” I try to be sincere but I can’t. I’m sure she can hear the disdain dripping from my words. At this point, I couldn’t give two shits. We hang up and I’m left here with my thoughts.