“Male, fourteen years old,” Hayes said, after flipping open a manila folder on the table. “Apparently, he was sleeping when all of a sudden, he started screaming. His parents came in to check on him, only to find him seizing.”

“So he’s hallucinating,” Goodson said, straightening her back and resting her folded hands on the surface of the table. “That means it’s neurological.”

“Where do you get hallucinations from nightmares?” Roberts asked, furrowing his brow. “Everyone has nightmares.”

“Oh really?” Goodson asked, cocking a brow. “You ever wake up from your nightmare by seizing?”

Roberts shot her a dry look and then swiveled in his chair so that he was facing Hayes. “Look, the kid’s fourteen, right? He plays baseball and got knocked in the head with the ball during the season. He had a concussion and bad vision. Simple as that.” He stood up. “I’m going to release the patient. All he needs is rest… and apparently quicker reflexes.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Goodson said as Roberts stood.

“You can think whatever you want, sugar, there’s nothing wrong with the patient,” Roberts retorted, only to run into Dr. Hadley as he made his way into his office. He made sure that today, he would be late, as per usual.

His blue eyes glanced at Goodson after hearing Roberts’s statement, and then back at the man. “I didn’t know today was Endearment Day,” he stated gruffly. “Um…” He feigned thinking for a specific endearment. “Flame boy,” he said, pointing to Hayes. “Accompany bitch and… hm.. did anyone use sugar? Oh well. No one said you can’t repeat, right? Anyway, accompany bitch and southern sugar to release the boy.”

“Why are three people going to discharge a patient?” Hayes asked as he got up.

“I don’t think he should be discharged,” Goodson stated flatly.

“Three pairs of eyes are better than one,” Hadley answered. “Especially since two out of the three pairs are biased.” He paused. “Now go.”

Goodson pushed herself up and rolled her eyes as she followed the other two members of her team out of Hadley’s office. As a doctor, she knew she had to be completely rational when it came to patients. There had to be proof, there had to be something there (unless, of course, your name was Dr. Hadley and could diagnose someone with some fatal disease with no present symptoms) that caused you to believe something. However, there were times when Goodson merely felt if something was there or not there. In no way would she compare it to Hadley’s method, but there would be some guttural feeling telling her something. Some of the times she was wrong, her feeling was wrong, but most of the time, she was right.

When they walked in the room, Goodson took everything in as Roberts began to explain the reason for discharging him. The patient, fourteen-year-old Derek Lawrence, was sitting on the bed, his legs dangling off the bed, listening intently to Dr. Roberts. His mother was pursing her lips, her brow furrowed, obviously bothered by Roberts’s decision to release her son. His father idly tapped his cleft chin, listening with more neutrality than his wife. Something caused Goodson’s eyes to focus back on Derek; his foot was twitching. Not constantly, but after a slight pause, it would move. Her eyes darted up into his face, but his eyes looked focused, as though he was listening to what Roberts was saying.

“We can’t discharge him,” Goodson stated more firmly, her eyes fixating on Roberts.

Roberts forced a polite smile as he regarded her before looking back at the patient’s parents. “My colleague here believes there’s more to your son’s night terrors than a late symptom of a bad concussion,” he explained.

“There is,” Goodson stated firmly, and then pointed at Derek’s twitching foot. “Right there.”

Derek looked down, obviously unaware that his foot was moving on its own accord. “It’s not a big deal,” the boy tried to say, but Hayes interjected.

“She’s right,” he said, sighing. “That sort of twitch is known as myoclonic twitch. It only appears in people who are asleep.”

“But I’m not asleep,” the boy said surely, shaking his head.

“Exactly,” Hayes said, and then glanced at Goodson. She was right.

* * *

“So, when’s the big date?” Shelby sing-songed as the two walked out of the hospital that evening. Her dark eyes glanced with glee, and Olivia was rather surprised that the young Chinese woman wasn’t dancing to their exit. She poked Olivia in the stomach. “Oh come on, Holl. You’re going on a date with this guy! How come you’re not even the tiniest bit excitedabout it?”

They were outside now, and Olivia gripped the edges of the hood of her jacket before flipping it over so she would be somewhat protected from the soft downpour of rain. Shelby didn’t seemed fazed by the rain that fell from the sky; she kept her persistent stare on her friend.

“Ugh, I just,” Olivia said, and then paused as the two walked toward the parking garage. “I just don’t want things to change between us, you know? I’ve heard too many sob stories about friends who get involved with each other and it totally changes them. Life isn’t the movies, Shelby.”

“Um… haven’t you guys already gotten involved?” Shelby asked her friend, looking at Olivia skeptically. They had stopped walking once they reached the shelter of the parking garage, and Olivia tilted her head, causing her hood to slip off.

The blonde sighed and glanced to her left before speaking. “I know, it’s stupid right?” she asked, arching a brow. “I never thought I’d be able to separate sex and love, but with him, I can. I mean I like him, probably more than I should, but I don’t love him.” She paused once again. “I could see myself falling in love with him…” She shook her head, abruptly cutting herself off. “I’m just-“

“Scared,” Shelby stated, cutting her off. Her eyes had widened slightly in surprise, but it was all beginning to make sense now. “You’re scared, Holl, of falling in love with him.”

“It’s like,” Olivia began, placing her hands on her hips, “you know when you really, really admire a movie star and then think they’re the greatest thing ever? And then you meet them and they’re complete assholes?”

“So you have great expectations for Hadley, but don’t want to be disappointed?” Shelby asked, quirking a brow.

“Kind of,” Olivia said, shifting somewhat uncomfortably. “Like, I have this idealized version of us and I don’t want to blame Hadley for any disappointment, you know?” This was much harder to explain than she had originally anticipated.

“You better get over this,” Shelby said firmly. “One of the reasons why you and Owen didn’t work is because you overanalyzed everything. Don’t get me wrong, he was a huge asshole and everything, but you can’t overanalyze this, Olivia. I know you. I know you’re worried that once you go on this date it’s basically like telling the world, excluding this hospital, that you are together, and once that happens, he has the power to hurt you. I get it, Holl, but no offense, it’s bullshit. Hadley is not your father; he’s not going to abandon you. Just go with the flow on this okay? Right now, you like him and obviously like the sex. That’s it; that’s all. Then, you’re going on a date, whenever that may be. Then maybe another and another. You know Hadley; he doesn’t like playing games unless a patient’s life’s on the line.” The two girl’s shared a smile, but Shelby’s expression resumed its serious expression. “Hadley isn’t your father and he’s not Owen. He’s Dr. Mason Hadley, complete asshole who doesn’t care about anything except his job and you.” She paused, and a soft smile touched her lips. “I just want to see you happy again, Holl. And from what I’ve seen in the past week, he makes you happy.” She hugged her jacket closer to her body. “Well, I gotta go. I have a dinner to plan. Vince and I are breaking the news to his parents this weekend.” With that, the young woman turned and walked to her car, leaving Olivia alone to let everything Shelby said sink in.

Leave it to Shelby to talk some sense into her.