Aiden
Damn it if she wasn't beautiful and ballsy as hell. I thought shyness might be the characteristic that I would see most within her, but her picture online was a damn lie. She was a typical Type-A doctor: An introvert in any and all situations except where she was faced with a challenge or in a group of her peers. Then she blossomed. My pulse spiked each time I saw her over the next two days, and I was more than grateful for the residency having various welcome events and program objectives while I got used to the idea of her being by my side. I was going to have to start making regular stops by the bar just to keep myself in check. I'd never struggled with a co-worker before, but something told me that this girl was going to give me a run for my money.
Avoiding her was something I was getting good at, but the tides were soon to turn. The program was fully releasing the residents later that day, and I was scheduled for a surgery that she was going to observe. We hadn't spent too much time together, but today was the day to reconcile that. I wasn't sure I was up for it, but I didn't have much of a choice. The thought of stopping by to tell Peter that I was far too busy to have a resident stuck up my ass rolled through my thoughts far too many times, but it wasn't my persona at all. I could stick it through. If the girl got to be a true bother, then I could just have Parks help me out and moonlight with her in my place.
"Elizabeth." I stopped at the opening to the breakroom. She was sitting at the edge of a group of residents, methodically licking the spoon that hovered just above a container of yogurt. My stomach tightened and I chided myself internally. I was acting like a fifteen-year-old.
"Hi, Dr. Crawford." She stood and walked to the trashcan. I noticed that no one spoke to her, nor did she offer any parting words. Odd. Maybe she was a loner like me.
"How are you? Things going well thus far?" I moved out into the hall as she joined me. Her dark purple scrubs hugged her narrow hips as the top worked to accentuate her moderately large breasts. But it was the calmness she exuded that was by far the most attractive part of her. She had a confidence that drew me in, and a serenity that made me want to stay. She was far too young for me to be anything but a mentor, but I could let my mind wander from time to time. It was more than enough, and insanely inappropriate.
Her dark brown hair was up in a sexy bun, and she wore very little makeup, but she didn't need it. She was naturally beautiful, the kind of woman any man would be thrilled to show off. I was almost afraid to see her dolled up and in something other than hospital garb.
"Yes. I'm here to do a job, so it's only going to get better. Put me to work." She gave me a side glance as her lip lifted up in a pseudo-cocky smirk.
I wondered if she knew that she was a dangerous combination of sexy, smart, and cute. Doubtful.
"We have a full day, and you'll be observing, so feel free to ask questions." I paused outside of the OR. "Just make sure they are appropriate and focused on work. No asking about lunch, or my morning, or if one of the nurse's husbands is doing well. Keep that laser focus you’re so proud of." My turn to smirk.
She let out a sharp laugh and followed me into the operating room. I took a sharp left and turned on the sink, looking up at her. "Suit up, and scrub up."
"You're almost too much. You realize that, right?" She leaned over the sink in front of me, and I had to work like hell not to stare at her. I needed to figure out just what it was about her that left me wanting to cross the lines I'd laid for myself years before. Never once had I asked anyone from the hospital to have a drink with me, or so much as a cup of coffee. Parks asked me all the time, but he was turning into my only friend, and I was grateful for him.
"Doc?" Speak of the devil.
I turned my head and nodded. "What can I do for you, Parks?"
"First you can introduce me to your new resident." He gave a warm smile and walked in, extending his hand to Elizabeth. "Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you already, but the murmurs in the hall just don't do you justice."
She laughed again, and I turned to watch her, wanting to see how she fared against Parks. He was the resident playboy, and almost overbearing in his attention when he liked someone.
"That so?" She dried her hands and glanced down at his hand. "I'll shake that later. I'm not washing my hands again, and you look like the class playboy. There's no telling where that thing’s been."
"Ohhhh..." he laughed loudly and crossed his arms over his thick chest as he took a step back, "our tainted love affair begins. You got the first jab, but I get the second."
"Give me your best shot." She lifted her eyebrow, and I honestly couldn't tell if she was interested in or attracted to Parks. It was a bit annoying, but some part of me knew they were perfectly suited for each other. At least in their looks.
"Alright, you two. Now isn't the time," I barked and walked around them with my hands in the air as Karen moved in and put my gloves on for me. "Karen, this is Elizabeth. She'll be working as my shadow for the next three years. Say hi."
Karen lifted her eyebrow at me. She was too much like a motherly figure in my life. I would be peppered with a million questions later that day, and it would be best to avoid her if I could. I smiled at the thought.
"Until next time, princess," Parks called after us, and I shook my head at him. If his antics worked, then good for him, but I had a hard time thinking that a woman would fall for his shit.
"Friend of yours?" Elizabeth asked me as her pretty mouth pulled up into a smile. She was stunning, and I wanted to tell her, but I simply shook my head.
"No, but don't tell him that. I think he was calling me princess, by the way. Not you."
She laughed and the sound was delightful, warming me and calling me into a desire I hadn't experienced in a long time. I needed to know her, and to become friends. I wanted far more than that, but I forced myself not to think about it. There would never be anything between us other than a working friendship, but I could see her become the female equivalent of Parks in my life.
"Interesting," she chuckled and moved up toward Karen. "Good morning. I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you."
"You as well, dear. Watch out for this one. His mood swings are like the wind. You never know when they're coming, and they often have the power to knock you off your feet," she laughed. I turned back to give them both a look.
"Watch it." I smiled and walked into the OR to find a group of nurses and another doctor waiting for us to start. "My resident is observing today. Answer her questions and give her hell, please."
The nurse beside me pulled up my mask, and I looked over to Elizabeth, loving the challenging smile on her face. She was going to be fun. Maybe too much.