***
"Why do you let him talk to you like that?" Jackie walked beside me as we finished making our rounds together.
"What exactly am I supposed to say? I did ask for help on watching my weight." I put my hands on my hips and tried to keep my voice down.
"Helping someone with their diet is different than demeaning them. You don't even need to be on a diet. You look great, Dana. So you have curves... kick-ass awesome. Most men would love to latch on to your hips or your ass while fucking you half the night. Don't you know how this works?"
Heat burned my neck and face as a group of doctors walked through the hall, the youngest-looking one turning to look over his shoulder and smile.
"Ahh... you're so fucking embarrassing." I ran my hand over the top of my hair and tried to think of some way to get away from her. I loved Jackie like a sister, but she was far too open for me. My family was close, but we didn't talk about intimate things - ever.
"Dana! They need an extra set of hands in the ER. Go. Now." One of the older nurses, whose name I couldn't remember to save my damn life, yelled from the nurses’ station at me.
I turned and jogged toward the stairs instead of the elevator. Seven flights of stairs later, I was sucking wind like a freight train going uphill. I forced myself to jog toward the ER and swallow my need to lay down and beg for an oxygen mask. Cameron was right about one thing... I did need to get in better shape. Not for the way I looked, but for my job.
"Are you Dana?" A nurse jogged past me, not stopping to confirm the answer to her question.
"Yes." I turned and picked up my walk to a run to keep up with her.
"Good. Second room on the left. Public bus got flipped over in an accident. We have about thirty injured. We just need extra hands on deck. Assist Dr. Parks with anything he needs." She moved down the hall as I stopped and ducked into the OR room.
The handsome young guy washing his hands furiously glanced up and smiled. "Dana?"
"Yes, Sir." I moved up beside him and washed my hands as well. "I'm just an intern."
"Well, today you're going to be just a doctor’s extra hands like any great nurse would be. That sound good?" His smile was contagious, and I could see why Jackie was so ga-ga over him. He was sexy in a playboy way, but his warmth radiated around the room.
"Anything you need." I nodded, washed my hands and helped him with his gloves before we moved into the operating room.
"Great answer." He moved to the other side of the body on the table and started barking out commands. I moved to the sound of his voice, the message in his directives. Everyone did. He worked efficiently, and within a matter of minutes had multiple repairs done to the woman below us.
He glanced up and winked at me. "You ready for the next one?"
"Am I with you for the rest of the day?"
"Yep, and I bite, so watch out, okay?" He chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile. Maybe New York was a good move for Jackie, hell, maybe it was a good move for me.
"Don't make promises you don't keep." I went for ballsy and followed him and two other nurses out into the wash room. After scrubbing down, we reloaded for the next person that got brought in.
"Are you studying to be a nurse or doctor?" He glanced up and lifted his hands toward me. I helped him get into a new pair of gloves and followed him back into the room.
"A nurse for now. I'm graduating with a double major. Two bachelors next May."
"Which two." He turned to the nurse on his left and barked out several orders. The room exploded with movement, but he kept his voice steady, his eyes on the dying man beneath us.
"Business and nursing," I murmured and watched in awe as he worked with incredible precision.
"Why both?" He glanced up and back down. Jackie hadn't been joking about how sexy the man was, though that wasn't what drew me to him at all. Sexy was everywhere, but the way he spoke to me like I mattered, like I was somebody... it was beyond attractive. I paid attention and realized that he did that with everyone in the room. Everyone was someone to him.
We finished up and scrubbed out one more time before walking into the hall. He patted my back and smiled down at me.
"Great job today. Did you see the way I patched up that tight curve in Mr. Sanders’ neck?"
"Yes. I don't remember seeing that stitch in school."
"No, you wouldn't unless you go to med school, which you should. You weren't fazed by anything in there today."
"Why should I be?" I lifted my eyebrow.
He chuckled and crossed his arms over his thick chest. "You shouldn't, but most nursing students are. The resident cardiologist told me that you're his top intern. Ever think about moving to New York?"
"Not until today." I laughed, deciding to leave shy at the door. I wanted a different future, a better one.
"Great answer. I'll give you my card before I go. You decide to head up that way, and I expect a call, all right? Deal?" He extended his hand.
"Deal." I shook it and watched him walk toward the cafeteria. Maybe Jackie and I could go up there together after college and share an apartment. Maybe med school wasn't just a pipe dream, but something I could reach for. Maybe, but probably not. I'd need lots of emotional support, which I didn't have anywhere in my life.
"Get over yourself," I mumbled and walked toward the elevator, letting the high dissipate before I resumed my normal course of business.