Chapter Eight
Morgan
Monday
I stretched my arms wide above my head, loving the sense of refreshment that could only come from a full day of sleep. I’d spent the entire Sunday in bed, and it didn’t feel like a waste at all. Now I could tackle Monday morning with a fresh pair of eyes, which would hopefully get me through the week.
Sure, I knew taking that step into the hospital meant that I was going to have to face the wrath of Nickie for letting her down on Saturday night. I had a whole bunch of missed calls on my phone, but I hadn’t been awake enough to ring her back. Of course, I felt guilty about it, but I’d been too asleep at the time.
“Hey, there!” I heard her peppy voice calling out from behind me, putting me out of my misery. At least she didn’t sound like she wanted to rip my throat out. “I’m surprised to see you still alive.”
She breezed past me with a grin, and I had to really pick up the pace to keep up with her. “I know, I’m an asshole. I’m so sorry, Nickie. But I did come to Lights Out, I just didn’t make it inside.” I clasped my hands together in a pleading gesture.
“Sure, you did.” She rolled her eyes in an over exaggerated way. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t really want to come. It was just lucky that I had the other girls with me. We actually ended up having an amazing night in the end.”
“I did come.” I had absolutely no intention of letting this drop. “I promise. I just saw a massive fight going on outside. Some guy got beat up by a gang of about five guys, and I had to help him.”
Nickie spun around to face me, her eyes wide with shock. “You did not get in the middle of it, did you?” I could see her eyes running all over me, trying to work out if I had any injuries. “Are you okay?”
“I just... I shouted out that I was going to call the police, and they ran off. Then I helped the guy because he was so badly beaten.” To be honest, it was all a bit of a blur now.
“Is he here?” Her expression shone with happiness, like this was the most interesting thing that would happen all week long, and it was only a Monday. “Can I meet him?”
“No, I just took him home and looked at his injuries there.”
“Ooh, sounds saucy!” Nickie bumped my hip which sent me stumbling into the break room. “Did you have a long, hot, passionate night of fun in your nurse’s uniform?”
I felt my entire body heat up with embarrassment...and maybe something else, too. Maybe a trickle of lust at the idea.
I wouldn’t ever admit it aloud, but a part of the reason I hadn’t been able to get out of bed all day was because I’d been filled with amazing, sexy dreams about the mysterious Terrance. Under all those injuries, I could tell that he was seriously gorgeous and that had infiltrated my subconscious. I hadn’t really thought about anything else.
“No, it wasn’t like that. I just helped him and went back home.”
“Oh, well, that’s boring.” She pouted out her bottom lip in distress. “I wanted more information that that.”
“Sorry to be so dull. I didn’t mean to disappoint.” I rolled my eyes and sat down, taking a cup of hot tea from her. “And, I truly am sorry I didn’t come to the club.”
“Oh, you will have to come this weekend, we’re going again.” Nickie’s eyes shone again – clearly the night had been an epic one. I didn’t care that I’d missed it, though. I had actually enjoyed spending time with Terrance. “Annie made out with a banker, and Michelle got felt up by some guy who told her he was on TV. I don’t know if he was, though...that might have been a lie.”
“And, what about you?” I asked curiously, while sipping the piping hot English tea. “Did you pick up anyone?”
“To be honest, I got too drunk too quick, but that won’t happen this weekend. I have a plan. I’m going to make it my mission to get into the VIP section. I forgot this week because I spent the whole time laughing and messing about.”
“I’m sure you’ll meet your Mr. Right in there,” I teased, but before I could continue my joke, a thought struck me. There was a very strong possibility that Terrance was headed to the club, that was why he was hanging around out there. He might’ve even told me as much at the time, I couldn’t totally recall everything. It was bit of a terrifying blur, to be honest. “But yeah, okay, I’ll come with you, and I’ll make it inside this time. I promise!”
“Yay! That’ll be awesome, but I suppose we better get to work.” Nickie screwed up her nose in disgust. “I’ll see you later on, alright?”
“Yep, see ya.”
Well, that could’ve gone a whole lot worse. At least I still had my friendship in tact.
***
“Hello there, Mrs. Effy, how are you feeling today?” I smiled at the weary-looking elderly woman in front of me, trying to get her to open up. “Do you mind if I just take your blood pressure?”
As I slipped the machine up over her arm, she turned and gave me a look. “Do you really want to know, or are you just asking?”
“Of course, I want to know. Why would I ask otherwise?”
“People always do. Just to be polite, I suppose.” She sighed deeply before speaking out once more. “I’m lonely, very lonely.”
“Oh, I meant...” I really did mean physically, but if she wanted to go down that road, I did promise to listen.
“My husband died nearly five years ago, and I miss him terribly. Every single day, I miss him being there.” I gulped, unsure of what she wanted me to say. I saw death and grief every single day, but I didn’t know how it felt to have it happen to someone you loved so fiercely just gone.
“He was the one, you know?” she continued. “The only person I ever needed to be happy. People think I should be over it by now, but I’m not. I don’t think I ever will be. I just want to be with him in any way possible.”
“Oh, erm...” I had no idea where to even begin. If she asked me to help her kill herself, I’d freak out like crazy. That was my one biggest work fear.
“Do you have someone like that?” She gave me a look that pierced my soul. I suddenly felt like she knew me more than anyone else in the whole world did. “Someone that you love that much?”
“Oh... No, I don’t. Not right now, anyway.” I tried to laugh, but it came out a bit more strangled than anything else. “I’m young, I’m playing the field, that’s all. But, you know, not in a slutty way.” Shit, did I really just say that? To a patient? Was I trying to get myself fired?
“What’s wrong with playing the field in a slutty way?” Mrs. Effy smirked at me, shocking me to the core. “Before I met my Tony, the love of my life, I played the field a bit.”
I opened and closed my mouth a few times before standing up and making my excuse to leave. “Right, well the doctor will call you in soon. So I’ll speak to you in a bit, okay?”
I raced from the room and straight through the waiting area into the break room to grab myself a drink. I just needed a break – that conversation had me hot and heavy...stressed, too. What was going on with me? One weird experience with a hot guy that I didn’t know, and everything was driving me a bit wild!
I leaned my back against the cold wall as soon as the drink was finished and slid my eyes closed. I needed to calm down and start behaving like my normal, sensible self, especially when I was at work.
But the images I could see in my head did nothing to help with that...
I kept imagining what it would’ve been like to accept Terrance’s offer to spend the night with him, instead of running away. I’d wanted to. I only turned him down because it didn’t feel right when he was so messed up. And because I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression of me...
Now, I couldn’t help but wonder if being overcautious getting in the way again. My mother’s voice freaking me out. I hadn’t even spoken to her, and all I could think about was my lame, never going to happen, happy ever after.
What I should have gotten was a night of hot, passionate loving. The sort of desire that would get me through the long, lonely days that’d follow. Spending that oddly intimate time with Terrance had unlocked a desperate need inside of me, one that I hadn’t realised it was there. Maybe I could have that crazy passion, after all.
“Are you okay?” Annie, Nickie’s friend from maternity, interrupted my little self-made fantasy. “Are you ill? You look a bit weird.”
“Yeah, I’m erm... I’m fine.” Thank God she couldn’t read my mind! “How was your night out on Saturday? Nickie said you had fun. Sorry I didn’t make it.”
“Oh, were you the one that was supposed to come?” She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and brushed some mascara onto her eyelashes. “Yeah, it was awesome. Shame you missed it. There were some super hot guys there.”
“Well, I will definitely be there next time!” I sounded too enthusiastic, like the nerdy kid who wanted to fit into the cool gang. I cringed at myself, but luckily, Annie wasn’t paying nearly enough attention to me to care. She was too busy making herself look good for an afternoon of delivering babies. “Nickie mentioned you met a hot guy...”
“Yeah, he was alright.” She sounded bored. Maybe it had been hyped up for my jealousy... “But there were too many to choose from, it made it really hard to pick just one.” Oh, okay, maybe not.
“Sounds amazing.” My daydreams started again, only this time I was dancing with Terrance and his hands were all over me. He was touching me in ways that drove me nuts. “Anyway, I better go. I’ll see you later.” I needed to get out before it became visible how crazed I’d become.
As I wandered back towards my office for the day, I couldn’t stop the small smile from playing on my lips. Maybe this weekend I would throw some real caution to the wind and would just act on my feelings. If I wanted someone, if I felt that powerful chemistry, then I’d act on it...just like everyone else did.
Fuck my mother and her ridiculous notions – it was time for me to start living. I would go with Nickie on her mission to get into the VIP section of Lights Out, and I would find someone to have fun with... Terrance, preferably, but I didn’t want to hold all my hopes out on one person. I just needed this desire sated, that was all.
The thought of going out to the club this weekend didn’t fill me with nearly as much dread as it did before. Actually, this time I couldn’t wait for the week to be over so I could start getting ready. It was going to be awesome; maybe I’d even go nuts and buy myself something new to wear...