Page 40 of It's Complicated

“Ah, young man, the longing in your eyes whenever they dart toward her—which is an awful lot—is not that hard to spot.”

I clasp my hands in my lap. “And why do you suppose that I haven’t told her?”

“It’s the indecision on her face whenever she looks over when she thinks you’re not looking, like right now.”

I snap my eyes up and lock gazes with Lori across the room. She quickly looks away and goes back to caring for her patient, but I can still spot the faint coloring in her cheeks.

The blushing sure is new.

Mrs. Parker pats my hand as she gets off the examination bed. “If you love her, tell her.”

Ah, easier said than done.

What’s the point when I already know she doesn’t feel the same.

I inwardly cringe picturing the way Lori’s face fell when she saw it was me here today and not Aiden. Not to mention how she keeps repeating what a good effing friend I am and how weird it is for us to kiss.

I give Mrs. Parker a nod while mentally shaking my head. Lori is a lost cause; she’ll never see me as anything other than a friend.

I exhale heavily before turning to my next patient. It’s a little girl, no more than six years old, with a cough and fever. She clings to her mother’s hand, looking up at me with big, scared eyes.

“What seems to be the problem?” I kneel down in front of her, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

The mother babbles on about how her daughter has been sick for a few days now, and the girl coughs weakly into a tissue.

I examine her quickly, taking note of her symptoms and vital signs. “I think it’s just the flu,” I tell the mother. “But we’ll do some tests to be sure.”

The little girl looks up at me again and tugs on my sleeve. “Will I be okay, doctor?”

I smile at her gently. “Of course you will be okay. We’re here to make sure you feel better.”

She nods solemnly before resting her head on her mother’s shoulder.

As I run through all the basic medical checks, I try to shake off the thoughts of Lori. I can’t keep dwelling on something that will never happen.

My mental vows are interrupted by the sound of Lori’s voice. “Hey.”

I turn to see her standing next to me, holding two cups of coffee. “I figured we could use a caffeine boost,” she says, handing one cup to me.

“Thanks,” I say, taking a sip. The warmth spreads through me, both from the coffee and from being near her.

She looks at me expectantly. “So, how’s your last patient doing?”

“Oh, she’ll be fine. Just a little case of the flu.” I take another sip and look back at her. “How about yours?”

Lori’s face falls. “Not good. Possible sepsis.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah, don’t be mad at me, please?” Her eyes get even bigger than usual if that’s even possible. “The medical work I can handle on my own.”

As if I could ever be mad at her. My resolution to keep my distance begins to crumble. “I’m not mad, Lola, I promise.”

Her expression relaxes considerably and she goes in for the kill, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I keep my hands to myself, I’m not a complete fool.

“You know,” Lori says, snuggling her face even more into my chest. “It’d help show how not mad you are if you hugged me back.”

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