Page 42 of Doctor's Surprise Twins

Aweek passes far too slowly, but I guess that’s what happens when there’s someone you want and try not to touch.

I can’t escape her. At work, she’s there, and when I go home, she’s all I can think about.

I can’t even escape her in my sleep because I dream of her.

We haven’t touched since last week in my office. We haven’t met up again, nor have we spoken on a personal level. We might have said a polite word or two as we work together around the hospital, but we haven’t spent any time alone or said anything to draw unwanted attention.

We’re in limbo, each wanting the other to make a move.

I’ve been going back and forth on how I feel about all this. I know it’s wrong for a plethora of reasons: she’s too young, I’m her boss, I’m bitter and broken, and she’s still full of life and excitement. I couldn’t possibly do anything but stub out the fire of passion burning inside her. On the other hand, this is the first time in six long years that I’ve felt alive, and I know it’s because of her. Already, she’s lighting up my world. We’re complete opposites. She’s young, I’m old. She’s a go-getter, and I’ve beenfine standing in the same spot, doing the bare minimum. She’s hopeful. I’m hopeless. She’s light; I’m dark. I hope her goodness can bring me to life again, but I worry that my depression, loss, and desperation will only put out her light.

“Are you coming to the break room for cake?” Val asks when I step up to the nurse’s station. Ally is sitting on the other side of the desk, and when Val asks me this, Ally’s blue eyes jump up to my face.

“Cake?” I ask, confused as I look between the two nurses.

Val nods. “Yeah, this is Stephanie’s last day before she goes on maternity leave, so we’re throwing her a little party. There’s plenty of food, cake, and drinks for everyone. You’re more than welcome to join. Even grump doctors deserve something sweet.” She grins. “But actually, we’re all just hoping you absorb some of that sweetness, so it puts you in a better mood.”

A chuckle falls from my lips. “You know, I’ve fired nurses for less,” I tease.

She shrugs. “I dare you. We both know this place would fall apart without me. That’s why I’m still here and everyone else has drifted into the wind.”

I smile and shake my head, looking down at Ally. “Can you believe her?” I nod toward Val.

Ally smiles wide and shrugs. “There’s nothing wrong with being confident.”

“I’d say overly confident, but what do I know? I’m just the guy who wears the white coat around here,” I say, backing away from the nurse’s station to go back to work.

I hear the women talking behind me, and it sounds like Val is surprised by my good mood. She’s questioning what’s going on in my life to have changed me so suddenly. I glance over my shoulder before walking into the next room, seeing Ally shrug as she watches me go. She knows she’s the change. How long can we keep this up, and what happens when it’s time to go ourseparate ways? Will I be more broken than before, or will this give me the push I need to move on like Noah thinks it will?

After lunch, I move to the break room for the party. When I enter, most of the day nurses have just clocked out and the evening nurses have just clocked in. The nurses coming on quickly grabbed plates of food and cake and rush out to eat between patients. The day shift is off the clock and able to sit, relax, and talk while they eat, and Ally is one of them.

When I walk into the room, I see her immediately without having to scan the room. As badly as I want to walk over to her, I know I can’t. I have to play it cool so nobody picks up on anything. Instead, I move to the opposite side of the room and pour a glass of iced tea.

“Dr. Cole, thanks for coming.”

I turn to find Stephanie. “I couldn’t let you take off without a proper goodbye.” I set my glass down on the counter. “I don’t know if you’ve had a baby shower, but I did want to give you a small gift as a token of my appreciation.” I pull out an envelope from the pocket of my lab coat. “I know you’re taking maternity leave, and this time is important to building a relationship with your new child, but don’t forget that your baby is nothing without well-cared-for parents. A child can’t thrive unless it’s shown how to, and that starts with taking care of you.”

She takes the envelope with a smile. “Thank you, Dr. Cole,” she says opening it.

“What did you get?” Val asks from a few steps away.

Stephanie opens the envelope and pulls out the certificate. She gasps as she reads over it. “It’s a trip to a luxury hotel and spa upstate.”

I nod. “That’s right. And I hear that they have an amazing nursery for children while mom is getting pampered.”

“This is so amazing. Thank you, Dr. Cole.” She leans in, awkwardly hugging me. “I’m going to call my husband to tell him!” She rushes from the room.

“That’s a really great gift, Dr. Cole,” Val says.

I grab my tea and take a drink, waving off her praises.

“And to think, the only thing I got her was this cake.” She laughs and several others join in.

Noah comes into the break room. Apparently, he wasn’t invited to the party, because he looked around in confusion before moving toward me. “What’s going on in here? You having a party?”

“It’s not my party,” I tell him. “It’s a little get-together for one of the nurses who’s going on maternity leave.”

“Ahhh. Oh, cake. Can I have some?”

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