Page 21 of Storm Bound
“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve worked with him for the last three months, and I’ve seen the man in action. Anyway, let’s hope everything goes smoothly. And don’t worry, I’ll talk you up to all the patients, so there shouldn’t be any nagging,” she said.
Charlie huffed.
“People love to complain,” he explained when we both turned to look at him.
“Don’t I know it,” Ava said and pivoted around herself. “Right. Tour. Quickly. Well, obviously this is the hallway and the waiting room is this way.” She pointed to an open arch on her right. “Your office is that way, Doctor.”
She walked further down the corridor and opened the door to my uncle’s office. It was spacious with an ancient computer, some files on the desk, and layers of dust on the other surfaces. A set of sliding doors led to the examination room that was, thankfully, far more sterile.
“How come his office is so dirty? Has he been gone a while?” I asked Ava.
“Oh, no. He was here on Friday. He just spends most of his days in the examination room or on call, so he told the cleaner to stop bothering with his office. He didn’t want to spend the extra money,” she said.
Charlie cocked his head and then looked at me when my huff came out louder than I meant it.
“Can you ask the cleaner tostartbothering with the office again? And, in fact, every room in here should be spotless every day. We deal with infections, diseases, bacteria, and God knows what else. There’s no excuse for the sloppiness. And I mean that for my uncle. I know it’s not your fault,” I said, and Ava nodded with a big smile.
She proceeded to show us the other rooms. The kitchen in the back. The second treatment room that also had an office for Charlie.
Once our tour was done, I knew I had a gem on my side. Ava was smart, independent, and funny when appropriate. I still wanted to check her credentials, make sure she wasn’t underutilized, but if she was anything like my first impression of her, then she and I were going to get along.
I walked into the dusty office and looked around. I wanted to get ready before the first patient arrived, but I couldn’t find the stomach to do it in my uncle’s office. I walked into the treatment room instead, put my medical bag on a table in the corner, and took out my white coat.
Time to get to work.
“Oh. Hey. Sorry,” Charlie said behind me, and I turned to find him in the middle of the treatment room with a pair of scrubs in his hands. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Do nurses wear scrubs in small towns?” I asked him, trying to make a joke, but he didn’t laugh. To be fair, I didn’t make it sound like a joke, either.
He shrugged. “Don’t care. I’m not getting blood, puke, or fluids on my clothes. Anyway, I’ll get changed in my office, I guess.”
He turned to leave but stopped.
“Hey… are we okay?” he asked.
“Y-yeah. O-of course,” I said.
“Are you sure? You look like… you’re not happy being around me,” he said.
I closed my eyes and put a smile on my face. It wasn’t entirely fake. But it wasn’t real, either. I’d love nothing more than to be with him and figure out where and how far it could take us, but it’d be wrong. I certainly didn’t want to take advantage, and I couldn’t shack up with my nurse on day one.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. We’re okay,” I said and looked at him, hoping he couldn’t read my thoughts like Caleb could read emotions in Cursed Hearts.
He left the room to change into his scrubs and when he returned, I found it impossible to take my eyes off him.
“A-are you ready, Charlie?”
Charlie bit his lip and opened the doors to the waiting room where our first patient was already there waiting, and another one was just sitting down with a younger child by their side.
For the rest of the day, I didn’t really get an opportunity to think about Charlie and our situation. We were both really busy not only treating patients but also getting them to trust us. Me more than Charlie.
It seemed most people knew him, or of him, at least. And from the conversations he’d had, I found out he hadn’t been living here since he left for college, but apparently his grandma, or Yaya as he tended to call her, had informed everyone of her grandson’s arrival back at Cedarwood Beach.
I also found out he was Greek American even though he looked nothing like your typical Greek guy. He was blond with green eyes, and his complexion was quite fair. There was so much more to him that I didn’t know already, and a part of me wanted to fuck it all and unpick it, but the other part of me was sad because I couldn’t do that.
At around six in the evening, we had finished with all our patients, and Ava came in asking if she could go home.
“Sure. Of course you can. Y-you can, too, Charlie. I-I’ll finish up in here,” I said.
