Page 30 of The Night Shift
Thirty minutes later, Violet found herself sat in the cosiest of cafés gazing adoringly at Gus over a steaming cup of hot chocolate mildly irritated that know-it-all woman had been proven partially right. The only thing she’d got wrong was the unilateral nature of the affections concerned, but pretty much everything else was spot on. Having a few decades’ additional life experience clearly had some advantages. Violet swirled her teaspoon around her cup and studied the face of the man in front of her, his dark caramel eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
Gus was back to his usual exuberant self. The momentary display of vulnerability as he’d entered the water was gone and he was relating the experience back to Violet now with the voice of a true convert.
‘So, yeah,’ he said. ‘By the time we got out of the pool I felt like I could have stayed in a lot longer, but you said, didn’t you, not to push it too hard on the first go. And then I did feel a bit odd in the changing rooms, really clumsy all of a sudden, could barely get the boots off.’
‘Sorry, I should have warned you.’
‘But then once I’d done that, I remembered what you’d said about not warming up too quickly so I didn’t bother with the showers in case they were hot, thought better to get straight back into clothes.’
Violet nodded, keen not to interrupt the flow.
‘And then I was a bit shivery so I guess staying in for longer would have been a mistake. Even though I think I could have, easily. I mean once you’ve acclimatised to the temperature it’s just swimming, isn’t it? And I always have enjoyed swimming– just haven’t done it for ages.’
She smiled at the way the words were pouring out of him. ‘It’s difficult,’ she said, ‘because you can start to feel really good?—’
‘A bit euphoric almost,’ he interrupted. ‘Although maybe that’s the sleep deprivation too. Sorry, carry on.’
‘And then you don’t want to get out, but you have to, because you need to factor in the duration you’ve been cold for.’
‘Oh, right,’ he nodded vigorously. ‘Of course. It’s not just the time you’re in the pool, it’s from the moment you’re standing outside in your swimwear, your body temperature is obviously starting to fall then.’
‘Yes. And I know hypothermia doesn’t usually kick in for about half an hour but if you total it all up, including the getting changed back into your clothes, then you shouldn’t really stay in the water for more than fifteen minutes. We were only in for ten.’
‘Is that all?’ He looked slightly crestfallen.
‘It’s still effective,’ she said, smiling at his expression. ‘Even if the exposure is short, you still get the health benefits if you do it regularly. Reduced inflammatory markers, reduced blood pressure, improved reaction to stress, better sensitivity to insulin. The evidence is mainly anecdotal in terms of wider health benefits like lower rates of depression, but the endocrine and biochemical changes are well documented.’
Gus smiled. ‘Sounds like you’ve done your research.’
She laughed. ‘I have read a few papers on it, yes. As I said earlier, my inner geek is insatiable, she never rests.’
‘I quite like the sound of your inner geek,’ said Gus as he lifted his cup, partially obscuring his mouth. His eyes were crinkled at the corners and she couldn’t tell if he was teasing her, but she found that she didn’t really mind anyway.
‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ she said. ‘Because I spent a significant part of my childhood feeling embarrassed by her, or at least learning that she was a part of me best kept hidden. I still don’t fully understand why. I find lots of stuff really interesting, I like facts and figures, and I enjoy being clever. I don’t see why that should bother people.’
‘Quite right.’
‘But it’s surprising how few peoplereallyagree with that attitude, especially coming from a woman. It doesn’t help me make friends, it’s fair to say. And men often find it a bit… challenging.’
‘I can imagine,’ Gus said. ‘Maybe they feel intimidated.’
‘That’s what Dev says.’ She looked at him. ‘You’re not bothered by it though? Me being a bit nerdy.’
‘I genuinely enjoy the company of intelligent women,’ Gus said, laughing. ‘I know that’s what all men say but…’
‘And you yourself have admitted that you often tell people exactly what they want to hear…’
He nodded and put his hands up in a reluctant admission of guilt. ‘I do. But I’m not in this instance. As you’ve pointed out, you don’t really mind what anyone thinks anyway so I don’t feel the need to give you a load of old flannel.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘So, I’m getting the unfiltered version, am I? The real Slim Shady. That’s good to know.’
‘I’m not quite the double-dealing, silver-tongued rogue you seem to think I am, Dr Winters.’ He was definitely laughing at her now. ‘Anyway, back to your amazing brain. Is that why you wanted to do medicine?’
Violet sat back in her chair. Of course, Gus would hit upon the million-dollar question. ‘Mainly,’ she said. ‘Although my parents are both doctors so it was always just the assumption– I got the grades and they knew I could cope academically sowhy on earth wouldn’t I want to dedicate my life to helping others?’
‘You asking me or telling me?’ Gus had leaned forward in his chair and was looking at her with interest. Her face felt suddenly warm under his scrutiny, although it may have been a result of the fire blazing in the wood-burner next to them.
She shrugged. ‘Those are very much the values I grew up with. And I talked the talk– you know, at my med school interview I did the whole “I really want to help people”thing. And I got in, although that was likely a result of my UCAT score, which’—she gave a small self-deprecating smile—'was pretty good.’
