Sweet Nothing(10)

“Jesus, Deb. You’re going to get written up again.”

“My shit shoe could end up under your pillow tonight. I have a key to your apartment. Hey,” she said, pointing at my head. “You’ve been doing that a lot today. What’s up with that?”

I dropped my fingers from my temple. “Just getting a headache. It’s nothing. I’ll take something when I get home. C’mon, we’re clocked out. I already feel bad that you came in on your night off. Let’s get the hell out of here before a code comes in.”

She followed me out of the women’s locker room and into the hall. I waved to the night shift, pausing when Dr. Rosenberg gestured for me to wait.

“A … he’s going to ask you to marry him,” Deb whispered as he approached.

“Shut up,” I said through my teeth.

“B … he’s going to say that he likes your tits in that scrub top all romantic-like and shit.”

“I will punch you in the vagina,” I hissed just as the doctor came closer.

“On your way out, ladies?” Dr. Rosenberg asked.

“C …” Deb began.

“See?” Dr. Rosenberg repeated, blinking his fantastically long eyelashes. His eyebrows pulled in, forming twin lines between them.

“C. diff,” I blurted out. “She was wondering if that last patient has tested positive for C. diff.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t need the results to know it’s negative. It has that unique smell and—”

“Weird pillow talk,” Deb muttered.

“Pardon?” Dr. Rosenberg asked.

I said the first thing I could think of. “She said we’re going to walk. To her car. She’s giving me a ride home. Did you need something before we leave, Doctor?”

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a vehicle. I hope you have insurance.”

Deb opened her mouth again, but I elbowed her hard in the ribs.

She yelped and rubbed her side, frowning at me.

Dr. Rosenberg watched our exchange with curiosity, but he continued, “My commute took twice as long because of the construction on I-95 North. If you’re going that way, you might want to find an alternate route.”

Deb chuckled. “You live in Alapocas, right, Doc?”

He smiled warmly. “I do, Hamata.” He looked down, embarrassed. “I didn’t realize that was common knowledge.”

“Yeah … we’re RNs,” she said. “We drive up I-76 West to our shithole apartments, but the traffic is clear, so there’s that.”

“Well,” Dr. Rosenberg said, amused. “Enjoy your night, then. Good night, Avery.”

I nodded. “Good night, Doctor.” I turned on my heels, stiffening when Deb hooked her arm around mine. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you …” I chanted all the way down the hall.

“He is going to be thinking about you while bathing in his champagne-filled bathtub tonight, so you can’t be too mad at me,” she said, chuckling.

“No, he’s not. He’s going to be thinking husband things because he’s married, and you’re an * for plotting things like that.”

“I’m not plotting. I’m pulling the strings of your life like a puppeteer because it amuses me.”

“Your honesty is my favorite thing about you, but it also makes me want to squeeze your throat between my hands until your eyes bulge. Just a little. Not a lot.”

She tightened her grip on my arm. “Aw. I love our little talks.”

A blue blur rushed around the corner, nearly knocking me to the floor. Hot liquid instantly soaked my scrubs and splashed up my neck and down my arms. I held my hands out to my side, in shock.

“Oh, Christ,” Josh said, holding his nearly empty Styrofoam cup of coffee. “I’ll go find some cold water. Did it burn you?”

“Yes, the boiling-hot coffee is burning my flesh, Captain Obvious,” I said, feeling the dark liquid drip from my jaw.

Raising his chin, he sniffed the air before his face twisted in revulsion. “What’s that smell?”

“Be right back,” Deb said, rushing down the hall and through an unmarked door. I shook my head, trying not to laugh at the thought of her shit shoe.

Josh barely glanced down at the stain on his own shirt and cargo pants before looking around, desperate to find something to wipe his coffee off my scrubs. The heat was already subsiding—hospital coffee was rarely hot enough to scald. He resorted to using his hands, clumsily brushing his fingers over my stomach, arms, and breasts. It was more awkward than getting felt up by Bobby Lawson in the tenth grade.

I tried to turn in an attempt to deflect the impromptu pat-down. “It’s okay, really, I—”

“This coffee was meant for you … Not exactly like this, though,” Josh said, ignoring my efforts to stop him. He used his thumb to gently brush my wet chin as he looked down into my eyes. He sighed, frustrated.

“W-what? I … um.” I swallowed. “I guess this is my fault?” I asked, still trying to sound tough while completely captivated. Dr. Rosenberg had an effect on me, but he’d never looked at me the way Josh was at that moment. It was a combination of awe, anticipation, and regret. Being that close to him, it became very clear why all the nurses melted in his presence.