Selfless Hero

As we reached the park, I looked around, checking to see that the area was empty, as it usually was during this time of evening. Seeing that no one else was near, I unhooked Lulu from her leash so that she could walk around freely and do her business.

“There you go, girl,” I said. She wagged her tail and happily trotted off, while I took a seat on the bench, careful to keep my eye on her nonetheless, just in case someone happened to cross our path.

Although Megan had claimed I’d just gotten the wrong impression of Dr. Lewis, I wasn’t so sure. She had blamed his biting personality on the fact that he was ex-military, but that excuse didn’t work for me. I had an uncle who’d been in the army which was part of what made me want to become a military nurse in the first place. My uncle was rigid, but stoic and noble; I had a hard time imagining those traits in Dr. Lewis.

I sighed, already not liking how much of my mind Dr. Lewis was occupying after just one day of knowing him. I hated people judging me for my looks, so it certainly didn’t sit well with me that I was being such a sucker for a handsome face. Yet, even as that thought

crossed my mind, I recalled how it had appeared that Dr. Lewis hadn’t been able to resist peeking at my chest. The thought brought a flush to my face.

Right on time, Lulu trotted back to me. I hooked her leash back on and we set off for our run back home. I even managed to push thoughts of Dr. Lewis from my mind, at least until I went back home to take a shower where I unfortunately started imagining him in there with me…

“Kylie, you seriously need help,” I told myself in the foggy bathroom mirror.

Or to at least think about what Megan said and give him another chance, a voice in my head counter-argued. Everyone is prone to having a bad day every once in a while.

CHAPTER 6

Max

If I’d thought day two of working the day shift was going to get easier, I was terribly mistaken, which became evident when the gaze of a seven-year-old girl made me sweat. I squirmed in my chair as she unflinchingly stared at me.

Her mom had stepped out to take a phone call that was lasting far too long. I didn’t have kids of my own, so I tried to refrain from judging parents too harshly. Yet, some of them really threw me for a loop. This little girl was sick and had a terrible fever, yet her mother saw it more important to put me on hold so that she could run her mouth on the phone. Not only was this rude, for I could be needed for another patient at any moment, but it also seemed careless. I drummed my fingers on my knee as the girl continued to stare at me.

“What’s your name again?” I asked.

The girl blinked with her peaky eyes. “Raya.”

“Raya. Right. Such a pretty name.”

“Then how come you couldn’t remember it?”

It was my turn to blink. Little smart-ass, I thought to myself. I forced a smile. “Because it’s really early and I should still be sleeping.”

“It’s not early. This is what time I go to school.”

“Well, I haven’t been in school for a very long time, so this hour just isn’t practical for me.”

“How old are you?”

“Old.”

“How old is old?”

“Grown.”

The girl folded her little arms across her chest.

I was reminded of yet another reason I preferred the night shift; I was no good at working with or entertaining children; they were few and far between during the night shift.

I sighed. “So…do you like stickers, Raya?”

“What kind of stickers?”

“Well, let’s see what we can find here.” I stood from my seat, trying to recall where I’d seen the nurses retrieve stickers from. I knew a stash was kept somewhere in the examining room for the children that came in. I had never needed to find the stash before though, so I’d never really paid attention to it.

“Where’s Mommy?” the girl asked in a slightly sad tone.

My thoughts exactly. “I’m sure she’ll be back any moment now.” I paused in my search for the elusive stickers and glanced back at the girl. Tears streamed down her face. Upon finding me looking at her, she hastily wiped her eyes.