He smirked. “What…‘Roomie?’”
“Yes. ‘Roomie.’”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s not really professional for people to know that we live together. You need to pretend we don’t.”
“It’s not like we’re shagging.”
“Don’t say that,” I whispered.
He raised his voice a little. “Excuse me…fucking.”
“Shh.”
“Relax. No one is in the vicinity.” Simon chuckled. “Alright, in all seriousness, you don’t want me to say anything. Fine. I’ll consider it another one of your rules.”
“Thank you.”
When Simon walked away, I couldn’t help but stare at the curvature of his rock solid ass. His thin, blue scrubs left little to the imagination. As much as he’d joked about my rear end, he truly had a beautiful one himself.
One of the other nurses, Julia, caught me in the act. “Hard to focus lately, huh?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know about you,” she said. “But I find myself very distracted whenever Dr. Hogue is on shift.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. It was definitely distracting. Work hadn’t been the same since his transfer to Memorial.
“Well, he’s definitely different than the doctors we’re used to,” I said.
“He never seems to let his fatigue show, either. All of the patients love him. Seriously, I’ve seen him put smiles on the faces of people who were near death.”
I reluctantly agreed. “He does have a way about him.”
Julia leaned in. “He’s apparently not gay, either.”
“Why would you think he was gay in the first place?”
“Someone like that—a hot, single, doctor? I just assumed he would have to be gay, otherwise it’s almost too good to be true, right?”
Even though I damn well knew he wasn’t gay, I asked, “How can you be so sure he’s not?”
“Well, I heard Brianna say she hooked up with him once and apparently she’s going out with him again one night later this week.”
“Really…”
Brianna was one of the newer nurses. She was younger than most of us and fresh out of nursing school. She was pretty, and it didn’t surprise me that he was attracted to her. I truly hated that my stomach was now in knots, though, upon hearing that bit of news.
Julia crossed her arms over her butterfly-covered uniform. “Lucky girl, huh?”
“I suppose.” I needed to get out of this conversation. “Excuse me. It’s time to check Mr. Maloney’s vitals.”
As I pumped the sphygmomanometer that was wrapped around the old man’s arm, I listened to the conversation next door. A thin curtain separated me from the space where Simon was with a different elderly patient.
Simon spoke, “Alright, lovely. Here’s the deal. The X-ray came back showing some fluid in the lungs so we’re going to have to admit you.”
“I can’t stay here,” the woman protested.
I could hear her daughter say, “Mom, you don’t have a choice.” She addressed Simon, “She’s terrified of hospitals, convinced she’ll never return home if they admit her. You have no idea how hard it was to get her to agree to let me bring her here.”
It sounded like Simon took a seat on a stool before he said, “We have to get you better, Mamie. We can’t send you home like this. What can I do to make you feel more comfortable here?”
The old woman started naming a laundry list of items that she wanted for her room.
“I can go get them for you, Ma.”
“No, you can’t leave me,” Mamie insisted.
Simon interrupted their arguing, “How about this? I’m breaking for lunch soon. How about I pick up some of the items you need from CVS?”
I laughed at the idea of Simon purchasing the “Revlon Stormy Pink” lipstick and the “Jean Naté After Bath Splash Mist” she asked for.
“You would do that for me?” the old woman asked.
“Anything for you, gorgeous.”
Smiling, I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I loosened the Velcro from Mr. Maloney’s arm.
Simon, you fucking charmer, you.The last thing I expected when I opened the dishwasher was to see something jump out at me. Quickly realizing it was a mouse, I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I climbed on top of the kitchen table as I watched the little, furry terrorist scurrying across the wooden floor.
I yelled, “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!”
Simon and Brendan both seemed to appear at almost the same exact time.
“What’s going on, Bridget?”
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
Waving my arm, I said, “Stay back, Brendan. There’s a mouse in the kitchen.”
My son beamed. “Cool!”
“No, not cool. Mommy won’t be able to sleep with a mouse in the house.” After spotting it running past me again, I pointed and squealed. “Oh my God, there it is.”
I looked at Simon, who seemed really amused by my reaction.
“I need you to catch it and kill it, Simon.”
He scratched the stubble on his chin. “Per your request, I was supposed to be pretending I don’t live here…so perhaps, now would be a good time to disappear?”
“Don’t you even think about it.”
“I’m kidding. I’ll get it. But I’m not killing it. I’ll rescue it from this crazy kitchen and send it back into the wild.” He bent down. “If only I can find it.”