“Boys aren’t scared of stuff like needles,” he countered.

“Boys can be afraid of anything. There are no rules on how to be a boy. I’m one, and believe me, I’m scared of a lot of things. When I was your age, blood draws were on that list.”

He looked up at his mom as if waiting for confirmation. She nodded.

“But Daddy said boys aren’t supposed to cry,” he said, making my blood boil. Shit like that really pissed me off. I hated it when people decided what or who someone was supposed to be and made others feel bad for who they were, for things like having feelings or being afraid. For simply being human.

“I’m a boy and I cry,” I said, hoping Stanley’s mom didn’t get upset with me, but it was more important for me that he knew it was okay to be scared.

“Boys can cry, sweetheart,” she told him and kissed his forehead, then turned to me and gave me a sad smile.

“So…” I said, “back to my secret. I was super afraid, and that’s okay—”

“Wait,” he interrupted. “Why do you do this if you hate needles?”

“Because I knew it would make me better at my job because I know what it feels like. I knew I wanted to be really good so I could make it as quick and easy as possible, since I know it sucks being on the other side of it. I’ve even worked hard to learn some tricks along the way. My coworkers always send me to the rooms of patients who are afraid because I’m the best around.” I grinned, and Stanley did too. “I have a feeling you’re gonna be the best patient as well. I’ll work my magic on you real quick, and hopefully, you won’t feel a thing. If you do, then I’ll have to work on perfecting my process even more, but I’ll do that if you ask. You just have to tell me. It would really help me out to know if my trick is working. Do we have a deal?”

Stanley looked at his mom, then back at me and to his mom again before saying, “I’m gonna help him out, I think. I wanna make sure his trick works.”

“I think that’s a good idea, sweetie,” she replied.

“Seriously, you’re amazing. Such a lifesaver.”

Now the pressure was on for this to basically be the greatest blood draw in the history of the world.

I confirmed Stanley’s name and date of birth, then began going through the process of putting on my gloves, opening a new needle, applying the tourniquet, and cleaning the area on his arm. As I worked, I talked to him, asked him questions—what his favorite candy was and if he could be any superhero, who would he be. He faced his mom, away from the needle.

“All done!”

He looked at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t even feel it!”

“See? I told you I had tricks. But remember, even if you had and if it hurt and you shed some tears, it would have been okay. I still cry sometimes.”

“With getting your blood drawn?”

“No, with other things. Sometimes my bestie and I, we’ll be in a certain mood, and we watch movies we know will make us cry because it’s a good way to let out emotions.” Again that was true. It wasn’t often Elijah and I got in those moods, but we did from time to time.

Stanley nodded, looking a little perplexed. Poor guy. I had a feeling he’d taken his dad’s words to heart.

“I hope you feel better soon, Stanley.”

“Thank you”—his mom’s eyes darted toward my nametag—“Danny. I really appreciate your help.”

“Anytime.” I left the room.

Stanley was the last draw of my shift. I headed to the lab and returned the samples.

“Hey, Reyes! Busy day?” Celeste asked. She was just coming in for her shift.

“Not too bad, but you know that doesn’t mean anything. Things can change in no time flat.”

“Ain’t that the truth?”

“Have a good one.” I clocked out, went to the employee bathroom, cleaned up, changed clothes, and then was on my way.

I took MARTA, Atlanta’s public transportation, from the hospital to the stop closest to my best friend Elijah’s apartment in Midtown. He and I used to have BFF Tuesdays every week—which was dinner and a movie or TV show. We still got together often, but these days, the Tuesdays when it was just him and me had dwindled to only about once a month. He’d fallen in love with a guy named Shaw, whom I used to hate but now knew was absolutely perfect for Eli. They were crazy about each other, and I was happy for them. While I wasn’t looking for that whole heart-in-eyes, happily-ever-after thing, Elijah always had been, and there wasn’t anyone in the world who deserved it more than him.

Tags: Riley Hart Stumbling into Love Romance
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