“No, I just got off at midnight and I was at the market hoping to pick up a bite to eat when you fell.”
“I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I did that. I’m very sorry.” I took a snapshot of her beautiful smile and saved it in my memory. “I feel bad you haven’t had dinner yet. You must be starving. Please go and get something to eat.”
“I’m all right. I’m sure we won’t be here long. I told the ER doctors to take good care of you.”
“That was really kind of you. I would feel much better if you went and ate something, though.”
“Would you like to grab a bite to eat with me, later?”
“Um…” I heard the hesitation I feared. Before she could answer, those pesky residents called Emily’s name already. We had been there less than ten minutes. This had to have been an ER record.
I wheeled Emily into ER and saw a guffaw in each one of their eyes. There were two residents, one intern and one nurse waiting to attend to Emily and waiting to see my reaction. The staff was having a good time at my expense.
“Ms. Logan? How does this feel?” Michael began feeling her ankle.
“It doesn’t really hurt there…ow!…that’s where it hurts.” Tears dotted her eyes as Michael poked into a tender spot. She looked childlike when she hurt. Instinctively my arms went around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze.
She looked up at me surprised, and I retracted my arms. I could see the staff wanting to howl at my faux pas.
“So, Ms. Logan? How old are you?” Jeffery the intern asked.
“Twenty-four.”
“I’m twenty!” I don’t know why he sounded so excited revealing his age to Emily.
“Aren’t you a bit young to be a doctor?” Emily asked in amazement. Her interest spurred him to continue.
“I’m what you call a genius. I graduated from medical school last year and this is my first year in residency.” He had a smug look on his face. I tried to give Jeffery a back-off look but he purposely avoided my eyes. “Ms. Logan, do you want to go out on a date with me?”
Emily and I both looked at him shocked! I vowed to make Jeffery’s life miserable when he got to my department. The other two residents had made a wise choice not to say anything.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go out.” Thank God she was turning him down.
“Why not?” he persisted.
“You’re really cute but I don’t think it will be possible with our age difference and all.”
“We’re only four years apart.”
“Well you’re too young to even go and have a glass of wine with me. Plus, my ego couldn’t take people carding me all the time while you got a pass for the next decade.”
We all roared in laughter. She had a good sense of humor. I liked that.
“What about me, Ms. Logan? Would you be willing to go on a date with me? I’m off in thirty minutes and we can go grab a burger and a beer.”
“Wow…tempting but I don’t drink beer. Sorry!” She gave him an apologetic puppy dog look. Enamored with her, I couldn’t even get mad at Al for trying.
All of us stared at Michael to see if he would try.
“I guess I have to throw my name in the hat as well even though I have a girlfriend,” Michael decided.
“Ms. Logan, I’d be honored if you’d like to go out on a date with me.” That two-timing jerk!
“Sorry, I definitely don’t date two-timers.”
“Yes!” I thought. That’s exactly what I was thinking.
“Thank you all for your kind offers. I haven’t had a date in almost a year and a half. Go figure, I should have hung out in ER more often.” She shrugged her shoulders and her eyebrows arched up. “But, if you don’t mind, I think I need my ankle examined more than I need a date right now.”
Fed up and shaking her head, Linda came over and offered to put her in a private room while waiting for the attending doctor to come and take care of her ankle. I was grateful for her help.
“My apologies for those silly doctors. They’re here late all the time and they try to find humor in every situation,” she explained.
“No apologies necessary. It was all in fun. I’m flattered more than anything.” She was as gracious as she was beautiful. Emily Logan…truly, where have you been all my life?
Linda put us in a nice room and her eyes signaled a good luck sign. I mouthed a thank you. Emily comfortably rested in the hospital bed and I sat in the recliner next to her.
“So sorry about all those guys…”
She cracked up. “I hope I didn’t sound too mean to any of them. You have a bunch of cute young doctors here in ER. Are all the other departments this fun and lively?”
“No, the rest of us are old and boring.”
We laughed together this time.
“So…” I asked nonchalantly, “you really haven’t had a date in a year and a half?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s hard for me to believe no man has asked you out. Have you been hiding under a rock all this time?”
She stared at me, probably wondering why I cared. “Well, I’ve been asked out but I haven’t gone out with anyone.”