Indelible Love Jake's Story - By D.W. Cee
Chapter 1 Who is This Girl?
Exhausted! That was the only word that came to my mind after working an eighteen hour shift. I was sure it was illegal for anyone to work so much but in these life and death situations I suppose I had no choice. This was the life I had chosen as a heart surgeon. Though, I probably would have been better off working at a different hospital. The Chief purposely worked me harder to prove to others that he was not showing any favoritism to his nephew.
Hungry. That was another word that never left my mind when working so much. My stomach grumbled from a lack of food as I’ve had one meal all day and it was almost midnight. What were my options? Drive home and stop by a fast food joint on the way? If I hit the freeway now, I should be able to reach my house in the Valley in twenty minutes. Or, go to Mom’s down the street and hope that she had food in the fridge? I decided to forgo both options and stop by the market to pick up a protein shake before heading home.
Walking in the store, the most beautiful woman walked by and I couldn’t help but follow her from afar. She turned into one of the aisles and started looking for cereal. I paused to stare. She was gazing intently at the boxes in a peculiar way. It was comical how serious this decision was for her. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her porcelain skin would put dermatologists all out of business.
There was something about the way she looked – innocent, angelic, scared? – She intrigued me. I decided to stand next to her pretending to buy cereal as well. She had no clue anyone was watching her even though I stood two feet away. Closer up, she was even more stunning.
What was wrong with me? I was staring at a stranger in the market at midnight. As drawn as I was to her I decided to go get my protein shake and come back later. It would give me some time to muster up the courage to ask for her number. It had been a few months since I’d been on a date. It’d be nice to meet someone new.
Walking past her, I noticed she had precariously stepped on the bottom shelf to reach for the Captain Crunch box located on the top shelf. I thought about getting it for her when she suddenly fell and knocked us down to the ground. She was embarrassed. I was grateful for the opportunity.
“I’m so sorry!” Her voice sounded almost as sweet as her face. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” Hopefully she had broken something so I could take her to the hospital.
“I think I’m okay. My ankle feels a little weird but I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Yes! Here was my chance. I would force her to go with me to the hospital regardless of how minor the injury might be.
“Do you want to try and get up?” I asked while holding her hand and helping her to her feet. Giddy, I felt like a boy holding a girl’s hand for the first time. Her fingers were soft.
“Ouch!” She almost fell back to the floor and I couldn’t believe my luck tonight. “I guess it hurts a bit more than I thought it might. It’s okay. I’ll be alright.” She pulled her fingers away while finishing her sentence and tried to walk down the aisle. I didn’t know where she thought she was going without me.
“Wait. Let me help you.” In two steps I reached her five hobbling steps. “Let me take you to my hospital just down the street and let’s x-ray your ankle.”
“No, that’s so not necessary. I’ll just go home and rest it. I knew I shouldn’t have been out here this late.” It was cute the way she was scolding herself. She was right, though. What was she thinking coming out here at this hour?
“Please, let me help you. By the way, my name is Jake, Jake Reid.”
“Hi, I’m Emily Logan.” Her lips curled up into the most beguiling smile, sucking me into her world. Where had this girl been all my life? Being a cardiac surgeon I knew a thing or two about hearts but I couldn’t explain what was going on in my own. My pulse beat faster, my blood rushed, and my excitement level shot through the roof. We’d barely spoken and I felt like this was the girl of my dreams – the one I would love the rest of my life. Perhaps I’d lost my mind.
Ignoring her scared look, I forced her to General Hospital and wheeled her into the ER.
“Will you be okay waiting for me here while I get some paperwork filled out?”
She nodded yes like a young school girl. Oddly I sensed through her wide brown eyes that she trusted me to take care of her. My entire being felt this wonderful burden – a loving responsibility – to make sure that this Emily Logan would be okay. I had never felt such a strong desire to take care of someone like I did right now for his girl.
Practically waltzing into the front office, I had to figure out a plan to ask this girl to go out with me.
“Dr. Reid, what are you doing back? Aren’t you done for the night?” Linda the head nurse asked.
“Yeah. I came back in with a patient. She might have sprained her ankle.”
I saw all the residents heading my way.
“Who’s that hottie you just walked in with?” asked one of the residents.
“Who she is does not concern you. If any of you as much as talk to her, I will make sure you’re doing midnight shifts in ER the rest of your stay here at our hospital.”
“Oooh! You’re so scary, Dr. Reid.” Jeffery, our youngest intern at age twenty, attempted a joke. I gave him a be scared of me look and he backed off.
“I’m going to go back out and stay with her. Take your time calling her in. Treat her like any other patient who comes into this ER. I don’t want to be out of here any time soon.” I gave them all my most serious doctor look. I didn’t think any of them bought it. Laughter erupted behind me and I followed suit.
“What’s so funny?” she asked with curious enthusiasm.
“Um… those residents were harassing me.” I smiled at my inside joke. Placing myself as close to Emily as possible, I gingerly elevated her legs and hoped for hours of uninterrupted conversation.
“Do you work here?” Her trusting eyes made me want to tell her my whole life story. “Are you a doctor or a nurse?”
I guess I had forgotten to explain to her who I was. “I’m a doctor here. I work up in the cardiac department.”
“Are you working right now? If you’re busy, I can stay here by myself. Please don’t let me keep you from your job.”
I thought to myself, are you kidding me? You would need a crowbar to pry me away from you right now.
“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 alright. 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 the 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 child-like 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 the 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 the 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.”
“May I ask why?” I asked cautiously again. I didn’t want to appear too nosy.
“Um… I’m a one man kind of girl and I haven’t found the guy I want to date. Dating around is not my thing.” She hesitated then explained a lot more about herself than I expected to hear. “I was in a serious relationship for four years – all throughout undergrad – and my boyfriend dumped me on the day of our graduation.”
I felt bad for her and angry towards this guy as tears flickered in her eyes again. Whoever he was, she must have loved him deeply if she was still hurting.
“Is he why you haven’t dated in so long?”
“Um… I don’t know if I’d say it was because of Max. It’s really more because I haven’t met anyone I’d like to get to know. Sorry. You look so tired. Details of my life must be boring you to death.” Her eyes perked up again and tried to make humor out of her sadness.
She hadn’t responded to my dinner request and I was just about to repeat myself when Linda came back in the room.
“Ms. Logan, I’m sorry but the attending doctor got called away. You’ll be in here a bit longer.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Jake?” Her voice sounded like it was dipped in sugar.
“Yes?”
“Do I really need to stay here? I feel horrible you’ve been here so long with me and I’m really tired.”
“You should be examined by a doctor.” I wasn’t ready to let go of her.
“Aren’t you a doctor? Do you not know about ankles? Is that too far down south from the heart?” With almost a coquettish grin she was coaxing me and teasing me at the same time.
Chuckling at her humor, I saw the exhaustion in her eyes and had to give in.
“Why didn’t I think of helping you, earlier? Let me take you to x-ray then bandage you up if nothing is wrong.”
“Would you? Thank you.” Her weary eyes filled with relief.
Knowing that this night was coming to an end all too soon, I silently kicked and screamed my protest, while getting someone to x-ray her ankle and confirming my initial theory that nothing was wrong with her. Then I slowly wrapped her ankle with a bandage and hoped she didn’t wonder why I hadn’t done this the moment we walked into the ER. All the residents came by one last time as I wheeled her to my car.
“Bye, Ms. Logan! Let us know if you change your mind.” They all chorused in unison
Emily turned to me as I helped her into the car and shuddered. “That was creepy. Please don’t bring me back here ever again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh one more time. I hadn’t had this much fun in a long while.
“Do you want me to drive you home?”
“No, I need to go pick up my car. I’ll be okay.”
We got to her car and I hated the thought of letting her go. Perhaps it was wishful thinking but as tired as she looked, there seemed to be a part of her that was comfortable with me – that liked being here with me.
“Jake?”
“Yes?” Subtlety not being my forte, I answered her question too quickly.
“Would it be okay if we went to dinner another time? I don’t think I can sit through a meal right now.”
My heart performed a loop de loop in response to what she said.
As casual as I could be, I answered, “Sure.” But of course, much too quickly I added, “How about tomorrow night?”
I saw her hold back a laugh. She leaned over and gave me a light peck on the cheek. Like a school boy kissed for the very first time, her lips sent me over the moon.
“Thank you for all your help tonight.” With that she hobbled out of the car. Frozen from her embrace, I stupidly let her limp to her car. Running towards her, I encircled my arms around her body and carried her off her feet. In turn, her arms folded around my neck and momentarily, I hoped time could stand still. Bodies close, face to face, I struggled to not lock her lips with mine. As I couldn’t help staring, she looked away abashed.
“Were you planning on running away without giving me your phone number?” I slowly let her go when her body pushed away.
“Oh, I guess you need that, huh? I have to warn you… I only have a cell phone and I’m not good about answering it. I respond better to texts.” She proceeded to rummage through her purse and jotted down ten digits onto a piece of paper.
“Good night or morning.” She waved as she closed her car and left the parking lot.
My eyes finally blinked long after her car drove out of sight.