Given that you’re not in scrubs and your eye still looks pretty raw, I’m not sure you want to meet patients today.”
Rachel sighed. “There you go again, discouraging the new help.”
“No. No. I’m simply saying that I can’t take the time right now to show him around.” She gave Peter a soulful glance. “Come find me when you get back from HR. I’ll take you to the back nursing station, and you can get a feel for the area, check out the computer. Is that okay?”
There were other nurses walking around, glancing over as if they knew Peter was the new hire. “That’ll be fine, Cassie. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Doc is here, as well. He’ll be glad to see you.”
Rachel tapped his arm. “Come on. I’ll take you to HR.”
An hour later, Peter returned to find Cassie exactly where he left her at the nursing station.
She smiled when he walked up. “All set?”
He nodded. “You’ve been standing here since I left?”
She waved a hand. “Hardly. Come with me. I’ll introduce you to Brenda and Anna.”
Her perfume wafted around him as they walked side by side down the hall. He inhaled another long breath. He’d just spent an hour around three other women going through his orientation and he tried to catalogue Cassie as just another woman. Yet, why did she seem to shimmer and shine, her voice like music to his ears? He shook hands by way of introduction with the two other nurses, registered their smiles, welcoming words and willingness to help him acclimate to the department, but all he could hear, see, smell and concentrate on was Cassie.
Man. He had it bad.
Not until she walked away, leaving Brenda to show him how the computer entries worked, was he able to focus on the task at hand. Holy smokes. If Cassie continued to have that effect on him, he’d never be able to work with her as a teammate. He’d be too wrapped up in her to concentrate. Or maybe he’d get used to her in time. The infatuation would die and she’d just be another coworker. No. Maybe not.
Twenty minutes later, Doc appeared at the nursing station. “Cassie said you were here. Showing up to help before your start date is a great way to brownnose the boss. Well done.”
Peter laughed. Brenda did, too. He stood up from his seat to shake hands. “I was going stir-crazy at the hotel. Been hunting for an apartment. Got frustrated there, too. Couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.”
Doc held up a hand. “Oh, come on. Tell me you’re so dedicated you couldn’t stay away. That’ll improve your job review.”
Both men laughed, then Peter asked, “So, how’s it going today?”
Doc and Brenda exchanged glances. “Pretty quiet so far, but it’s only Thursday.”
“Believe it or not, Mondays are our busiest,” Brenda said.
“Oh, I remember well from the E.R. in Los Angeles. Everyone nurses their problems through the weekend so they won’t blow their days off. Then, Monday morning hits and the E.R. becomes jammed.”
“Exactly.” Doc waved for Peter to follow. “If Brenda’s finished with you, join me. I’ll show you the trauma unit.”
“He’s all yours,” Brenda said.
As the two men walked, Doc asked, “Did you get a chance to look around?”
“A bit. Nice facility. Great waiting room.”
“The trauma unit is state-of-the-art. Everything is on wheels so that we can move the equipment wherever we need it.” He led Peter down another hallway into a room with glass partitions that opened into an identical adjoining room, both holding a bed, supply cabinets and a monitor station with an overhead operating light.
Doc motioned to the partitions. “That wall opens in case we get hit with multiple trauma victims. We can fit up to four beds in here.”
“Looks great.”
“Rachel will get the protocol list to you. You’ll see. Our routine is pretty straightforward.”
“Do nurses work rooms individually or as teams?”
Doc met his gaze. “Usually depends on the day. If we’re crowded, we work solo, unless help is needed. On quiet days, we’ll attend patients in teams. Keeps the experience fresh and two sets of eyes can observe more. Helps to double-check charting.”
This all sounded routine to Peter. “I’m clear on that. A second observation helps prevents oversights. Important in today’s litigious world.”
Doc grimaced. “My worst nightmare. We’ve been lucky so far in avoiding lawsuits. Let me show you our new CT scan.”
Peter followed Doc to the tech room. Passing a treatment room, he saw Cassie dressing a patient’s wound. She must have heard their voices in the hall because she glanced up as they passed. Doc stuck his head in. “All good here?”
The patient, a young woman who was watching Cassie’s ministrations with concern, pouted when she saw John. “It still hurts.”
“We’re almost finished,” Cassie added.
“Sue scalded herself with boiling water. Second-degree burn,” Doc explained to Peter. He returned his attention to the patient. “If you don’t want to change the dressing yourself, come back in. We’ll help. Don’t get it wet. You have to treat this wound gently.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Doc waved. Peter followed suit. Cassie’s smile when their eyes met hit like a punch to his heart, which cinched his decision. He’d ask her out before leaving. Made no sense to wait. Just thinking about being one-on-one with her again made his pulse race while his mind settled into liking the idea. So much for backing off.
Luckily, tech-geek that he was, he became distracted by Doc’s new toy. They weren’t five minutes into checking out all the features of the CT scan when Doc got called for patient aid. When he took his leave, Peter went in search of Cassie.
He retraced his steps to the last spot he saw her. The patient room was empty. Next step would be to document Sue’s treatment. He made a mental note to recall the woman’s name should she show up next week. Nothing like fostering good patient-hospital relations with name recall. He liked doing that. Remembering names to faces was like a game to him. And, folks always seemed to appreciate being recognized. He headed for the nurse’s station in the back. Cassie glanced from the computer as he walked up before returning to her task.
“My goodness. I already recognize the sound of your steps,” Cassie said as she typed in a sentence.
“That’s impressive.”
She shrugged. “You start to use all your senses around here. Matter of survival.”
He leaned both elbows on the high counter to watch her work. “I understand.”
She raised a brow. “Do you?”
Of course he did. Not only from working the E.R. in Los Angeles, but also from listening to cars pulling into his driveway as a kid, or the footsteps on the walkway up to the door announcing friend or foe. He’d know the sound of the social worker’s footsteps in his sleep. He grinned. “Sure. I’ll tell you all about it sometime.”
She stopped what she was doing to meet his gaze. “Okay.”
“How about tonight. Dinner?”
She shook her head, an odd look in her eye. “Sorry. Working ’til midnight.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind eating late.”
She laughed. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. Another time. Okay?”
Damn. Shot down. He gave her what he hoped was a careless smile. “I’ll hold you to it.”