lunch tray down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.
Presley laughed to herself. She wasn’t surprised when Lucy had texted her last night wanting to know the details of her date with Ben. But Presley wasn’t about to text all the details and she hated talking on the phone. In the end she suggested lunch in the cafeteria before their shift. “It went well.”
Lucy sighed, not satisfied with the answer. “You better tell me more than that, or I won’t run away the next time I see him. Because I have to tell you, it’s pretty embarrassing. He actually laughed at me the last time I did it. It’s like he knows. You didn’t tell him, did you?” she asked wincing.
“Of course not.”
“OK,” she said, looking relieved. “So tell me about your date.”
“We went to dinner, just a local pub, had burgers and a beer. Nothing fancy. Nice and casual like I said. There’s not much to say really. We talked the whole time. None of those awkward silences that can happen, so that part was good. And he didn’t spend the entire time talking about himself. He really didn’t say much about himself at all,” she said frowning, suddenly realizing that.
“Then what did you talk about?”
“Just work things. I mean not boring things, though. More like all the changes going on here, stuff like that. He’s really smart, not that I thought otherwise. But the things he’s doing here, and the security measures he is making, they’re really good. Issues you and I and the rest of the employees wouldn’t even see—let alone think about—but make complete sense. And I do feel more secure knowing it.”
“Like what?” Lucy asked, taking a break from the salad she was eating.
“Little things. Like never having the same officer on the same floor. And never having them rotate in a pattern either. He has no pattern at all, to be honest.” Presley picked up her sandwich, took a bite, chewed and swallowed.
“That makes no sense. Sounds more like he is flying by the seat of his pants.”
“Hardly,” Presley said after she set her drink down. “By having no pattern, there is nothing that people can study and learn. It’s unexpected. Think about it, if you were a patient and wanted to steal meds, or even an employee and were going to do something that you shouldn’t, don’t you think you would do it when you knew no one was watching?”
“Well, I would like to think so, if I was going to do something like that,” Lucy replied with a little snicker.
“He is making it harder for that to happen. There is no getting used to one officer and his routine or habits. It’s always different. And I’m sure you’ve seen him around. He does rounds all the time, never the same floor, or routine, or times. Nothing. No one ever knows when he will be around.”
Lucy finished chewing. “Oh, I guess that does make sense.” She took a quick drink. “OK, enough of the boring talk. Let’s move on. Details… good details. I know he kissed you. He had to have. Anything else?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with hope.
Presley asked, “What do you think?”
“I think no. I think you are like a camel that doesn’t require a lot of water. You never seem to need sex,” Lucy said disgruntled.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Presley said, laughing. “But yes, he did kiss me a few times, if you must know.”
“And…”
“And, what? Everything about him is intense. Need I say more?”
Lucy sighed dreamily. “No. I guess not.”
“Did you guys hear?” asked Jane, a fellow nurse that had worked with both Lucy and Presley at one point, walking over to their table.
Presley turned her head. “No, what?”
“Some guy was drunk last night in the waiting room of the Cancer Unit. I think they said his name was Jake. Anyway…” She waved a hand. “Who cares about his name? He must have come in drunk. It was after visiting hours and he put up a big stink about not being able to see his wife. The officer on duty tried calming
Presley laughed to herself. She wasn’t surprised when Lucy had texted her last night wanting to know the details of her date with Ben. But Presley wasn’t about to text all the details and she hated talking on the phone. In the end she suggested lunch in the cafeteria before their shift. “It went well.”
Lucy sighed, not satisfied with the answer. “You better tell me more than that, or I won’t run away the next time I see him. Because I have to tell you, it’s pretty embarrassing. He actually laughed at me the last time I did it. It’s like he knows. You didn’t tell him, did you?” she asked wincing.
“Of course not.”
“OK,” she said, looking relieved. “So tell me about your date.”
“We went to dinner, just a local pub, had burgers and a beer. Nothing fancy. Nice and casual like I said. There’s not much to say really. We talked the whole time. None of those awkward silences that can happen, so that part was good. And he didn’t spend the entire time talking about himself. He really didn’t say much about himself at all,” she said frowning, suddenly realizing that.
“Then what did you talk about?”
“Just work things. I mean not boring things, though. More like all the changes going on here, stuff like that. He’s really smart, not that I thought otherwise. But the things he’s doing here, and the security measures he is making, they’re really good. Issues you and I and the rest of the employees wouldn’t even see—let alone think about—but make complete sense. And I do feel more secure knowing it.”
“Like what?” Lucy asked, taking a break from the salad she was eating.
“Little things. Like never having the same officer on the same floor. And never having them rotate in a pattern either. He has no pattern at all, to be honest.” Presley picked up her sandwich, took a bite, chewed and swallowed.
“That makes no sense. Sounds more like he is flying by the seat of his pants.”
“Hardly,” Presley said after she set her drink down. “By having no pattern, there is nothing that people can study and learn. It’s unexpected. Think about it, if you were a patient and wanted to steal meds, or even an employee and were going to do something that you shouldn’t, don’t you think you would do it when you knew no one was watching?”
“Well, I would like to think so, if I was going to do something like that,” Lucy replied with a little snicker.
“He is making it harder for that to happen. There is no getting used to one officer and his routine or habits. It’s always different. And I’m sure you’ve seen him around. He does rounds all the time, never the same floor, or routine, or times. Nothing. No one ever knows when he will be around.”
Lucy finished chewing. “Oh, I guess that does make sense.” She took a quick drink. “OK, enough of the boring talk. Let’s move on. Details… good details. I know he kissed you. He had to have. Anything else?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with hope.
Presley asked, “What do you think?”
“I think no. I think you are like a camel that doesn’t require a lot of water. You never seem to need sex,” Lucy said disgruntled.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Presley said, laughing. “But yes, he did kiss me a few times, if you must know.”
“And…”
“And, what? Everything about him is intense. Need I say more?”
Lucy sighed dreamily. “No. I guess not.”
“Did you guys hear?” asked Jane, a fellow nurse that had worked with both Lucy and Presley at one point, walking over to their table.
Presley turned her head. “No, what?”
“Some guy was drunk last night in the waiting room of the Cancer Unit. I think they said his name was Jake. Anyway…” She waved a hand. “Who cares about his name? He must have come in drunk. It was after visiting hours and he put up a big stink about not being able to see his wife. The officer on duty tried calming
Similar Books
