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Authors: Tanya Goodwin
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couldn’t help but listen to the nurses chatting behind their bathroom stall doors.
“Have you checked out that hot new surgeon, Noel Shepherd?”
“Yeah. I saw him at the Christmas party, and today I stood in line with him at the cafeteria. I was about to give him my phone number, but Ashley from ICU beat me to it. She told him that we’re all going for drinks a Callahan’s tonight and invited him to come along.”
“Hey, fair game. He’s single.”
“I hear he’s sweet on Holly Green.”
“Oh, come on. Honestly, there’s no competition there.”
The toilets flushed. Holly snatched her lab coat and bolted from the locker room before the nurses could see her.
***
Her mind stunned and her body restless, Holly ran up the stairwell, bypassing the elevator. Her heart pounded more from the sting of hurt than the climb. Drawing several deep breaths, she managed to compose herself before venturing onto the surgical unit. She gathered her team, congratulated them on their performance, and then dismissed them for lunch. Sitting in front of the computer screen, Holly grasped her ponytail, winding it around her finger while waiting for her electronic inbox to load, the nurses’ snarky remarks replaying in her head. She rubbed her eyes before reviewing her charges’ notes.
“Are you ready for the challenge?”
Holly jerked at the sound of his voice. She swung in her chair away from the screen to face him.
Noel blinked. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I, uh, was preoccupied.” Why was she, a capable surgeon, stammering?
Noel held up two incentive spirometers. “One for you and one for me. Mrs. Shale has her own. Let’s go see if she’s been practicing!”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you in her room in a minute.”
“Okay, but I’m going to start counting. One. Two. Three.”
She laughed and logged off the computer. “All right, I’m coming. Be prepared to lose, again!”
Noel arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Holly snatched one of the pulmonary flow meters. “Yeah.” She strode past him. “Who says I can’t compete,” she muttered. She’d prove those nurses wrong!
***
Mrs. Shale waved to them as they entered her room. Her eyes tracked to Holly first, her look lingering, the kind of motherly clairvoyant stare when a child is troubled. Her gaze shifted to Noel. “So are you youngsters ready?”
“Youngsters?” Noel plopped into a chair. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Holly sat into a chair opposite Noel, Mrs. Shale sandwiched between them.
“Okay. Here are the rules. We each get three tries. Then we’ll add up our milliliters of air moved. The winner gets an all expense paid trip to the hydrotherapy pool.”
Mrs. Shale and Holly “oohed” at the same time.
“Leave it a swimmer to suggest the pool,” Holly said.
Noel shrugged. “I do love the water, especially hot massaging currents during New Hampshire winters.” He smiled at Holly. “Or any kind of massage.”
Mrs. Shale’s face pinked as her lips pulled into a smile. She glanced at Holly and then at Noel. “Sound’s pretty enticing, Dr. Green.”
“Dare to dream, Shepherd,” Holly quipped back.
“Do they sell swimsuits in the gift shop?” Mrs. Shale asked.
Holly and Noel cracked up.
“Mrs. Shale, if you win, I’ll buy you a bathing suit,” Noel said.
Mrs. Shale shot her finger at him. “You’re on!”
“All right,” Holly said. “One. Two. Three. Go!”
They exhaled, their breaths transforming the room into a wind tunnel, and stuck the coiled plastic tubes into their mouths. Holly watched her patient far exceed the yellow goal marker she had set for her. She then shot her eyes to Noel’s effort and she sucked harder. After round one, she and he were tied.
“Well played, Dr. Green. But Mrs. Shale’s a close second. Round two. One. Two. Three.”
They inhaled, driving their yellow pistons up the measured canisters.
Mrs. Shale yanked the spirometer from her lips and raised her
“Have you checked out that hot new surgeon, Noel Shepherd?”
“Yeah. I saw him at the Christmas party, and today I stood in line with him at the cafeteria. I was about to give him my phone number, but Ashley from ICU beat me to it. She told him that we’re all going for drinks a Callahan’s tonight and invited him to come along.”
“Hey, fair game. He’s single.”
“I hear he’s sweet on Holly Green.”
“Oh, come on. Honestly, there’s no competition there.”
The toilets flushed. Holly snatched her lab coat and bolted from the locker room before the nurses could see her.
***
Her mind stunned and her body restless, Holly ran up the stairwell, bypassing the elevator. Her heart pounded more from the sting of hurt than the climb. Drawing several deep breaths, she managed to compose herself before venturing onto the surgical unit. She gathered her team, congratulated them on their performance, and then dismissed them for lunch. Sitting in front of the computer screen, Holly grasped her ponytail, winding it around her finger while waiting for her electronic inbox to load, the nurses’ snarky remarks replaying in her head. She rubbed her eyes before reviewing her charges’ notes.
“Are you ready for the challenge?”
Holly jerked at the sound of his voice. She swung in her chair away from the screen to face him.
Noel blinked. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I, uh, was preoccupied.” Why was she, a capable surgeon, stammering?
Noel held up two incentive spirometers. “One for you and one for me. Mrs. Shale has her own. Let’s go see if she’s been practicing!”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you in her room in a minute.”
“Okay, but I’m going to start counting. One. Two. Three.”
She laughed and logged off the computer. “All right, I’m coming. Be prepared to lose, again!”
Noel arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Holly snatched one of the pulmonary flow meters. “Yeah.” She strode past him. “Who says I can’t compete,” she muttered. She’d prove those nurses wrong!
***
Mrs. Shale waved to them as they entered her room. Her eyes tracked to Holly first, her look lingering, the kind of motherly clairvoyant stare when a child is troubled. Her gaze shifted to Noel. “So are you youngsters ready?”
“Youngsters?” Noel plopped into a chair. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Holly sat into a chair opposite Noel, Mrs. Shale sandwiched between them.
“Okay. Here are the rules. We each get three tries. Then we’ll add up our milliliters of air moved. The winner gets an all expense paid trip to the hydrotherapy pool.”
Mrs. Shale and Holly “oohed” at the same time.
“Leave it a swimmer to suggest the pool,” Holly said.
Noel shrugged. “I do love the water, especially hot massaging currents during New Hampshire winters.” He smiled at Holly. “Or any kind of massage.”
Mrs. Shale’s face pinked as her lips pulled into a smile. She glanced at Holly and then at Noel. “Sound’s pretty enticing, Dr. Green.”
“Dare to dream, Shepherd,” Holly quipped back.
“Do they sell swimsuits in the gift shop?” Mrs. Shale asked.
Holly and Noel cracked up.
“Mrs. Shale, if you win, I’ll buy you a bathing suit,” Noel said.
Mrs. Shale shot her finger at him. “You’re on!”
“All right,” Holly said. “One. Two. Three. Go!”
They exhaled, their breaths transforming the room into a wind tunnel, and stuck the coiled plastic tubes into their mouths. Holly watched her patient far exceed the yellow goal marker she had set for her. She then shot her eyes to Noel’s effort and she sucked harder. After round one, she and he were tied.
“Well played, Dr. Green. But Mrs. Shale’s a close second. Round two. One. Two. Three.”
They inhaled, driving their yellow pistons up the measured canisters.
Mrs. Shale yanked the spirometer from her lips and raised her
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