Page 10 of Dream a Little Dream

I liked the sapphic ping-pong match we had going very much.

“What do you think ofme?”

“Your hair could be better.”

She stopped walking, mouth agape, and turned to me.

My laughter crept in because her brows pulled down in utter offense, reminding me of a cartoon character. There was no way she’d been told anything but glowing affirmations about the gloriousness of her hair.

“Stop it. You definitely know I’m teasing you.”

“I know no such thing.” She straightened, pulled back her shock, but made no move to walk on, waiting for an explanation or apology. “I’m wounded.” However, the tone of her voice never once deviated from self-assured.

“You seem it.”

“This is my wounded face.”

It hadn’t changed at all. I was beginning to adore this person. “The sorrow there is unmatched.”

She blinked. “I know.”

I stared her down. The wind lifted her hair slightly, a look I liked very much. “You happen to have A-plus hair and know it.”

“I mean, I’m no redhead, but…” She gave her hair a toss, satisfied. “You decimate me one minute. Flatter me the next. You’re going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?” She passed a wink over her shoulder, and it sent a shiver from my head to my wrists. I was on a high because it sounded like she was alluding to times ahead. Was it possible we’d have those?Too soon. Reverse course. I shelved the speculation and decided to live in the present instead, which happened to be pretty great.

“Are you an ice cream person?” I asked, catching up to her. There was a stationary truck ahead, and I had trouble saying no to treats when I ran into them in the wild.

“Are there non ice cream people? The audacity.”

“We’re on the same page.” I reached for my wallet. “I’m buying this time. What’s your pleasure?”

She paused and turned. “Anything with strawberry.”

Strawberry fit what I knew of Kyle. Sweet, shapely, universally adored. I’d seen her charm in action. “Coming right up.”

I found her a few yards away on a bench on a circular section of the sidewalk that reminded me of a roundabout for foot traffic. “How’s this?” she asked.

“You found a nook. I love it.”

She smiled. “Me, too. I thought we could sit and people watch. It’s a decompressor for me, especially on harder days.”

I remembered her job. “I imagine there are a lot of high stress days in emergency medicine.”

The playful smile dimmed, and I’d realized I’d taken her somewhere more serious than the lighthearted territory we’d been flirting in. “I always knew it would be a stressful job, and it is.”

“But?”

“It’s not the long hours that zap me, or the lack of sleep when things pick up. It’s the heavy heart I go home with.” She watched a little boy chase after his older sister, who’d stolen his ball. “I wasn’t prepared for the effect the difficult cases have on me. I thought I’d be emotionally…stronger.”

The disappointment in herself was shocking, especially when I looked at people like Kyle as the heroes of our society. “I don’t think you should do that to yourself.” I couldn’t imagine the things she had to see on a daily basis, the emotions she had to hold. “You’re human. You can’t just shut off your feelings. In fact, they probably help guide you.”

She turned and found my eyes. Everything about her seemed different with just the shift in conversation. It was startling but also made me want to know more about her, somehow make it better. How odd to be so invested in someone so soon. “I try to, though. Realistic or not.” We sat in silence for a few moments, watching a couple of loud college guys razz each other. They’d certainly had a few.

“It offers me a lot of perspective, though. The time off this week. It’s a reminder there are other aspects of life I’m missing out on, living in the bubble of the hospital. Other people, for one.”

I nodded. “Does that mean you don’t date either?”

“Not very often. I’d like to someday, but until I’m through this crazy year, I don’t have the time. Or the energy to move after a trying shift. None of that would be fair to her.”

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