Page 2 of Finally Yours
I glance around and heave a relieved sigh when I realize Nurse Vicky isn’t anywhere to be seen. A smile spreads across my face. Maybe I’m in luck today.
“You’re four minutes late, Lyla. Yesterday, it was three. Am I starting to sense a pattern of increasing tardiness?” a stern voice booms from behind me.
I close my eyes and breathe out.Only a few more months until I’m certified. You only have to make it a few more months, Lyla.
“I was really only three minutes late, Nurse Vicky,” I say sweetly, “and I was getting Dr. Cannon his morning coffee.”
Nurse Vicky snorts. “And yourself as well, I see.” Her mouth twists up in a sneer. “You may expect special treatment because you’re a friend of Dr. Cannon’s, but like I’ve told you before, that won’t fly here. Surgery is a serious specialty, and what we do here for these soldiers can be the difference between them living fulfilled lives or tragically passing away. There is no room on this floor, or in this hospital, for some flighty nitwit worried about getting the surgeons coffee.” She glances down at her watch. “And you were four minutes late, five now because I’ve been forced to give you this lecture.”
I stare down at my white hard-soled shoes, feeling ashamed. “I never meant to sound like I don’t take this job seriously, Nurse Vicky. You know how much this internship means to me. It’s everything.”
“Well then, you should probably act like it. I may have respected your father, but you are another story. You need to earn my respect, as well as the respect of your peers here. The only way to do that is to show up and work hard.”
I swallow back tears at the mention of my father. I ball my fists by my side.How dare she mention him and compare me to the heroic man who raised me? I know I will never be him, but I work my tail off here.Unfortunately, I know an angry response will only result in another tongue lashing. I gulp and take a deep breath. “Thank you for reminding me what I need to do, Nurse Vicky,” I say meekly.
“Why does everyone look so serious around here? It’s barely eight in the morning. I haven’t even rounded yet, but you two look like the day has already turned to shit. What do I need to know?” Asher’s chipper voice bounces around the white walls, washing the sterile environment with the ray of sunshine it desperately needs.
I immediately glance up and smile at the center of my universe, Dr. Asher Cannon. He’s the bright spot in my life and the one person who could make the wicked witch of the west seem like a conquerable adversary. His sandy brown hair is messy as usual, and his lab coat emphasizes his broad muscles just right.Sigh. And he doesn’t even work out that much. I asked him once. Imagine licking my way across those abs…
“Hello, Dr. Cannon. Lyla and I were just having a chat about her priorities.” Nurse Vicky folds her arms and glares over at me. “She seems to think getting both of you coffee in the morning is more important than tending to patients.”
Asher chuckles and reaches out for the bag and one of the cups in my hands. “Ah, Nurse Vicky, you forget how important coffee is to any doctor’s ability to do their work.” Asher winks at Nurse Vicky and I watch in awe as a blush stains her wrinkled cheeks. “I asked Lyla to get me coffee and a sweet treat so I could get a good start to my morning. So, don’t blame her too much, okay? She’s just making sure I don’t turn into a bear and snap at some poor resident.” He flashes a charming smile her way.
“Well, um,” Nurse Vicky clears her throat and shuffles her feet, “just try to make sure her errands for you don’t interfere with her other responsibilities, Dr. Cannon. But I understand your job is the most important here so of course, we want you performing at your top capabilities,” she capitulates. She clears her throat again and folds her arms across her midsection. “We have a lot of patients to get to this morning, Dr. Cannon. We’ll get out of your way so you can proceed on your rounds.”
I almost roll my eyes at her proper tone. Her back is ramrod straight and her salt and pepper hair is tied up in a restrictive bun. She is the only nurse on the floor who wears the old white uniform instead of the blue scrubs allowed by the department and that outfit is starched to perfection. That blush that Dr. Cannon made appear is the only human emotion I think I’ve ever seen her display.
Asher nods regally and gives us another bright smile. “Of course, ladies. Have a good day. I’ll see you in the trenches later.”
I walk quickly behind Nurse Vicky as she walks away. When I glance back, Asher is watching us with a small smile on his face. He rocks back on his heels and rolls his eyes. When he mouths “wicked witch of the west,”, I have to stifle a giggle.
Dr. Asher Cannon. The sweet, flirty, talented surgeon. The man who tried everything to save my father’s life. The man who was my dad’s best friend and watched me grow from a pimply, brace-wearing teenager into well…a plump young woman with better skin. Dr. Asher Cannon…the man I’m hopelessly and irrevocably in love with.
Chapter Three
It’s getting harder and harder…excuse my terrible pun…to hide my attraction to Lyla. -Asher
Asher
A strong hand claps me on the back. I stumble forward a bit and turn on my heel, ready to hit back at the slap.
“Buddy, young love is such a beautiful thing,” Dr. Bruce Blanchard’s voice booms in my ear and I wince. His light grey eyes twinkle with mirth as they look at me.
I turn away and grab a chart from the closest slot. I pretend to look over it. “There’s no young love going on, Bruce. Just joking around with Lyla and Nurse Vicky,” I murmur.
Bruce chuckles. “That I would pay to see. Nurse Vicky hasn’t joked around since before you were born, boy. She doesn’t even know how to crack a smile.” He shifts his feet and gives me a wry smile. “It’s okay to admit you have a little crush on sweet Lyla. If I were your age, well I would…”
I shake my head. “Please don’t finish that sentence. I respect you as a colleague, so I don’t want to have to hit you.”
I scribble my signature at the bottom of the chart and slide it back into its designated slot. “There’s no crush, Bruce. I’m too damn old for a crush.”And too damn old for Lyla, unfortunately.
“You’re thirty-eight years old, Ash. Not nearly old enough to be over crushes. I still have a crush on a beautiful womannamed Linda and she makes my heart go pitter patter every day.” He sends me a goofy smile and I roll my eyes.
“Bruce, it doesn’t count to have a crush on your wife,” I say sarcastically. I pick up another chart and walk away, hoping to dissuade the older doctor from following me. Unluckily, he seems abnormally unbusy and happy to follow me through the halls of the busy hospital. I dodge a janitor with a rolling cart as I continue to look over the chart for a Sergeant Wilson who is about to have a simple and swift gallbladder removal. Most days our patients here are pretty benign like Sergeant Wilson, but when there’s a transport or a trauma at the base it can get hairy.
Bruce emits a low whistle. “Asher, the only person you should ever have a crush on is your wife.” He chuckles. “She would kill me otherwise.”
I spin around and send Bruce a tight smile. “Thanks for the advice, but I’m good. No crushes or anything around here.”Just naughty dreams I shouldn’t be having about my late best friend’s daughter.
