Page 18 of The Phyre that Burns
“I was surprised by the all-Black staff and one male nurse.”
“Okay, Phyre, being progressive and shit.”
“Yeah. He used to talk about opening his own office and only hiring Black people. At the time, he was leaning moretowards being a pediatrician, but an all-Black staff in any area of medicine is pretty dope.”
“Hell yeah.”
“I’ve worked with a few male nurses over the years, but none were Black, so this is a first. He’s fine as hell too.”
“Really? Well, if you and Phyre don’t rekindle?—”
“Don’t even say it. Me and Phyre ain’t doing shit, and I’m smart enough not to shit where I eat.”
“Is that really where you eat, since it’s temporary?”
“All of my assignments are temporary, but I don’t want word to get back to the staffing agencies that I’m sleeping with the men I work with. Sometimes I get reassigned to those locations, so I need my reputation to be clean.”
“I suppose you’re right. Did everyone give you a warm welcome?”
“Yeah, and I didn’t sense any weird vibes. Everyone was cool except for Phyre.”
“That’s good, but you know Phyre is on some other shit. Damn. Let me answer this call. It’s Tariq. I’ll call you back.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
Our FaceTime call ended, and I fell back onto the bed. Today was so mentally exhausting, I didn’t even want dinner, but I decided to eat something light before going to bed. After enjoying a plum and a frozen yogurt popsicle, I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
The next morning, I prayed before starting my day. I’d be the first to admit that I didn’t pray as often as I should, but if I wanted to make it through this assignment, Jesus would most definitely have to be on the main line.
After doing thirty minutes of Pilates, I showered and dressed in one of my many pairs of scrubs. I failed to wrap my hair before going to bed, so I brushed it back and wore a headband. Once mylips were covered in a coat of lip gloss, I put a bottle of flavored water, fruit, and a bag of trail mix in my lunch bag and headed to work.
The closer I got to the building, the more nervous my stomach became. My stomach was fine yesterday, so I was annoyed that I allowed my nerves to get to me today. I opened the windows to let some fresh air into the truck and took slow, deep breaths. It helped some, but not completely.
I arrived later today because I didn’t want to be alone with Phyre, so I was relieved to see other cars in the parking lot. Once inside, I greeted the other nurses, put my belongings away, and began preparing for the day.
“Hey, Ginae. Dr. Jordan wants to see you in his office,” Lauryn said.
I did my best to keep my expression neutral because the last thing I wanted was for everyone in the office to think I had a problem with Phyre.
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
I slowly made my way to Phyre’s office and found him sitting behind his desk. He was focused on his computer screen and didn’t notice me. I took a moment to admire the man I once loved with all my heart.
He had smooth, milk chocolate skin and perfect, kissable lips wrapped in a full, shiny mustache and beard. His eyes were deep, and it felt like he could see my soul when he looked at me. The Caesar cut he sported in college was still precisely lined, but he wore it in a fade with tiny twists.
“You just gonna stand there and stare at me?” he questioned, his voice startling me.
“Oh, umm, I wasn’t staring. I didn’t want to interrupt you. Lauryn said you wanted to see me.”
He smirked at my lie before saying, “Yes. I’m going over to the hospital to check on a few patients who delivered this weekend. You should come along, and I’ll show you around.”
I dreaded having to be alone with him, so I asked a question I already knew the answer to.
“Is that necessary?”
“I believe you know it is. We’re leaving in about ten minutes.”
