“Thank... you for yesterday, the ID. I’m sorry for the trouble if it caused you any trouble”
A day had gone by and Hana was finally able to give him the appreciation he deserved. Not because of her reservation but she just couldn’t find the right time and/or place.
“It’s no trouble at all. Just be more careful where you leave it next time.”
“Yes, Doctor Jenkins.” Hana hid something behind her hands, which didn’t go unnoticed by the man before her.
“What is it that you are trying to hide, Nurse Shizumi?” A hint of amusement laced in.
Hana stuttered. She realized that she had been caught and there was no point in lying. She brought forward the coffee box and stretched it towards him, avoiding his eyes.
He looked at it for a few seconds in confusion before grabbing the box, his fingers accidentally touched Hana’s gloved hands. He noticed the slight shiver in her hand, her hands quickly backing away.
“Why are you giving me this?” He tried to keep his voice professional.
“As thank...you”
“For returning your ID? That hardly warrants giving me coffee” A hint of a smile threatened to show on his face at her sweetness.
“I thought it was gone for a moment.” She finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes, “Thank you for finding it, Dr. Jenkins”. She realized that she had been staring and quickly looked away.
“There’s no need to give me coffee for that, Miss Shizumi.” He tries to keep his voice stern but the way she looks at him melts his heart. As she picked at her necklace, he noticed her slender fingers and how they contrast with the rest of her lithe self. He forced himself to look away so as not to stare at her hands.
He let out a quiet sigh, this was unlike him.
Ren offered a small smile in her direction after taking a sip, “Not bad, the coffee”
His jaw clenched slightly as he suddenly remembered the canceled dinner. He’d completely forgotten about it until now. “How could I have forgotten?” he mutters under his breath.
“What?”
He shook his head slightly. “Nothing”.
“Actually, I said maybe I wanted you to make it up to me, would you?”
He noticed how her fingers were still at his tone, but she continued to look at him.
“Yes. I would love to make it up to you.”
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Well, since you insist, there is one thing you can do for me.”
He continued, trying to sound casual, “Since we missed the dinner last time because of my unexpected surgery, I think it would be fair if you made it up by taking me out for dinner tonight.”
He couldn’t help but be a little smug about making her speechless.
Hana found her brain chugging as she tried to understand. He was the one who cancelled last time but she was the one who was taking him out to dinner. Confused, she blurted out under her breath, “Dinner?”
He chuckled slightly at her reaction, “Yes, dinner.” He leaned in slightly, teasing “It’s not that difficult to understand, is it?”
Ren was careful not to touch her physically, but he couldn’t help but want to rile her up.
“What’s the problem?”
At that distance, Ren was able to see the light freckles littered across her nose and cheeks that he saw the last time he took her home drunk.
Hana stuttered, “Not...hing. Okay... dinner. Dinner”
Happy with the reaction, he composed himself. “Excellent. Then it’s a date.”
Ren faked a cough, correcting himself, “I mean it’s today’s date. Today. The dinner.” Get a grip on yourself, Ren.
He struggled to keep his composure, trying to recover from inadvertently calling it a date. Seeing Hana blush, he had to fight the urge not to reach out and caress her rosy cheeks.
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Damn her and her damn cuteness. Maybe that was what it was, he just found her cute and different. Like seeing a stained epithelial cell under a microscope, pink and interesting. That was it.
He forced himself to speak, his voice a bit huskier than intended. “Yeah, dinner... tonight.”
When Hana noticed that the number of people walking by started to increase, she took that as her chance to escape. “I should go...now” It was definitely a slip of the tongue.
He gave her a nod. “Yes, you should go.”
He takes a deep breath, surprised at his boldness. Such carelessness was unlike him. He hadn’t planned on asking her out like that, but something about her just drew it out of him.
As the day progressed, both Ren and Hana found themselves stealing glances at the clock more often than usual. Whether it was on his expensive watch or the hospital’s analog clock, time took its… time.
By midday, the ER was in full swing with emergency calls going off until it cooled down just before 7:30 pm. Hana, caught in the whirlwind of activity, was forced to put her phone on Do Not Disturb, her thoughts of dinner temporarily pushed aside.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she was greeted with calls and text messages from Mira. Worried, she immediately excused herself to the supply closet to return the calls.
“Hello…”
“Oh Thank finally, you pick up your calls.”Mira sighed in relief.
“Today was a busy. Lots of emergencies. I had to put my phone away,” Hana explained, her free hand unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of her glove.
“Oh! I see,” Mira whispered, more to herself than to Hana. “She hasn’t met her yet. That’s a relief.”
Hana’s brow furrowed, “What’s up? You called a lot.”
The line went silent for what felt like an eternity. Hana’s anxiety building with each passing second. “Mira?”
“I got a call from her.” Mira’s voice was heavy with unspoken meaning.
Hana felt the color drain from her face, her heart beginning to race. “What did she want?” she manages to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Hana, she’s at your hospital.”
Hana’s eyes darted around the small confines of the supply closet as if expecting to see the mysterious “her” materialize among the shelves of medical supplies. Her breath came out in short, panicked gasps.
“Oncology, Hana,” Mira continued, her voice gentle but urgent. “She said she has been trying to call you.”
Hana knew that fact, she rejected the call severally. As she grips the phone tighter, her knuckles turning white, she feels… regret.
“Hana? Hana? Are you still there?” Mira’s concerned voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.
“Mira, I... I have to go now.” Hana’s voice was shaky, barely holding back a flood of emotions.
As she ended the call, the weight of the unexpected development settled heavily on her shoulders. So heavy that her legs gave up beneath her, sending her to the floor. Breathe, Hana. Breathe
**************************************
Outside the supply closet, the hospital continued its relentless pace, Dr. Jenkins was rushing to his office to retrieve his phone from his table.
All it took was one ruptured appendix and the concept of time was thrown out of the window. By the time the surgery for an unplanned appendectomy came to an end, it was almost 8 pm.
He fribbled with his phone in his hands. But would a call be too personal, too intimate? After a moment’s hesitation, he opted for a text instead. It feels safer and more professional. Safe is good.
He begins typing:
“Nurse Shizumi,
I apologize for the late notice. I can’t believe I am disappointing you for the second time. An emergency appendectomy came up unexpectedly. I’m just now free. I understand if you’ve made other plans, but if you’re still available, I’d like to”
Ren paused, his fingers stilling over the keyboard.
He debated how to finish the message. Wasn’t it sounding too formal? Should he suggest rescheduling? That would mean that he would cancel on her again. Where was his integrity? Or perhaps she was still willing to meet tonight, despite the late hour? He frowned, running his hand through his head.
As he contemplated his next words, he can’t help but wonder where Hana was now, and what she might be thinking. Instead of assuming, he could just find out if she was still in the hospital, which would decide how his message would go.
*****************************************
Ren stood in the hallway and watched her stand in front of the door, not making an effort to enter the room. Her face was turned from him, but he could imagine the look on her face just from her body language. As her hands went towards her face to wipe away what he assumed were tears.
He could have asked any staff who the patient in the room was but that would be prying. But for such a person to cause such a reaction from Shizumi, they must be someone known, or even close.
Not long after, she collapsed to her knees, crunching and crying somewhat loudly, but she still didn’t make any move to get any closer to the door. Ren wanted to do something, anything. Her tears made him hurt, irrespective of what was the cause.
When he found out that Shizumi had run frantically to oncology after receiving a call, his heart dropped, assuming the worst. Before he knew it, he was racing towards the unit until he stumbled upon the sight. At first, he felt some sort of relief, that was until he heard her holding in tears.
Ren’s heart ached with sympathy. He wanted to comfort her, to take away her pain. But he hesitated, unsure of how she would react.
He took a step forward, then stopped. He was hesitating between returning to his hiding place and taking a step.
As he approached, he cleared his throat softly, not wanting to startle her.
“Nurse Shizumi,” he said, his voice gentler than she’d ever heard it before. “Hana... are you alright?”
The use of her first name hung in the air between them. As Hana turned to face him, her tear-stained face a mixture of surprise and something else - relief? Embarrassment?
“Dr. Jenkins,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. She quickly wiped at her cheeks, as if trying to erase the evidence of her breakdown. “I... I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Ren’s brow furrowed with concern. “It doesn’t look like nothing,” he said softly. “Let’s get you off the floor.”
Suddenly, they could hear footsteps making its way from out of the room, Hana’s eyes darted sharply to Ren. Ren could read from her eyes that she didn’t want to be seen. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away with him, avoiding the strange looks from both patient and staff.
*********************************