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As presumed,there is in fact a cake and ice cream waiting for me in the employee lounge right at noon. I was mysteriously called there for anemergency. I knew what was coming. They knew I knew what was coming. We all played along anyway.
I thank them, before dutifully eating a slice of my cake. Which is really damn good by the way. I have no issues with good cake. Cake is delicious.
The charge nurse hands me an envelope. “This is from all of us,” she says.
“Oh, thank you,” I say. Everyone is staring at me, waiting for me to open it. I don’t like that kind of pressure, but I go through the motions, ripping at the seal and pulling the card out.
Everyone from this floor has signed it, as well as a few colleagues from other floors that I’m close with too. Then there are gift cards. A bunch of them. All to my favorite coffee place right next to the hospital.
“We know you don’t like gifts but figured you’d never turn down coffee,” she says, smiling warmly.
“You’re right about that.” I laugh. “This is perfect. Thank you all so much.”
After a little while longer, I retreat back to my office and text Willette.
Me:This day is going by so slow. Can’t wait to see you later.
Willette:I know, right? Same. Xo
I smile, sliding my phone into my coat pocket and pulling a file from the pile on the corner of my desk. I’m a little backlogged on my charting, so my day has mostly been filled with paperwork instead of people. I hate it. Thoughts of Willette, in what willhopefullybe a tight cocktail dress for dinner, keep me powering through.God, I hope it has a slit in it.
Jesus, there goes my dick again.I promise I’m not usually like this. I’m not a barbarian. Or am I? I’m really starting to wonder. But anyway, we’ll have a nice, quiet dinner, slip back quietly to the apartment, and hopefully I get the only present I really want. It involves nudity and staying hydrated.
I refocus my efforts on the paperwork on my desk. Not too much longer now and I can get out of here. A knock at my door interrupts my paper shuffling and train of thought.
“Sir, we have a situation.” The nurse wastes no time with an explanation, just walks right back out with the expectation that I’ll follow her. This is a sign of a serious situation around here. No time to waste, no chit chat to be had. Wherever we need to get to, we need to do it now.
I round the corner to see a fairly new patient seizing on the floor and immediately fall to my knees to help, turning the patient to his side to check him out. If he fell to the floor from a standing position, my first concern is his head and if he suffered any trauma to it.
It seems the hospital gods just couldn’t let me have one easy day of paperwork. Not that I mind all that much. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m good at it. And at the end of the day, I help people. No one gets into the medical field for the paperwork, trust me.
I take comfort in knowing that nothing is seriously wrong with the patient at first glance, but also that by the time I’m finished attending to him, it will likely be time to go. And that’s really fucking fantastic.
IN LOVE WITH A BOY
WILL
According to our conversation from earlier, Derek should be here any minute. We are officially inside the fifteen-minute window he gave me this morning. And Derek Tanner is never late. In fact, I can’t remember a single time he was late for anything. It’s kind of annoying now that I think about it.
I take a final look around, making sure everything is as I want it. Guests are here, drinking cocktails, making small talk, laughing and waiting. There are no less than three hundred balloons floating above us on the ceiling. I would know. I fucking blew up and tied each one myself. My fingers are fine, thanks for asking.
The catering company is making last-minute preparations right on schedule and the bar has been running smoothly to this point. I was skeptical about the DJ at first, but he’s gotten into a groove and adjusted the music he’s playing accordingly so that’s also turned out great.
Nothing seems forgotten or out of place. The table with gifts on it is starting to fill up. I peep my gift to him out of the corner of my eye. I wrapped it in matte black paper and red ribbon. It’s tied neatly into a bow. It’s not the biggest gift on the table, not even close. In fact, it’s probably one of the smallest. It’s not the fanciest wrapping job either. I probably didn’t even spend the most. But I think it’s perfect. I think it means more. And I think he will love it. At least I hope so.
Looking back, I’m not sure I’ve given many gifts to the guys I’m dating. Two guys ago, I think I shared a Christmas with one of them and he said, and I quote,“I was going to get you a gift but I ran out of money. I still got this good dick for you, though.”So that pretty much sums up the entire short-lived relationship with him. I don’t even remember his fucking name. All this remembering just makes me realize how fucking pathetic my choice in men has been until now.
“He’s coming,” I hear someone shout. Everyone starts scrambling, planting themselves in a semi-circle around the entrance while someone flips the lights off. It’s not pitch black in here but dim enough that he won’t see what’s going on past the neon lights in the windows until the lights are flipped back on.
I take my spot front and center, officially unafraid of what anyone thinks about what’s going on between the two of us. I should be proud, dammit.He is Derek Fucking Tanner.
His silhouette appears in the doorway as he steps in, the bell overhead ringing out. I remembered to tell him to come through the front entrance because the back was locked.
“Willette?” Derek calls into the dark.
Someone flips the lights back on and we all yell, “Surprise!” as a startled Derek takes a step back and clutches his chest.
