He threw away the now empty coffee cup and ran a hand nervously through his hair. {Why isn't anyone telling me anything? This just waiting around is driving me crazy.} He was nearly ready to burst into the exam room when the door opened and the medical personnel emerged. He stood facing them and braced himself for the worst. The staff chatted companionably with one another, but no one seemed to notice him. He opened his mouth to ask someone to tell him what the hell was going on, and then he sagged with relief as Kacie walked gingerly out of the room in deep conversation with the gray-haired doctor he had seen earlier. She was wearing a set of surgical scrubs instead of her other clothing.
The doctor had his hand on her shoulder and was just finishing up with, "…and furthermore, young lady, I don't want to see you around here in ANY capacity until Monday morning, 6 a.m. You get home and you put your feet up and take it easy, understand me? Doctor's orders." The severity of his tone was tempered by the obvious affection with which he regarded the young nurse.
"Whatever you say. You're the doctor," she answered respectfully.
Patting her on the back, he smiled briefly before moving purposefully back down the corridor, disappearing behind elevator doors that swished open at the exact moment he reached them.
Kacie looked after the doctor fondly before she noticed Peter hovering anxiously and walked over to speak with him.
"Well, so, what did they say?" he asked impatiently.
She gazed into the hazel eyes so alight with concern and smiled at him. "Just like I told you: I got the wind knocked out of me, and it shook me up for a little while. I have a cut on my hip where I fell on my keys. I'm fine, really." She raised a hand to stop the next question before he could voice it. "They ran all kinds of tests and x-rays, and did all the poking and prodding you talked about, and I am absolutely A-OK fine." She paused a moment, looking thoughtful.
"So what aren't you telling me? What else did they say?"
Her eyes twinkled at him. "Well, they did warn me that when I get up tomorrow morning I will probably feel like every muscle in my body has turned to concrete."
He still regarded her worriedly. "What happened to your other clothes?"
She looked down at herself and laughed. "Oh, that. The blood had dried to the fabric, and they had to cut clothes to get to the gouge on my hip. I had these in my locker, so I just changed."
"Who was that doctor you were just talking to, and why did he fly into your exam room like he was on some kind of mission?"
"Which doctor?" she asked, puzzled, and then realized what he was talking about. "Oh, him. That was Dr. McClanahan, Chief of Surgical Staff. For some reason, he's taken a liking to me and gets me assigned to all his procedures. When he heard through the hospital grapevine I had been brought in, he came to check on me personally. You should have seen the ER staff jump when he showed up." Kacie paused a moment, cocked her head to one side, and regarded him quizzically. "What comes next after all these questions? You gonna read me my rights and handcuff me?"
Peter sucked in a deep breath and heaved it out in a sigh of relief. He spoke in a voice husky with emotion. "I am so glad that you are all right. It was all my fault. I never should have been so careless. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." He stopped when she placed a gentle hand over his mouth.
"Stop already. This was an accident that could have happened to anyone. I'm fine, really. And you are very sweet to care so much." Her hand dropped away from his face. "You know what? I don't believe that all the stories I've heard about you around here are true."
An intern walking by overheard her and muttered darkly under his breath, "Oh, yes, they are."
Peter glared after the man's hasty exit before returning his attention to Kacie. He ran a hand through his hair again. "I just feel so bad about hurting you. There must be some way I can make it up to you."
"If it would make you feel any better, you can give me your next month's paycheck and sign over the title to your car, and we'll call it even," Kacie deadpanned.
His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. When she started to giggle, he realized he'd been had, and burst out in a relieved laugh. "Hey, I don't feel THAT bad about it!"
"Well, neither do I, so why don't you just give me a ride back to my car and we'll leave it at that, OK?" She took his arm and headed for the door, picking up her coat from the ER on their way out.
Back in the Stealth and driving toward the lake, they continued a comfortable conversation about trivial, everyday things. By the time they reached her car, Peter realized how much he was enjoying spending time with this woman. Other than his partners at work and his foster sisters, he had never really had a simple, uncomplicated friendship with a woman. Kacie made him feel so at ease. Even though the day had started out badly, he hated to see it come to an end. {How can I tell her that I want to spend more time with her, without having it sound like some kind of pick-up line?}
They looked at one another, and laughed when they both started to talk at the same time. "You first," Peter insisted.
She ducked her head shyly and spoke softly. "I've thought of something you could do for me, if you really wanted to." She had his full attention now, and he nodded for her to continue.
"Would you be my friend?" Staring unseeingly out the window, she swallowed quickly and continued, "I've only been in town for about four months, and I haven't met anybody other than the people at work. The guys in the ER are fun, but just looking for a good time, if you know what I mean." She turned her eyes to meet his. "The other nurses seem to resent me because I came in as a new kid on the block and Dr. McClanahan took a liking to my work." Her face saddened and she went on. "I don't have any family. They're all...gone. It would just be really nice to have a friend here. Sometimes I feel so all alone."
Peter's heart suddenly ached for this woman who had made herself so vulnerable to him. She was looking at him with the same sorrowful eyes he had seen reflected in his mirror so many times at the orphanage, right after the temple had been destroyed and he had thought his father had died.
As Kacie saw the compassion etched on his expressive face, her chin quivered and she dropped her eyes to the hands in her lap.
"I was just thinking how much I'd like you to be my friend," he answered quietly. He took his right hand off the steering wheel to reach out and briefly touch her arm. "I was just afraid I'd sound like a real idiot."
She raised her head again and peered at him hopefully. "So I have a new friend?"
"You got it, buddy." Peter suddenly realized he was starving. "Hey, I haven't eaten all day. How about you?"
She shook her head. "I had planned to just get out and skate awhile for some exercise. I was going to be home hours ago."
"Well, now that we're friends, do you want to get something to eat before you go home? I know some great places in Chinatown."
Kacie looked interested, then regretful. "Oh, I'd love to, Peter. But what I really need right now is to go home and take a long hot shower."
Peter looked so disappointed that she added, "I could throw something together for us at my place, if you wanted to come over -- nothing fancy -- just a stew that's been simmering in a crockpot all day, and whatever else I can dig up." She paused. "When was the last time you had a good, home-cooked meal?"
His face brightened considerably, but he asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you're up to company? Maybe you should just go home and rest."
"What do you mean 'company'? You said you were my friend, right? A friend isn't company; a friend is a friend. Just give me an hour or so to pull myself together, and come on over." She pulled a slip of paper from her billfold and quickly wrote on it before handing it to him. "Here's my address. Think you can find it all right?"
Peter gave her a scornful look as he took the paper from her, rapidly scanning it before sticking it in his jacket pocket. "Give me a break. I'm a detective. Finding people is what I do."
She undid her seat belt and grinned at him. "Pardon me for doubting your sleuthing abilities. But first, do me a favor? Could you help me get out of the car?" She grimaced in pain. "I'm beginning to feel like the Tin Man did before Dorothy found the oil can."
