‘No problem. I’ll see you later.’
‘I thought you’d seen plenty of me this morning.’ Evan winked and closed the door on his blushing friend, unable to resist mentioning the incident in the shower. Mostly because it had been on his mind all through their silent breakfast before leaving her house.
And it wasn’t simply due to the need to tease her, which had become all-consuming. As she drove away, he couldn’t help but think back to the moment when she’d walked in on him in the shower. The lingering, appreciative look, and the effect it had on him, thankfully, once she’d closed the door again. He’d liked seeing the admiration on her face. Partly because it meant he wasn’t the only one whose thoughts had strayed across the boundaries of friendship.
Recently he’d begun to see her as more than a colleague or a shoulder to lean on. He supposed it was only natural when she was a beautiful, smart, funny, and amazing woman, but he also wondered if it was a sign he was finally ready to move on. Natasha had been there for him through all of his struggles and he didn’t want to confuse that for something else, or ruin the special relationship they had. Perhaps he simply needed to expand his world beyond work and the time they spent together. Then he might stop thinking about how good she looked, and how she made him feel…
Evan had to put those thoughts out of his head as he walked on to the ward to see his patients. He did his rounds, checking on those he’d already operated on, and those being prepped for future surgery, but there was one patient who was giving him more cause for concern than everyone else.
‘I don’t see any sign of infection, so hopefully everything will heal as it should.’ He reapplied the dressings on the little girl both he and Natasha had dealt with last night, but she remained silent. By all accounts she hadn’t said a word since being admitted, which was understandable given the circumstances, but did speak of her ongoing trauma. She was so young that if they didn’t find a way to help her process what had happened, what was still in store for her, it could affect the rest of her life.
‘Chloe, I know this is difficult, but we’ll do our best to make you feel better. OK?’
The little girl looked away and rolled on to her side. It was heartbreaking. She was disconnecting from him and where she was, and he needed to engage her. Clearly, he wasn’t the one who was going to be able to do that, but he knew a woman and a dog who might be able to help.
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