Emily caught another creepy wink from Dr. Putnam and found herself smacking herself on the forehead. As if she just needed the warning from Will. Hah!
I'm going to kill Tyra. Why on Earth would she tell me to hit on Dr. Putnam? Why would I listen? Ugh.
Will hadn't seemed to even take it seriously, so it was all for nothing. Not even the smallest trace of the little green monster, Jealousy.
Emily was so distracted by her own problems that she didn't even notice when Dr. Barnes came to stand next to her.
"Hey, what's up with you? You look mildly disgusted." Dr. Barnes said beside of Emily, startling her a little as they both made their way towards the elevator. He was probably going to see his mother, while she was trying to get to her cystic fibrosis patient. Well, now he would be a cancer patient.
"Only mildly? My poker face has definitely improved." she said exasperatedly.
"What's up?" he asked looking at her sideways, curious about her discomfort.
"I hit on Putnam."
Micah laughed. "Why, Dr. Owens, I had no idea that was your ideal type."
"Shut up," she groaned. "You know he isn't."
"Well, hitting on him would suggest otherwise. Especially to someone with his ego." She was really mad that he was still smiling at her misfortune.
"I know. When I tried to take it back he told me to 'prepare to be caught'."
"He said that? Ha! But why would you hit on him? You don't seem like you're drunk."
"Haha. You are hilarious. No I did it because I..." she started, but broke off, suddenly embarassed. Saying that you flirted with someone just to make a guy jealous seemed really juvenile now that she thought about it. She walked quickly into the elevator and pressed the button to the top floor. She had a few minutes, she might as well go to the roof to hide.
"Because you? You're embarrassed this has to be good. Did you alter ego who is secretly very attracted to Putnam come out? Evil twin?" Micah asked, his dark eyes still bright with laughter.
"I wanted to see if it would make Will jealous." Emily was too busy looking the other way to notice the sour look that crossed Dr. Barnes face, and by the time she looked back it was gone.
"Well, you're in quite the pickle, aren't you Dr. Owens? Remember, if Putnam comes after you again, just use that 'just say no' technique." he said sarcastically as he stepped off the elevator.
...
"Hey Mom," Micah smiled as he entered his mother's room.
"'Sup?" she answered, smiling.
"'Sup? Mom, how many brownies have you had?"
"'Nuff." she answered sleepily, smiling at her son.
"You seem tired, I'll come back later."
"No, no, I want to talk some. I'll sleep better for it." she smiled affectionately. "So are you single yet? You were dating some Kelly girl, have you broken up with her yet?"
Well, when she phrases it like that he didn't want to admit that he had broken things off with Kelly. "What makes you say that? I happened to like Kelly very much."
"Happened? Past tense. Good. Oh, and it's just that it is plain that you like Emily Owens so much. I like her too. That's the next thing I wanted to ask you about. When are you going to finally ask her out?"
"High you is very honest. And blunt and abrupt. I'm pretty sure I don't like it."
"Don't pout. Don't change the subject either."
"Listen, Mother, even if I wanted to, Emily isn't interested. I'm pretty sure that she has never thought of me like that and that is due mainly to the fact that she's obsessed with her best friend." The words themselves sounded harsh, but he gave her an affectionate nudge to let her know he wasn't really upset.
"Well, then do something that makes her think of you like that. Find an excuse to take your shirt off."
"Oh my gosh, I'm leaving. If you could sleep the drugs off, that would be great." he said, dropping the obligatory kiss on her head. He walked out, shaking his head.
...
"Long shift, huh?" Dr. Barnes asked looking up from some paperwork as Emily walked up to the nurses station. It had taken some effort but he had finally shaken off the crazy stuff his mom had said.
"Yup," she answered, still thinking about all of her patients.
"Any plans tonight?" he asked to make polite conversation.
"Yeah, exciting ones. I'm putting together a bookcase." she said as she pulled a mock-excited face. "How about you? You going to hang out with Kelly?"
"We, uh, actually broke up." he answered, a little bit uncomfortable.
"Why?" Emily asked, alarmed. She had liked Kelly.
"We just wanted different things." Like, for example, you.
Emily turned to walk away to talk to Dr. Bandari, but she turned back to Micah. "Hey, listen, I might just need some help with that especially tricky bookcase. If you need someone to talk to, y'know. I can be an especially good therapist, and break-ups just happen to be my forte. Are you up for that?"
"I don't know-"
"Wait let me throw pizza and a movie into the pot. Don't worry, I'm not hitting on you. And I promise I won't take advantage of your vulnerability."
"My vulnerability?" he laughed. "Fine. I could use some friendly company. Where do you live again? I haven't been there since your birthday."
"You can just ride with me. I just need to go change."
"Cool, I just need to finish this paperwork, but then I'll be right there."
Emily smiled and made her way to the changing room. She had just finished changing and closed her locker, when out of nowhere, there was Dr. Putnam smiling that creepy, predatory smile.
"Hi," he smiled. "Let's grab a drink."
"Oh, I can't. I have to put together this bookcase."
"Ooh, I'll help." he said, clearly more pleased with the prospect of going straight to her place.
At that moment, Dr. Barnes walked in just as Will said, "Y'know I already said I would help her, so..."
Micah saw Emily look up at him, surprised that he had spoken up so quickly, and it bothered him that he immediately felt jealous.
"That's weird, because Emily asked me too." Micah said as Dr. Putnam backed off and left, saying something about 'another time.'
"Really?" Will asked looking at Emily, blatantly shocked.
"Well, yeah," Emily answered clearly torn by Will's reaction.
"Oh, okay. Have fun with Dr. Barnes." he said uncertainly as he closed his locker.
Micah rolled his eyes. Really? How great could this guy be?
In the next minute, Micah had no intention of doing what he did, and even after he did it, he still didn't know how it happened. But looking at Emily's adoring gaze directed at someone else, something in his brain, probably the common sense part, shut off.
Regardless, it didn't change the fact that he had grabbed Emily by the wrist yanked her over to him, grabbed her face in both of his hands and kissed her in front of Will and Tyra, the only two people left in the room. Tyra gasped, and he could hear Will's bag thunk as it hit the floor.
"Tyra, Dr. Collins. Let's go, Emily." Micah smiled charmingly as he led her, gaping, out of the room, very effectively hiding his own shock. That was a whole new kind of dumb, Micah.
"Uh, Micah. What...What exactly just happened?" Emily asked as soon as she overcame the shock. Which actually took until they reached the parking lot.
"You said you wanted to know if he was jealous. I'm just giving you that opportunity. I mean I kiss you, and then we go back to your apartment? If that won't make him jealous, nothing will." he answered, playing it off like it was nothing. It was totally something, though. It was a big, fat something.
