Chapter One
"Where in the world did this fog come from?" Livi said out loud, as she slowed her car's speed. Since moving to London three months ago she had tried to get used to the weather, but this December's cold wetness was absolutely chilling her to the bone. With one hand she carefully steered her red Volkswagen Golf down Whitechapel Road, and with the other she tightened her cream colored chunky knit scarf around her neck… today was absolutely freezing, and the heating didn't exactly work very well in this used car.
Her destination came into view… an enormous blue, glass building— The Royal London Hospital. Livi had been spending a lot of time at this hospital since arriving in London, so she could have glided into a spot in the parking garage with her eyes closed. She pulled her grey wool peacoat tightly around her body, grabbed her bag, and made her way inside, smiling and greeting the people she met along the way. She truly loved going to her job everyday, never minding her long hours, or any of the other hazards that went along with her career.
"Morning, Claire! What kind of appointments do we have on the schedule this morning?" She asked the blonde nurse, as she entered the office. Not only was Claire Livi's nurse, she had become a very good friend.
"Morning, Dr. Beckett… so far, we've got 3 sore throats, a possible case of pink eye, and a sprained ankle…"
"Well…That's doable." Livi grinned as she slipped out of her thick coat, revealing baby blue scrubs and a white and gold stethoscope curled around her neck.
"Mm-hmm." Claire agreed. "So, what did you do this weekend, Doc?"
Livi tried to brush off the question. "Oh... I went to a party downtown... you know... at that club."
"Um... that club? Righhht." Claire could see right through her. "What did you really do?"
With an exasperated huff, Livi answered. "Fine... Saturday I worked A&E, and Sunday I binge-watched Netflix. Is that okay with you?"
Claire giggled. "I admire you, Doc. You give your Saturdays to this hospital— unpaid Saturdays I might add, to work in that clinic... but really, you've been here for three months. Isn't it time you met some people? Got out of your apartment and had some fun? Spent some time away from this hospital?"
Livi took her white lab coat off the hook on the wall, pulling a loose thread out of the navy embroidery that read 'Dr. Olivia Beckett, Paediatrics.' "For your information, Dr. Phil, I love what I do... I don't mind working Saturdays... so just get off my back, will you? Now, give me 10 minutes, and bring back my first patient, please."
"You got it, Doc." The blond nurse winked, before turning back to her computer screen.
Livi walked into her office, and closed the door behind her. She sat behind her dark wooden desk— at least, she thought there was a desk beneath underneath all that paperwork— and pulled her thermos of coffee and plastic baggie of weetabix cereal from her bag. "Mmm… breakfast of champions." She rolled her eyes as she took a big swig of hot, strong, black coffee, and popped a couple pieces of the chocolate cereal into her mouth. She booted up her computer, and looked at the schedule… yup, 3 sore throats, pink eye, and a sprained ankle. Let's get this show on the road.
She saw her first two patients, both young boys, with a viral infection that had been going around at the same daycare. She gave them each a prescription for a cough syrup, and told them to take paracetamol for their fevers… basic stuff… and sent them on their way.
Livi stood at the nurse's station in the center of the examination rooms, filling out the last patient's chart, and heard a very worried, deep, male voice coming down the hall.
"Yes, I gave her paracetamol last night and this morning, but her fever hasn't broken yet…"
She could tell that the man was distressed and nervous, as most people were when their children were sick. She glanced back to the dark blond-headed man, who carried a young girl in his arms. His face was pained and his eyes were narrowed, as he looked down on the girl. "It's going to be alright, sweetheart."
Livi watched as Claire led the man and girl into an exam room, and after a few minutes, she came out and handed her the file.
"So, what's going on?" She asked the nurse.
"High fever… won't eat… headache."
Livi nodded as she began to walk toward the exam room, before she heard Claire behind her. "Doc, you know who that is, right?"
"Um… no. Who?"
"That man… that's Tom Hiddleston… you know, the actor. I tried my best to keep my composure as I asked him questions." Claire blushed.
"Ohhh… okay." Livi didn't know who Tom Hiddleston was. She didn't have much time to go to movies, and she kinda kept to herself for the most part because she worked so much.
She knocked on the door, and peeked in. The man sat on the pink plastic covered bench with the small girl's head in his lap. His blue eyes perked up with she entered the room.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Beckett. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand to the man, and he took her hand, reciprocating the greeting.
"Likewise, Dr. Beckett. I'm Tom."
"Okay, Tom, so what do we have going on here? Is this your daughter?"
"Oh, um… no, no. This is my Kate, my niece. My sister went out of town for three days and entrusted me with her daughter… she's sick, and I'm a nervous wreck. I don't know what to do! I can't get her fever to break, and she won't eat or drink. I'm worried!"
Livi nodded, and went to her knees before the sick girl. "It'll be okay." She smiled up at Tom, trying to calm him, before turning her attention to Kate. "Hi, sweetie. We're going to help you feel better, okay?"
The small girl nodded.
"So your name is Kate? What a beautiful name. My middle name is Kate."
The small girl smiled slightly at the doctor, who was now sitting on the floor in front of her.
"Should she get on the exam table? Would that help?" Tom asked.
"Oh, no… I can tell that she feels terrible. Let her stay where she is."
Tom smiled warmly at the brunette doctor. Usually doctors weren't this personable… or this pretty.
"Okay, I'm going to look in your ears, first. Then, we'll move onto your throat." She looked into little Kate's ears as she grimaced at the sight. "Has she been having trouble sleeping?"
"Yes, I'd say so. She hardly slept at all last night."
"Mmm-hmm… and how old is she?"
"She's six. Is everything okay?"
Livi nodded her head. "She has acute otitis media."
"Oh, no! Is that bad?"
"She'll be fine! She's got an ear infection. Her poor little ear is so red inside, and she has quite a bit of fluid trapped behind her eardrum. Everything else looks okay, and that explains all her symptoms. I'll write her a prescription for an oral antibiotic, and some medicine to drop into that ear to help clear all the infection and fluid out. After the first couple of doses, she should feel much, much better. Keep giving her paracetamol to help control her fever."
"Oh, thank goodness." He rubbed Kate's head lightly.
Livi continued. "Until then, make sure she's getting plenty of fluids…" She looked down to Kate. "Make your Uncle buy you some popsicles, okay? The strawberry ones are my favorite!" She winked at the small, blond girl, making her giggle slightly.
Livi sat down on her stool in the exam room, and began to write the prescriptions. "Okay, Mr. Hiddleston-"
"Please call me Tom."
"Okay… Tom. Here's the prescriptions. Get them filled quickly so she can get started on her meds. She'll feel much better very soon, I know it." Now that she could get a better look at Tom, she noticed that he was, indeed, very attractive. She watched his twinkling blue eyes behind his glasses as he spoke, now a little brighter because he knew his niece would be okay, and his huge, pearly white smile. She could see a navy sweater peeking out from beneath his wool coat, and he wore dark jeans, and grey suede boots.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Beckett… I feel much better now." He grinned up at her as she handed him the slips of paper.
"I'm so glad. Please let me know if I can help in any way… and let me know if she doesn't get any better in the next day or so."
Tom nodded as he slipped the papers in his back pocket and helped Kate up. "Come on, little darling, let's get you to the car."
"Feel better, Kate!"
She heard a small English "thank you" come from the little girl, and smiled at her sweet face, as the pair walked through the door, and out of Livi's small part of the clinic.
"See, I told you!" Claire said as she took Kate's chart from the doctor.
"Told me what?"
"That he was cute…"
Livi laughed. "Oh. Yeah… just another patient."
"Uh-huh… well, if I wasn't married, I'd be flirting with that man."
Livi shook her head and snickered. "Let's be professional, here… You're so bad."
"Mmm-hmm… I would be… with him." Claire winked.
"Ohhkayy… why don't you stop daydreaming, and go get my next patient?"
After two more appointments, three walk-in patients, and spending way too much time adding their information to their charts, Olivia traded her lab coat for her winter coat, and slowly climbed back into her car, feeling the affects of the long day in her sore feet. She sighed, and turned the car key, bringing the car to life… well, as much life as the poor car had left, anyway. Sometimes, the headlights didn't exactly work as they should, which was the case tonight. She grumbled quietly, as she pulled to the curb in front of her building. The one bedroom flat she was renting wasn't the most elegant place, but for the amount of time she was here, it worked just fine. It was actually nicer than some of the places she had seen, so she was thankful for that.
As she made it to the fourth floor of her building, she let her bags fall to the floor as she plopped down into her fluffy chair. She should be used to being on her feet a lot, but these long days still got to her sometimes. She slipped her shoes off, and stripped her scrubs from her body as she padded to the shower. She knew that would make her feel much better, and as she washed her medium-length brunette hair, she thought back through the day. Immediately, she thought of little Kate. She hoped the sweet girl felt better soon. And then… she thought of Kate's Uncle. He was such a sweet guy, and she could really tell that he loved his niece very much. Her eyes drifted closed as she washed the rest of her body… he was so tall and handsome, even as his dark brows furrowed with worry.
Apparently, he was a celebrity. Livi didn't know how big of a celebrity though, as she didn't really keep up with Hollywood. She was much too busy, and either worked, or slept. Claire sure seemed to like him. Livi giggled at the remembrance of her friend salivating over him earlier. Hmm… she wondered what movies Mr. Celebrity had been in? Looks like an investigation on Netflix was in order! She hurried to get into her pj's, which tonight consisted of an oversized Little Mermaid sleep shirt that she had picked up at Primark, and twisted her damp hair up into a topknot. She popped a pod of coffee into her Keurig, and grabbed a couple chocolate biscuits as she waited on her coffee to brew. She grabbed her mug of black coffee and her laptop, and headed to her sanctuary… her bed.
She took a bite of one of her biscuits, and typed his name in the search box. Tom Hiddleston. A couple different shows came up, but she quickly got sucked into the addictive black hole that is Wallander. She got comfortable in her bed, and smiled widely as she first saw Tom on the screen. He looked very different then, and he played a sweet, young, sometimes sassy character named Magnus Martinsson. She giggled at his curly hair, and before she knew it, she had been up all night watching it. She repeated the next night with Thor and Unrelated, and the next with War Horse and Midnight in Paris, finally collapsing from sleepiness the fourth night after The Deep Blue Sea and The Avengers.
The next morning, she woke and stretched as much as she could. It was Friday, and for that she was so glad. Maybe she'd be able to catch up on her sleep over the weekend. She promised herself no more movies with Mr. Celebrity in them. He was much too distracting…and she was thankful that she'd never have to see him again. She didn't usually share Claire's tastes, especially in men, but she agreed with drooling over this one.
She showered, had some breakfast, and went to her closet to pick out her clothes for the day. Fridays were short, as they were only open half the day, so she opted for actual clothes underneath her lab coat instead of scrubs. Today she picked out a black sweater, tan skinny jeans, and tall, black riding boots. With a chunky statement necklace, a quick fingering through her wavy hair, and a smidge of makeup she was ready to go. She made it to the hospital in record time, and was greeted by a smiling Claire as she walked into the clinic.
"Morning, Doc!"
"Morning, Claire. What does this morning look like? Busy?"
"Not too bad… five appointments."
Livi yawned. "That's good."
"Why are you so tired, Olivia?" The nurse looked at her with a knowing look on her face. "Have you been staying up late?"
"Of course not… I'm not tired… I just haven't completely woken up yet. I need my coffee."
"Hmm… have you been staying up late watching a certain someone on Netflix?"
Livi's mouth dropped open as a vivid crimson blush spread across her cheeks. "Oh, come on, Claire. No!"
Claire giggled as she watched her friend hurry into her office, slamming the door once she was safely on the other side.
The day was going normally and Livi just had one more appointment left, and then she was off for the weekend. Before she could go into the exam room, Claire stopped her. "You've got a phone call, doc."
"Oh? Who is it?" She asked as she watched a wicked grin crop up on the nurse's face, making her blue eyes sparkle wildly.
"It's Mr. Celebrity."
"No!" Livi said as her stomach lurched up into her throat. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "What the hell does he want?"
"How should I know? He asked for you!"
Livi tried to calm herself as her fingers wrapped around the handle of the clinic telephone. "Doctor Beckett." She answered confidently, though inside she was anything but.
"Doctor Beckett, hello, Tom Hiddleston, here." That deep, velvety voice quite literally dripped through the mouthpiece of that old phone, and landed in a puddle of sex right at her feet..
"Hello, Tom. What can I do for you? Is Kate not feeling better?"
"Oh, no, Kate is perfectly well, thank you! She's gone back to my sister already. She began feeling better that very night. We went all over London looking for those strawberry popsicles you mentioned. She's convinced that's what made her well." He laughed into the phone.
"Oh, well, that's great! So glad she's better. Is there anything else I can help you with?" I twirled the once-white-but-now-cream-colored phone cord around my pointer finger.
"Yes, actually there is. I've had a bit of an accident."
"An accident?"
"Yes… you see, I began the second leg of Coriolanus at the Donmar last night… to make a long story short, a few minutes ago I was in my dressing room and I had bent over to grab my bag before the door was opened, nipping me in the head."
"Your… head?" I asked, unbelieving.
"Ehehe… yes, it seems I have a bit of a gash in my forehead."
"Um… a gash? Why are you on the phone with me? Shouldn't you be getting that checked out?"
"Well, yes, but I go on stage in a few short hours, and I don't really have the time to visit A&E. Do you think you could come by the Donmar and look at it for me? I may need a stitch… or two."
"Tom… I'm a pediatrician."
He laughed. "I know that. How many children's chins have you stitched?"
"Too many to count."
"There you go… same thing! I wouldn't be asking if I didn't trust you."
"Well…"
"You'd be doing me a tremendous favor, love."
Well, that's just playing dirty. "Fine… I have another appointment now, but I can be there in an hour or so."
"I owe you one… really."
I sighed. "Yes, you do. Where's the Donmar?"
"Really? You don't know where the Donmar is?" He asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"No, I don't! I've only been here three months, and going to the theatre hasn't exactly been at the top of my priority list."
"Ouch, darling! You just stomped on my tender Shakespearean heart!" He hissed, making me laugh. "Earlham Street… It couldn't be but maybe 10 minutes from the hospital. Just come to the stage door down from the entrance."
I breathed deeply, wondering if I was really agreeing to do this. "Okay. I'll see you in an hour."
"Can't wait… oh, and by the way, Doctor Beckett, I'm bleeding profusely, so please hurry."
I giggled. "Oh, dear… I'll try."
With a "fantastic!" he hung up. He actually had a sense of humor when he wasn't worried sick about his niece.
"Claire, hurry and bring back my next appointment! Apparently, I have a bleeding actor to go save…"