1 Reela
So there she was. Neela closed the door of her locker and leaned against it. She thought about Gates and their relationship. She thought, that maybe it was too early, that maybe she wasn't ready to love again. She started to think, that maybe she only had this thing going on with him because she was lonely. But she had other things to worry about, they would need her full time today. A bus had crashed down on the highway and there were enough people injured to keep her busy for two days and that would keep her from thinking about her situation. She was thankful for every kind of distraction. So she did, what she always did, lean the deepest into work and push everything else aside, this always worked. And it did this time.
She stepped into the corridor and made her way to the hall, where she got three patients at once and started doing her job immediately.
Ray got a call from Abby to get his butt to the ER as soon as possible for there had been a bus crash and many people to help. When he got there the first thing he noticed, as always, was Neela. Since he had seen her with Gates the other day, his feelings for her where as clearly as never before, yet he couldn't find the inner strength to make his move, to say that he is willing to fight for her love. Because that was what he obviously wanted. He wanted her to love him. As bad as he had never wanted any girl to. He didn't care about the others. They were just something to spend your time with and he hoped it was something to have her jealous. But he doubted, that she could ever be as jealous and hurt as he was. He felt like a dog that had been kicked and thrown out. He felt like his friendship didn't mean anything to her, although he knew that this wasn't true. But didn't she feel it too? She said: "We both know why" So she felt it and this was annoying him most.
He resigned. He would wait and see. For that he felt terrible. The old Ray Barnett was gone. He was no longer the dude to get the girls. He was broken and left in the rain only because of this Indian girl.
"Room two. They're waiting for you.", a voice said, he walked toward the room keeping his eyes on Neela as she ran around talking and writing things into the files. She hadn't even seen him.
Neela put the file aside as she saw Ray. She closed her eyes and looked away. She didn't allow herself to think about him. One moment she looked at her hands until a scream brought her back into reality. A new patient was to be seen. He had serious injuries on both legs and he had strong pain inside his chest he let anyone hear it. She rolled her eyes and got back to work.
Ray was standing in front of a young girl with an open arm and open wound at her forehead. It was a standard and they'd fixed her pretty soon. He had four operations of that kind on that morning and was ready to go home. He knew what he would do, he would lock himself inside his room and play guitar and maybe finish this song he always tried to write. "I lost myself with the moonlight, my moonlight, I lost myself when you left me that night" was the hook. He had never written such a bullshit in his entire life. But before he had to do one thing.
Ten minuets later he stood on the top of the building and looked at the sky. This hole place was full of Neela. She was everywhere to him. And she was in his apartment. Her scent was in the kitchen, on the couch, in the bathroom. It was in the T-shirt she refused to keep. It made him go nuts. He couldn't escape his feelings for her. He stood there a while until he was ready to go and took the elevator back down.
Neela had gone on a floor higher to get consulting and she was hurrying to get back. With her feet tipping on the floor, she waited for the elevator doors to open.
When they did, she wished them doors to close. There was Ray, looking disturbed and not really happy to see her. She stepped beside him and hoped that it would be less weird than she expected it to be. She tried small talk. "Hey, how's your day been?", she said as usual. "Fine, thank you.", he answered but his looks made it kinda hart for her to believe this. She glanced at the ceiling, they would be out in a second.
But they weren't. There was a deep sound and a slight movement of the cabin and the elevator stopped moving. "Oh shit!", Neela said. Ray pushed various buttons on the controlling board but nothing happened. "I have things to do.", Neela said furious.
Ray watched her and saw his chance. "What the hell is this? Ray, do something!", she said. Ray answered: "I know what we could do"
"So?"
"Talk. Neela, I think we should talk."
"Not now, Ray, don't waste our time."
"When else Neela? And it is no waste of time to talk."
She looked at him as saying 'Please don't do that'.
"Why. I need to talk to you. And I think I deserve it!"
Neela remained silent.
"So, what kind of friend do you think you are?"
"A good one.", Neela said all of the sudden.
"I don't think it makes a good friend walking out on somebody. Or not letting me help you and be a friend."
"When have I been walking out on you?"
"Hello? You've been literally walking away from me."
"You know why I had to do this."
"No, I don't."
"Come on, Ray."
"For what kind of guy do you take me for? Do you think I'd really go touch a married girl?"
"No, I don't know. But I've never let you down."
"You've let me down since the moment you got into that taxi."
"But you said we were okay."
"And what would've you said if I told you that it wasn't okay for me? I needed you. I still do. And now, I mean, Gates?"
"What has Gates got to do with this?"
"Now you come on, Neela. I've seen you making out."
"First, this is my privacy and second why should I feel sorry for that?", Neela said raging.
"Because you know how I feel", Ray shouted, "You know how I feel about you."
It was dead silent.
Neela looked at the ground. Ray closed his eyes and turned his face away from her.
She started quietly: "And what should I have done? Stay in this apartment with you? I couldn't. I had a hard time deciding this, really. But I couldn't have stayed."
"And why?", Rays eyes got teary, "You have never said why you left, never. And I don't take this 'we both know" for an answer..."
"You don't want me to do this."
"I do"
"Ray, I can't", Neela said desperate. Ray threw his fist at the cabin walls and noticed Neela was shaking with fear.
He turned around as she was stepping to the other side of the cabin. Two steps forward and he had her with her back against the wall and him in front of her. He lifted her chin so she had to look at him. Her eyes were wet. "Ray, please..."
A tear slowly went down his cheek: "You can't do this to me, Neela" His head sank down on her shoulder and he started crying. She looked totally stung and didn't knew where to put her hands. She ended up hugging him. He was putting her arms around her waste and lifting her feet a little from the ground. It was hard for her to breath and she felt the warmth of his body all over hers and she remembered that he had never really hugged her like that. She was just about to remove his hands as the doors popped open. Ray looked up and noticed people looking at them, he saw Neela looking at him as if he gone insane and he couldn't take it.
He let go of her and ran out the hospital.
Neela stood a while inside the elevator until she noticed Gates staring at her. He helped her out and she said: "I think we have to talk." He pulled her aside and figured: "And I think I know already. It is breaking my heart but it is the right decision."
"What?", Neela wouldn't want to hear.
"It's better to finally listen to your heart. And we both know that this right here is to good to be true." She laughed a bit as she was wiping her eyes.
"Go now, go get him", Gates said softly, turning her around and pushing her towards the entrance hall.
She started running, knowing, where to find him.
She knocked at her former apartment door ten minuets later.
He didn't open. "Ray, it's me.", she said knocking again.
He opened the door after two minuets, without a shirt on and with a beer in his hand. He looked like a sad puppy.
Ray looked at her beautiful face as she entered and expected her to say something like: "It's not you, it's me..." and he as about to say something against this when she pulled his neck down to kiss him. It was soft and tender. Neela first wanted to say something but she felt like a kiss would do the talking for itself and it did.
They stood there kissing like forever while Ray felt the happiest he could imagine and Neela was for the first time sure that everything would be fine again.
The end