Chapter 2
"Okay..." Zoe frowned. This news was certainly not what she was expecting. "How long for?"
"Six or seven months?" Rita offered.
Zoe was shocked. She knew that Rita didn't just have a silly crush on Connie if she'd had feelings for her for that length of time.
"Okay..."
"Every time I see her, I fall for her even more. Her smile when she's saved a patient's life, or that time when she was proud of Lily, When she smiles at me I melt inside. When she was past me, my heart starts to thud, purely because she's so stunning."
"You've fallen hard for her, then?" Zoe asked the obvious.
"Very much so." Said Rita.
"Why don't you tell her, then?"
"She'd never listen to me. You see, I did pluck up the courage to tell her, yesterday. I went into her office, and then announced that I had something to tell her, but then Lofty came in, and Connie todl me that I would have to wait, but she would talk to me." Said Rita.
"And you're scared of her reaction?" Clarified the doctor. The nurse nodded.
"I'm scared of her laughing at me or her being creeped out." Rita explained.
"Well, I'm sure she'll get over it. I honestly believe that she holds some feelings for you as well. For example, you called her name for something or other and she blushed bright pink and smiled." Zoe said truthfully, perhaps Rita's crush wasn't one sided.
"Really?" Rita perked up.
"I wouldn't lie to you."
"Well, d'you think I should tell her?"
"Of course you should, it's no use keeping it to yourself or you could blurt it out at an inappropriate time, or lose her altogether. I didn't tell Max that I loved him back and look where that got me, I went away. It took a long while for us to finally realize we loved each other a lot." Zoe counselled.
"Um... Okay." Rita was still slightly upset. Zoe gave her a hug.
"Don't let it build up inside you any more, tell her. Something bad could happen, you or her could die tomorrow, and maybe die unhappy because you didn't tell each other your true feelings." The other woman insisted.
"That sounds like a bad drama. But okay, should I just call her or something?"
"Hmm... I reckon you should call her this afternoon, maybe ask her if she wants to go out for a drink or something? That way, if she reacts in a bad way and gets mad, you're in a public place so your argument, if there is one, won't get heated." Zoe decided.
"Okay, thank you for the advice." Rita smiled.
"That's what I'm here for. And to boss you around at work. Anyway, I'd better be off, Max will be wondering where I am, plus I don't want him to argue with Dylan!" Said Zoe.
Rita laughed. "Thanks again" she said as they made their way to the front door.
"Go for it, Rita. Don't bottle things up any more."
"I'll try not to" Answered the nurse.