So sorry about the delay folks. Here's the next instalment x
I slam my locker shut and pull my hair from under the collar of my coat. I haven't seen Will since that day he asked me out and I don't know why. We were scheduled for the same shifts, he is supposed to be my mentor during my ED rotation but I just spent the last four shifts under the watchful eye of Dr Choi. I want to ask someone if they've heard from him or if they know he's okay but if I do they'll want to know why I'm so bothered, so I bite back my frustration and adjust my bobble hat before leaving for the night.
As I make my way past the nurses station I bid Maggie goodnight. She's been my lifeline since I've been here,I'd be lost without her. She wishes me a good night and somehow remembers herself.
"Oh Claire, I forgot, this was left here for you"
I reach out and take the envelope from her
"Thanks Maggie, G'night"
I turn the envelope in my hands assessing the handwriting on the envelope, checking for clues as to who it's from. My heart races at the possibility it could be from Will, my hands trembling with anticipation. I look around me but no one is paying me any attention they are all to busy with the fast paced environment that is the ED. Even so I make my way outside before opening it.
I slip my finger under the flap of the envelope carefully tearing it open and pull out the letter inside. I unfold it slowly and in blue biro there's a number scrawled in the middle of the page with the word Will underneath and an X.
I can't help the butterflies that Invade my stomach , my heart fluttering at the thought of talking to Will and hearing his voice. I bring my thumb to my lip and begin gnawing on it nervously, debating internally what I should do with this information; maybe I should just text him. Whilst I ponder my decision I rifle through my bag for my phone and copy the digits into my contact list, saving it under the name 'Sexy'
When it's safe and secure in my phone I'm given the option of calling or texting the saved number and my thumb hovers over the screen before resting on text.
I lean against that wall of the hospital and type out my message, before deleting it and starting again. I do this several times, settling on
"Thanks for the note, Now you have my number too. C x "
I read it over a few times..it's not too sweet, not too forward, succinct and to the point. I press the send button quickly and head out in the dark Chicago night towards my car.
When I walk into my apartment I hang up my bag and throw my keys into the dish on he countertop, kicking off my shoes as I make my way to the couch to pass out for a few hours sleep, before my roommate gets off shift. My phone rings and I hastily head back towards the door and rummage through my bag for my phone all the while moving to the beat of my ringtone. When I see "sexy" flashing across screen my fingers begin to tremble and my mouth goes suddenly dry at the prospect of hearing his voice. I take a second to compose myself before pressing the green button and greeting him in my calmest voice
"Will Hi"
"Hey, I'm glad you got my note"
"Yep, Maggie gave it to me tonight. So how come I haven't seen you at work?" I ask as nonchalantly as I can muster and i am sure I can hear him smile when he speaks, there's a certain lilt in his voice that gives it away.
"Yeah sorry about that. I changed my shifts, just for the next few weeks, I dont want to somehow overhadow your acheivment, I want people to see how hard youve worked and respect you for the right reasons, not because of me"
I'm touched by the honourability of his intentions and have to swallow post the lump in my throat to reply
"Thank you Will"
"No problem, and Dr Choi is a great Doctor, you'll learn a lot from him" he tells me matter of factly and I can't help my flirty response.
"Yeah, Dr Choi is great an'all but he doesn't have that sexy pearly white smile and to die for dimples"
"Sexy huh?" He retorts "Well only two more weeks and you can see as much of my sexy smile as your heart desires" he teases "Speaking of which, are we still on for the twenty fifth?" He enquires a little nervously. "I mean you sort of never said yes and I was worried that maybe you have plans celebrating with your family"
"No, no it's fine Will, no plans with the family. My Step dad can't fly he broke his leg and my Mom needs to stay to help him out , so..." I try to hide the sadness in my voice but he quickly picks up on it.
"Claire I'm sorry"
"Hey it's fine, don't be silly" I reassure him. He's sweet but it's not his fault. After a brief silence Will pipes up.
"What about your dad, can't he make it ?"
"Not unless he's risen from the dead" I quip, I hear him inhale sharply on the other end and I feel bad for my tone "Sorry, no he uh passed away when I was a kid, that's the reason we moved to Chicago"
"Claire I had no idea, I'm sorry"
"Hey Will it's fine, really"
"So you're not from Chicago then?"
"No, I was raised on the sandy Californian coast"
"Sounds Nice"
"It was. We used to spend every free moment at the beach. I loved the sound of the waves hitting the shore and the sight of the sun setting on the horizon makes you feel like,.." My sentence trails off into nothingness and I wonder if I'm talking too much. I bite my bottom lip as I watch my feet shuffle beneath me until he speaks
"Claire, like what?"
"Nah it's silly"
"No go on" he encourages
"I used sit on the sand and dream of sailing away, the sight of the ocean mapped out in front of you makes you feel like anything is possible you know?"
"Yeah I actually kinda do, I've only ever seen the ocean once but. Jay and I used to go fishing with my dad up at Lake Michigan before my Mom died and I'd pretend that it was the sea and the other side of the lake was some foreign land to be discovered" Will huffs out a small laugh at the memory
"Sounds like fun"
"Yeah it was"
There a brief silence and I wonder how comfortable Will felt revealing something so personal, i don't find out as he excuses himself and bids his goodbye,
"I should go, I have ten minutes before my shift starts"
"Okay. Um Will?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you"
"Your Welcome"
I hang up the phone and just as the screen locks it lights up, notifying me of a message received from 'Sexy'. I hastily open the message and I laugh out loud at the picture he has sent me; it's a picture of him looking deliriously happy with the caption
"My Sexy smile and dimples to keep you going until the 25th W x"
