Chapter 3
Then, just like that, he was gone, and Nancy was looking into the face of Kristen once again.
"Wha … what happened? Who are you?" Kristen said as her legs gave out and she collapsed against Nancy.
"I'm someone who's going to help you." Nancy said as she helped her to the gurney.
"Excuse me, but what's going on here?" a man's voice came from behind them, Nancy turned to see Max, the orderly standing with a man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties with sandy brown hair. He was slightly taller than Nancy, and his attire was what could be considered as business casual; he was handsome ... in a geeky sort of way. She found herself thinking as their eyes met.
"Doctor Gordon, let me introduce you to that 'damn intern' you've been complaining about. Doctor Thompson, this is Doctor Neil Gordon." Max said with a wide grin, Neil gave his orderly a murderous look as his cheeks colored with embarrassment.
"Well … I … I don't know if I worded it quite like that." He stammered awkwardly.
Max's grin grew wider. "I think it went something like this …"
"Okay, Max. I really don't think Miss … I'm sorry, I am terrible with names." Doctor Gordon said as he turned to Nancy, his cheeks flushing again.
"Doctor Nancy Thompson." Nancy said with a sweet smile as she held out her hand to him, her grip was surprisingly strong for someone so petite.
"So you're the new psychologist Doctor Carver mentioned … boy, now I feel even more like a jack ass." Neil said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as they walked down the hall together.
"Doctor Carver hired me on, because I specialize in sleep disorders and pattern nightmares. I know I look young, but I promise you I am fully qualified, I graduated from Yale as the valedictorian of my class." Nancy said, Gordon raised an eyebrow at her, so she was as smart as she was beautiful after all. He shouldn't have expected any less, Carver only hired the best of the best.
"Well I was just about to go on my rounds, would you care to come with and meet the other kids." Neil said as he cleared his throat nervously, why did he suddenly find himself so awkward around her?
"That sounds great." Nancy said as she smiled sweetly in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness between them, her cheeks coloring slightly.
They went through a pair of double doors and came to stand in what Nancy assumed to be the common room. There in a circle sat six kids that looked to be about Kristen's age, they turned to see who had entered.
Max, the orderly that she had met earlier was in the room tending to them and administering medications.
"Hey, is it bring your girlfriend to work day, or somethin' Doc?" One of the kids said as he threw his arm behind the back of the chair he was sitting in.
Gordon gave him a condescending look as a traitorous blush crept up his cheeks.
"Aha, look! He's blushin'! Ya'll know what that means!" Kincaid said.
"Kids, I would like you to meet our new resident psychologist, Doctor Nancy Thompson. Nancy, meet Joey, Will, Taryn, Jennifer, Phillip, and Kincaid." Gordon said, clearing his throat and quickly changing the subject as he introduced them from left to right.
"It's nice to meet you all." Nancy said, smiling at them, they returned her smile with looks of guarded skepticism.
"Better memorize this mug while you can, because you won't be seeing much of him around here, he likes to get his ass thrown into the quiet room at least twice a week." Phillip said as he shoved Kincaid.
"Better lookin' at four padded walls than your ugly ass every damn day!" Kincaid said as he shoved him back.
"On behalf of everyone, it's nice to meet you." The boy named Will said with a shy smile, which Nancy returned. The others remained quiet, and eyed her skeptically.
"Well, I look forward to getting to know you all." Nancy said as she said as Gordon showed her out.
"Your office will be down this way, down the hall from mine." Gordon said as they walked.
"Don't let them get you down, they treated me this way too when I first got here, Doctor Carver, who runs the hospital, as well as Doctor Simms are, well, rather abrasive, not personal and cold to the kids. It's really not their fault, they were from a different generation than we are." Gordon said as they came to stand in front of a plain looking door at the end of the hall.
"Here we are, I will leave you to get settled. I will be right down the hall if you need anything." He said as an awkward silence fell between them.
"Well … it was very nice to meet you and all of the kids, and I look forward to working with you for what hopefully turns out to be a long time, Doctor Gordon."
"Please ... call me Neil." He mentally grimaced at how eager and desperate the words sounded coming out of his mouth.
If she noticed his awkwardness around her (and as a psychologist, he was sure she had), she didn't call him on it, and for that he was grateful.
"Only if you call me Nancy." She said, the tone of her voice dropping an octave as she took a step forward. Gordon wasn't sure if the act was intentional or not, but the temperature of the room suddenly felt like it had gone up twenty degrees, he cleared his throat nervously as he pulled at his tie and collar.
Then, just like that, she pulled back and looked at her watch, the color in her cheeks led him to believe the motion wasn't intentional. "Well … I guess I should get settled in so I can get home at a reasonable hour." She said as she opened the door to her new office.
"It was very nice meeting you, Neil, I will see you first thing in the morning." She said as she opened the door and went inside, hoping he didn't see the blush creeping up her cheeks.
The door closed and Gordon let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
'Crap!' He thought to himself, he had never been married, he had never had a serious relationship, because his career had always gotten in the way. He was always so focused on the kids in his care, and so devoted to his work that it left little room for … personal endeavors.
Then, in walks Nancy, this little known psychologist from some little no named town, and before he knew what was happening, he was up to his knees in smitten. He couldn't help it, every time he thought about her, this warm, fuzzy feeling washed over him, he shrugged it off, annoyed.
'You'd better forget her, you're just wasting your time, she'll never see the likes of you as anything more than a colleague … MAYBE she MIGHT see you as a friend, if you're lucky.' A nasty voice in his head whispered.
Gordon's shoulder's sagged as he trudged to his office down the hall, the voice was right, women like her, cultured, worldly, with a degree from an Ivy League University don't look twice at geeky little state university educated doctors like himself.
He winced as he slammed the door with more force than he intended, the sound echoed down the quiet, empty hallway. On one hand, he wished Carver had never hired Nancy, but at the same time, he wanted to hug him for it. He ran his hand through his hair, he had to sort out these feelings, and soon.
Nancy stepped back with a satisfied smile on her face, it took some womanly touches, but her office was now to her liking. She looked at her watch and was shocked to realize that it was almost one in the morning! She took one last satisfied look around her office before she shut the door and locked it.
As she walked past Gordon's office on her way to the elevators, she found herself pausing, but why? He certainly wasn't someone that she would normally picture herself with, but, if he wasn't her 'type', then why did she feel the heat go to her cheeks every time she thought about him?
'Whoa! You are so barking up the wrong tree! This guy is practically famous for defining the fields and studies of pattern nightmares and dreams! The guy was a bestselling author by the time he was twenty! You studied his books in college! There is no way he is going to want anything to do with you once he knows your secrets, the poor guy deals with enough crazy, outside of his job, he is going to want some sense of normalcy, and you, are anything but.' That nasty doubting voice, the one that had always dogged her whispered.
Usually she didn't listen to the voice, but she had to admit, this time, it had a point. Doctor Gordon's job was to deal with crazy people, no way he would want one in his personal life, too. As soon as he found out her … problems, her issues, he would run screaming for the hills, it's what they all did the first time they experienced her night terrors and nightmares, or the first time they discovered that she took a slew of dream suppressants, and anti-psychotics.
No, she wasn't going down that road again, not anymore. It was for the best that they stay friends, and colleagues, regardless how much she wanted to be more, much more.
Notes: Yes, I know I did a little fluffy between Gordon and Nancy, but in the movie, I got a feeling there was something real there and I was pissed that they didn't elaborate on it, so I decided to ^_^. I am also gaining inspiration from the comic adaptions of this movie, as well, which goes into more depth and detail on Gordon and Nancy's relationship.
