Chapter 7
Eva, Miles and Frank were already in the conference room when Natalie walked in. She looked very tired and it did not go unnoticed.
"Are you ok?" asked Eva.
"Yeah I'm alright, just didn't sleep well." Eva gave Frank and Miles a concerned look. Stephen came in the room. Natalie was looking down afraid to look at him. Last night she had to face the fact that she was in love with Stephen, but he did not feel the same, he said as much when he mentioned Lisa, and he would always see her as a colleague nothing more. "Get it together girl" she said to herself, "You are a professional, act like one."
Stephen began. "Before we get to the debriefing, I just wanted to thank you all for the great work you did. I'm taking the next month off and don't worry Frank, I am coming back, but before I go I want let you know how I feel about each of you. Frank, you showed tremendous courage in the field, I don't know how I would have survived if you weren't there with me. Miles, your commitment to your patients was extraordinary; you went above and beyond the call of duty. Eva, your dedication to that little boy was so touching, and you did an excellent job of coordinating everything." Stephen sighed and turned to Natalie. She felt his eyes burning through her. "Nat, what can I say to you? You kept me level headed, focused and your grace under fire was nothing short of amazing." Natalie was shaking. "Nat are you ok?" Stephen asked.
"Yes, I'm alright, just didn't sleep too well that's all." She quickly pulled herself together, even managed a smile as she looked up at him. Eva, Frank and Miles looked at each other, the tension was palpable.
At that moment, NIH Director, Dr. Kate Ewing walked in with a tall dark haired man. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
"No Kate, we just started." Stephen replied, but he sensed something was wrong with Natalie, and made a mental note to talk to her later.
"Well, I'm glad." Kate responded. "I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Jonah Birch. We hired him away from Green Memorial Hospital last week. He will be here to assist you Dr. Durant while Dr. Connor is away." She then introduced him to the other team members. He seemed personable enough, and Eva liked him right away. Miles elbowed her slightly so that she could wipe the big goofy grin off her face. He was as tall as Stephen but his appearance was the polar opposite of him. Stephen was pale, with blond hair and clear blue eyes. Jonah was well tanned, dark brown hair and had big brown eyes. "I'll have to find out if he is married." Eva thought to herself.
Kate then addressed the team. "Thank you all for your terrific work. A lot of lives were saved and your teamwork and commitment have not gone unnoticed. Dr. Connor as you know is taking some time off but the rest of you also have some days off coming. Consider yourselves on vacation, as of the end of this meeting for the next two days, I think you need to rest and recoup after that last adventure."
The team cheered, two extra days off was welcome news. The meeting was over a short while later. Kate pulled Stephen aside and left Dr. Birch to mingle with his new team members. "I hear you guys are the best, I am so excited to be working with you." Frank, Eva and Miles gave him a collective thank you, while Natalie merely half-smiled. More than anything she wanted to get away. Thank God for the time off, she could get herself together and come back ready to work. Eva left the men to talk and went over to Natalie.
"So, two days off, how are you going to spend them?" she asked. "I'm not sure, one thing I do need is some sleep, think I'll do that first."
"You know what we need, Nat, a spa day. Why don't we take one of those days and check into that new spa resort Lily to unwind?"
Natalie looked at her friend. "Not a bad idea, I could use some pampering."
"Great, I'll make the arrangements." as she took out her cell phone and started dialing.
Kate finished talking to Stephen and went over to the others. He approached Natalie.
"What's wrong?
"I'm fine, really." Stephen wasn't convinced and started to say more but Kate interrupted. "Dr. Durant, we need to go over some things." She then ushered Natalie to where Dr. Birch and the rest of the team were. She gave Stephen an apologetic look; he smiled understandingly and walked out the door.