Patsy:
The door clicked closed and then all too quickly we were alone, in my room, with the door firmly shut. I was suddenly extremely nervous, we had been alone before of course, but in my room, in the silence and darkness of the night, it seemed more … intimate.
"I'm afraid I only have bourbon" I turned away from Delia, too nervous to look at her.
"Perfect" she said, her Welsh accent nearly making my knees weak.
As I poured the bourbon, I could see her move slowly towards my bed and make herself comfortable, leaning her head and shoulder against the wall that my bed was pushed up against. Passing Delia her drink, I sat across from her, my legs crossed and back against the adjacent wall. There was a comfortable silence as we sat (with her silences never seem to be anything but).
"How was your day?" my voice came out almost as a whisper and far smoother than I was expecting. She turned her head so we were looking at each other.
"It had its ups and downs," she smiled "one of the men in my ward seems to fancy himself quite the charmer"
"Oh?" my hand tightened it's grasp on the glass.
"He's always complimenting me, telling me that when he gets out he'll insist on taking me to dinner" my jaw tightened tremendously.
"And will you? Go with him that is" I had to look away from her so she would not see the fire in my eyes.
"Oh, of course not" she said with a laugh. At my raised eyebrows she clarified "He's seventy six Pats".
Relief rushed into me, my whole body seemed to relax.
"And I'm sure his forty seven year old daughter wouldn't approve" she said. At that we both burst out in laughter, somehow shifting closer in the process. We continued laughing until my neighbor banged on the wall, reminding us of the time of night. We settled down and simply smiled at each other, making faces that resulted in another (quieter) burst of laughter.
We continued talking after that, our voices lower so as not to disturb the sleeping nurses, and bodies getting closer for the sake of hearing the other better (no other reason at all).