Christian picked up one of the cupcakes, removing the white wrapping then taking a big bite.

"Vanilla" He commented

"Your favorite flavour" I answered pleased with his response "Also i could not find any other extract in the house"

"That's fair" he said "I don't do much baking, my mom left it here"

"Your mom, left baking supplies?" I asked surprised.

"yeah! she likes to come unannounced sometimes. She made me a cake for my birthday 3 months ago" He explained.

"How thoughtful!" I answered.

I finished up the dishes and cleaned the counter as Christian ate another cupcake. He showed me where he kept tupperware containers, so that i could place the remaining cupcakes in the fridge for later.

"Would you like to go home? It's getting late and i promised that i would have you back in your bed Sunday didn't I" Christian said

"Yes, i was thinking the same thing" I said grabbing my purse.

"Take a cupcake for the road" Christian said handing me one.

After a magical weekend with Christian i found concentrating on school and Clinical extremely hard. I set my alarm to wake me up 45 min early because i knew that i would be a big ball of anxiety. I grabbed all my clinical notes and syllabus. Dressed in my nicest scrubbed and headed out the door. Clinical is only 8 weeks of my life, i kept telling myself. I knew all the material well. It was the fear of not knowing what to expect. I drove my car to the bus depot reciting all my material in my head. I couldn't stop looking at the address and directions on my syllabus. I was definitely going to be early, which put my body at ease slightly. I walked into the hospital and followed the signs till i got on to the Cardiology ward that i was assigned to. The tension that i was feeling melted away when i saw several of my classmates waiting at a table just outside the unit.

"Hey!" I greeted the group.

"Did you find it ok?" Kaitlin asked

"Yeah" I answered "The directions that Mrs. Lachey gave us were pretty good"

"I agree" Pipped up Amber who was sitting across the table clutching her clipboard "still very nervous though seeing that it is our first clinical"

"I'm sure that our instructor will go easy on us. For some of us this is the first time that we have worked in a hospital" I said trying to sound convincing.

"Yeah, i suppose your right" Jen agreed "Why work us to the bone on our first clinical"

"I hear from other student's that she's not exactly a hard-ass" Kaitlin said

"Did everyone find the unit ok?" Asked a middle aged woman in white scrubs

Everyone turned to see Mrs. Lachey walking over to the table that all the student nurses were sitting at. She was a tall, thin brunette with a wide smile. She looked middle-aged, she seemed . She had perfect posture like someone that was out of the military. Her features softened as soon as she saw us.

"I would like to introduce myself, I'm Mrs. Lachey. I have been teaching at the university for 5 years. I have bounced around between pediatrics, cardiology and the emergency for most of my 25 year career. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There is no such things as a stupid question" She explained.

Everyone was silent. We were all too nervous to think of any questions to ask in that moment. She explained the syllabus and the unit to us, while we listened intently. She gave us some background knowledge for performing skills and assessments specific to cardiology. Then gave us a tour of the unit. We settled into the staff room for morning report, which gave the staff coming on the unit a summary of what happened in the last two shifts for each patient. Mrs. Lachey let us know that we would be shadowing a staff nurse for the first few days. We would have to choose a patient after that. We would need to do research on their medications, history, care plan and diagnosis before giving any care or meds. I was partnered with a young nurse that had only been on the unit for 6 months named Alison. She was friendly and we became fast friends as she introduced me to the world of nursing and cardiology. We broke for lunch, i was famished but in all the nervous commotion of the morning i had forgotten to pack a lunch. There was a food court in the basement of the hospital but i tried to avoid it because it was expensive and the food choices were anything but healthy. I followed Alison into the staff room for our lunch break. I knew that my stomach could survive a few hours without food till i got home.

"Are you buying lunch in the cafe today?" Asked Alison

"No, i'll just eat when i get home in a few hours. It's all deep fried anyway" I answered.

"Suit yourself!" she said as she walked over to the microwave .

I picked up my cell phone to take my mind off my rumbling stomach. Christian had sent me a message 20 mins ago. MY heart kicked into high gear immediately as i opened it in anticipation:

Hope you are enjoying your first day of clinical. Don't work to hard, save that energy for me :)

Christian

I could barely contain my excitement as i returned the text with a thank you and a heart. I didn't want to say "i love you" just yet in case i scare him away. I wanted those words to have meaning. Christian and I were still in the infatuation stage. I couldn't be happier. He texted back almost instantly as though he had been waiting closely by his phone.

Are you hungry? have you eaten?

I didn't want him sending me food or having something catered. I wasn't starving just hungry enough where i wished i had packed myself. I didn't want to trouble Christian. He had enough to worry about, being a CEO had to be stressful.

Why do you have an extra sandwich for me? i texted back playfully.

If you need a sandwich then i have an extra one to share with you he texted back.

I'll be fine, my break is almost over but thanks for the offer I texted looking at the clock.

Make sure you eat, i need you to be healthy Christian texted

Alison got up to wash her tupperware.

"Our breaks almost over" She said putting her empty tupperware in the bag.

"Ok" I said shutting my phone and putting it in my bag.

Alison and I finish our shift then gave report to the next shift coming on. I thanked Alison for a great first day , then walked from the hospital to the bus stop. I sat down in a seat in the back of the bus and pulled out my phone. Christian never ceases to let me down with pleasant text messages throughout the day and sweet witty comments that always kept me on my toes.

Hope your first day went well. I hope your thinking of me

Christian

i hugged my phone imagining that Christian was on the bus with me. He was more deeply engrained in my thoughts that he realized. How could i not think of him. The only thing harder than nursing school was trying to concentrate on anything other than Christian. I wished that i had met Christian after i was done school, so that i could give all of myself to this love that was growing inside me. I had to be strong, i had no choice.