Chapter 34: SHE – Like This
It's his first day on the job.
Medical school was more stressful for Edward than college was. For four years, Edward was lost in a sea of studying, on-the-job training, and falling pieces of his bronze locks. He put his whole heart to endure the next phase of his dream. She dealt with the spiral of emotions he faced while in medical school. Thankfully, he had her as a stress/study buddy. As a registered nurse, she too gets caught up in her work and sometimes forgets to unwind.
With her in the work force, her mind is locked into caring for her patients. Long weekdays spent working at the hospital makes her brain reach overcapacity at times. She puts so much effort in her career that her sleep schedule affects time she spends with her family and boyfriend.
Thankfully, Edward understands what she's going through. He knows this is who he'll be when he's licensed to be a physician.
"Morning baby." She turns her head and sees him enter the living room, dressed only in his blue boxers. She can't hold back the rush of warmth that flows through her body. They sure did a lot of cardio last night.
She uses the spatula to put the last pancake on the stack she prepared on his plate. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?"
He smirks. "Very well."
She grins. "Good. We're in for a long day." She carries the two plates to the dining table.
He joins her at the table. "I know. I'm still screaming 'help me' in my head."
She grabs the bottle of syrup and drizzles their pancakes in the sweet, sticky substance. "I was like that too."
He chuckles. "I remember. You wanted to hold a neon sign with the words 'stressed bitch here.'"
"I was stressed. And cranky during the first few weeks on the job."
"Baby, be cranky all you want. We're on the same boat when we chose health as our careers."
"At least we're working at the same hospital."
He beams, swallowing a piece of his pancake. "Best decision I ever made."
"Or worse, if you're spitted out the other end of the wormhole turning out like me."
"If I turn out successful, then let me into that wormhole."
They share more playful banter as they continue on with their breakfast. Out of all the places Edward could do his residency in, he chose to do it at the same hospital she's working in. One would assume he chose the hospital she worked at so he could be closer to her, but that's far from the case. Back in high school, when they did an assignment for a health-related class about places they wanted to work in, they both added that hospital on their list. It's one of the top state-of-the-art hospitals in the area. When they began dated, they made it their goal to see if they'd end up working in a medical center that was on their list.
Once they finish breakfast, she handles getting the dishes washed so Edward can get ready. An hour later, they are out the door dressed for work, Edward driving them to the hospital in their black BMW.
"You'll be fine, Nutty E." She hooks her arm with his.
"I need some balls to survive the day."
"I might see some balls today, so you're lucky."
He smiles. "We're still such goofballs. You know that?"
She kisses his cheek. "We will be for the rest of our existence."
This is how it feels to achieve their career dreams.
Regardless of those daily doses of stress, all that matters is they have each other to get through it.