Jackie stared back into Steven's eyes, the same blue eyes she used to get
lost in, unable to breathe or move a muscle. Finally her trance was
interrupted by her patient.
"So nurse, I come back in next week to have the stitches removed?
"What?, Oh yes. That's right. You can just sign in at the front desk; either I or one of the other nurses on duty will remove them for you. Nothing to it. Just be sure you pick up your prescription tonight and start the medication but remember you need to take it on an empty stomach. Ok? You can call if you have any problems." Jackie started to walk away, avoiding Steven's gaze.
Jackie walked over to their filing area where all the patient charts were kept to pull the next patient's chart that she was to see. She glanced over to see Steven talking to his friend. His friend (her patient) walked out the front doors and Steven began walking towards her.
"So Jackie, you can't even say hi to me?" said Hyde with sadness in his eyes.
"Sorry Steven, I just don't know what to say to you. If you'll excuse me I have another patient to see." Jackie nervously replied, whose heart was beating so fast she thought it would burst out of her chest. As she started to walk away he grabbed her arm.
"Steven? What do you want from me? I have nothing to say to you."
Hyde angrily replied "Don't give me that bullshit! I think we have a lot to say to each other!" He paused for a minute trying to calm himself down. "Donna told me you were back but I didn't know which hospital. She also told me about your Mom. I'm sorry Jackie."
"Look Steven, I have a lot of work to do. Why do you want to rehash ancient history anyway?"
"Jackie, I let you walk away from me six years ago without a fight. I'm not going to leave you alone just because you don't want to face it. You're back now and it's about time we settled things between us once and for all."
"Steven, I hate to be the one to tell you this but there is nothing between us to settle." said Jackie, avoiding Hyde's gaze.
Suddenly another nurse interrupted them. "Jackie, you've got a patient in exam room 3."
"I'll be right there." Jackie looked at Hyde, shifting uncomfortably. "Look, like I told you I have a patient to see so I'm sure you know your way out." said Jackie nervously, feeling like a cornered rabbit.
She walked back over to the filing area, grabbed her patient's chart and walked into the exam room leaving Hyde staring after her. After a brief examination and evaluation of her patient Jackie went back out to check the patient board and discovered to her relief Steven was gone.
Hyde took his friend Jim home after Jackie went in to see her other patient. As soon as he got in the car Jim had a thousand questions for him.
"Who was that Nurse Hyde, you know her?"
"Ya, you could say that." said Hyde bitterly.
"Dude, her name tag said Jacqueline Burkhardt, R.N. Is that the infamous Jackie?"
"Yes"
"Damn, Dude she is hot! I'll have to start falling off motorcycles more often."
"You stay the hell away from her!" Hyde demanded. He quietly stared ahead for a few minutes before finally saying "I'd better get you home now. No, wait, we have to go pick up your prescription first. Shit!"
"Look, Hyde, I'm sorry. I though that she was ancient history and that you were over her a long time ago, but the way you're getting all nuts about one little joke makes me think you're far from being over her." said Jim as he stared at his normally cool, collected friend.
Hyde didn't respond to Jim's observation. Instead he just drove to the pharmacy and then drove his friend straight home without saying 3 words to Jim the rest of the night. His mind was elsewhere. The last thing he had expected when he took Jim to the hospital was to run into the ex love of his life. Who the hell was he kidding? He swallowed the lump in his throat and finally admitted to himself what he'd known deep down for a really long time. He was still in love with Jackie.
When he heard that Jackie got engaged to that Doctor down in Chicago he went on a three day drinking binge. When he heard they weren't getting married it was the happiest he'd been since she left him. Why the hell couldn't he get her out of his head? He tried and tried. Nothing worked. He ridiculed himself for being so pathetic. Even now, six years later, when ever he slept with another woman he always fantasized it was Jackie.
Hyde suddenly realized the only cure for his illness was to get her back. He wasn't going to give up until she was his again. He knew with absolute certainty that she wasn't going to make it easy for him. He knew he should be heading home to get to bed early so that he could open his shop in the morning but for some reason he couldn't stop himself from heading back over to the hospital.
As usual Jackie was stuck working the graveyard shift because two nurses called in sick. The E.R had finally slowed down to a crawl and she was sitting in the nurses' lounge drinking coffee to keep awake. She decided she would go back out and finish the filing since their filing clerk quit on them earlier that day. She started on the first stack of charts and had most of them put away when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned around and it was Steven.
Jackie jumped about a foot in the air and dropped the charts in her arms. "God Damn it Steven! What the hell do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that?"
He just stood there and gave his famous smirk. "Sorry Jackie, I didn't know you were so jumpy."
"Steven, what are you doing here?" asked Jackie, whose nerves were already shot from their earlier confrontation.
"You know, I'd like to know that myself. I guess some things never change. I can't stay the hell away from you even when I know that I should." said Hyde while staring at her intensely. "What time do you get off work?"
"What time I get off work is no concern of yours." She started to walk back into the nurses' lounge but he moved to stand in her way.
"Steven, Get out of my way!"
"No"
She tried to step to the side of him but he got right back in her face and pulled her to him and kissed her long and hard. When he finally broke the kiss she felt like she was going to faint. If you asked her what her name was at the moment she probably wouldn't have been able to tell you.
He stared into her eyes with a triumphant expression which made her want to scream. God damn that man and his kisses. He knew how to fight dirty. "Steven, will you please go." requested Jackie angrily.
"Fine, I'll go. But know this. I'm not going to leave you alone and you're going to have to face up to the fact that no matter how much you pretend we still want each other."
"Get over yourself. You may want me but I certainly don't want you." said Jackie unconvincingly.
"Liar!" And he proceeded to demonstrate his point once again. He put his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her deeply and drove his tongue into her mouth. Second later she responded to the kiss just as ardently. Minutes later he broke the kiss and walked away, leaving her staring after him astonished. She walked back into the lounge and poured herself another cup of coffee but ended up spilling it because her hands were shaking. She thought to herself "Why the hell can't he just leave me alone. My life is already a mess, I don't need him making it 10 time more complicated. And why the hell does he have to be such a damn good kisser."
DAYS LATER
Jackie's mother finally died in her sleep a few nights after her confrontation with Steven. She made all the arrangements for the visitation and funeral by herself. Her mother had very few friends left and her mother's mind had been so bad in the end she didn't even know who Jackie was most of the time. Jackie was numb and hadn't really cried yet. She and her mother hadn't been close since she was a small child. It was hard grieving for a woman who had considered her to be a burden she had to endure.
The night of the visitation about 75 people showed up to pay their last respects. Donna and Eric were standing with her as she greeted and shook hands with the mourners. Jackie was talking to her Aunt when all of sudden someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and it was Steven. Instead of saying a word he just pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. The strange thing was it felt like the most natural thing in the world. He broke the embrace and turned around and nonchalantly starting talking to Eric and Donna who were puzzled to say the least. They knew very well Hyde was still in love with Jackie but it wasn't like him to be this expressive with his feelings.
Hours later after everyone had left Hyde still remained with Eric and Donna. Finally Eric and Donna excused themselves realizing Hyde wanted to be alone with Jackie. Jackie was filled with a lot of conflicting feelings. She was sad, afraid, confused, angry, but most of all she felt more alone than she ever had in her entire life. Even her father didn't show up for the funeral. After her mother divorced him he had been heartbroken and washed his hands of her completely. She could count on one hand how many times she'd seen her father in the last 5 years since he'd been released from prison.
Hyde could see the turmoil in her eyes and was amazed that after all this time he could still read her like a book. He pulled her into a hug and she held on to him for dear life and cried and cried until there was nothing left while he just held her patiently and stroked her hair.
****Please read and review. Your reviews inspire me to write faster. Thanks!****
"So nurse, I come back in next week to have the stitches removed?
"What?, Oh yes. That's right. You can just sign in at the front desk; either I or one of the other nurses on duty will remove them for you. Nothing to it. Just be sure you pick up your prescription tonight and start the medication but remember you need to take it on an empty stomach. Ok? You can call if you have any problems." Jackie started to walk away, avoiding Steven's gaze.
Jackie walked over to their filing area where all the patient charts were kept to pull the next patient's chart that she was to see. She glanced over to see Steven talking to his friend. His friend (her patient) walked out the front doors and Steven began walking towards her.
"So Jackie, you can't even say hi to me?" said Hyde with sadness in his eyes.
"Sorry Steven, I just don't know what to say to you. If you'll excuse me I have another patient to see." Jackie nervously replied, whose heart was beating so fast she thought it would burst out of her chest. As she started to walk away he grabbed her arm.
"Steven? What do you want from me? I have nothing to say to you."
Hyde angrily replied "Don't give me that bullshit! I think we have a lot to say to each other!" He paused for a minute trying to calm himself down. "Donna told me you were back but I didn't know which hospital. She also told me about your Mom. I'm sorry Jackie."
"Look Steven, I have a lot of work to do. Why do you want to rehash ancient history anyway?"
"Jackie, I let you walk away from me six years ago without a fight. I'm not going to leave you alone just because you don't want to face it. You're back now and it's about time we settled things between us once and for all."
"Steven, I hate to be the one to tell you this but there is nothing between us to settle." said Jackie, avoiding Hyde's gaze.
Suddenly another nurse interrupted them. "Jackie, you've got a patient in exam room 3."
"I'll be right there." Jackie looked at Hyde, shifting uncomfortably. "Look, like I told you I have a patient to see so I'm sure you know your way out." said Jackie nervously, feeling like a cornered rabbit.
She walked back over to the filing area, grabbed her patient's chart and walked into the exam room leaving Hyde staring after her. After a brief examination and evaluation of her patient Jackie went back out to check the patient board and discovered to her relief Steven was gone.
Hyde took his friend Jim home after Jackie went in to see her other patient. As soon as he got in the car Jim had a thousand questions for him.
"Who was that Nurse Hyde, you know her?"
"Ya, you could say that." said Hyde bitterly.
"Dude, her name tag said Jacqueline Burkhardt, R.N. Is that the infamous Jackie?"
"Yes"
"Damn, Dude she is hot! I'll have to start falling off motorcycles more often."
"You stay the hell away from her!" Hyde demanded. He quietly stared ahead for a few minutes before finally saying "I'd better get you home now. No, wait, we have to go pick up your prescription first. Shit!"
"Look, Hyde, I'm sorry. I though that she was ancient history and that you were over her a long time ago, but the way you're getting all nuts about one little joke makes me think you're far from being over her." said Jim as he stared at his normally cool, collected friend.
Hyde didn't respond to Jim's observation. Instead he just drove to the pharmacy and then drove his friend straight home without saying 3 words to Jim the rest of the night. His mind was elsewhere. The last thing he had expected when he took Jim to the hospital was to run into the ex love of his life. Who the hell was he kidding? He swallowed the lump in his throat and finally admitted to himself what he'd known deep down for a really long time. He was still in love with Jackie.
When he heard that Jackie got engaged to that Doctor down in Chicago he went on a three day drinking binge. When he heard they weren't getting married it was the happiest he'd been since she left him. Why the hell couldn't he get her out of his head? He tried and tried. Nothing worked. He ridiculed himself for being so pathetic. Even now, six years later, when ever he slept with another woman he always fantasized it was Jackie.
Hyde suddenly realized the only cure for his illness was to get her back. He wasn't going to give up until she was his again. He knew with absolute certainty that she wasn't going to make it easy for him. He knew he should be heading home to get to bed early so that he could open his shop in the morning but for some reason he couldn't stop himself from heading back over to the hospital.
As usual Jackie was stuck working the graveyard shift because two nurses called in sick. The E.R had finally slowed down to a crawl and she was sitting in the nurses' lounge drinking coffee to keep awake. She decided she would go back out and finish the filing since their filing clerk quit on them earlier that day. She started on the first stack of charts and had most of them put away when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned around and it was Steven.
Jackie jumped about a foot in the air and dropped the charts in her arms. "God Damn it Steven! What the hell do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that?"
He just stood there and gave his famous smirk. "Sorry Jackie, I didn't know you were so jumpy."
"Steven, what are you doing here?" asked Jackie, whose nerves were already shot from their earlier confrontation.
"You know, I'd like to know that myself. I guess some things never change. I can't stay the hell away from you even when I know that I should." said Hyde while staring at her intensely. "What time do you get off work?"
"What time I get off work is no concern of yours." She started to walk back into the nurses' lounge but he moved to stand in her way.
"Steven, Get out of my way!"
"No"
She tried to step to the side of him but he got right back in her face and pulled her to him and kissed her long and hard. When he finally broke the kiss she felt like she was going to faint. If you asked her what her name was at the moment she probably wouldn't have been able to tell you.
He stared into her eyes with a triumphant expression which made her want to scream. God damn that man and his kisses. He knew how to fight dirty. "Steven, will you please go." requested Jackie angrily.
"Fine, I'll go. But know this. I'm not going to leave you alone and you're going to have to face up to the fact that no matter how much you pretend we still want each other."
"Get over yourself. You may want me but I certainly don't want you." said Jackie unconvincingly.
"Liar!" And he proceeded to demonstrate his point once again. He put his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her deeply and drove his tongue into her mouth. Second later she responded to the kiss just as ardently. Minutes later he broke the kiss and walked away, leaving her staring after him astonished. She walked back into the lounge and poured herself another cup of coffee but ended up spilling it because her hands were shaking. She thought to herself "Why the hell can't he just leave me alone. My life is already a mess, I don't need him making it 10 time more complicated. And why the hell does he have to be such a damn good kisser."
DAYS LATER
Jackie's mother finally died in her sleep a few nights after her confrontation with Steven. She made all the arrangements for the visitation and funeral by herself. Her mother had very few friends left and her mother's mind had been so bad in the end she didn't even know who Jackie was most of the time. Jackie was numb and hadn't really cried yet. She and her mother hadn't been close since she was a small child. It was hard grieving for a woman who had considered her to be a burden she had to endure.
The night of the visitation about 75 people showed up to pay their last respects. Donna and Eric were standing with her as she greeted and shook hands with the mourners. Jackie was talking to her Aunt when all of sudden someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and it was Steven. Instead of saying a word he just pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. The strange thing was it felt like the most natural thing in the world. He broke the embrace and turned around and nonchalantly starting talking to Eric and Donna who were puzzled to say the least. They knew very well Hyde was still in love with Jackie but it wasn't like him to be this expressive with his feelings.
Hours later after everyone had left Hyde still remained with Eric and Donna. Finally Eric and Donna excused themselves realizing Hyde wanted to be alone with Jackie. Jackie was filled with a lot of conflicting feelings. She was sad, afraid, confused, angry, but most of all she felt more alone than she ever had in her entire life. Even her father didn't show up for the funeral. After her mother divorced him he had been heartbroken and washed his hands of her completely. She could count on one hand how many times she'd seen her father in the last 5 years since he'd been released from prison.
Hyde could see the turmoil in her eyes and was amazed that after all this time he could still read her like a book. He pulled her into a hug and she held on to him for dear life and cried and cried until there was nothing left while he just held her patiently and stroked her hair.
****Please read and review. Your reviews inspire me to write faster. Thanks!****