Chapter 4

He found her in his office, she was asleep in his sofa. Totally curled up on her left side. Huddled in one of the corner. Her head rested on one of the cushion. He smiled idiotically. He shouldn't have but here he was. In awe in front of his tiny, smart resident. He came closer to witness she was so deeply asleep that she was snoring a little. It was cute. He would have never imagined to find snoring cute anyway but when it came from Claire, anything was adorable.

He pushed the coffee table close to the sofa and unfolded Claire's legs. She moved but continued to sleep. She will be more comfortable this way. She had gone from one shift to another since two weeks and had barely time to have a good night. She was exhausted. He went to his cupboard and went back with a red blanket. Jessica had offered it to him long time ago when he complained his office was cold as hell. At the time, he had a small office and the window was badly isolated. The irony of the situation was that after she had offered him the blanket he was moved to his current office. And since the blanket was lying in his cupboard.

He unfolded it and put it over Claire who let out a sigh. She seemed so peaceful. He smiled. He was glad he met her 4 years ago. He might have been the luckiest meeting he had made in his whole life. Those last months he spent with her, becoming closer - closer that they should have – had made him think about his own life. Was he really happy? His personal life was a disaster. Jessica broke up with him because she didn't want to have children when he dreamed to be a father. Then he started a love story with Audrey he had been knowing for years. A huge mistake. He liked her but not this way. She was more of a friend for him. She finally dumped him for a higher position in Bonaventure.

When Claire had been there all the time. A smile, wise words, just a look. She knew how to comfort him or to make him mad. He still remembered this huge argument they had on her second-year residency. When he booted her out of the team. When she went up against him fearless. When she apologized to him to give him cover but didn't mean it. She was a hell of a woman!

He sat on the sofa, at the perfect opposite where Claire was sleeping and stretched his legs over the coffee table. His feet ached. He had not sit since this morning. Twelve hours straight without sitting. He loved his job but sometime it was exhausting. He pressed his head against the headrest, looking at the ceiling. Maybe Claire was right to sleep here, right now. At least, her mind was not questioning everything for no reason.

Lost in his mind, he felt Claire's hand brushed his. He shivered. Once again, he shouldn't but he did. He couldn't fight this feeling which spread through his body. He picked himself up on the sofa and took her hand to put it under the blanket. It was much better like this. Less temptation to take it in his as he often dreamed about. Claire's head turned and he could see her half smiling. She must have sweet dreams. At least, it made one of them. Neil laid again in the sofa and watched the ceiling. And without understanding a thing, he felt deeply asleep.

The sun was lightening the office. It was early morning. Claire opened an eye and saw she was still in Bonaventure, in Neil's sofa… Neil just in front of her, sleeping as well. Nothing could have been more awkward than this. People were already gossiping about them being a thing when they were nothing more than friends. And now they were sleeping in his office, in his sofa, the whole night. What people were gonna say?

"Good morning."

She turned her head and saw Neil grinning at her. She forgot about her previous freaking out and grinned at him back. It was funny how a smile from this man could heal any of her crises.

"Good morning. I'm so sorry I slept here last night. I just sat for a moment and then I woke up some minutes ago."

"Claire, not a problem. You were tired. Since two weeks, you went from one shift to another one because of the flu pandemic. You needed to rest."

"Thanks… " She felt she was blushing but couldn't help it. "And thanks for the blanket too."

Once again, one of these moments when they looked at each other, with an idiotic smile on their lips. The same kind of moments they had shared in the locker room sometimes ago.

"Ummm I should go and change… My shift is starting in one hour…"

"That'd be a great idea… I may do the same… But I was wondering... Maybe we could have breakfast at the cafeteria before... You know… Our shift starts… So we can start our day on good basis."

"That sounds lovely." She was blushing again. She knew it and she didn't like this but she did.

"Meet me there in 15 minutes."

She nodded at him, smiling, and vanished in the corridor. Time to change and she was back at Neil's office.

It was nice to share breakfast with Neil at this early time. They didn't talk much, they were still sleepy but it just felt good. Claire couldn't explain this feeling coming from her guts. Judging by the puppy eyes Neil gave her, he was in the same state of mind. Sometimes, you didn't need words to tell things. It worked as well with the two of them.

"I have to go… My first surgery is in less than one hour and I'd like to reread the file before going in the OR… Have a good day."

She was embarrassed, the kind of embarrassment which was not really embarrassing but when you felt like an idiot not knowing what to say; because you knew you had to leave, but your whole body wanted to stay. Reason versus heart. And at this moment her heart was fighting hard.

"See you then… Maybe at the end of shift…"

He waved at her as she was leaving the cafeteria. This morning, she entered the OR with a big idiotic smile on her face.

This morning, his patients found him really enthusiastic and idiotically happy.