All that glitters is not Gold
Many thanks to samcamstargate1, goldeneyegirl and – it feels so much better, knowing that somebody has actually read this chapter except for me.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Rainforest Shower
Five days earlier: Monday morning, 5 am
The air was humid and warm, giving everyone the feeling of sitting in a Turkish steam bath, which was something Lily Brenner had actually enjoyed back in the United States. But not here, not with having clothes on! Lily brushed a strand of her curly hair back over her shoulder and changed her position beside a clinic veranda's pillar, while listening to the early morning rain shower. It had only just started to dawn, and nobody was really up yet – except for Tommy, who was blocking the shower yet again. Thick drops attacked the leaves of the surrounding exotic trees and a thunderstorm brewed in the grey skies, trying to dominate the sounds of the rainforest.
Usually, the mornings started with a deluge before the weather would change dramatically until noon. The sun would have come out by then, heating up everything and everyone. Lily was looking forward to this change, because it was the sun that brought out the colours of the rainforest and iron-rich red soils. Nevertheless, she had really come to like the rain these days. The intensity of these showers, leaving no piece of thread dry once you would step into them, had a cleansing quality. And right now, with Tommy blocking her shower, Lily mused about just stepping out of the veranda's safety and into the warm downpour. The water is probably the same, anyway.
Dr. Lily Brenner loved the smell, too. Humidity, heat, and rain had a distinct smell – here, in the rainforest, it was even more special. Something she would always remember from now on – it was rich, earthy and completely intriguing. This is one of the reasons why I like being here, she thought, carefully stretching her arm out, feeling the heavy droplets hitting her hand and lower arm.
The rain didn't succeed in muffling the rainforest's sounds, though. Those sounds were always there – at night, at day, even with the world being drowned by this magnificent thunderstorm. The many birds, insects, and apes never seemed to sleep – they formed a constant, subliminal orchestra. Which is the second thing I love about being here! Back home, it had been the sound of traffic, of cars honking, of pigeons curring from the ledges, and of people rushing through the streets. Lily could see the hustle and urban chaos in front of her mind's eye. She could even smell the asphalt, the car's emissions mixed with the hot dog aroma from a stand somewhere near. Seems all so far away now, she mused and smiled to herself, and I am happy about it.
Lily sighed and closed her eyes. She had recently needed to tell herself what she was doing here, and why she was doing it. With the last two weeks being horrible, Lily needed to make sure that she knew why she had wanted to come here in the first place; why she loved staying here. They had been working hard lately, maybe too hard, Lily mused, and thought back to their last weeks. They had only been here for about two months, still getting used to 'practicing in the jungle', without basic equipment. She loved the challenge, though, using her wits to find a cure and solution. But sometimes, that's not enough. They had recently lost some patients … Lily especially. And that was hard on her, because she knew that those people would have been saved back home … anywhere but here! The lack of blood transfusions, the delay of ordered drugs – all those reasons made helping people so much harder, even though Lily tried to learn every drug the rainforest could offer by heart. Those backlashes need to be replaced by good things, thought Lily, and slowly brushed the small beads of sweat from her exposed neck. For example, starting the day with a shower! That was when she descended the steps of the Clinica Cruz del Sur and into the rain. She could feel the water soaking her tank top and trousers almost immediately, as they started to cling to her body like a second skin. Lily sighed, brushed through her dripping locks and stretched her face into the sky, letting the water wash away the sweat, feeling refreshed almost immediately. Two minutes into her 'shower', the sun made its first appearance between grey clouds, letting the leafage shimmer as if dredged with diamond dust. Lily smiled, saw the first people coming out of their huts, making their ways through the village, starting their new day … and so would she. You just keep going.
Half an hour later, 5.30 am
Dr. Ben Keeton didn't need a clock to wake up. He was so used to living in these latitudes that his circadian rhythm had simply aligned itself with his surroundings. He had woken up with the rain, listened to the storm, and had slowly gotten up. Now, he was getting ready for the day. With a bowl of sliced mango he sat on the inner veranda of the clinic, facing the medicinal garden Dr. Zitajalehrena 'Zee' Alvarez had established in the small courtyard. He liked reading patients' files in those hours when nobody was around yet. He liked being by himself sometimes, eating alone, getting ready for another day – maybe save some strength, for you never knew what that day could bring. As the first commotion could be heard, Ben looked up and saw Tommy Fuller strolling over from the doctors' barracks, his hair wet and curly.
Tommy jumped up three steps at a time and quietly whistled, while greeting one of the nurses with his – by now – nearly-perfect "¡Hola!".
Ben grinned, wondering what Tommy's next Spanish word would be.
With a tune on Tommy's lips, he maundered over to the main entrance of the clinic, not even noticing that Ben had been watching him. Tommy Fuller had slept well, the shower had been wonderful, and now he was ready to face the day. Even the rain has stopped! With a look up towards the sky and its huge cloud domes, he was completely oblivious to the fact that Lily was striding towards him, she herself occupied with wringing out her soaking hair.
That's when they bumped into each other and Ben looked back up.
"Oh!" said Tommy and grabbed for Lily's shoulders, immediately pulling back his fingers as they came in contact with Lily's wet arms.
The force of bumping into Tommy made her sway, but Lily steadied herself right away, "Tommy," she saw his wet curls, knowing fully well why they were wet, "Watch out, will you?"
Tommy apologetically held up his hands and tried to smile at the brunette, "Sorry, didn't see you there."
Ben observed two of the three newest additions to the Clinica Cruz del Sur: Lily Brenner, a trained ER resident and Tommy Fuller, a plastic surgery resident, both standing opposite each other, with Brenner being at least a head and a half shorter than Fuller. Ben had always had a thing for observing. He liked the fact that people told so much of themselves through their body language. Ben slowly leaned forward and took a closer look at the scene that was unfolding before him.
Tommy Fuller had yet to let go of his 'this is all a great party'-kind of attitude, although Ben knew that one would be able to count on that young plastic surgeon, if one needed to. Furthermore, Fuller's skills were superb. Lily Brenner, on the other hand, she was a bit of a mystery to Ben … he didn't quite know what to make of her. She's small,but you would make a mistake if you confusedthat with inferiority, or even weakness. Ben was impressed with her. It was her knowledge, her clever ideas, her way of handling things, and talking to patients – or him. She wasn't afraid to say what she thought or to admit a mistake. And if she was convinced about one thing, she would make sure to do everything in her power to make that happen. Somehow, Ben couldn't help but felt drawn to that petite brunette. It was something in the way she had carefully opened up about her past towards him, not knowing how very much he was able to relate to that. It was also her determination to get on with her life that he even envied. Shared fate or not, it was a fact that Ben had a hard time not looking at her; watching what she did, and how she did things. Not only because he liked observing, but because she was actually nice to look at.
Tommy grinned and looked back up into the sky, the thunders still audible in the distance. "You are all … wet," Tommy noticed, and eyed his female colleague up and down. "Where have you been? Jumping down cliffs without us?"
"Outside," Lily replied, only wanting to get back to her room and change into something dry for the day. And, to tell the truth, she wanted to let Tommy feel and know that she wasn't okay with him screwing over her shower schedule - repeatedly.
Ben couldn't really hear what they were talking about. It was like watching a silent movie, deducing things from their gestures and facial expressions. And by now, he knew Lily seemed a bit pissed off with Tommy. What Ben also noticed was her attire – she was completely soaked, not a piece of dry clothing to be found on her body, as if she had taken a walk in that deluge of a rain shower earlier.
Ben felt something stir in his stomach, with her clothes clinging so tightly to her curves, and her hair curling naturally, now dripping wet with water.
"Outside, meaning outside when it rained?" Tommy asked, and tried to read Lily's mind. He somehow knew she was mad; he could see it in the way her blue eyes bore into his.
"Yes, outside, Tommy … you're not the only person who likes a shower to begin a day," she snapped and started walking again. She had to get to her dry clothes.
"Shower? Wait … there's another shower?" Tommy called after her, totally surprised. But Lily didn't turn around, she just kept walking and disappeared towards the doctors' barracks, leaving Tommy alone, "So, see you later a work?" he called after her, but – of course – no reaction from her. He shrugged, and then continued his way towards the reception desk of the clinic.
Ben smiled to himself, as he watched Lily retreat. Whatever is was, Fuller had made Lily mad, and it had offered Ben another insight into her character – she could be a master of self control.
Sneak-Peek Chapter 3: The doctors are having a lunch break and relax in the mid day heat. Ryan makes her first entrance and reveals some thoughts about Lily and Ben.
Thanks so much for reading this – feel free to leave a comment. Ideas, suggestions and criticism are always welcome. Don't hesitate to write a PM if you want to, I'll surely write back, K.
* Spanish translations and additional info in Chapter 2:
"¡Hola!" Tommy to a nurse: - simple greeting and most of you will know that! :-) It's "Hello".
Clinica Cruz del Sur - the name of the clinic, referring to the Southern Cross, a stellar constellation only visible from the southern hemisphere. Clinica = clinic; Cruz = cross; del = of; Sur = south - Clinic of the Southern Cross