Harper's heart pounded with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she walked through the doors of the university, ready to embark on her journey as a nursing student. She had dreamed of this day for so long, but now that it had arrived, a wave of apprehension washed over her. Doubts about her abilities and whether she was truly cut out for this profession lingered in the back of her mind. Nevertheless, she was determined to work hard and prove herself.
As Harper entered the classroom, she found a seat and anxiously awaited the start of the class. The teacher walked to the front, capturing the attention of the students with a warm smile.
"Welcome everyone, to the beginning of your nursing journey," the teacher began, their voice filled with enthusiasm. "This is a noble profession that requires compassion, dedication, and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. Today, I want to emphasise the importance of collaboration and teamwork in nursing."
Harper listened attentively, realising that her journey would not be solitary but shared with fellow aspiring nurses. The teacher continued, "To encourage teamwork, I will be assigning you to groups of five. You will work closely with your group throughout the semester, learning from one another and supporting each other along the way."
Excitement fluttered in Harper's chest as she waited to hear her group assignment. She turned to the person next to her and smiled. "Hi, I'm Harper. Looks like we're going to be in the same group."
The boy, named Keith, beamed back at her. "Nice to meet you, Harper! I've always known I wanted to be a nurse. It's ridiculous how nursing is stereotypically seen as a girls' profession. I believe anyone, regardless of gender, can excel in this field."
Harper nodded, appreciating Keith's perspective. She then saw a woman in her group, she was quite glamorous with a full face of makeup, but she couldn't help noticing something. "Hi everyone, I'm Desiree. Full disclosure, I am a transgender woman". Harper nodded, her suspicions confirmed.
"So you were born a boy?" she asked.
Desiree smiled kindly, understanding Harper's genuine curiosity. "Yes, but I'm a girl at heart" she laughed. As they continued their introductions, a girl named Marina spoke up, exuding confidence. "Hey, everyone! I'm Marina," she said with a self-assured smile. "Honestly, the only reason I want to be a nurse is so I can marry a hot doctor. I mean, why not?"
Keith's eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly. "Marina, that's not the right reason to pursue nursing. It's about caring for others, making a difference in their lives, not just finding a partner."
Marina just shrugged and laughed, not massively bothered by Keith's comment, she knew what she wanted and she didn't mind what she had to do to get it.
Lastly, Harper turned her attention to the final member of their group, a shy girl named Amy. She introduced herself softly, her voice barely audible. It was clear that Amy was reserved, perhaps hesitant to share much about herself at this moment.
Harper smiled warmly at Amy. "Nice to meet you, Amy. We're all here to support each other, so don't worry. We'll make a great team."
Amy's eyes met Harper's, and a flicker of relief seemed to pass through her. It was clear that she appreciated Harper's kind words.
After their first day of class, Marina, fueled by curiosity and a touch of mischief, suggested that they check out the new class of doctors. Desiree's eyes lit up with excitement, immediately agreeing to the idea. Harper, Keith, and Amy followed along, partly out of boredom and partly to satisfy their own curiosity.
They made their way to the classroom, quietly approaching the door. Peering inside, Marina couldn't help but voice her observations. "Hmm, not a lot of good-looking guys in there. And look at that, it seems like half of the class are women. Not my cup of tea, to be honest."
Desiree chuckled softly. "Well, beauty is subjective, Marina. But I must admit, there's someone who caught my eye." She nodded towards a figure hunched over a desk, diligently studying a textbook.
Harper's heart skipped a beat as she recognised Oliver amidst the sea of students. She felt a pang of nervousness creeping up, unsure of how to handle the situation. Should she speak up and reveal that Oliver was her husband? Or should she remain silent and avoid any potential tension among her new acquaintances?
As Marina and Desiree playfully debated who should have the attention of the handsome Doctor to be, Harper wrestled with her internal dilemma. Ultimately, she chose to keep her connection to Oliver hidden for the time being. She didn't want Marina and Desiree to suddenly treat her differently or develop negative feelings towards her.
Just as their conversation reached its peak, a fellow student noticed their presence at the doorway and approached them. His curious gaze fell upon the group. "Hey, what are you guys doing here? Can I help you with something?"
Marina, with her usual straightforwardness, seized the opportunity. "Do you happen to know if that guy has a girlfriend?"
The student scratched his head, thinking for a moment. "Hmm, I can't say for sure, but I think I remember seeing him take off a wedding band before class today. So, it's possible he's married or in a relationship."
"What's his name?" Marina asked.
"Oliver…. Rivers, I think" the guy responded, "why?"
"No reason" she chuckled before turning back to the group.
Oliver had noticed Harper's presence and gestured for her to come over, but she frantically shook her head, indicating her reluctance. Feeling a mix of relief and apprehension, Harper backed away from the classroom door, rejoined her group, and suggested that they all grab some lunch.
In the cozy confines of their home, Harper and Oliver found themselves comfortably settled on the couch, basking in the warmth of the evening. As they relaxed, Oliver turned to Harper, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"So, Harper, tell me, why were you standing at the door of my classroom today? I saw you there, but you didn't come in. Were you trying to surprise me?" he asked, a hint of amusement lacing his voice.
Harper's cheeks flushed slightly as she realised she needed to explain today's antics to Oliver. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before responding. "Well, you see, I was put into a group for a project, and my group members—Marina and Desiree—suggested we check out the new doctor students after class. They seemed quite interested in finding a potential love interest among the doctors."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Ah, I see. They weren't interested in me were they?" he asked.
Harper nodded, a mixture of relief and apprehension washing over her. "I mean, yeah. But I didn't tell them that we're married. I didn't want to complicate things or sour our relationship, especially since I had only just met them."
Oliver chuckled softly, his eyes filled with affection as he reached out to gently touch Harper's cheek. "Harper, they'll find out about us sooner or later. You shouldn't torture yourself with an arbitrary secret."
Harper sighed, grateful for Oliver's understanding. "You're right. I suppose I was just worried about how they would react. I just started the course and I was hoping to make some new friends"
"Harper. I'm sure they'll love you regardless" he chuckled, rubbing her hair playfully.
Harper smiled gratefully and started to get ready for bed, with Oliver following closely behind her.
The next day, Harper felt resolved to confess to her new friends about her marriage to Oliver, deciding to tell them when they had their first class together.
But for some reason when it came round to it, she just couldn't seem to find the right words.
"So I found out more about that Oliver guy from yesterday," Desiree perked up when they huddled up for their group discussion. Harper's breath caught in her throat as she listened intently to what she had to say. "So it turns out, he's newly married and his wife actually goes to this University."
"No way!" Marina exclaimed, "is she also doing a medical degree?"
"Not sure, that's all the information my informant could tell me," her informant being another student from yesterday's class after she cornered him in the corridor and interrogated him. Harper noticed in the corner of her eye that Amy was looking at her intently. It made her feel even more uncomfortable so she shifted away.
"Come on you guys," Keith almost shouted, pulling open his textbook. "We're supposed to be brainstorming ideas for this project, not gossiping about boys. Can none of you take this seriously?"
"Maybe Harper's his wife", Amy's small voice mumbled, still fixated on Harper's face to try and gauge her reaction. Harper almost jumped out of her skin as her head turned to face her. "They both have the same last name, see." She held up Harper's textbook that had Harper Rivers written on it, but it was evident she had gone to write her maiden name and quickly scribbled it out. Suddenly, the group erupted with laughter, claiming that such a circumstance was absolutely impossible and commenting that they didn't know Amy was such a comedian.
This really riled Harper up and she balled her fists tightly before shouting, "I am his wife!" Her eyes were shut tightly and she slowly opened them to see how the others had reacted.
The others just stared at her wide eyed, clear confusion written on their faces. "But Harper, yesterday you acted like you didn't even know the guy," Marina commented, looking between the others as they nodded in agreement.
"Come on guys, we all know Harper isn't really married to Oliver", Desiree started, "I could only imagine him with someone extraordinary. No offence to you Harper but you are not what I imagined".
Tears started to well up in her eyes as she accepted the verbal onslaught from her peers, unsure what else she could say to make them believe her. She would have gotten her phone out and showed them their wedding photo but she'd left her phone at home this morning.
"Right, now that we have confirmed that Harper is a liar, let's continue with our group work," an unexpected comment from Keith as she didn't think he cared that much about the conversation.
"Excuse me," a familiar voice was heard from the doorway of the classroom and everyone turned around to see Oliver standing in the doorway. "Sorry, Harper left her phone at home this morning so I'm just bringing it to her if you don't mind." The teacher advised him it was fine and he entered the classroom and walked over to where she was seated. "I had an hour between my first and second lesson so thought I could run back and grab it for you," he smiled as he handed her phone over to her.
"Thank you," she beamed, "I felt a little lost without it to be honest."
"No problem, I finish at 4 so I'll wait in the library for you to finish and meet you out front." Harper nodded in agreement and watched as Oliver proceeded out of the classroom, thanking the teacher again before he departed.
When she turned back to the group, everyone's jaws were practically on the floor. "See I told you he's my husband," Harper mumbled, as she shoved her phone in her pocket and picked up her text book.
They looked between each other for a moment before turning back to look at her and all almost simultaneously burst into laughter.
"What a funny joke Harper," Marina commented, patting her on the shoulder.
"I honestly thought he would have a much more glamorous wife…" Desiree added, "smarter too."
"Hey come on guys, we'll never finish this if you keep up with your gossip," Keith scolded them, shoving Desiree's textbook into her hand so they could continue with their work. Harper internally thanked him for steering the attention away from her and drew a sigh of relief as they got to work.