Pace My Heart (A sequel to *Happy To Meet You*)

Chapter-10

For a change, it was a quiet night in the emergency room. I had attended to a case of acute pancreatitis, a ureteric calculus, fixed a colle's fracture and gave a few minor stitches to a group of youngsters who had came in the E.R after a scuffle. Finding a bit of free time for myself and before another case came in, I thought of checking up on Owen.

Drawing back the curtains, I peeped inside one of the cubicles of the E.R just as a nurse exited with a used tray in her hand.

"Hello, I thought of stopping by."

I smiled at Owen who was attending to a boy in his late teens with spiky gelled hair who had a clean lacerated wound on the outer aspect of his left arm.

"Whoa, thats a nasty cut."

I said studying the wound. There was a young girl sitting beside the boy also with a dressed up wound on her forearm although it seem a minor one in comparison.

"Apparently both of them fell together on a glass table."

Owen told me smiling while cleaning the wound thoroughly making sure that there were no glass pieces left behind.

"How did that happened?"

I asked both of them wondering how they had landed on a glass table. They were smiling and gazing at each other. The boy spoke up first looking at me.

"Well, we were actually sort of making out. We didn't realised and things got a bit heated up."

The girl then added blushing,

"It got a bit intense and we were gropping around and then.........."

"Hold it right there! Thats enough history we need. You can keep the rest of the details to yourself."

I said interrupting before they decided to spill out every little details of their making out session to us. Why did I even bother to ask?

"So, basically you guys couldn't keep your hands off each other?"

Owen was asking them rather seriously but amusement evident in his eyes.

"Shut up, Owen!"

I scolded hearing him. He was chuckling to himself as he injected the lignocaine,a local anaesthetic to numb the area before closing it with stitches. The boy winched in pain but that didn't stop both of them to stare into each other eyes like star crossed lovers. While waiting for the drug to take its effect both of them were inseperable and then they started kissing. Right, time to ring the alarm bell.

I coughed noisily to remind them that they were in the E.R and there were other people beside them.

It was time for me to head back.

"I got to go back now, Owen. See you around."

"Okay. Let me just finish up with these guys."

He said as he started closing the wound with interrupted stitches.

"And you two."

I said looking at both of them before leaving.

"Try to be careful next time, will ya? I am pretty sure you don't want to end up with an awful looking scar!"

Owen was laughing hearing me scare them. The girl looked at me with a horrified expression.

Closing the curtains behind me, I mumbled smiling to myself and shaking my head.

"Teenage hormones."

This is bad, I thought stiffling a yawn. The rest half of the night duty turned out busier than I expected. The cases started pouring in the E.R continuously and I hardly got any time to rest in between them.

As usual I was following closely behind Dr. Daniel as both of us headed towards the left wing of the hospital building. How am I going to survive through the rest of the day in the outpatient department without feeling drowsy? There's only one solution, I thought as I called out to Dr.Daniel who was walking ahead of me.

"Dr.Daniel, please wait."

He halted his steps and turned towards me wondering why I had stopped him.

"Can you please give me five minutes? I just have to pick up something."

I asked him and before he questioned me the reason.

"Five minutes, please."

I requested again and since he didn't objected this time I quickly headed towards the cafeteria. After a while, I came back running with two cups of cappuccino in my hands. He was still standing in the same spot I left him, lightly tapping his right foot on the floor impatiently.

"I am sorry, Dr.Daniel."

I quickly rushed towards him worried that I had kept him waiting.

"You said five minutes. Its already eleven minutes."

He told me checking his watch. He was actually counting the time I was away, I thought watching him.

"There was a short line and it took me a while. So sorry. I got one for you too."

I apologised while handing him the cup of cappuccino. He was looking at me then the cup of coffee in my hand and then back at me.

"I don't drink coffee."

He told me more like a statement of sorts. Really? I thought, surprised. I am totally addicted to my daily cups of coffee and it was the first time I met someone who didn't like it. Well, there's nothing new in it. He is different from others, anyway. As if reading my thoughts again, he spoke.

"I can't afford to have 'coffee jitters'. Excessive caffeine affects your concentration levels. It makes you nervous and tense which is not good for a surgeon."

He was pointing his finger at me saying that. I wanted to tell him that I don't know whether it will affect my attention span or not. But if I didn't drink this coffee in my hand I will surely sleep right there standing still. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders and said,

"In that case, I will just give this to someone who likes it."

I started looking around for anyone nearby who will want the cup of coffee.

"Hey, wait! Come back here."

I heard him calling out to me. Now what? I thought going back.

"Give it to me."

He told me and before I said anything else, he took the cup of cappuccino from my hand and took a sip of it.

"What are we waiting for now? Aren't you coming?"

He was telling me before starting to walk ahead of me with the cappuccino in his hand.

I stared at him open mouthed. What was that? I thought puzzled. Wasn't he the same person who just gave me a short lecture on the ill effects of coffee. I really don't believe this. How can someone be so unpredictable? I thought quickly following him through the crowd of people.

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A/N

I will make this short and quick unlike my writer's rants last time! This chaps were ready for a while so I uploaded them. I don't know if anyone else is reading except my dear friend @lovexelif whom I absolutely cannot forget to thank for pulling me out of the phase...a phase I keep going back and forth.The warm support and love she has shown to this story is unparallel. I am thinking of maybe dedicating this whole journey to her :))

P.s Till my next upload take care &Thank you.