Turning Pages- Carina DeLuca

Lost In The Battle

Since that night, Ray hadn't tried to contact Carina, which she appreciated. The fact that he never replied to Maya after she responded to him was pure entertainment to her. She knew it wasn't funny. Still, she needed to find humor in it. Ray was a force to be reckoned with, and others had begun to notice how much attention he paid to Carina, which made her feel validated. This wasn't just a figment of her imagination. As she opened her locker, she found another note. This note, however, came with a rose attached. "What the hell?" Carina muttered as she picked up the flower, flipping the tag over to read it. "Flowers are as beautiful as you, I hope you enjoy them." She read outloud. She closed her eyes and sighed softly before reopening them.

"Quando finirà?" She asked out loud before throwing it back inside her locker. Part of her didn't want to leave the lounge. She didn't want to deal with him. But, she had a job to do and she wasn't going to let him get the best of her. She was tired of not knowing what any of this meant for sure. She had her suspicions but that's all they were at this point.

She threw her hair into a ponytail as she walked out of the lounge. "Dr. DeLuca!" Carina heard her name be called. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning around and taking a deep breath.

"Can I help you, Dr. Maxwell?" Carina asked as she tried to be polite. When in actuality, she just wanted to go about her day without him in the way. But she had learned by now that there was no such thing.

"I brought you a coffee." Ray smiled as he held the cup out. She quickly stepped away from him as she shook her head. She had to get the point across once and for all. It was up to him whether he would listen or not.

"No! This has to stop." Carina exclaimed. "The notes, the coffee, the staring, everything has to stop. It's very unprofessional and very unwanted. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish but I am married. Very happily married." She snapped at him. "I know this place is hook-up Palooza but that isn't and will never be me. Did I make myself clear?" She asked as Ray nodded his head. "Have a good day, Dr. Maxwell." In hope that this would work, she mentally gave herself a high-five as she walked away.

"Are you all right, Carina?" Jo asked as she walked by. Turning around, Carina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Could she be honest with Jo about everything that she had been going through? She was worried that she would sound like a crazy person. At times, she had already felt that way.

"Yes, everything is fine. It's great." Carina laughed bitterly before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "Sorry, it's been a long morning." It really had been. It had become something of an Olympic sport these days to avoid Ray.

"Would you wanna talk about it?" Jo asked as she stared at the woman. Carina shook her head firmly.

"No, I uh- I'm fine but thank you." Carina smiled softly. She didn't want anyone getting involved in this. She didn't want to be the center of attention if people got involved and this was made out to be more than it was.

"Okay." Jo smiled. Unbeknownst to Carina, Jo was watching. She had noticed that something didn't seem right between Carina and Ray, but she chose not to intervene. She had also noticed that Carina seemed to be more on edge than usual. "Well, I'm here if you need to talk." She smiled gently.

Before walking away, Carina smiled back. "Thank you." She said softly, giving her an appreciative smile.

Over the course of the day, she saw more and more of Ray. Wherever she turned, he was there. Always watching. She did her best to ignore him and act as if it didn't bother her. But deep down, it made her stomach churn and she honestly wondered how he was able to get any work done if he was constantly following her. She didn't want to think about it. The day was busy enough. Patients needed to be seen, and lives needed to be saved. She didn't have time to think about anything else.