Ethereal Love (Book 2 LS Series)

Chapter 1

"Junior." He said softly, and that's when I knew he'd somehow heard about what happened. I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't. It was like someone  had filled my vocal chords with cement. If I'd kept trying, I would've ended up crying, and I didn't want Will to see me that way.

I wanted to communicate to him that fact that I needed surgeries. I came to the hospital because I knew the Operating Room was the only place I could go to escape reality. I pointed to the OR board, and he understood.

Gently, he led me by the arm to the board. "What do you want to do first?"

We started with a hemispherectomy, and went from there.

Day three, four, five, and six were spent in the OR. I didn't get any sleep at all; I did surgeries all day long. I started speaking again, only to Will, first with a few words, but I gradually eased back into full sentences.

I didn't feel fatigued in any way. With every cut I made, I imagined it was Michael's skin I was slicing. That made it all the more therapeutic. By the time I made it to my 17th back-to-back surgery, even Will was swaying on his feet. I was sure it was just nicotine cravings or something, but in reality he was barely awake. "Junior," He said, yawning loudly. "How are you still alert?" I shrugged. "Forceps, please."

For the past few days, Will had been on my case about everything. Asking me if I'd eaten, drank anything, how I was feeling. I could see the affection in his eyes and it sickened me. I had no interest in the male gender at all, thanks to Michael. I was convinced Will was only satisfying some sick need for me inside of him, but now I know he was only looking out for me. Even if he does have some sort of feeling for me.

On Day seven, Will forced me out of the OR and into the on-call room to get some sleep. I didn't say anything, instead I laid on the top bunk while he slept on the bottom one. I listened to his soft snores, while staring at the ceiling. And I cried. I sobbed, I wailed, until he eventually woke up, and led me back to the OR for a few more days of surgery.

On day nine, I smiled for the first time since the incident. I could finally sense my own being through all the pain, it was like a weight lifted from me. I was learning, slowly but surely, to let it go, to let him go. Also on day nine, I walked outside the hospital, and saw a man selling 'Love Symbol,' as printed in the New York Times. I turned on my heel, and walked right back into the hospital, my safe haven.

I smiled when I successfully performed an impossible surgery on a little boy, I removed a glioma from his frontal lobe. The little boy woke up, and he hugged me. I couldn't help but grin, and it made Will smile even more. I knew this would've been Moonsie's reaction after she woke up, thinking she was going to die. So after that, I cried.

On Day ten, I laughed. No, I cackled at a story will told me about his days as a surgical resident; he was performing a colonoscopy on a patient, and got... fecal matter all over him. I got started laughing, and I couldn't stop, my sides hurt so badly.

"Is my struggle really that amusing?" Will laughed along beside me, but I could see that he was just happy that I was happy. "No, I just..." I launched into another fit of laughter, and was unable to finish my sentence for a long time. What he told me wasn't even that funny, it just felt so good to laugh again.

Day eleven is today. Will watches me as I update the OR board, erasing and writing my name under every surgery scheduled for today. "Coffee?" He offers, holding out a cup. After pondering for a second, I take the cup, and smile. "Yeah, thanks."

"Great. Another twelve hour surgery." He comments sarcastically, and I notice the dark rings under his eyes. They mirror my own. I shrug. "You don't have to assist me if you don't want. You know I'm capable, just... go get some sleep."

He shakes his head, sighing. "Let's just go." "Suit yourself."

****

I snap my fingers in my latex gloves, and Will's head snaps up. "Rosie, if you're gonna sleep I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the OR," I mock him, and he rolls his eyes. "Don't call me Rosie." He grumbles under his breath, rolling his neck. "Music, please." He tells the scrub nurse, and I shake my head.

"I swear, if you play that nasty Blondie crap again-" "Don't worry, Miss Prissy, we'll play Queen for you." He motions to the nurses, who begin to fiddle with the boom box in the corner.

Instead of Queen, 'P.Y.T' begins blasting, Michael's voice is loud, infiltrating the strong brick wall I built to keep him out of my head. Will sucks in a breath, and I almost drop my scalpel into the patient's brain.

My head snaps to the side, and my face is so hot I'm certain my eyes are ablaze. "Turn that off." I growl, unable to recognize my own voice. Will swallows hard as they fiddle with the boom box again. I don't want to hear about Michael wanting to 'love' anyone. He is incapable of TLC, he is too heartless.

"TURN IT OFF!" My voice comes out louder than expected, and the noise finally stops. I let out a deep breath, and continue working on the patient. Everyone is silent, and I'm sure they're confused... it seems nobody's heard of what he's done to me. In the medical world, there's no time for idle business.

"Junior." Will says softly, and it takes me a long few seconds to realize that I'm crying. Great. "I'm fine." I snap, glad that I'm just about finished with this man. "If you want to go now-" "I'm not going anywhere!" He only releases a soft sigh, and reaches for the lap pads.

I jump when he begins to gently wipe away the wetness on my face. I swipe him away after a few seconds, and finish stitching up the patient, throwing my scalpel into the bin with a loud bang.

"Take him to Post-Op." I tell the nurses before peeling off my gloves, and speeding out of the room.

****

I count down the minutes until I know Will is going to appear in the on-call room and ask me about my 'feelings.' I'm gonna tell him to piss off, and then he's gonna stand there staring at me with puppy-dog eyes until I apologize.

When the door creaks open, I attempt to stifle my tears, but I can't. "Junior," He calls, and I sniffle. "Piss... off." He closes the door softly, and stands there with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry... about what just happened. Are you alright?"

"Yes, the person I told every secret in the book exploited me and now the whole world knows. I'm fan-fucking-tastic." He sighs. "Maybe it's not so bad... the whole world doesn't know." I wipe at my cheeks again. "He published it... in the New York Times."

"Oh." "Yeah, the whole world knows." "Junior. Look at me," He breathes, closer to me than I thought he was. I simply slide off of the bed, and stand facing him with my arms crossed. "What?"

He steps closer to me, the moon shining through the window throwing a silver sliver of light over his eyes. They glow brightly as he cups my cheek in his hand, brushing my tears away with his thumb. I can barely breathe looking at him, but I can't look away.

I bite my lip, placing my hand flat against his chest. His heartbeat is steady and firm beneath it, and somehow the consistency of it comforts me. I give him a small smile as he places his big hand over mine, leaning close. His forehead rests against mine, my heart rising to my throat.

He only waits a few seconds before pressing his mouth to mine, his lips slightly parted to allow his tongue to slip through. I let it into my mouth, and sigh, letting the fingers of my other hand lace through his hair. He pulls me closer to him, and before I know it, our mouths are moving faster than my mind can.

He deepens the kiss, his head always adjusting to fit. It's pleasurable because I don't think of Michael while we do this, I think of the way Will's mouth tastes. Maybe the OR isn't the only way to escape reality...

He pulls away eventually, both our breathing heavy and my face heating with excitement. "Where are you staying tonight?" He whispers to me, and I shrug. "I... usually just stay here." He smiles down, laying another soft kiss on my lips. "You're coming with me tonight."

I don't object at all as he pulls me by the hand out of the on-call room.

The first chapter, ah! I can't condone what Skipper is doing right now....

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