My Name is Joseph

Pearls and Handsome Men

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"I am, ma'am." I answered. The young nurse's aid in front of me just stared at me. That was a strange reaction. Had she expected someone else? After a few seconds of silence, I became quizzical, "Am I in the wrong room?"

She cleared her throat and shook her head, "No, no, sir," her voice was strangely squeaky. She shuffled her feet a little then looked back down at her clipboard. She was quite the cute one. Her dark brown hair was tied in a ponytail, showing off her perfect jaw and pink lips. Her large brown eyes were glancing every which way on the paper. What had caused her to be so flustered? Was she reacting this way because she had heard of me and was intimidated? Or maybe awed? I inwardly cringed then chuckled. There was no reason for her to feel either of those ways, and I could fix that.

"You know, I could help you find whatever it is you lost on your paper." I smiled slightly.

She glanced up at me, surprised. "I did not lose anything." Her eyes were large question marks now, and her flustered manner lessened in her confusion.

I chuckled, "I guess not."

The question in her gaze just turned even more confused and curious. When she did not say anything else, I felt compelled to explain.

"I just noticed you seemed flustered. I thought if I joked with you it might help calm you down from whatever made you nervous, or something."That sounded so stupid! "Not saying that you were nervous, or flustered. I," I felt heat rising in my face, "I just was hoping to help."

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He had seen that she was flustered? She mentally facepalmed. She cleared her throat and tried to muster her calmest face, "Thank you, Alexander, I feel much better now," she could not keep the smirk off her face as she teased him back. She had teased him back? What was this world coming to? But his smile had been too inviting. Plus, it should be able to convince him that she was perfectly fine.

He smiled slightly again, "Good." Then he sat back down on the hospital bed and watched her expectantly.

She took a deep breath and looked down at her clipboard again. Focus, Pearl! She cleared her throat, "I am going to ask you a few questions now that we already have the answers to, but we need to make sure they are right and up to date. Is that okay?"

He nodded, but she focused her eyes down on her clipboard to avoid looking at him.

"Do you need or take any kind of prescribed medication?"

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As I was answering the questions, I watched her carefully. She had become very focused as soon as she got her mind off of whatever was flustering her and onto the questions. She seemed to be very sure of herself and great at her job. I was enjoying watching her sharp gaze and the quiet, graceful way she moved. I wanted to talk to her. She seemed to be very work-oriented and determined, like me, and I honestly had not spoken to any females since I had been brought into the army.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and focus back on her questions. She had just said that the doctor would be here to see me soon. I nodded again with a smile. "Thank you," I paused, "What is your name, ma'am?"

"I am Assistant Pearl Thomson." She glanced at me, red rising in her cheeks. Strange again.

"Thank you, Miss Pearl."

She smiled slightly and glanced at me, a shy look on her face, "Are all the stories I heard about you true?"

I smiled. She seemed sweet. "I don't know what you've heard. But I am the one who is going to be the new head-strategist."

She smiled and looked me in the eye for the first time without flushing, freezing, or glancing away, "I mean the other stories, the ones where--"

"Miss Thomson, you may leave now and start attending to the next patient," my shoulders tightened slightly at the haughty and booming voice that broke through Pearl's sentence. When I glanced up, I saw the doctor enter the room. She was another woman, probably at least twenty years older than Pearl, very prim-looking, but in a haughty and arrogant sort of way. I looked back at Pearl, who seemed to shrink back several steps.

"Yes, Dr. Williams."

Williams? This must be the Commander's doctor-wife. I inclined my head respectfully, "Dr. Williams."

Pearl glanced back as she exited the room and I gave her a small smile. She smiled back but quickly disappeared. Disappointed, I looked up at the doctor, and was surprised to find her gazing down at me with the strangest expression on her face.