I was grateful that the excitement of the day was confined to that one patient. After he left it was back to the same old dehydration, muscle aches, and the odd spectator coming in with minor ailments. Piper was back on her feet, and damn if she didn't look good in my top.
As the crowds dispersed, the flow of patients slowed until the race was finally over and it was just the three of us tidying up the tent.
"Alright, well it was nice to meet you both." Angie smiled at us as she pulled her purse over her shoulder and across her body.
"See you around." I gave her a small wave as I packed my stethoscope.
I pulled my bag over my shoulder as Piper peered out the tent. I figured she was looking for her sister. Rain had begun to fall, getting heavier by the second.
"You need a ride?" I asked as she peered down at her phone.
"Um, I don't think so." She shrugged. "My sister said she'd be back, but she's always notoriously late."
She looked slightly annoyed as she crossed her arms.
"Okay." I slid my bag off my shoulder and sat on the table she had been working at. "How about some company while you wait?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "You don't seem to be leaving me much choice."
I chuckled. Caught.
An awkward silence fell between us. She looked down at her phone again just as I felt mine vibrate. I pulled it out - a message from my dad asking how my day went. I quickly replied "fine", but really I wanted to ask if he had seen my patient from earlier. I wondered how he was doing; if he made it through the surgery alright.
"I'm sorry about what happened."
"What do you mean?"
"The beyond humiliating way my body reacted to that man's injury." Her cheeks began to redden.
I couldn't help but laugh. Her brows knit together.
"Sorry, it's just, I've seen doctors react the same way or worse." I shrugged.
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
I nodded. "How often do you think a Psychiatrist deals with something like that? Or a dermatologist?"
She pressed her lips together.
"Even I don't really see injuries that serious," I continued.
"But you were so smooth."
Her response made my chest puff slightly.
"My patients tend to come after the worst of the trauma is over."
"Well, you looked like you do that all the time."
"I'm glad I can fool people." I smiled.
She let out a small giggle. I liked the sound.
"Piper--" I began to speak but then a woman's voice calling for Piper interrupted me.
"Bree!" Piper's face lit up. She turned to me. "That's my ride." She looked down at her shirt. "Oh." She turned her face back at me with a sheepish gaze. "You probably want this back."
I held my hand up. "Don't worry about it right now."
"Thank you." She gathered her stuff and walked by me. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder as she headed out into the rain.
She linked arms with her sister and I kept my eyes on her until she disappeared out of view.
The whole ride home I couldn't stop thinking about Piper. She looked unbelievably sexy in my shirt. Her giggle replayed in my mind over and over. A part of me was disappointed that her sister did show up. I had hoped that she wouldn't, giving me the opportunity to innocently spend more time with her.
As I pulled into my parking spot, I found myself smiling. I flipped my keys in my hand as I began to walk over to the elevator. Suddenly my phone vibrated. I looked down to see a text from Bram.
Where the fck are u?
I just got home.
I'm outside your building.
Let me in.
I stepped into the elevator and punched in for the lobby floor. When I stepped out I could see Bram sitting on the steps of the building drinking from a paper bag. I rolled my eyes.
I opened the door and looked at him, "What are you doing here?"
"I didn't want to go all the way out there." He pointed in an ambiguous direction.
I had to assume he meant Spencer and Adam's apartment.
"Give me." I grabbed the paper bag from him and tossed it into the garbage can.
"I was drinking that," he said, his words were incredibly slurred.
"Not anymore." I helped him to his feet and into the building.
"Spencer and Adam's apartment is so far away sometimes," Bram commented as we stood waiting for the elevator. "And I knew my good buddy Reed wouldn't let me down. Plus it's Saturday so it's the weekend right?"
"I do rounds at the hospital everyday," I informed him as the doors opened and we stepped in.
I let Bram slide down the wall and back into a seated position. I let out a sigh as I watched his eyes begin to close.
I rolled my own. "Did you have a fight tonight?"
He nodded.
"Win? Lose?"
"I obviously won," he slurred, his arm drunkenly waving as he spoke. "I always win."
I rolled my eyes. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. I helped Bram up and out into the hallway. He kept up with me but stumbled over his own feet on multiple occasions. We reached my apartment and I helped him lay down on my couch.
"You're so rich." Bram grabbed one of my pillows and hugged it to him. "Look at those big windows overlooking the city."
"Mhm." I opened my fridge and grabbed two bottles of water.
I threw one at Bram, hitting him square in the chest.
"Hey!" he complained. "That wasn't nice."
"Neither is publicly drinking in front of my condo," I replied as I sat down in my chair next to the sofa. I reached and grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned on my TV. I flipped through until a sports highlight channel came on and I stopped.
"So you'll watch this, but you won't come see me fight?" Bram complained as the MMA highlights played.
"I come when I can," I replied. "But I'm not crazy about it."
"Only because of Officer Fraser."
"Even without Declan, I would feel the same," I replied simply.
"You two became awfully close after I chose my new career," Bram commented as he tried to drink his water, but only really succeeded in spilling a quarter of the bottle on himself.
"I understood his choice when it came to you."
"I don't know how."
"He took an oath, Bram." I looked at him. "I took one too. I know what it's like to have to choose the oath over anything else." My mind instantly went to Piper.
Bram rolled his eyes but didn't press the issue further. We sat in silence for a moment, then Bram shifted so he was sitting upright.
"How is he doing after...?" He looked over at me.
"Spencer and Adam told you about that?"
Bram nodded.
I sighed. "Not great," I replied honestly. "But he's trying to get back to life as normal."
Bram nodded his head then pursed his lips.
"I'm sure he wishes he had you through all this." Bram looked at me as I continued, "I know he misses you too."
"He could have me." Bram shrugged.
"No, he really can't."
Bram looked pained by my words, but we had always been honest with one another. I didn't feel like that should change now.
Bram sighed. "Can I sleep in your bed?"
"No." I shook my head. "But you can crash on my couch for tonight only."
"Oh, this is why we all come to you, Reed." Bram lay back down on the couch, "That savior complex of yours."
"Why did you get so drunk anyways?" I stood up and went to my closet to grab a blanket.
"You took a long time to get home."
"You could've texted me sooner." I placed the blanket at his feet.
"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," Bram said as he pulled the blanket up and over him.
I handed him the remote. "Try to remember to turn it off before you go to sleep."
With that I walked into my bedroom depositing my clothes along the way to bed. I fell back onto the soft mattress, completely exhausted. I closed my eyes, and instantly her smile, her freckles, her beautiful green eyes filled my mind.
The next morning Bram was gone before I even woke up. An empty water bottle and folded blanket on the couch were the only signs that he had once been there.
I decided to go to the hospital early so I could enjoy what was left of my Sunday. When I arrived I quickly threw on my lab coat and began to weave my way in and out of rooms, checking on my patients.
When I got to room 3411 I stopped. I knew who I wanted to see on the other side of that door, but I also didn't want to get my hopes up. I gave a quick knock and opened the door.
"Come in!" A female voice sang.
My heart fluttered. She was here. I quickly opened the door and pulled back the curtain to see the dark haired woman from the day before.
Bryana.
"Hello." I tried not to sound disappointed.
"Ah! Dr. Walton." Jakub's voice was bright. "This is my other granddaughter, Bryana. She flew all the way here to see me, can you believe it?" He was beaming ear to ear.
"That's great Jakub." I smiled at him.
"We've already met Dziadzia," she informed Jakub, turning her gaze down to him. "He was volunteering yesterday with Piper."
The door to the bathroom opened and I looked up to see the face I had been longing for.
Piper gave me a nervous smile. "Dr. Walton."
I remembered sitting in class on my first day of medical school longing for the day that people called me Dr. Walton. From her, all I wanted was to hear Reed.
"Piper." I acknowledged her with a nod.
She went and sat down next to her grandfather and took his bad hand.
I cleared my throat remembering I had come here for a reason. "Everything going well, Jakub? Any complaints or concerns?"
"No. I've been feeling fantastic," he answered.
"Good, good." I flipped through his chart. "Physio still going well?"
"Yeah, we watched him," Bryana answered for him. "He's doing great."
I looked at Jakub who nodded in agreement.
"Alright then." I scribbled in his chart
"We should probably get going if we are going to meet mom for brunch," Bryana said, and I did my best to slow down my notes so I could overhear.
"You're right," Piper replied. I peered up over the folder to see her kiss her grandfather's cheek. "We'll be back in a couple hours. Did you want us to bring you anything?"
"Good tea," he replied. "The stuff here is disgusting."
I chuckled softly. He wasn't wrong.
"You got it." Bryana leaned down and kissed his other cheek.
Both women moved towards the door, breezing by me.
"Goodbye, Dr. Walton," Bryana spoke in a knowing voice.
Piper left the room barely even looking at me. I tucked Jakub's chart under my arm.
"If you need anything--"
"Call for the nurse." Jakub winked at me. "You say that same thing every time, Dr. Walton. Have a good day."
I smiled at him then made my way out of the room as quickly as I could. I looked down the hallway and saw Piper's ponytail swishing back and forth.
"Piper!" I called out.
Both Piper and Bryana turned to look at me. I walked briskly towards them.
"I'll catch up with you at the elevator," Piper said to her sister who nodded and continued on without her.
"Hi." It was all I could think to say when I was finally standing in front of her.
"Hi?" She chuckled sheepishly.
I rubbed the back of my neck. I felt more nervous this time than I did in the bar, but maybe that was because I had liquid confidence then. Now it was me standing in front of a woman I desperately wanted to push up against the wall and taste.
"I um--" I cleared my throat. "My shirt."
I didn't actually care about it, I only wanted a moment to talk to her, though I wasn't entirely sure why.
"Oh, right." She shook her head. "I can leave it at the nurse's station."
"No!" My response was quick and seemed to startle her. "I mean... I'm normally around during the week. My office is just across from the elevators. You could just drop it in there when you visit Jakub."
"Sure." She nodded. "I can do that. I'll be back later, but I live in Columbus and I'm not going home before then."
"Another day is fine."
"Okay," she replied. "I guess I'll see you another day then."
With that she turned and walked around the corner following her sister. I smiled to myself. Another day.