It had been three weeks since she and Silas had kissed and nothing had changed. She was still going to work every day, and they were still acting as nothing more than passing acquaintances in the hospital. Only now she had the chance to see him in his role of doctor, and she had to admit that he was one of the best that she had ever seen. He was patient and assured, and he had a way of calming the patients with his confidence. She hadn't had the chance to see him in the operating room, but the nurses there were loyal to him after only one month. It seemed that everywhere he went he was popular.
It was Halloween and all the nurses were wearing funny hats or animal ears and tails to try and make the atmosphere fun. Faye was one of the few not participating, and she was taking grief for it.
"Why don't you just put on a pair of cat's ears Faye?" Robin suggested as she waved them in her face.
"No thank you, I'm not one for dressing up," Faye insisted for the twentieth time that day.
"It's just a headband?" Robin rolled her eyes and dropped them on the desk as Silas joined them.
"What about you Dr. DeGraff, why aren't you dressing up, you could put on a sash and call yourself an earl or duke or something," Robin hinted. The rumor that he was some form of nobility was running rampant and she guessed this was Robin's way to try and ferret out the truth.
Chole joined them with a sigh, as she fell into her seat. "This day!"
"It is a rough one, but at least we're not working tonight." Faye said.
"What about you Chloe," Robin asked as she took in Chloe's bunny ears. "Don't you think that Dr. DeGraff and Faye should be dressed up for Halloween?" Robin let her eyes peruse Silas's face and shoulders. "I suggested something noble for Dr. DeGraff, doesn't he strike you as noble?"
Chloe looked at Silas, taking in his appearance with a weary look. "I guess, I never really thought about it." She shrugged before she turned towards the computer.
"Faye, back me up on this one," Robin insisted.
Faye let her eyes look over Dr. DeGraff, something she never did, for fear she would give herself away. "Maybe not an earl or a duke, they're too lofty, perhaps a lord or a baron."
"Are they lower than an earl or a duke?" Robin asked as Mae joined them.
"What are we talking about?" she asked.
That began a debate about the nobility ranking system in Europe and who was above who, and as Robin turned to ask him to clarify, Silas pushed his paperwork across the desk.
"Nurse Brantley, do you have a moment for me to examine Ms. Hawkins in exam room twelve?" he asked, as he stepped back away from the desk and waited for her to join him. Faye kept her face passive as her mind raced, wondering if her little dig had upset him.
He let Faye precede him down the corridor towards the room without saying a word. They arrived at the patient's room and Faye entered with him and helped him as he completed his exam and then took his time telling the patient what the results of the tests she had been given were and the next steps which would include admission into the hospital.
When they finished Faye had intended to stay with the patient for a moment in case she had any concerns or questions, but Silas asked her to accompany him. She had been so wrapped up in the patient that she had forgotten about the little jab she had taken at him
He looked in the exam room next door and finding it empty he stepped into it expecting her to follow, she did, but she left the door open. It wasn't unusual on occasion for a doctor and nurse to find a quiet corner to discuss a patient.
"You enjoyed that little scene back there, didn't you?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking down at her with a stern expression.
Faye didn't have to ask what he was talking about and she grinned up at him. "I did, are you mad?"
He gave her a small smile that was a bit crooked. "I couldn't be mad at you when you smile like the liefje." They stared at each other for a moment and then he turned and left her standing alone in the room
*******
Faye grabbed the pizza she was supposed to bring with her and headed toward Lia's door, which was thrown open before she got to it.
"Finally, what took you so long? I'm starved!" Lia said as she grabbed the pizza and turned around into her kitchen with Faye following her.
Chloe was already on the couch with Huck and a glass of wine.
It was a girl's night and it had been a long time since they had had one. Ever since Ben and Silas came onto the scene things had changed. Lia was always with Ben and Chloe was always with Silas.
"What are we watching, have we decided?" Faye asked, throwing her wallet and keys on the counter and reaching into Lia's fridge for a soda.
"You're not having wine?" Lia asked with a smirk.
"No, last time it didn't turn out so well, I fell down my stairs," Faye said, grabbing herself a piece of pizza as Chloe joined them.
"You did? Were you hurt?" Chloe asked as she reached past her for a piece of her own.
"No, but Dr. DeGraff saw it and I suffered a great loss to my dignity." Faye sat at the table and Lia and Chloe joined her lead.
"He didn't!" Lia giggled. "Did he pick you up and carry you up the stairs with all of his strong muscles."
Faye rolled her eyes, Lia must have already had a glass of wine or two. "No, but I couldn't get the key in the door lock, so he had to help me." Faye wasn't sure why she was sharing but it felt good to talk about him a little.
Both Lia and Chloe busted out laughing.
"I was feeling very sorry for myself and told him I couldn't even get drunk right and he said he thought I was doing a good job of it," she added, and they started laughing even harder, Lia even snorted a little. "Then I insisted I was a cheap date and he said, 'not if the medical bills are anything to go by' or something like that." Lia and Chloe fell over howling with laughter.
"I told you he was funny Lia!" Chloe exclaimed around a mouth full of pizza.
"Well I haven't seen it yet, he's helped me out before, but he wasn't particularly sympathetic." Lia sipped her own wine
Chloe shrugged. "He's a supportive friend, but he's not one to show or talk about his emotions. I don't know that he feels anything all that deeply. I have always thought that his actions of support come more from a sense of fairness than anything else." Chloe leaned toward Lia. "What did he help you with?"
"Ben's ex brother-in-law said he had something on Ben that would prove him to be guilty of his wife's murder and he wanted to meet me to discuss it. It turned out to be nothing, but Silas offered to go with me to meet him in case something happened."
Chloe and Faye stared at Lia opened mouthed and she shrugged.
"Was this when I interrupted you in the Cafeteria that day?" Faye asked, remembering it well. "You said didn't want to talk about it."
"I didn't, Chloe would have told me to do what I thought was best and you would have told me to tell Ben," Lia said looking at Faye. "Silas said it sounded like my mind was already made up since I wouldn't talk to you and offered to go with me."
Chloe nodded. "Yep, that sounds like Silas."
"But I still don't know why he offered." Lia shook her head.
"I stopped trying to guess what goes on in that man's mind a long time ago." Chloe rolled her eyes.
"You've known him a while, what is exactly between the two of you?" Lia asked, watching Chloe look away from them. "You said he was married once but he's not now."
"I said I think he was married once, I'm not sure, I really know nothing about him. I'm only helping him with his book," she insisted, which told Faye nothing more than she already knew.
Although it did please Faye that she knew more about Silas than Chloe claimed to, she knew he felt things very deeply, and that he was tender, kind, and romantic. Faye hid her secret smile behind a bite of pizza, yep he was romantic and a good kisser.
"What about you and Ben, how is the fake engagement going?" Chloe asked putting Lia on the spot and redirecting the conversation. They both knew there was more to Chloe's story, but she wasn't sharing. Faye knew it because she had witnessed Silas holding her, and she was with him at weird hours, which she had to admit could be them working on a book, but Faye didn't think that was the case.
"It's still on, for now," she hedged.
"What's that mean?" Faye asked.
Lia shrugged. "It means that he shaved his beard, bought a suit, and went on tour with his beautiful agent."
"You're jealous!" Chloe exclaimed, glad to be off the hot seat.
"It's not like it matters since it's all pretend." Lia turned to Faye. "What about you and the policeman who asked you out a few weeks ago, how is that going?"
"It's not, I told him the house was going to be sold and I would be lucky to break even then he headed for the hills." Faye gave a small smile. "He did kiss me though."
"How was that?" Lia asked with a smile.
"Meh," Faye rocked her hand back and forth and they all busted out laughing again.
"Are Hayes and Alyssa really going to want to sell?" Chloe asked with a frown.
"Yes, they keep reminding me of the fact." She turned to Lia. "I don't suppose you want a roommate?"
Lia grinned. "Sure, you let me know. I have to get Ben out of here first though."
That led to a long discussion about the house restoration, and they went across the street to check out the changes before they settled in to watch a movie.
They both ended up staying the night with Lia, and Faye was happy when she returned home early the next morning, carrying her shoes and wearing the same thing she had worn the previous day.
She saw Silas standing in his doorway watching her as she entered the courtyard and greeted him with a smile before heading up the stairs.
There, she thought, let him wonder about who I've been with for a change. She gave a giggle as changed and crawled into bed to go back to sleep.