I’ve never been nervous going to the hospital before.
Of course, I’ve never been on a date in the hospital before.
Tuesday, I met with my old boss Gus about picking up some extra hours at the hospital where I used to work. I usually have 8 days off every other week and I hate the city I live in. Besides, I’d like to get a little more ER time. The NICU and PICU are awesome and I love pediatrics, but I feel like I’m losing some of my skills.
As I was leaving, I ran into Chris. Literally. He was coming down the hallway of the new addition and I was walking down the same long hallway where we first met.
‘Um, hi” I said. Chris look distracted. He didn’t say anything.
“Well, have a good day then”
I continued on my way, wondering exactly what was going on with Chris. He’d never been this way with me. Maybe my leaving really did affect him. Maybe coming back here was a bad idea. I can come up with a lot of maybes.
“Liza….wait. Wait” I was lost in my thoughts and kept walking. I felt a hand on my shoulder and instinctively my left hand curled into a ball and launched into a punch. Chris intercepted the punch. “What the hell?’
“I’m sorry” I stammered. “I was lost in thought and you grabbed me.”
“I’m sorry. I called your name and you kept walking”
“That doesn’t give you the right to grab me. I don’t care who you are”
‘I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. Liza, please”
We stood there in the hospital parking lot–each one waiting on the other to say something.
“I go back to NC tomorrow.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know that I will”
“Well, I guess that means tonight, then”
“You’re working.”
“Yea, but I gotta eat. I can order food and we can eat together in the call room”
“Like a date?”
“If you can call the call room a date spot, then yes”
“What time?”
“I usually don’t get a lot of calls between 6:30-8:00 so how about then”
“OK. I call you when I get here.”
So I guess I have a date. Or something. With Chris. After knowing him for 3 years, I am just as nervous as the day I ran into him.