First Year Nurse

“You’re leaving us, Dr. Troy?”

Taffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.. “You let me know if there’s an opening in your hospital, Doctor.”

Dr. Troy stared at her. It was the stare of a boy seeing all the toys he had wanted under the Christmas tree. There was a silence that seemed to last forever.

“No need to check,” he said hoarsely. “I know there’s an opening.”

“Is there?” she said, and looked directly into his brown eyes.

What happened next was completely her doing. It wasn’t possible that she had put her arms up to his shoulders and put her mouth on his. It wasn’t possible. But there she was in his arms, which had promptly wrapped themselves around her, as if he’d been waiting for her to do exactly that. And maybe he had been waiting, waiting a long time.