Beautifully Awake

“Yes, Ms. Porter, the OR.” His tone was short. I was silent. His request completely baffled me. Why would he want me in the OR? “You with me?” He pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest.

Did I have a choice? “Um … um ... do I have a choice?” Yep, I said it out loud. Shit.

“You don’t,” he growled. “Kelly needs you there, I need you, so I want you in the OR, period. You with me?” He never blinked, not once. His intensity was insane.

He needed me? “Um ... um ... okay.” I muttered before I heard Guy at my back whispering, “What’s going on?”

“Good.” Chase turned to Sam who was tapping away on his tablet, completely oblivious to our conversation. “Dr. Petit, get her scrubs, show her where she needs to go, don’t leave her alone anywhere until I get there. You hear me?”

“Yeah ... sure...” Sam looked totally caught off guard.

“Colton, you think this is a good idea?” Guy came to my rescue. “I mean—I don’t think case managers are allowed in the operating room. I’ve been here three years and I’ve never seen one in there before. What if she touches something or-”

Chase’s bark cut him off mid-sentence. “Hunter, I don’t care whether she’s allowed to be in there or not. I want her in there. Make it happen.”

Damn. Bad call on the latte this morning. The rumble below was back.

“Why would he do this to me?” I sighed and swiveled my chair around to face Leanne typing at the nurses’ station.

“Listen, have you seen that man? He can notch my bedpost.” Her hand twirled a strand of her long blonde hair.

“Shhh. What’s wrong with you? Can we have one conversation that doesn’t involve men and sex?”

She shimmied her shoulders. “Why? That’s no fun.”

“Really.” I grimaced. “Why am I wasting my time talking to you right now?”

“Come on, Lil, listen, you need to look on the bright side. You have a smokin’ hot brain surgeon to stare at for seven hours, that opportunity doesn’t shine its pretty head very often, no pun intended.” She giggled. “Take advantage, and have a sense of humor.”

I looked away annoyed. “I do have a sense of humor, when it’s funny! Whatever…”

“Whatever, what?” Jackson appeared out of nowhere.

“Hey Jack.” Leanne grinned and I might have been mistaken, but she looked like she batted her eyelashes. “Haven’t seen you around lately, you should visit more often.” Leanne was the female version of Guy; she had no problem flirting with all things male.

“What’s up, Lee? Yeah, sorry I really do need to make it up here more often.” He winked. Pretty sure Jack notched her bedpost. His gorgeous mulatto skin, built body and glistening smile were a sight most females couldn’t ignore.

“So, heard you’re in the OR with me today, Lil.” Making himself comfortable, he rested his forearms on the counter in front of me.

“Didn’t you just get here, Jack? How on earth do you know that already?” I pouted and sat back in my chair, crossing my arms against my chest.

He snickered. Somehow PAs didn’t have to round at the butt crack like the rest of us. Like ever. I definitely picked the wrong profession.

“Porter, that’s good gossip. Colton wants you in the OR ... it’s probably on Facebook by now.” He laughed.

“You think that’s funny ... what the hell am I gonna do in the OR?”

“Don’t touch shit for one. Wouldn’t want ya infecting the sterile field.” He chuckled again.

“Glad you find this funny. Is this some kind of sick joke? I can just picture myself throwing up, or better yet passing out,” I moaned, shaking my head in defeat. “Anyway, why are you scrubbing? Thought the case was Guy’s.”

“Yeah, well it’s mine, and Guy is pissed. You think I’d miss my favorite case? Colton rocks a left frontal lobectomy. We’ll wake her up mid-surgery and get her to talk to us ... it’s awesome.”

“Awesome? Do you hear yourself, her brain’s gonna be wide open while she’s talking … that’s insane!”

“Kiddo, you just wait, it’s going to blow your mind.”

“Yeah, literally—my head might just explode.”

Jackson laughed out loud. “Dramatic much? You’ll be fine.” He looked at his watch. “I gotta run. See ya in there.” He opened the steel door to the stairs and was gone.

I cinched my eyes shut and rested my head in my hands. “Lee, save me!” I whined.

“I’ll save you, babe. I’d gladly switch places with you in a heartbeat.” She stopped typing and leaned in a little closer. “I wish he made all those googly eyes at me. I’m even wearing a smaller scrub top so the girls look perkier.” She grabbed her boobs and gave them a lift, squeezing her cleavage through the small V-neck hole.

“You’re a nut, I just met the man last night. What the hell does that even mean?”

“You’re kidding me, please tell me you’re not that naive.”

“Lee, quit the BS!”

“Oh really, that hot scorching surgeon can’t take his smokin’ eyes off you. Hunter better keep his paws to himself or it’s gonna get ugly.”

“Huh? What are you even talking about? Do you ever listen to yourself?” She was crazy. “That’s it, you’re officially crazy. Is this what you do—sit behind the nurses’ station and analyze our every move?” I pushed up from my chair and rounded the counter. “You’ve got some imagination ... and Guy, really, he flirts with everyone. He watches you wiggle your ass every time you walk away, for god’s sake.”

“You’re missing the point.” She got right in my face, her voice sassy as all hell. “This isn’t about Guy. It doesn’t take a freakin’ brain surgeon to figure out what a certain neurosurgeon is thinking. He wants you!” She pointed her finger right at my chest.

I covered my face with my hands, speechless, as the blush crept up my cheeks. He doesn’t even know me, why on earth would he want me?

“Lili,” Sam snapped.

I jerked out of my daze.

“What?” I clipped, completely flustered.

“Did you just hear what I said?” He leaned on the counter right next to me.

“Sorry, Sam, what?”

“I said, I found you some blue scrubs. Here, take the damn things. It’s not my fault you have to go to the OR. I’ve got work to do. No time for this.”

I grabbed the scrubs and shoved them under my arm. Sam was definitely annoyed and probably overwhelmed with the demands of being a new intern.

“Thanks. I’m going to change. I need to get off this floor.”

“She’s flipping out about a bunch of things today,” Leanne chimed in.

I looked over my shoulder and gave her a dirty look before storming toward the elevator.

“Page me when you’re done and I’ll meet you by the OR,” Sam yelled as the elevator doors closed.

Sam stood with me in the long sun-filled hallway outside the operating room suites. It had the most beautiful view of the Schuylkill River. If you had to go under the knife, at least your last sight was serene. God, that was morbid.

“He told us to meet him here. You stay put, I don’t want him pissed because I lost you. I’m gonna run inside and grab you a hat, mask and some shoe booties.”

“Thanks. Hey listen, I’m sorry I snapped earlier. This OR nonsense is definitely not by choice.”

Sam shook his head and pushed through the swinging door toward the scrub sink. I was actually going into an OR. It was insane. I never wanted to be a doctor, nurse, PA ... nothing involving blood and guts. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell.

U r never gonna believe this…

About to go into new chief’s OR