The surgeries that day had gone well...but could have gone better. Over and over, she replayed each decision, torturing herself with the things she should have done differently. Both patients were in recovery—they’d be fine, but they hadn’t gotten her best.

Though she was proud of herself for dealing with both sets of family members directly before and after the surgery. She’d met with them to discuss the procedure, answered their questions and even tried to give reassurances.

So, maybe the break wasn’t such a bad thing. She was definitely approaching her role in a slightly different way. And hopefully in a few days, she’d be feeling like her old self. Get her routine back on schedule.

Hearing her phone buzz in her desk drawer, she retrieved it and, squinting in the dimly lit office, she read the text message from Reed.

Thinking about you.

Received 9:08.

That morning.

Shit.

A dozen times that day, she’d intended to go back to her office, where she’d forgotten her cell, to text him, but each time she’d gotten pulled in a different direction. Time seemed to move faster at the hospital. In contrast to the excruciatingly slow, thorough movements of a search and rescue, the pace here was lightning fast. An hour passed in what felt like seconds.

Reed had been on her mind constantly...

No, that wasn’t entirely true. While he was there—in her mind and her heart—her job required focus and she’d successfully pushed all other thoughts away when she worked. Lives depended on that narrow focus.

Besides, thinking about him only made her miss him more. Lack of downtime was a good thing.

She sat back on the cot and texted him.

Sorry, it’s been a crazy day... I miss you.

His reply was immediate, making her feel instantly guilty. She’d hoped his day had been as busy as hers and he hadn’t been worried when she hadn’t replied sooner.

Want to chat?

She did. She desperately did. But after an eighteen-hour shift, she could barely keep her eyes open. If she called Reed now, they’d be on the phone for hours, like the night before.

But she missed him. She longed to hear his voice. The night before, she’d talked nonstop about the clinical trials and after they’d hung up, she’d gotten the feeling that he’d been wanting something more from her. Needing something more.

Not only did she not know what that something was, she wasn’t certain she could give it to him even if she did. A long-distance relationship was going to require a lot of communication, and while she’d grown a little during her time with him, this wasn’t going to be easy on her. Being around him, touching him, kissing him was easier.

But right now, phone calls, texts and Skype were all they had.