After his hand left my face, I typed the rest of my notes into the chart that was still open on the screen and eventually closed out of the system, joining him on the other side of the counter. I stood near him but not within breathing distance. That only lasted a few moments before he clenched my waist and pulled me close.

“Caleb, I’m warning you, it’s not pretty over here.”

“Impossible.”

His lips went to my cheek, bringing an even stronger wind of his cologne; he not only smelled deliciously clean, but also positively ravishing.

“I could fucking devour you right here,” he whispered against my skin.

“You’re crazy.” I giggled and leaned my head back before any of my patients or administration saw us. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

I intertwined our fingers and led him down the hallway, explaining the layout of the unit, pointing out the break room as we passed it. We were just circling around the other side when we ran into Rebecca, standing in front of a med cart. I put my arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head against my neck.

“Don’t move. I just need a quick nap.”

We both laughed, and I loosened my grip on her. “You remember Caleb?”

“Of course I do.”

He held out his arm. “It’s good to see you again, Rebecca.”

“And you,” she responded, hugging him.

“It should be a slow shift,” I told her once they were apart.

“Should be?” She put her hands on her hips. “You know what happens when you put things like that into the universe.”

“Oh God, you’ll be fine.” It was my turn to hug her, and when I was pulling away, I added, “I’ll be back in the morning to relieve you. Let me know if you want anything for breakfast.”

“In case I’m too tired to remember to text you, I’ll take an egg sandwich and the biggest coffee you can find.”

“You got it.”

“Hopefully, I’ll see you soon,” Caleb said to her before we walked away.

“You can count on it,” she responded.

I brought him down the remaining section of the hallway, showing him the clean and dirty utility closets and the additional patient rooms, halting once we reached the elevator. When we were inside, I pressed the button for the first floor and took him into the emergency department. Because the patients were much more mobile in this unit and I wanted to protect their identities, I took him through the back, so he could see the X-ray and surgical rooms.

Aside from our chat with Rebecca, he stayed extremely quiet, and I could sense him taking it all in, processing my descriptions of what I did on a daily basis. I appreciated that, and I would probably act the same way if I ever made it over to his office.