“Hey there,” she said when they met up.
“Hey yourself.” He took in the hair escaping from her bun. She wore a T-shirt that clung in all the right places and a pair of jeans. The scrubs she’d been wearing that morning were, no doubt, in the bulging bag.
How many did she take with her, or did the hospital supply them?
Not that any of that mattered, all that mattered was getting Marie home. Dark circles ringed her eyes and fatigue screamed from every pore of her body. He longed to pull her into a hug, but refrained, respecting that they were at her workplace and while there weren’t any staff lined up looking out the window, he didn’t want to make assumptions that she would be okay with him doing that. “I want to ask if you’ve had a good day, but that just seems wrong consideringwhat you do. Instead, I’ll ask this, was it good to be back?”
“It was a tiring day and some aspects were good, others not so much.”
A shadow passed through her eyes, and he wanted to push her to share with him what had gone wrong. More than anything, Isaac wanted her to know that should she need him, he would be there for her. Although, considering they’d only connected again a day ago and those circumstances weren’t what he’d call favorable, it would probably take her a little time to share with him the ins and outs of her day. Not to mention doctor/patient confidentiality.
“You ready to go home?” He gave into the need to have her close and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.
“More than ready.”
They walked to the car in silence, and Marie didn’t attempt to move away from him, as if she was grateful to have him to lean on.
“Do you want to stop and get something to eat?” he asked, cursing himself that he didn’t think to pick food up for her.
“Nah, I’m good. I managed to grab something at the cafeteria. All I want to do is go home, take a shower and then collapse in bed.”
“Fair enough. Do you have another shift tomorrow?”
“Yep, although it’s not as long as today. It’s a morning shift, so I have to be back at the hospital by six.”
Isaac pressed down on the accelerator, and the car picked up speed. If she had such an early start, he should get her home as quickly as possible so that she could get the maximum amount of sleep before she had to do it all over again. “What time do you need to leave in the morning?”
“You are not driving me again, Isaac. Don’t even think about offering.”
He glanced from the road to Marie, and she was glaring at him. If they weren’t in the car and she was standing in front of him, he imagined she would have her hands on her hips, and maybe tapping her foot. He chuckled at the image. “I’m not laughing at you,” he stated quickly when it looked like she was about to blast him.
“Then what are you laughing at, because I didn’t think I said anything amusing.”
If he told her what he pictured it would only make the situation worse, yet he couldn’t lie to her. After lying for so much of his life, he found it abhorrent. He didn’t want to be untruthful to Marie. Nothing ever good camefrom that. “When I looked over, you were glaring at me. I just imagined if we weren’t in the car that you would have your hands on your hips to emphasize your point, along with tapping your foot.” He finished in a flurry.
He chanced another look at her to see what her reaction was. A ghost of a smile played across her lips. “I probably would’ve done all that.”
Isaac laughed loudly at how accurately he’d pictured her. “I’m glad I didn’t offend you.”
Marie sighed. “No, and I’m sorry. I’m tired, so I’m a little short-tempered.”
They’d reached her apartment complex, and luck was with him, there was a parking spot directly out front. He deftly parked, and with the engine off, silence cocooned them.
Isaac reached over and took her hands in his, bringing them up so he could kiss her knuckles softly. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You work a high-pressure job and it was your first day. There are a lot of stressors on top of what you normally have to deal with. You can be as short-tempered as you want with me. I can take it.”
Would she believe that he was telling her the truth? He could take her being a little short with him. There would be times when he’d be short with her. He wouldn’t harm her or say anything cruel. He wouldrather cut off his hand than do anything that would hurt Marie.
“I believe you. Will you walk me up?” She gave his hands a squeeze.
“Of course.” There was never any doubt that he’d let her walk to her apartment by herself. The fact she asked was huge in his mind. She was opening herself up to him a little, and he planned to take whatever she wanted to give him.
“I figured I’d get in first, because I know if I tried to go by myself you wouldn’t let me. And not in a controlling way, but in a ‘making sure I’m safe’ way.”
Her rambling was cute, and everything she said was the truth. “Pretty much. Come on, it’s late and you’ve got an early start tomorrow. Let’s get you home and safely tucked up.”
Letting go of her hands, he got out of the car and was around her side, opening the door in seconds. Everything around him was quiet, and he didn’t sense there was anything out of the ordinary around them. He relaxed a little, but he would remain on alert until he’d checked her apartment and everything was okay.
They didn’t say anything as they made their way up to her apartment. Marie stepped to the side after she unlocked the door, her invitation for him to enter first clear. “Are you sure?” he asked, becausehe didn’t want to just assume that she was okay with him checking her place.
