“For the front door?” I asked.
Trisha nodded and I turned to hurry after Rowan who had stopped to wait for me at the foot of the stairs and followed behind him in silence, admiring the great view I had of him from a few steps below.
Rowan stopped at a door with a brass plate, engraved with his name. “This is my room, obviously.” He gestured to the door whilst he dug out a key from his trouser pocket. “It’s never locked through the day, apart from lunchtime, but I’ll give you Mandy’s spare key so you can still get in if I’m not here.”
I followed him into the room, standing awkwardly by the door whilst Rowan hurried around, turning the lights on. I was taken aback by how new and perfectly organised the room was. It was worlds apart from my old surgery.
Rowan opened a drawer and handed me a set of keys. They had a red plastic tag attached, reading ‘Spare’.
“The way some of these machines work is a little complicated. Have you worked with any of the newer systems yet?”
“Uh, no,” I answered humbly, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Well, not to worry – once you know what you’re doing it’s easy.” He gestured me over to a big red switch on the wall. “This one is the general power for everything, but each instrument has also got safety checks and all sorts to run through before we can use them. Mandy used to switch them on when she first came in, so the machines had time to work through all the settings and that. It’s not a big deal today because my eight o’clock is empty, but if they weren’t on by now, I’d probably have to delay my first patient until the machines were ready, if you see what I mean?”
I nodded, making a mental note – the big red switch was my first priority.
“Do you want to put your things through here?” Rowan ushered me through an alcove, lined with filing cabinets, and unlocked yet another door leading to a small office. There wasn’t a paper out of place. “This door is always locked. The silver key is for the main door and the brass one is for the office.”
I looked down at the bundle of keys in my hand and nodded. Rowan waited for me to take my coat off. I hung it up and slid my bag into an empty cupboard.
“I’ll get you a new name badge as well,” Rowan said, glancing down at the old, rather battered one currently pinned to my chest. “When Becca gets in at eight, she can get you one printed.”
I felt a little embarrassed, thankful that my uniform was new, at least. I’d only had this tunic a few weeks before my old surgery closed.
“Right, let’s see. What else,” Rowan mused. I followed him back through to the surgery room. “All the moulds and caps and things are up in this cupboard. Patient files are digital these days, but the physical copies are in those filing cabinets back there.”
Despite trying to pay attention, I found myself admiring how his shirt pulled tight against his torso when he stretched an arm up to open a cupboard filled with masks and gloves. I was no stranger to the gym, but Rowan was clearly a devoted attendee. You didn’t get to look that way without some serious hard work. I felt awkward as warmth crept into my face.
“All the instruments I use often are out and plugged in, but the unusual ones are kept in that bottom cupboard there. Have you used the computer for putting in dental records before?” Rowan asked, pointing to a rather expensive-looking screen that was tucked away in a corner of the room.
“Uh, well, the last place I worked had a computer, but that thing puts it to shame,” I replied, and Rowan laughed.
“It’s pretty simple. Have a seat – I’ll show you quickly.”
I sat obediently on the stool he’d wheeled out from under the desk. Without warning, he leant over my shoulders from behind to reach the mouse and keyboard. I froze, feeling hot and cold all at once. My heart hammered in my chest.
“This is the login screen. You should have already been put into the system by now, so we’ll have to find out what your username is later.” He was so close; I could smell the subtle tones of aftershave and his clean shirt. He smelt great. I prayed silently that the tingling in my lower half wasn’t the beginning of something embarrassing.
“I’ll just put mine in for now.” Rowan tapped out his username and a password quickly. The screen flickered and a more familiar system appeared. Rowan reached over to point at the menu across the top of the screen, flicking skilfully through the options as he talked me through them. “The everyday stuff will be under ‘examinations’, then ‘routine check-up’, then it’ll ask you for patient details. I’ll pop in my eight-thirty patient, just to show you an example.”
I watched as Rowan tapped in the required information, knowing I’d probably forget everything he’d just told me. It was hard to concentrate with him so close.
“Then it goes straight to this screen. Is that the same one you used before? I think it’s pretty universal,” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one we had,” I replied, just about managing coherent speech.
“Excellent.” Rowan stood up straight again and I felt myself relax slightly. “Obviously, all the stuff over by the sink is the cleaning stuff for the tools, um, we’ve got mouthwash, cups and paper towels... Is there anything else I’ve missed?”
I turned to look at him, immediately getting drawn into those lovely eyes. “No, I think you got it all.”
Rowan glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Becca should be here by now. I’ll go see if I can get you a new badge sorted. The masks and gloves are in that cupboard there – help yourself. I’ll be back in two minutes.” Rowan smiled at me again, before leaving.
Once alone in the room, I rubbed my face. This was not what I needed right now; workplace crushesneverworked out well. I grabbed a pair of latex gloves and a face mask. I was tying it around my neck when Rowan came back into the room. He held a file in his hands.
“Becca’s getting that sorted for you. My eight-thirty is here early, so if you’re ready to get started, do you want to ask her in?” Rowan handed me the file.
I pushed my nerves away quickly. “Sure.”
