“Aye, still holding up,” Gordon laughed, relaxing back into the chair.
“Open up for me,” Rowan instructed, and Gordon complied silently. “Ah yes, it’s still looking just fine. We’ll quickly do a routine check-up then I’ll have a look at that back tooth that you said was giving you problems last time.”
We sped through the check-up, and I busied myself tidying things away whilst Rowan decided on the best course of action for the troublesome molar.
“Right, I think we’ll put a filling in that tooth. Alright, Gordon?” Rowan said, flicking quickly though Gordon’s file. “That should solve the sensitivity issues you’ve been experiencing.”
“Just so long as I can drink my tea again,” the old man laughed hoarsely. “I’ve been missing that in the mornings, aye.”
“It’ll be a quick one. We can probably sort it now if you’re okay with that?” Rowan asked.
Gordon nodded. “Aye, might as well get it out of the way now, eh?”
“Alright then, give me two minutes to get my bits and pieces together, then we’ll get started. Just relax and make yourself comfortable.” Rowan turned to me, pulling his mask down briefly. “Do you know what I’m going to need for this?”
I nodded, rattling off a quick list of equipment. Rowan nodded and smiled, turning back to the patient. “Sorry, Gordon, Max is my new assistant so we’re still getting used to working together.”
After the filling was finished, Rowan showed Gordon out, shaking his hand again and wishing him well. I already knew Rowan had a wonderful bedside manner with his patients, but I was equally impressed with the gentle and precise way he performed dental surgery. I was keen to learn as much as I could from him.
Rowan re-entered the room with a smile. “You did great, I’m impressed. Between you and me, I think you did a better job than Mandy and she’s been working here since her university placement ended.”
I tried to ignore the flurry of happiness in my stomach Rowan’s compliment brought me. I had been so keen to watch Rowan’s technique, I hadn’t given much thought to him watchingmine.
“Thanks,” I replied. “So did you. I’ve never seen a filling done that way before. It was really interesting.”
We worked in silence for a moment. I readied the room for the next patient, waiting for Rowan to finish typing up notes about Gordon’s procedure into the computer. It pinged again, indicating the next patient had arrived.
“Can you—”
“Of course.” I nodded and grabbed the list of names as I left.
???
The afternoon passed quickly, and we were working through the last few patients of the day. Both Rowan and I had found our groove, and we were working alongside one another with ease. It was like I had always been here. I was relieved to have slotted into the surgery’s routine swiftly.
“Hey, Max?” Rowan asked, not looking up from the computer. I turned, halting my actions. “You couldn’t have a root around in the filing cabinets and find a...” He paused, glancing down at a sheet of paper in front of him. “Mrs Andrea Peterson, could you?”
“Sure, I’ll have a look.” I put the instrument I was holding down onto a metal tray before heading towards the narrow alcove that housed the metal cabinets.
“Peterson...” I muttered quietly to myself, scanning over the faded labels for a ‘P’.
“It should be near the top,” Rowan shouted to me, sensing my struggle.
“Got it, thanks.” I smiled, spotting it at last. I searched the bunch of keys for the right one before unlocking it and pulling the drawer open. Inside, the files were all neatly arranged in perfect alphabetical order. I flicked my fingers through the tabs, my eyes lighting up as I located ‘Peterson, Andrea’. I pulled the file free and turned to head back to Rowan, not seeing him standing behind me until it was too late.
“Oh shit, sorry,” I spluttered, barging into him.
I was suddenlymorethan aware of how close Rowan was to me. He was taller than me, but not by a lot. I stood perhaps just shy of six foot, meaning Rowan couldn’t be more than six-two. His muscular physique made him look taller than he was.
“Sorry, my fault,” Rowan apologised. His eyes fell to the file in my hands. “Is that Andrea Peterson?”
“Yeah,” I replied simply, realising Rowan had no intention of moving from my personal space. I felt hot, the back of my neck growing clammy. “Here.”
Though it was probably less than a second, Rowan seemed to hesitate before taking the file from me. “Thanks.”
“Sure.” I ducked away quickly and snatched a sheet of paper from the side, pulling the door open. “I’ll go get the next patient.”
Rowan still stood in place, eyes glued to the file in his hands as he flicked through it, apparently oblivious to my discomfort. “Thanks,” he replied, without looking up. I let myself hurriedly out into the cool corridor and released a shaky breath.
