“We couldn’t compete with your skills. I’ve never seen such a good-looking lasagna.” Nate smiled at the older woman in a way that made Jess’s pulse race. He radiated a warmth she knew was genuine, and it never failed to surprise her.
In the crowded temporary cafeteria, Jess and Nate found a place to sit at the end of a long fold-out table, greeting the nearby crew members as they took their seats.
Jess ate slowly, enjoying her meal and the feeling of comfort she’d noticed falling over her in the last few days. Being here, on set, with this man opposite her was exactly where she was meant to be.
“You’re great at this, you know,” she said quietly to Nate.
He paused, a forkful of lasagna midway to his mouth. “At what?”
“At this.” She indicated around the room. “Looking after everyone. The doctoring. And the fake doctoring,” she laughed. “Just all of it.”
Raising his eyebrows, like a shrug, he took a mouthful of lasagna as if thinking it over. Eventually, he looked back at her, his eyes locked on hers. The seconds ticked over. The room was full of noise, but her own heartbeat in her throat drowned it out.
“I was thinking the same of you,” he said. “I know you were nervous about being on set, and I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel the most welcome at the start.”
“It’s okay. You were focused and—”
“No, I was rude. I wasn’t convinced we needed a medical consultant, if I’m being honest. But we’re lucky to have you here.” His eyes crinkled with the beginnings of a smile. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” She broke eye contact, looking down at her plate. If only she’d met this man at a different stage in both their lives. If real love was possible—and she still wasn’t convinced—he’d be the kind of guy who might be worth taking a risk with.
Laney pulled a chair up next to them and interrupted Jess’s thoughts.
“Jess, I have a problem.” The young director’s hair fell over her shoulders in two messy braids, even more frizzed up than usual. The illness likely put everything well behind schedule, which she could imagine cost money and caused a fair amount of stress.
“How can I help?”
“We have a plot point that’s just not working. With Lilia still in hospital with preeclampsia we’re down a writer and we need a really crucial medical moment for this next scene. We’re coming up blank.” She placed a script down on the table, folded open on a scene. “Can I leave this with you?”
Jess’s stomach tightened. Laney had so much confidence in her. The imposter syndrome she’d thought was gone, quietly nagged. Mustering fake confidence, she took the script and smiled at Laney. “No problem.”
“You’re the absolute best,” Laney gushed, standing and hugging Jess awkwardly. “We start filming at one.”
Watching Laney leave, Jess let out a long, slow breath to calm herself.
“You’ve got this,” Nate said, clearly picking up on her nervousness.
“Thanks.” His belief in her meant a lot and her nerves lifted slightly. Already she’d come to rely so much on his calming presence.
“Would you have time to give me a hand?” She had an idea of something that might work, a situation she’d experienced at the hospital recently, but having someone to test it against would be helpful. She wanted to make sure she delivered a strong scene to Laney and Nate had both acting and medical knowledge.
“Sure. What are you thinking?” He said, placing his fork down on his now empty plate.
“I had a stuck shoulder birth recently and I think that might make for a dramatic scene. Considering they didn’t have many strategies to deal with it back in the 50s, it would be a high-risk birth.”
Nate nodded, fully engaged and listening, which Jess appreciated.
“Great idea. Were you thinking they’d do a Gaskin maneuver? Pretty sure that wasn’t around until the 70s?”
She remembered doing the Gaskin with her own patient, encouraging the mother onto her hands and knees and using gravity to gently reposition the baby’s shoulders.
“So, I don’t know if this is breaking the rules—”
“It’s television. You can break the rules. What were you thinking?”
“I thought your character could try all the standard procedures of the time. Pressing the woman’s knees up to her abdomen. Applying pressure to the pubic bone.” Sharing her ideas with Nate, all her nerves disappeared. He nodded along, his eyes sparkling with interest.
“So it’s looking pretty dire,” she continued. “It’s taking too long and the midwife has an argument with Doctor Raynard, well, with you, and he finally steps back.”
