I know she isn’t asking me. She knows that even though Dr. Warrick is the chief of surgery, it’s his name on the hospital.
“All patients have been sent home who don’t need to be here, right?” he asks.
“Yes, but it didn’t free up enough space.”
“Then we make space. Every ounce of space we have. Use every room. Use the cafeteria. We’ll have to use all of our resources. I’ll see what I can do about getting more resources as well.”
“Thank you, Dr. Warrick.” She slips her mask back on and runs out of the room, reminding me that the real world awaits.
Vending machine coffee can’t save us now.
“This flu season is scaring me,” Winston admits, standing slow, proving how tired he is.
“Me too. I’m afraid it might be one of the deadliest ones I’ve seen.”
“You’ll need to get tested to make sure you don’t have the flu when you see your father. He wouldn’t survive the flu with late-stage liver failure.”
“I know. I don’t plan on seeing him. It’s fine. I’m fine. You’ll need to get tested too. You don’t want to take this home to Dove.”
His shoulders sag. Had he not thought of that?
“If I have to stay here and not be with my family, it might kill me. They are my everything, Elias.”
I squeeze his shoulder in reassurance. “I know. And we’ll make sure that you’ll go home to them. Okay?”
“Okay.”
We both wash our hands in the sink, then drench them in hand sanitizer and snatch a fresh mask. My reward after getting through this shift is talking to my wrong number.
Fuck. I hope she doesn’t get the flu.
16
OLIVIA
I consider myself an extrovert.I love going out, meeting up with friends, having a few drinks, etc. But there isn’t a better feeling than walking through my door, alone, and letting out the biggest sigh of all time.
The door shuts behind me and with a tired, lazy hand, I manage to flip the lock. The silence is welcome after a full day of chaos. I love my best friends and my mom, so much that my heart is so full it might burst. All that energy can be a lot, though.
I managed to keep everyone off my back about who I’m dating. My mom was curious, but she didn’t push. She knows I’ll tell her when I’m ready to. She knows about my nightmare dates I’ve been on lately, so she knows that if I’m choosing to keep something from her, it’s simply because I want to enjoy it myself first.
That sounds selfish now that I say it out loud. But I’m allowed to be selfish, aren’t I? Do people always have to know everything the moment it happens? Why can’t I continue to get to know someone without the looming questions from people who wantto know our wedding date when I don’t even know his first, middle, or last name?
I want to do this at my own pace. I want to listen to my feelings. I want to have fun and learn about this man. He’s a journey I actually want to explore.
Does that mean I’m obligated to shout it from the world? I don’t want opinions from every single person I know. I don’t want them to dim my happiness just so they can speak how they feel.
I stop halfway to my bedroom, my shopping bags in hand, when it hits me.
I don’t care about how others feel, so I’m not bothered by not telling them a damn thing. All that matters is how I feel, and how he makes me feel. So what if it all comes crashing down? So what if he isn’t who he says he is? So what if we realize we shouldn’t be together?
So. Fucking. What?
All that matters is right now.
And right now, I’m happy. I’m happier than I have been in a very long time and I want to continue to chase that feeling.
Happiness is born from moments. It doesn’t just happen.
