Chapter Four

How They Text

 

Anna smiled gently at a parent, having been caught softly humming a new lullaby one of the children had taught her during playtime. The frequent parents she saw around the halls were used to this, knowing she did it without being conscious of it. This time, she hadn’t been caught skipping around like she was a kid herself.

Wishing the older woman a good evening, she approached the nurses station and began stacking the charts she had just completed after the nightly round. Most nights passed by quickly, while others made the twelve hours tedious and never ending. Tonight was definitely the latter.

“How are they looking?” Julia asked from her place in one of the rolling chairs, staring intently at the computer screen while Anna rolled her stiff neck.

“A-okay, so far. Johnny in 355 is a little restless tonight, but staying quiet with the telly on.“

Julia nodded in understanding. She was one of the seniority nurses, a gentle woman who that had trained and befriended Anna right from day one; it was one of the reasons why Anna confided in her when Lily wasn’t available, holding a professional respect for the middle aged woman.

A pleasant stillness filled the corridor, with the occasional clicking from Julia. This was typical for the night crew once it reached the late hours. The group of women and men all worked well together, having become a little work family with the amount of shared moments that consisted of comfortable silence they tended to fall into. Not only that, but there were snickers between all of them while they gossiped, the most recent being when Lily spent the first hour of the night complaining about one of the day nurses snapping her gum in her face during the daily briefing.

Anna loved her job, being in these rather sterile white surrounding walls felt like home to her. It was home to her. She spent a good amount of time here. Sure, there were bad days; she had lost patients since becoming a nurse a handful of times, every single one devastating. But nothing warmed her heart than the brave look in their eyes, witnessing such inner strength as they refused to back down, no matter how many setbacks they had to face. She was in absolute awe of the resilience their little souls proved to have.

The adoration was equally reciprocated, by both the patients and their families. They spoke highly of the young nurse, waited in excitement for when she would arrive in the evening. Anna could be found always humming a tune, a hopeful smile glued to her face, never letting her exterior waver in front of them during the rough nights. The kids would hold onto her hand or – if they were well enough – would skip down the hallways towards the play area before bedtime, Anna trailing behind them. She sang to them, danced with them, made funny faces when they had needed humor after a hard day, never once denying them of giggles.

That night, she had made them roar with uncontrollable laughter with her horrendous attempt at a posh British accent.

Albeit loving what she did, it went without saying the nature of the job took a toll on her emotionally and mentally. Reaching with her arms up as high as she could, Anna stretched out her tense muscles that were caused by her hunched posture, trying to forget the sadness that consumed the eight year old’s green eyes as he trained his attention on the telly. It plagued her heart to see him suffer in silence, not once giving in to his pestering mother’s demands to rest his vision for the new bouts of treatments he would endure the next morning. She walked around the desk and placed the charts next to the computer, chasing away the mental picture he left a stamp in her mind.

Sighing, she checked the time and noticed she had gone eighteen minutes into her planned break. “I’m heading to the locker room for a bit. Need anything when I get back?”

“No, thank you dear.”

Anna swung open her locker and grabbed the apple that was in her bag. She had thrown it in carelessly before scurrying out the door hours ago. As she took a seat on the nearby bench, she bit into the piece of fresh fruit, moaning in pleasure at the sweet juice that dribbled down her chin.

Tiredly, she rotated her aching feet and wondered how Harry’s week was going. They hadn’t been in touch for five days, his contact on base being limited; she couldn’t help but miss him already.

Towns over from London, Harry was exhausted but relieved the day was done, his head back on the pillows. He sprawled out on the big bed and hissed, holding onto his right leg as the shooting pain brought extreme discomfort. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he grumbled, his face twisting. Once the pain became an achy throb that he had grown immune to, he let his eyes flutter to finally catch some sleep.

Only sleep didn’t come. He was so damn tired after hours and hours of intense training on base and all he wanted was sleep to overcome him, to let his mind and body rest.

Frustrated, he smacked his hand against the mattress, a growl escaping him. He glanced at the clock and reached for his phone to check his empty inbox once more. He had been doing that every night – hoping she had somehow gotten ahold of his number through their mutual friend. She hadn’t.

Harry turned his phone in his hand, hesitant to bother her at the hospital, but he had been thinking of her all day – hell, even all week. After contemplating for a few moments longer, he shoved his pride to he side and opened up a new message.

Anna had just finished up her snack when she heard the vibration coming from inside her bag. She dug through it, making a mental note to trash some of the loose receipts she had kept. When she managed to find the device and unlock it, she was greeted with two new messages alerts. Rolling her eyes at the one from Finn – “hey call me loser” –, she skipped to the next one, this one more recent from a number she didn’t recognize.

H: Paging Nurse Peaches

She almost let the phone drop out of her hands in surprise. Her chest filled with nerves and she swallowed hard, gaping at the message as if it would magically transform into him.

“How did he…”

A: Creeper 101, lesson two. How did you get my number?

H: I have my sources

A: Is that so? I never pictured Paul to work as a PI on the side.

Before she could stop it, the giggle tumbled out of her mouth when she caught sight of his next text.

H: 😉

Did he really just send a winking emoji? How fucking adorable…Anna snorted.

A: I think this qualifies as harassment, Wales. Invasion of privacy mean anything to you?

Harry grinned.

H: You have NO idea, darling

Anna’s heart sped up at the sweet endearment; he had called her peaches, yes, but never darling. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, her mind preoccupied with overanalyzing his shift in endearments, but she couldn’t help but do so.

It’s nothing; you’re being stupid. He’s freakin’ BRITISH!

Her phone buzzed in her hands.

H: So when can I see you again?

Anna nibbled the corner of her top lip, unsure on how to reply. A mischievous smile quirked her lips up. She jumped up from the bench, placed the phone on the bench for a few seconds, and began to wipe down the front of her scrubs to rid any creases. Once she fixed the mess of her curls and pulled them into a more secure high ponytail, she reached for her phone again.

Harry nervously bit the side of his cheek, growing worrisome with the lack of a reply. Was that too soon? Placing an arm behind his head, he pursed his lips and gave it the benefit of the doubt.

Shortly after, his heart jumped in his throat when his mobile lit up the dark room, followed by the familiar buzz. He barked a laugh, shaking his head at the selfie she took of herself, her tired eyes popped open dramatically and lips pinched together in a Zoolander fashion.

H: Well, hello there Nurse. Looking mighty fine at this late hour.

A: Have you aged all of a sudden? ‘looking mighty fine’ lol You’re cute.

If they were on a voice call, she would be able to hear the smug grin in his voice and he would have heard the pounding of her heart.

H: Cute? Meh ok I’ll take cute for now. Want to know something sort of humorous? I own that same bunny character you have on your scrubs, but mine is on a tie. Who’s the creeper now?

A: You. Always you. 🙂

H: HAHAHA nice. You look stunning BTW

A: Always the charmer too, I see… even at a late hour.

H: What can I say, it just comes naturally. 😉

A: Impressive

H: I was hoping you would say that

A: What are you doing up anyway? Don’t old guys become grouchy without at least ten hours of shut eye?

H: Shut eye? Who has aged now? AND QUIT BRUSING MY EGO!!!

A: Ouch, already a grouch

Anna burst into laughter when she received his picture message. He wore a grumpy expression, brows furrowed, lips in a pout with the caption “make it up to me?” attached. She could think of many naughty ways she wanted to make it up to him.

A: What do you have in mind?

Harry groaned. That was a dangerous question to ask him right now. For one, it was late and the only remedy for his insomnia was usually a nice and hard release. Two, it had been a while since he had sex. A long while.

Without any self-control, he let the erotic images flash across his mind. Images of her. Her flushed, sweaty body writhing underneath him. Her hips rolling on top of him, her breasts naked for his viewing pleasure. Her hands gripping the sheets until her knuckles were white, his tongue working fiercely between her legs. Her.

Harry felt himself harden. Another groan escaped, this one pleasured, as he palmed his erection over the thin layer of his boxerbriefs. His breaths came out in short, quick pants, and a gasp sounded out when he slipped a hand inside to squeeze his fully erect cock.

More images found their way to him. This time, fantasy Anna sashying her ass in the air while her pretty lips wrapped around his cock.

Fuuuuuuck. His phone vibrated on his chest, startling him out of the fantasy. Unable to stop himself, his hand squeezed twice more, before he released the tight grip on his cock.

A: Are you there?

After a few more pumps, I will be.

His finger hovered over ‘send’, but common sense slammed into him. Shaking his head, he tapped backspace, then replaced the words with a firm H: I need to see you.

Anna smacked her lips together. With shaky hands, she replied back with one word; one word that held so much meaning.

A: Okay.

——-

Anna hurriedly pushed her way back into the locker room hours later, running late. She had a meeting with Paul about organizing another charity event and didn’t have enough time to go home to grab a shower. Lifting her arm, she took a whiff and shrugged, then reached for the emergency deodorant she kept in her locker.

She had planned to leave right when six am rolled around, but when Kendra – a three year old girl with the biggest brown eyes – held onto her hand tighter just as she was about to wish her luck, she knew she couldn’t leave. Not without hearing the test results Kendra and her distraught mother were waiting for.

And so, she sat in the uncomfortable chair near her patient’s bed and held her delicate hand while her mother sat opposite her, doing the same. The trio waited on bated breaths for the news.

It had come two hours later. Right when Anna was in the middle of trying to explain what it was like growing up with a twin brother, Dr. Richards strolled in the hospital room. He wore a bright smile, and the three girls were gifted the sweet release of happy laughter.

Kendra, after six months of treatment after treatment, was officially in remission.

Anna had stayed with her and her single mother for another hour, celebrating with them. She had stepped out for just a bit to grab three cups of apple juice from the snack bar one floor below them. They had toasted to good health, had sung we are the champions, and had eaten a sweet in honor of the newly healthy pre-schooler.

Hanging up her stethoscope, Anna smiled at the memory. Then she quickly changed out of her bunny scrubs, pulled on a pair of casual jeans and tank top that was deemed appropriate for the rare humid day, and slipped her feet into the flats she kept for times like these. Once she gave herself a quick lookover at the compact mirror that hung on the inside of the locker door, applied some eye cream to temporarily cure the sleep deprived lines, and fixed her disheveled hair, she grabbed her jean jacket and bolted out of the locker room.

She cursed after a quick glance at her watch, the time glaring at her in reminder she was really late and probably wouldn’t make it on time. Minutes later, she sat at the back of the cab and reached for her purse to text Paul about her delay. Just as her fingertips felt the hard, cold device at the bottom of her purse, the car jerked forward and the horn startled her. Fuck a duck.

“Sorry, Miss,” came the thick foreign accent from the drivers seat. “Traffic.”

Anna cursed under breath.

I’m already late! She wanted to shout at no one in particular.

Remembering she had been in the middle of contacting Paul before the cab had slammed on the breaks, she plucked her mobile out of her bag. A text greeted her before she got too far, notifying her it had been sent two hours prior. Harry. Eeeep! Anna’s eyes flitted to the taxi driver, paranoid he would somehow turn into one of those mindreaders she watched a programme on some time ago. When she confirmed he wasn’t paying any attention to her, his eyes fixated on the brake lights in front of him, she turned her attention back to his message.

H: Good morning beautiful. I hope your night was pleasant. Are we still on for tonight?

A: Morning! Absolutely. Is 6 okay?

Harry’s reply came through a minute later.

H: Sounds good. Pizza and a film?

A: Perfect. How was your night?

H: Short 😦

Anna didn’t mean to giggle, covering her mouth to stifle the sounds with the back of her hand, but she couldn’t take him seriously when he backed up his messages with emojis.

A: Poor baby. Sure you don’t want to call it an early night? We can reschedule for another time. Tomorrow, maybe?

H: Shit are you trying to stand me up already?

A: Hey! Technically YOU would be the one to stand me up…you are coming to my place after all.

H: Huh I guess you’re right peaches. No, tonight is good.

A: Promise?

H: Pinky swear. What are you up to until then?

A: Late to a meeting with Paul

H: Late? You are in BIG trouble

Anna chuckled.

A: Not as much trouble as Paul is for giving away my email AND phone number. He’s going to get an earful today.

H: Don’t forget to scold him for interrupting the other night.

Anna was surprised when the taxi driver announced the payment due, taking a peek out the window and catching a glimpse of the eatery. She handed over her dues and rushed out the cab, forgetting about the light conversation as she continued to power walk inside the small and intimate cafe.

An hour and a half later she walked back out the door, feeling good about being in charge of another event, this time mainly focusing on one of her greatest passions of all time; music.

She didn’t notice the missed text message until much later that afternoon, too ecstatic as she threw herself into creating a list of possible bands and/or artists to contact.

H: Good luck at the meeting. Hope it all goes well. Can’t wait to see you later.

And she couldn’t either.