Not Avoiding You

Not Avoiding You
“I bet if you flirt a little, he will give you the code to the OR locker room,” Talia suggested. She cut her eyes over to the plastic surgeon, Dr. Stan, who was charting with his head down, completely unaware that they were talking about him a few feet away.
Irene had already told Talia everything that had happened. Unlike Brenden and Andy, she thought it was plausible that Dr. Swift had stolen the meds. Everyone was guilty until proven innocent, according to Talia. She also suggested Irene should snoop on her own to figure out who the culprit was, because some things were better left in our own hands.
“Why would I want the code?” Irene asked, making sure her voice was barely a whisper.
“You can find her purse and check for the pills.”
“You’re crazy. No one in their right mind would carry stolen pills around in their purse.”
“Who says that person is in their right mind? Now we have to figure out a way to get into the lockers in our break room. You can check Sine and Kiki’s purse when they aren’t around.”
“What about Gavin?”
“Gavin doesn’t use a locker. He leaves his bag on the floor so it will be easy to check his stuff.”
Irene was startled when a chart was placed in front of her. “Do you mind placing a consult with the GS? I already wrote the order.” The doctor followed up on his request with a friendly smile.
“Sure.” Irene kept a neutral expression as she took the chart and opened it to the orders. Once the doctor was out of hearing range, she quickly turned to Talia in alarm.
“You have to call him,” she told Talia.
“What?”
“You have to call Brenden and ask him.”
“Why do I have to call?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since I kicked him out of the apartment. I can’t just page him now and ask him to come here like nothing ever happened.”
“Maybe you should talk to him,” Talia huffed. “You’re going to have to see him.”
“I know that. I’m going to talk to him tonight.”
“What about when he comes to the ward for his rounds?” She cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. They both knew Irene was fucked.
“I’ll figure it out when he gets here, okay? Would you just call him?”
Talia eventually picked up the phone and put out a page for him. Irene slipped away to see her patients while she waited. She couldn’t help but feel a mixture of nerves and excitement. Her palms were sweating and her heart was racing. Surely things would be alright but everything ended on such a strange note that she was not entirely sure.
Irene wished she could just talk to him. Why did she have to break her phone?
It took him an hour to come, which gave her plenty of time to give herself a pep talk. She wondered if he felt the same way she did, knowing he was about to see her. She wondered if he procrastinated or if he was just busy.
He was standing in the nurses' station. Talia handed him the kit and he looked at the patient board, probably confirming that she was the patient’s nurse. But Talia hadn’t mentioned her, and his disappointment was obvious. Did he think she was avoiding him? It would make sense, seeing as how she hadn’t answered her phone and had Taia talking to him.
Irene took a deep breath and stepped into the station behind him. Talia excused herself to get him some medicine from the med room. She gave Irene a pointed look as she passed.
Brenden took a step forward to pick the patient’s chart out of the rack. He turned around and quickly, giving her no time to react, froze when he saw her. For a few seconds, they just stood there staring at each other. His expression was guarded, his eyes hidden behind the glasses he hardly ever wore. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his.
His guard was fleeting. His hesitation and insecurity slipped through the cracks. He shifted uncomfortably, still unsure what to say.
“Hey… how are you? Are you okay?” He sounded so unsure. She hated the circumstances that brought them there. She nodded quickly.
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I tried calling you…”
“My phone broke,” she quickly explained. “I’m not trying to avoid you.”
His relief was palpable. “You’re not?”
Irene shook her head. Talia reappeared with the medicine. “Here you,” she said as she dumped the things into her hands. Brenden turned away at Talia’s interruption and placed the chart on the counter.
“I just need to check the order real quick,” he said. “I can meet you in there if you want.”
Irene nodded. It was not what she wanted but she didn’t allow herself to be disappointed. Now was not the time to talk about their problems or unleash emotions that would have them both distracted for the day.
When they were both in the patient’s room, Irene couldn’t help but watch him while he worked. There were noticeable dark circles beneath his eyes, and she realized he looked weary.
When he glanced up and caught her staring, she blushed and looked away. It was hard to decipher Brenden’s reaction since half of his face was hidden by a surgical mask. But he glanced at her again, and pretty soon they were sneaking looks at each other when they thought the other person wasn’t looking.
He stopped her out in the hallway. “Do you think we could talk tonight?” he asked hopefully.
“I’d like that,” she answered, smiling in assurance. His returning smile was genuine, and she finally felt like they were going to be okay.
She ordered an X-ray and Brenden saw his own patients while he was there. He eventually disappeared into the dictation room. The urge to follow him was strong but she had no idea what she would say. There was not enough time to talk about what happened the previous day, but it seemed silly to talk about anything else before the air was cleared.
Andy opened the door and spoke to him after a moment. Irene was jealous, seeing their relationship thrive while she was not able to talk to Brenden or touch him the way she wanted. When Andy left, her feet carried her forward. She entered the room, pulled up the tiny stool, and plopped down behind Brenden. He immediately looked back in surprise.
“Hey,” he breathed. He turned to face her more fully, and she could tell he was pleased that she had come. “Irene, I—”
“I miss you,” she confirmed, cutting him off. His answering smile was blinding.
“Yeah?” he confirmed, “Because I miss you so much…”
She smiled timidly, happily, and then reached forward to touch his face. She just wanted to feel his skin against her own again. His breath hitched and his eyes fluttered closed, but he leaned forward into her touch.
“I’m still mad at you,” she told him.
His eyes opened and she could see the guilt plainly. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I know I fucked up. I—”

“Let’s talk later, okay?”