Chapter 5
"What do you want?" I turned around.
Julian was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a conflicted look on his face.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
I was stunned.
Julian thanking me?
Honestly, it was more jaw-dropping than the time I had to deal with his catheter.
I opened my mouth, but couldn't think of a single thing to say.
In the end, I managed an awkward "You're welcome" and made a quick escape from the room.
Back at the nurse's station, my cheeks were still burning.
The spot where he'd grabbed my wrist still felt like it was on fire.
I shook my head, trying to shake off that weird feeling.
It had to be my imagination.
Julian, that jerk, thanking me? No way.
He must've been totally out of it from the pain.
Yeah, that had to be it.
For the next few days, I practically lived in Room 3, changing his dressings, taking his temperature, checking his blood pressure, and asking about his symptoms.
I took my job as the intern in charge to a whole new level.
And honestly, I was having the time of my life teasing my sworn enemy every chance I got.
"Julian, open wide, here comes your medicine," I said, holding out the pills and a glass of water.
My tone was pure babysitter mode.
He shot me a dirty look, grabbed the medicine, and gulped them down.
"Julian, time to get up and walk around today, or your guts are gonna stick together," I said, standing by his bed and looking down at him.
He gritted his teeth and, with me giving him my best fake encouragement look, grabbed onto the wall and shuffled slowly into the hallway.
Honestly, he looked like a baby penguin taking its very first steps.
Julian's friend showed up as I was changing his dressings.
Jeffrey Stark, Julian's college roommate, was the kind of guy who could walk into a room and instantly make friends with everyone.
"Whoa, Julian, you lucky dog! Even in the hospital, you've got a gorgeous nurse looking after you?" Jeffrey called out as soon as he walked in.
Julian looked mortified instantly.
My hand paused mid-air, and I nearly jabbed the tweezers into his wound.
I looked up and flashed Jeffrey a sweet smile.
"Hi, I'm Alyssa Raines, the intern doctor in charge of Julian's care," I said.
"Oh, Dr. Raines! My apologies," Jeffrey said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "Dr. Raines, please take care of Julian. He's tough as nails, but when it comes to pain, he's a big baby."
I couldn't hold back my snicker.
Julian was afraid of pain?
That was some real breaking news.
Julian shot Jeffrey a glare so sharp, it looked like he was ready to strangle Jeffrey right then and there.
But Jeffrey was totally oblivious. He kept badmouthing Julian to me without a care.
"Seriously, Dr. Raines, don't let his tough-guy act fool you. He screams bloody murder every time he gets a shot," Jeffrey said.
My grin turned downright radiant.
"Alright, got it," I replied. "I'll make sure to give him some 'extra special' care."
I made a point of stressing "extra special."
Julian shut his eyes, looking like he was completely done with life.
After Jeffrey left, it was just the two of us in the room again.
As I was packing up my stuff, I threw out, "Wow, Julian, who knew you were actually scared of pain?"
Julian didn't respond.
"You scream bloody murder when you get a shot? Seriously?" I teased, refusing to let it go.
"Are you that bored?" Julian finally snapped, glaring at me.
"Yep, totally," I replied confidently. "You're my one and only special patient, so of course I have to put in extra effort."
He was so stumped that he turned his head away, showing me the back of his head.
I saw his ears turn a little pink, and it totally lifted my mood.
*****
Days slipped by in this strange, almost comfortable vibe.
If I put aside the whole "sworn enemies" thing, Julian was honestly a pretty good patient.
Sure, he never stopped with the snark, but when it came to treatment, he always went along with whatever I said.
He'd take his meds when I told him to and get him and walk when instructed.
Of course, he always looked like he was about to bite someone's head off.
Moreover, he was quiet.
He didn't play with his phone or watch TV. Most of the time, he just lay there, silent, staring up at the ceiling.
Sometimes, I'd catch myself thinking he seemed kinda lonely.
That idea freaked me out a little.
Julian, lonely?
This was the guy who always had a crowd around him, the golden boy, the center of attention everywhere he went.
No way.
*****
That afternoon, after I finished taking his blood pressure, I was about to head out.
But then, out of nowhere, he called out to me.
"Alyssa," he said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Did you ever figure out that problem?"