Chapter One

The house was calm and silent, except for the clock that hung slightly above the television, quietly counting seconds with confidence. She walked into the living room, smiling, her fingers tapping at her phone screen. She finished typing, tucked her phone in her bag and left the house. Her name is Andrea. Andrea Morgan.

At the hospital entrance, she pushed the door open and strode in. The air smelled of antiseptic and drugs. People spoke in low voices, the nurses having one item or the other to move around. Everywhere was calm. The beeping sounds of different monitors could be heard. It didn’t seem like there was any recent emergency case.

She wasn’t smiling—she kept a neutral face. She headed directly towards the doctor, who was standing close to the receptionist’s table.

"Good morning doctor Martinez," she greeted, managing to force a smile. "I thought your leave was approved already..." She wasn’t sure if she should have said that. It wasn’t her business anyway.

"Oh, yeah, today’s my last day, my leave starts tomorrow," he replied, his head buried in what he was scribbling on what seemed to be a patient’s case note. "I have a few things to finish up before today runs out." He finally looked up, closed the folder, and heaved a sigh. 

“Come with me please”.

“Oh, sure”.

She walked quietly behind him. She wasn’t sure why Dr. Martinez had called her to come to the hospital urgently. It was her day off. “Probably another emergency…or maybe I did something wrong”. She thought to herself.

They stopped in front of  a glass door which had a rectangular metal plaque with an inscription “Consulting Room 6”. He opened the door. “After you”, he ordered in a calm tone.

“Thank you”. She looked up at him and entered. She inhaled sharply, admiring the office’s aesthetics. 

“Please take a seat”. He turned his seat to face the table, and settled in comfortably. She sat, unsure what task Dr. Martinez had to assign her this time.

"Andrea…" He continued. "I’m…sorry for calling you at this time. I know I’ve put a lot of stress on you lately, but I just need someone to cover today’s shift for me." He paused. "You know it’s the last before my official leave starts counting from tomorrow," he said with an hopeful smile. "I have a few things to sort out at home. I leave the country first thing tomorrow morning…"

Andrea stared at her shoes a few seconds before she finally looked up to respond. 

"Well, it’s my day off today too… And my leave will also be approved soon, so, it’s alright", she said and rolled her eyes, looking straight into Martinez’s eyes. "Just make sure to fulfill your part of the deal," she added before Martinez could talk.

His face lit up. "Thank you Andrea! You are such a lifesaver!”

"I have a patient in Room 021 for review by noon," he said, taking off his white coat, hanging it gently on a wall hanger just behind his seat.

Andrea sighed. “Just text me everything I need to know”. She stood up, ready to take her leave.

"Don’t forget to drop off the folder on my table too," she added, heading towards the door. She opened the door. 

"I need to grab lunch", she said in a playful tone and left. “Enjoy your vacation!” She screamed silently from the walkway. He probably did or didn’t hear. 

Outside Consulting room 14, the office she shared with a resident doctor, she muttered “I didn’t think I’d be working today”. She entered the office and immediately collapsed into her black swivel chair. She pressed some buttons around the computer system set in front of her. The monitor came on. Her phone rang. It was Daniel calling. She was reluctant at first, but eventually answered the call.

“Hey Daniel”. She spoke in a soft tone.

“Hey Drea”. He called her Drea for short. “I wanted to be sure our date tonight still stands”, he said in a sleepy tone. “5pm, I’ll come pi…”

“Oh, can we push it back?” Andrea cut in before he could complete his statement. “I’m covering a shift for Dr. Martinez”.

“Uh…” He sounded disappointed. “That’s cool…cool”. 

“What time then? 8pm?”

“I’ll let you know”. Andrea replied and ended the call.

She sighed, brushed a few strands of her hair back, and turned to her work.

6pm, Andrea’s apartment 

She opened the door, walked sluggishly inside, slammed the door, and slumped into the nearest couch her body could rest in. Her bag dropped to the floor. She slept off immediately. About an hour later, her phone buzzed fiercely in her bag, but she was fast asleep. She woke up a couple of minutes later, looking confused, trying to figure out what had happened. She reached for her phone. “7:32 pm”. She gasped. “8 missed calls from Daniel?” She screamed and slouched back into the couch. She dialed his number.

“Hey Princess”. 

“I was so tired, I slept off”. She said solemnly.

“I’m outside, come…”

“Wait, what?” She was fully awake now. 

She stumbled to the door. Daniel rushed in the moment she  opened the door, planting a kiss on her lips. It took her seconds to understand what was going on. “Are you out of your mind?” She recoiled. 

“I’ve missed you baby”, he said softly.

Andrea rolled her eyes, stepped aside and signaled Daniel to enter the house while she shut the door. 

"Don’t pull that stunt on me next time," she said with a stern look on her face. 

“We’re not even in an official relationship yet”.

"I got this for you, I hope you like it," Daniel said as he presented a bouquet of flowers he held behind him since he got in. 

Andrea reluctantly collected the bouquet. She forced a smile. “Thank you, Dan. I love them”. She turned to drop the bouquet on the table. Daniel flopped into an armchair, adjusting his wrist watch. 

“Hey babe, it’s almost 8 pm. Won’t you get dressed?”

Andrea kissed her teeth before responding. “I’m just very tired, I had a long shift today”.

Daniel seemed unbothered by her complaint. He leaned back, his palms supporting his head behind. “Hurry up, go get dressed”.

Andrea picked the bouquet from the table and headed towards her room without saying a word. “If only he could understand that everything is not about him”. She thought.

Andrea had a refreshing shower. She arranged her curly chocolate brown hair, packing it up in a bun. She wanted to look as great as possible. She was dressed in a three-quarter nude flared gown. She never liked wearing dresses that exposed her curves. She wore a pair of white beaded earrings to match. There was no strength to do too much. 

“Hurry up, Drea”. Daniel shouted from the living room. Andrea sighed.

“I have to be at work tomorrow, don’t forget”, he added.

Andrea dabbed on some lip oil. It was a gift from her sister. She fetched a gold bracelet from her jewelry basket. It was one of the jewelry sets Daniel gifted her for her birthday. She loved it so much. She grabbed her phone from the bed. It was 8:22 pm. She plunked it in the black clutch bag she was taking for the hangout. She was about to leave the room when she remembered she hadn’t worn any perfumes yet. She left the door knob which she already held, scurried to her wardrobe, reached out for her favorite vanilla fragrance perfume spray, then the lavender. 

“This feeling is heavenly”, she said satisfactorily, returning the perfume bottles to their rightful spots. She took a glance at herself in the mirror. 

“Gorgeous”, she beamed.

She left the room and entered the living room. “All set”, she announced, showing herself to Dan, who seemed to be engrossed with what he was doing on his phone.

“Daniel?”

He looked up. 

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry”.

He dipped his phone in the inner pocket of his suit. “It was just some work stuff”. He stood up.

“You look great, by the way”. He held her hand, helping her take a spin. They both giggle.

They walked towards the door, he opened the door for her and they stepped out.

A soft music played in the car as  they drove to the lounge where they were to have their date. Daniel nodded along to the beat of the music. 

Andrea’s eyes caught a text notification on Daniel’s phone. “Hey babe, I miss yo…” The text read. He grabbed the phone before she could read more.