Chapter 3

Kimberly was literally exhausted by the time her shift was over but what kept her going was the fact that Ian was returning that day and she was the one to go pick him up from the Naval Base which was an hour and a half's drive from the hospital. Staring at the letter of leave of absence in her hands, she couldn t help but smile to herself. She would have her fiancé all to herself for the next two weeks, without having to worry about anything as regards to her work. Just the thought of having her fiancé back after more than half a year of being apart made her smile grow wider. She felt like squealing like a teenager but held herself back so she doesn t attract some unwanted attention to herself. She decided not to waste any more time daydreaming about Ian and tidy her desk since her shift was already over and she had a long drive ahead of her. Once she was done tidying her desk, she left her office. "Hey Kim!" a colleague of hers called her attention. It was Dr. Kingston, a fellow neurosurgeon like herself but a more experienced one since he was eight years older than her and has worked in the hospital longer than she has. "Hey Blake" "I heard you were given a leave of absence. Is something wrong?" Kimberly wondered how he found out about that. How fast news spreads, it s not even 24 hours yet and they re already aware of her leave. "No, nothing at all… I just kinda need a break." she replied, not wanting to go into personal details. Kimberly noticed Blake suddenly became nervous as he was now rubbing the back of his neck. "Um… Are you sure it s just a break? You know I can help if something is wrong." Oh, so that s why he suddenly became nervous, she couldn t help but smile at his politeness and willingness to help her if she had a problem. She wasn t surprised though since she sensed it months back that he had a thing for her, although, she had tried sending the message that she was already taken on several occasions when they talked, but Blake didn t seem to get the message, or, maybe he did but was still hanging on, just in case something goes wrong at some point which she doubts would ever happen. Kimberly sometimes feels pity for him while other times, she feels like yelling at him to leave her alone but that would hurt his feelings and she wasn t taught to behave in such a manner. Her dad would be disappointed in her if he ever gets to find out that she was rude to anyone. "Believe me Blake, it s nothing." she replied with a polite smile. "But two weeks is quite long for nothing, considering the kind of person you are… No offense though." Blake said, sounding confused and concerned at the same time. "I m glad to know I can count on you if something goes wrong… but believe me, I really need this break. I'll be back before you know it." "I doubt that, since your presence is highly noticeable and needed here." "So is yours… I have to go now cos I need to run some errands before I head home and I m really sleepy right now." Kimberly said, trying to end the discussion so she could leave the hospital and arrive on time to get Ian. "O-okay. I m sorry I took some of your time." he apologized. "It s okay. Take care of yourself." She gave him a peck on his cheek, causing him to blush a little. She had no idea her little action could do that. "Goodbye!" he said loud enough for her to hear as she walked away from him and headed for the elevator, waving goodbye before the elevator closed. Kimberly exited the hospital and headed for the parking lot. She spotted her white Toyota Camry sedan and unlocked it, letting out a heavy sigh as she got into the car. She was really excited about seeing Ian but at the same time anxious. Was he going to be as excited as she is when he sees her? Would their relationship still have the same spark as it used to? Why was she even having these stupid thoughts? She wondered. Ian is her fiancé who is madly in love with her, so why is she suddenly feeling insecure? She brushed off the feeling and decided to go grab something to eat before going to the Naval Base.