“A rite of passage when you hang with the nurses.” She winked. “You know it’s just because we adore you, right? You’re not like the other doctors here.”
Her words warmed my heart. “I appreciate that. I really do.”
“But you’re still not going to risk your liver’s future by drinking with us at happy hour?”
“Right you are,” I said with a laugh.
“See you tomorrow then.”
“Bye.”
I finished my lunch and quickly moved through the rest of my charts. As I chucked the plastic silverware in the trash along with the container that once had macaroni salad, my pager buzzed. I immediately headed to the nurses’ station.
“I got a page.”
“Hey.” Amanda smiled. “Boxer’s refusing morphine.”
I blinked. “Refusing morphine? Don’t be silly. There’s no way he’s refusing morphine a day after surgery.”
“Sure as I’m standing here in front of you,” Amanda stated. “It’s kind of hot.”
“What is?” I demanded. “The fact that he’s choosing to be in pain when he could be comfortable?”
“Well, yeah.” Amanda raised her brows. “Do you have lipstick in your pocket?”
“Lipstick? Why would I—” I frowned. “Amanda? What’s going on?”
“I just thought it would make your full lips even fuller.”
I narrowed my gaze.
“You’re single. He’s single. And freakin’ adorable and charming.”
“Adorable? No. Kittens are adorable. Men with biker tattoos aren’t adorable,” I negated.
“You’re right. They’re manly. And he’ssupermanly. But he’s also really cute and really nice. And all the nurses on the floor adore him.”
“He’s been here one day,” I said in exasperation. “How can all the nurses adore him?”
“It’s a thing called charisma,” Amanda said. “And if you could get your grandma knickers out of their twist, you might notice that he’s charismatic.”
“I don’t wear grandma knickers,” I protested.
“You’re missing the point. Entirely.”
“Has he been buzzing you guys a lot?”
“No, actually. He hasn’t buzzed us at all. Babs went and checked in on him to monitor his pain. It took her half an hour to come back to the nurses’ desk, and when she did, she had a dreamy smile on her face.” Amanda scratched the bridge of her nose. “So, naturally, Lizzie was curious to find out who made grumpy Babs’ day.”
I bit my lip to stop my smile at Amanda’s description of Babs. I tried not to gossip, but the doctors called Babs Nurse Ratched behind her back.
Apparently, Boxer had a way with women.
“And you? What do you think of Boxer?” I asked her.
“I think if I wasn’t happily married with a two-year-old, I’d have sex with him in a public bathroom.”
“Amanda!”