Of course, Halle stays close to me and our arms brush against each other as we make our way inside. Once one fan sees me, it’s like a game of telephone. They whisper to the next person, and they say something to their friend and before I know it, everyone is yelling my name.
“Is it always like this?”
“Most of the time. You’ll be a household name in a few days.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
We’re escorted to the front and she clutches my arm when she sees Jack, sitting in his seat with a bowl of popcorn on his lap. “Do you know who that is?”
“Jack,” I tell her as if him and I are best buds. We’re not, but we’re cordial. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
After I do, we take our seats and I let Halle sit next to Jack, thinking she’ll engage him in conversation all night. Except she doesn’t and she leans toward me. It seems Halle is somewhat of a basketball aficionado and really knows the sport, and I end up finding myself entertained by her.
8
Natalie
“Leaving already?” I look over at Emerson who is grabbing her purse out of her locker. “I’m jealous,” I say, sitting down to catch my breath. I reach in my pocket for my phone and see that I’ve missed a call from Brennan. That seems to be my luck these days. I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss him. Luckily, I have work to keep my mind occupied, but there are days it doesn’t help.
The ER has been hopping all day, mostly people coming in with the flu. January is the worst month for us. Unfortunately, I can’t leave just yet because I took an extra shift. I still feel guilty from calling in sick those two days at New Year’s.
Slamming her locker shut, Emerson turns to me and giggles. “Oh, you’ll be leaving soon.” She looks down at her smartwatch. “In six more hours.”
Groaning, I stretch my legs and stand. “This is the last night shift I’m taking for a while. I’m exhausted.”
Emerson follows me to the door. “You’ve been a little preoccupied the past two weeks. How are things with …” There are other nurses around, so she lowers her voice. “How are things with Brennan?”
I shrug and open the door. “Okay, I guess. I miss him.” We walk out and I head toward the break room so I can eat my leftover spaghetti before I start my next shift. Emerson walks with me since it’s on the way to the elevators.
She clutches my arm. “I know you miss him, Nat. You two have history.”
My heart hurts just thinking about it. “Guess I didn’t think it’d be this hard. He’s busy, I’m busy. Not to mention the time difference.”
We make it to the break room, and I stop right outside the door. Expression serious, she stares at me. “Are you in love with him?”
As much as I want to deny it, I can’t. Maybe there was a part of me that never stopped loving him all those years ago. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and all I can see is Brennan’s face. I know what I feel and it scares me.
“Am I stupid if I am?” I ask, opening my eyes.
Emerson sighs. “No, but I want you to be careful. He’s a superstar, Nat. If you two get involved, just think of the paparazzi. They’ll be all over you, especially if they see Brennan with a normal girl, and not a celebrity. People will want to know who you are.”
Hearing that just seems preposterous. I’m a nobody. The paparazzi’s not going to want to waste their time on me. “I don’t think that’ll ever happen,” I say, shaking my head. “Brennan has to come back for the paparazzi to see us together. And the way we’re going, I doubt I’ll ever see him again.”
It’s what I tell myself to help me through the whole situation. If I get my hopes up, it’ll only hurt worse. Emerson hugs me and whispers in my ear. “I’m here for you, Nat.” She lets me go and her smile is sad. The one thing about having a best friend is that they always know the truth. Emerson can tell I’m torn over Brennan. “After your shift, why don’t you stop by my place for breakfast before you go home to sleep. I’ll make you pancakes.”
She always has a way of making things better. I plaster on a smile and sigh. “Fine. You know I can’t pass up pancakes.”
She winks. “Exactly. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Once she’s gone, I open the door to the break room. It’s a moderately sized room with three round tables and a large, flat screen TV on the wall. There are a couple of nurses I’ve seen around, sitting at one table with their almost eaten dinners. Their names are Jeannie and Marie, I think. There are so many of us, it’s hard to keep track. On the other side of the room are two of our ER doctors, watching the basketball game. I’ve worked closely with them for years. Dr. Eli Graham is in his late fifties with a full head of white hair. He always says he’ll work until he dies, but he’s started moving a lot slower here the past year or so.