"Princess & the Plug": Read Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Aliyah

“Mr. Turner, I swear, you’re the toughest man I’ve ever met,” I chuckled, adjusting the I.V. drip as he batted my hand away, feigning exasperation.

“Ali, I told you, my bones are made of steel,” he declared with a mischievous wink.

“Bones made of steel? Okay, Superman,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“Superman ain’t got nothing on me. I’m the original man of steel.”

Although I usually remained pretty serious with my patients, things were different with Mr. Turner. Our bond went beyond the usual patient-doctor relationship. He was like a surrogate father to me, his weathered, yet kind-hearted spirit was once my only support in the chaotic world I’d been born into.

As my third-grade math teacher, he was the only person who believed in me. He told me early on that I could be a doctor, noting my love for math and science. It meant a lot being that I grew up in foster care after my parents were killed, with foster parents who never thought I’d amount to anything.

“Mr. Turner, you scared the shit out of me yesterday,” I admitted, adjusting the monitor by his bed. Everything that I was doing were things that a nurse would normally do, but I didn’t trust anyone to take better care of Mr. Turner than me.

“Well, didn’t mean to worry you, Ali. But you know me, I’ve always been a bit of a drama queen.” His smile was weak, but his eyes held a twinkle.

I laughed, shaking my head. “From Superman to drama queen. I guess you’ve got all bases covered.”

He laughed at that, a hearty chuckle that ended in a cough. I rushed to his side, ready to call a nurse, but he waved me off. “I’m alright, Ali. Just laughing a bit too hard.”

“You know, I need you to stick around,” I confessed, clasping his hand gently, a tender smile gracing my lips. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m serious.”

His face softened, and his eyes glossed over with a hint of sentiment. “Ali, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I’ve got too many episodes of Jeopardy to catch up on.”

I chuckled. “Alright, you do that. I’ll see you later for rounds.”

“Looking forward to it,” he replied, his eyes already closing in exhaustion.

Exiting his room, I walked down the hospital’s bleached-white hallway, my heart light. I glanced at my wristwatch.

Lunchtime.

My stomach growled in agreement. Halfway in between walking to the cafeteria and checking my schedule for the rest of the day, I was nearly to the cafeteria when I saw Dr. Malone.

There he stood, at the end of the hallway, looking like the ultimate gift from God above. His mahogany skin contrasted against the crisp navy of his scrubs that hugged his athletic frame, and the stubble on his jawline added a layer of ruggedness to his sophisticated persona. His hazel eyes twinkled under the harsh fluorescent lights. There was no other way to put it, the man was fine as hell.

“Dr. Washington,” he said, initiating our conversation with that smirk of his that always seemed to know something I didn’t.

“Dr. Malone,” I replied, raising an eyebrow, trying to keep the atmosphere light despite the erratic beat of my heart.

“How many times do I have to tell you that you can call me Ethan?” he asked with a smile.

My cheeks burned and I couldn’t bite back my smile. “About as many times as I have to tell you to call me Aliyah.”

A slight chuckle escaped his lips as he pushed away from the wall, his long strides effortlessly closing the gap between us.

“Where are you headed?” His voice was a warm caress, the teasing edge in it stirring something in me.

“Just heading to lunch,” I shrugged, “I thought I might actually take a break to eat today.”

He laughed at that, a deep, hearty sound that echoed down the empty hallway. His smile was infectious, drawing a laugh from me in return.

“Good because, from what I’ve seen, you work much too hard,” he said, his hazel eyes softening.

“Is that so?” I challenged, grinning up at him. “You know, isn’t it a little too early in the day to start with the flattery? I’m used to that happening late at night when someone is trying to encourage me to take over their night shift.”

He shrugged, his broad shoulders accentuating the well-tailored white coat. “I’m just stating the facts, Washington. You’re a hell of a surgeon. That triple bypass you did last week? Remarkable.”

“You saw that?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I was observing from the gallery.” He admitted, a sheepish grin forming on his face. “You know, I like to learn from the best.”

“Well, I hope you took notes. Not every day you get a free masterclass,” I teased with a wink, reveling in our easy banter.

He laughed, the sound echoing down the quiet hallway. “Trust me, I did. Although, I must say, that part where the patient’s heart nearly stopped gave me a mini heart attack.”

“You’re telling me,” I rolled my eyes, the memory of the critical moment flooding back. “I aged a good five years.”

He chuckled at that, his hazel eyes twinkling in amusement. “Ah, the perils of the OR. But, seriously, you handled it like a pro.”

The praise from him, one of the top cardiac surgeons in the nation, made my heart flutter. But I brushed off the compliment with a playful roll of my eyes. “Well, I learned a bit from watching you, so...”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “So what I’m hearing is that the admiration is mutual?”

I smiled deeply. “I suppose it is.”

Our conversation naturally came to a close as we both had to get back to our respective duties. We said our goodbyes, but just as I turned to walk away, Ethan called my name.

“Aliyah?”

I turned back, meeting his gaze. “Yes, Ethan?”

A pause. Then, “Would you like to grab dinner this weekend? Maybe we can continue this mutual admiration over a glass of wine?”

Surprise flashed across my face, quickly replaced by a wide smile. “I’d love that, Ethan.”

His response was a smile that could light up the darkest night. We exchanged numbers, promising to iron out the details later. And just like that, I had a date with the sexiest man in the entire hospital.

I couldn’t hide my grin as I bumped into Jade at the nurses’ station.

“What’s got you smiling like a lovestruck teenager?” she asked, her brows raised.

“I had a little chat with Ethan,” I began, “And... he asked me out.”

She gasped, “Dr. Malone? The Dr. McDreamy of Emory?”

I nodded, my lips curving into a wide smile.

“For a date?” Jade continued, her eyes round.

“Yes, Jade, for a date,” I said, rolling my eyes at her dramatics.

“Girl, you better lock him down. All the hoes out here are about to be hatin’. Do you remember that fundraiser last year? He had every doctor and nurse in the hospital, married or single, in his face,” she continued, her eyes misty.

I nodded, recalling the event. Ethan was very popular, especially among the hospital staff.

“First, the fine ass guy from the club was staring holes into the side of your head and today, you get asked out by the sexiest and most eligible bachelor I’ve ever seen. Girl, whatever you are doing to enchant these men, you need to bottle it up and sell it.” Jade giggled, playfully nudging my shoulder.

Laughing along with her, before shrugging my shoulders. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was loving it.

Little did I know, my entire world was about to change. And as I left the hospital, I had no idea how much it would.

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