Page 20 of What We Break
"Go ask her out, Reid. Before you talk yourself out of it."
"Right." I take a deep breath. "Okay. I'm going to do it."
"Good. And Reid?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't overthink it. Just be yourself."
I hang up and sit there for another minute, then before I know it I’m in a different parking lot, staring at the hospital entrance. Blake's right. I'm overthinking this. Either she's interested or she's not, and sitting in my truck isn't going to change that.
I hop out of the truck and jog back toward the ER entrance. The morning shift is filtering in—fresh scrubs, coffee cups, looks of dread. I weave through them, heading for the break room.
Joyce is at the station with the day shift charge nurse, doing handoff.
"Forget something, Reid?" she asks, eyeing me.
"Just my dignity. And maybe a nurse." I lean on the counter. "Is Laine still here?"
Joyce’s tired face breaks into a grin. "Knew it. Break room. She’s stalling. Probably waiting for the traffic to die down. Or..." She raises an eyebrow. "...waiting for a certain medic to come back."
"You think?"
"Go." She points down the hall.
I walk down the hallway, heart doing a stupid little flutter in my chest. I knock on the break room door frame.
Laine is sitting at the table, staring at her phone. She’s out of her scrubs, wearing jeans and a soft-looking sweater. She looks tired, her hair messy in the best possible way.
She looks up, and her eyes go wide. "Reid?"
"I come in peace," I say, holding up my hands. "No aliens. No time travelers."
She smiles, and it hits me right in the chest. "Did you forget something?"
"Yeah." I step into the room. "I forgot to ask if you like pancakes."
Her head tilts a little to the side. "Pancakes?"
"There's a diner about five minutes from here. They make pancakes the size of hubcaps. It’s aggressive, honestly. They’re a chokinghazard." I rock back on my heels, suddenly nervous. "I was gonna go celebrate my victory over Tony, and I thought... maybe you’d want to help me eat them. Since you were an accomplice to the madness."
Laine looks at me, surprised. Then she sets her phone down.
"Hubcap pancakes?" she repeats.
"And bacon. I'm a growing boy, Laine. I need protein."
"You're asking me to breakfast? Now?"
"Unless you have to get back to your home planet?"
She laughs, a bright, genuine sound that chases away the last of the night's exhaustion. "No. My home planet can wait." She stands up, grabbing her bag. "I'd love to."
"Yes!" I pump a fist. "Tony owes me another five bucks."
"You bet on me?" She narrows her eyes, but she’s smiling.
"I bet on my charm," I correct, holding the door open for her. "And I always bet on a sure thing."
