All The Little Moments (10 page)

The reality of this life pressed in
on her.

And she felt
very alone.

Swallowing heavily, Anna tried to focus on her breathing and think about
something else.

Starting work tomorrow felt like she was really starting this new life, cementing herself in it. The tea was suddenly bitter on her tongue, and she tried to ignore the lingering traces
of panic.

She hadn’t heard from Hayley since the phone call that had left her irrationally angry. While she missed Hayley, the feeling was distant, like something Anna couldn’t quite let touch her, something removed from the life she was living now. Hayley felt like
years ago.

The life they had shared felt like years ago—a life focussed on their careers and, in reality, rarely seeing each other as they floated through work and social circles. But that didn’t stop this panic, this ache in Anna’s stomach. It didn’t stop the feeling that she was alone and very,
very stuck.

Reaching forward, Anna grabbed her phone and stared at it for a
moment, debating.

She needed a
distraction. Desperately.

Swallowing, she went
for it.

Hey, Lane. It’s Anna. Still up for that tour? I’m in HR until
nine tomorrow.

Six minutes later, her phone
went off.

Definitely still up for the tour. Turn down the HR one, the guy that takes you smells like BO. I’ll meet you at nine at HR with a coffee from the good coffee cart, and I promise to
smell nice.

Anna tried not
to flirt.

I’ll judge the outcome of that promise in the morning. There’s a bad
coffee cart?

She sipped her tea
and waited.

Isn’t there always? Don’t worry, the tour will show the places to avoid. Like the level three on-call room. You’ll get pregnant just sitting
in there.

The laugh that burst from her grated against the oppressive silence in the house. Anna
felt lighter.

Can’t wait. Nurses are able to just leave their shift whenever
they want?

She leant back against
the couch.

Haha, you’re in luck. I’m working in one of the day clinics tomorrow, and we start at ten. See you at nine, Anna. :) Glad you ran into me with the shopping cart. Never thought I’d
say that.

Thumb resting on the screen, Anna sat for a
moment, contemplating.

I’ve never been happier to cause
a bruise.

Innuendo wasn’t necessarily flirting. Anna sipped her tea and waited for
a response.

Tomorrow I demand the story of that chin bruise as payment for the
tour. :)

In spite of herself, Anna smiled. A frown quickly replaced it. She didn’t know if she wanted to share her history with Lane. The reason behind the bruise, while a pretty damn funny story, now came with a big backlog of “I’m a recent full-time guardian of two charming but rather traumatised children.” Sharing with Kym had been cathartic. And Anna had filled her boss in so that he knew where
she stood.

But sharing that with Lane? Something made her want to hold it back. She was worried about scaring her off. Which Anna shouldn’t be, because she was recently single and had no time for
this, anyway.

Groaning, she dropped her head back. She had a crush on a crazy hot, incredibly flirty nurse. How perfect. What a great side note to the drama that was her life right now. But she couldn’t
help herself:

That story is worth more than just
a tour.

She gnawed at her thumbnail for a moment. Lane’s response
was quick.

I’ll think
of something...

A grin took over
Anna’s face.

See you
at nine.

She barely took in any of the TV she stared at, anticipation spreading through her limbs as the house settled
around her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The day had barely started,
and Anna was already exhausted. How did single parents do it? How did single, working parents do it? How did parents with three nannies
do it?

They’d been up at six a.m., the hour not a problem, but getting two children ready in time was going to take some practice. Especially as one of those children’s idea of feeding himself was pouring his cereal on the floor and putting the remnants up
his nose.

Yawning, Anna walked into the hospital, Toby on her hip and his SpongeBob backpack on her back. She had just over five minutes to drop him off and find HR. When she reached the day care, she was shocked to realise she was reluctant to hand him over to the attendant. The woman didn’t look a day
over twenty.

But the redhead gave Toby a friendly smile, and it worked on Toby. He
grinned back.

“Hello! You must be Toby Foster?” She looked at Anna. “And you’re Doctor Foster? We spoke on the phone—I’m Tanya, the
coordinator here.”

Already, Anna was feeling slightly better. “Hey, Anna is fine, and this,” she jiggled Toby on her hip, causing him to beam again, “is my
nephew, Toby.”

Tanya looked from Anna to Toby. “My gosh, you two look alike. Hi, Toby! You want to come do
some puzzles?”

Anna hugged him harder to her. “He loves blocks.
And trains.”

“We have lots of
those here!”

Anna slid Toby down her body until he was standing on the floor. His little arms were wrapped around her legs and he tried to crawl back up
her again.

“Tobes, they have lots
of trains.”

Big blue eyes widened.
“Twain, Na?”

Tanya knelt down so she was eye level with Toby, her face open and friendly. This woman was made for child work. “We have lots of trains. I think there’s some
Thomas ones.”

Toby’s eyes lit up, but his arms didn’t move from
Anna’s legs.

When Anna had called the day care and spoken to Tanya, she’d filled her in on the situation as much as she could. They’d ended up chatting about the first day and how Toby might struggle with being left, especially in the circumstances; about how, often, the easiest thing was to get him occupied, give him a quick goodbye,
and leave.

The one thing Tanya hadn’t mentioned was that Anna might struggle to
leave
him
.

All she’d wanted was some semblance of her own life back. She hadn’t been away from Toby for longer than a few hours in a fortnight. Some away time from the kids had seemed like a great idea, but now she felt anxious for him. Anna rested her hand on his head. “Shall we look at
Thomas, Tobes?”

Toby grabbed her hand, and Tanya, ever perky, jumped up and led the way. Tanya sat herself down cross-legged on the floor and started pulling out trains from a bucket. Anna sat down across from her, and Toby sat himself in her lap, reaching over and grabbing at a train, holding it up in delight to
show them.

Tanya chattered to Toby as he rammed trains together in the violent manner of play he had sometimes, and Anna slowly lifted him off her lap so he sat on the ground. With a look at Tanya, she left his backpack on the floor and slowly slid back, stood up and took a few
steps backwards.

Toby had his head buried in the giant bucket as he fished for
more toys.

A reassuring nod from Tanya prompted Anna to turn away, saying a nonchalant,
“Bye, Tobes.”

“No! Na!”

Wrenching her eyes back, Toby was standing, a train in each hand, wide-eyed, and with a look of utter betrayal on his
little face.

Forcing herself to look cheery, Anna waved. “I’ll be back
soon, Toby!”

In an instant, the trains fell from his hands, and Toby ran at her, wrapping his arms around her legs again, clinging, tears already spilling down his cheeks. “No! Na! No! No!” He looked up at her, trying to scale up her
body. “Stay!”

Anna’s heart broke for him. She gazed helplessly at Tanya, and the woman walked over, obviously realising Anna couldn’t do it. She reached down and tried to pull
Toby away.

His fingers clung to Anna’s pants, and she had to fight the urge to reach down, pick him up, and walk them out of there. She took a deep breath, smiling at the boy who was crying hysterically in a stranger’s arms. “I’ll see you soon, Tobes. You play with Tanya and
Thomas, okay?”

Toby hiccupped and reached
for her.

Anna flicked her eyes up at Tanya, who was giving her a reassuring look as she mouthed, “Go,
it’s okay.”

With a smile at Toby that made her feel a little ill, Anna stepped back, “Na! Na!” echoing in her ears as she
walked out.

Another deep breath didn’t do much to make her feel better as she walked down the hallway. Adjusting her bag, she checked her watch. Only five minutes late. She figured the HR people would let it slide. She swallowed hard as she got into
the elevator.

Toby would be fine. Anna knew that. But it still didn’t feel good. It was as if his fingers still clung to her jeans. But he would be fine. Anna would phone later, and he would be fine. Before her lunch break, she could even
stop by.

Suddenly, her hand slapped to her forehead: she’d forgotten to tell Tanya about the cupcakes in Toby’s bag. She could call after the meeting. And it would also be an excuse to check
on Toby.

She made her way to HR and got sucked into thirty-five minutes’ worth of paperwork and a fifteen-minute DVD on hand hygiene. Her eyebrows had raised at the movie the entire time. Seriously? She’d been in the surgery room
for years.

They wrapped up ten minutes early, and Anna was approached by a squat balding man in a terrible suit. Introducing himself as Barry, he handed her a security pass and offered to give the tour. Trying not to breathe in the strong smell of BO or give away her amusement, Anna politely shook her head and said she’d be okay. Unconcerned, he wandered off, leaving her to back out of the room to escape the stench. Relieved, she shoved her copies of various bits of paperwork into her bag and pocketed her ID, then leant against the wall outside the HR offices to read a text
from Lane.

Seriously, don’t breathe in through your nose when he stands near you. I, on the other hand, smell like Mark Jacobs…the perfume, hopefully not the man himself. Getting coffee now, see you soon for the
tour. :)

Anna quickly sent
a reply.

Please tell me it’s Mark Jacobs, Lola. Actually, don’t tell me. I’ll take a guess when you get here. All done and dying for a
coffee. :)

She hit
send
and then “3” on her speed dial before raising the phone to
her ear.

“Hi, Tanya? It’s, ah, Anna Foster. I just wanted
to see—”

“Toby’s doing
great, now.”

The amusement in the woman’s voice was clear. Anna tried not to let the sheepishness she felt creep into her tone. “I figured he would be. I just wanted to
hear it.”

“I don’t blame you. What you saw is a daily show for some of the kids. And Toby’s got lots of adjusting to do—but they all settle within a few minutes and have a great day. He’s currently gluing macaroni to a piece of paper. Well, and to his hair. It’s washable glue,
don’t worry.”

Anna chuckled, feeling far more relaxed. “Thank
you, Tanya.”

“No worries. Call at any time, or stop in if you need. But I promise, he’s all
good now.”

“I believe you. Thanks, I’ll see you tonight—oh, and there’s cupcakes in Toby’s bag
for everyone.”

“Well isn’t that sweet! Thanks—we’ll see
you tonight.”

Anna hung up, feeling a lot more at ease, and caught sight of Lane walking towards her, two giant coffee cups in hand. A huge grin broke over Lane’s lips as their
eyes met.

Trying to ignore the way her heart sped up, Anna couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey there.” She tried to not look Lane up and down, those legs going on forever in black jeans and a shirt cut just low enough to show cleavage. Fighting the urge to stare openly, Anna instead focused on the coffee Lane held out
to her.

“You survived HR.
Well done.”

Anna tilted her cup. “Thanks. And yeah, I did.” Her voice went mock serious. “They made me watch a DVD on hand
hygiene, Lane.”

“Oh, you get to watch that
one annually.”

“Seriously?”

Lane nodded over a sip of her coffee. “Yup. I just saw it last month. I love the bit about how if you sing “Happy Birthday” in your head, that’s how long you should wash your
hands for.”

“Or how long to rub in the alcohol hand rub, don’t forget.”
Anna grinned.

“That’s about when I vague out and start answering emails on
my phone.”

“Nice work ethic.” Anna’s voice
was playful.

“Oh,
I’m impressive.”

She fought the urge to wink over her coffee cup. “I
believe that.”

Lane’s eyes widened slightly before she cast her gaze to the ground, grinning. “Shall we start
the tour?”

“Lead
the way.”

They started down the hallway, then waited at the elevator Anna had come out of earlier. “I thought we’d start back down at the entrance and go
from there?”

“Start at the beginning?”
said Anna.

“Best way to
do it.”

Anna was grinning as they stepped into the elevator. Every conversation with Lane seemed to leave her
feeling lighter.

Two people quickly got on after them, and they moved back into the corner to make room, smiling politely at the two intruders. Their shoulders brushed, and Anna turned her head as Lane shifted to look at her. They were close enough that a sweet, soft scent invaded
her senses.

Anna tilted her head as their eyes locked. “Lola,”
she whispered.

Lane’s smile widened, her voice low. “Live up
to expectations?”

Eyes still on Lane’s, Anna gave a small
nod. “Definitely.”

An annoying ding sounded, and the doors opened. Reluctantly, Anna tore her eyes away and followed Lane out of the elevator. Feeling that she was acting too boldly, she slid her hands into her pockets. She just couldn’t help it, the woman smelt good. And seriously,
that smile...

Lane led her around the entrance, showing her the staff entry to the ER, then introduced her to a few of the staff and orientated her to the location of the copious amounts of paperwork she would need. Eventually, the tour brought her through to the theatres, and Anna bounced on her feet as they stood in an empty operating room. She looked around, the space
familiar, comforting.

Anna caught sight of Lane grinning at
her. “What?”

“You look like a kid at Christmas. Your eyes are
practically shining.”

“I’ve not been at work for three weeks.” Anna paused, and her mouth dropped open. “Oh, shit, more like
a month.”

Lane’s eyes widened. “A month? God, I’d be climbing the wall without working that long. Unless I was on some incredible holiday. What’s
stopped you?”

Pretending to take in the gleaming surfaces surrounding her, Anna kept her voice light. “Oh, just, the move took a while.” The fluoroscope now held her attention. “But I can’t wait to get back into it. What are the anaesthetic
nurses like?”

“We have a great team of nurses here.” Lane led the way through to the corridor. “Though I might be biased. I can take you through to the surgical nurses’ room if you like? I know most of them. I
work everywhere.”

Letting Lane lead her down a hallway and into another elevator, Anna nodded enthusiastically. “That’d be great. If there’s anything I’ve learnt, it’s be friends with
your nurses.”

“Yeah, the new generation of doctors and surgeons are finally getting that. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs are a bit slow on the uptake. When do you
finish today?”

“Five.”

“Five? Scoring an early
finish. Nice.”

“I’m just lucky.” She studiously avoided looking sideways at Lane, fairly certain the woman was looking at her like she was a puzzle
to solve.

It wasn’t long until the smell of cafeteria food warned her they were at that part of the tour. With a flourish of her hands, Lane gestured to the ugly metal tables and boring walls that constituted an eating place in a hospital. That part of the tour included a warning to not buy lunch on Tuesdays because it was always
“something surprise.”

“And seriously, the surprise it’s given many people’s gastro tract was
not fun.”

Anna wrinkled her nose, following Lane up a flight of stairs. “Ew. Too
much information.”

Walking through the door Lane held open for her, there was a moment she thought she caught Lane’s eyes looking her up and down. The idea of it brought a smile to
Anna’s lips.

“Yeah, I tend to overshare gruesome
details. Sorry.”

Rapidly, they took in the laboratories and various locker rooms. Most importantly, Lane pointed out the coffee cart on level two that served burnt, old coffee but the best muffins and then the coffee cart on level four that served the only decent coffee in the hospital but had the
worst snacks.

“It’s all about combining the positives,”
Lane explained.