Stubborn Heart (5 page)

“No, I’m just standing here, thinking,” Trevor replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Mark eyed him quizzically for a moment and then shifted his gaze back down to the record he was writing on.

Trevor snorted softly through his nose and looked away.
Just ask him, stupid!

“Is something up?” Mark asked, setting down his pen to give Trevor his full attention. This time there was concern in his voice as he regarded Trevor.

“Do you want to go and get something to eat after work?” Trevor exhaled and relaxed somewhat now that the question had been asked. He still shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Mark smiled and looked a little disappointed. “I can’t,” he replied. “I have to cover part of the shift for another nurse. I won’t get off work until almost midnight.”

“What about tomorrow night?” Trevor asked.

“Not a chance,” Mark said, shaking his head.

Trevor’s eyes widened; he was obviously taken aback by Mark’s reply.

“Seriously, I will be one sleep-deprived zombie tomorrow,” Mark said humorously, trying to take the sting out of his rejection. “I might even be drooling,” he added with a wink.

Trevor smiled, disappointment still showing on his face. “I understand. How about a rain check, then?” Trevor continued, looking hopeful.

“Let’s talk about it after I become human again,” Mark offered as he stood and closed the patient record. “Listen, I need to go and check on my patients. I’ll talk to you later.”

Chapter 5

I
T
HAD
been a long workweek for Mark, even though it was compressed into three days. The first sixteen-hour day had been followed by two twelve-hour days. On the third day, he had been reassigned to work in the emergency department to cover a staffing shortage. Such moves didn’t happen often, but Mark found that he liked the variety when the opportunity presented itself. He had spent Thursday and Friday relaxing and catching up on housework. Now it was Saturday morning and he was back at work and well into his usual routine. He was tidying up a patient’s room when he heard someone enter the room. Looking up, he saw Trevor stop just inside the doorway, smiling.

“So, did you recover from your coma yet?” Trevor asked cheerfully, winking.

“Barely enough to function.” Mark laughed as he looked over at Trevor. “Hang on just a minute and I’ll be done.” Mark walked out of the patient room toward the conference room. “What are you doing here on a Saturday? I thought only the little people worked on weekends.”

Trevor laughed as he walked beside Mark. “I like coming in on weekends; it’s a totally different world. Well then, what are you doing here if only the ‘little people’ work on weekends?”

“Oh, I’m definitely one of the little people,” Mark quipped. “I have no power here.”

“Yet you always seem to get things done.”

“I’m glad someone notices! Tell that to my manager,” Mark responded with amusement as he sat in one of the chairs. “What are you up to this morning?”

Trevor sat at the table, directly across from Mark. “I wanted to see if you were free for dinner.”

“Oh. I was hoping you would have forgotten about that by now.” Mark stopped smiling and looked away, uncomfortable.

“Why would I forget about it?” Trevor asked. His voice was laden with confusion and disappointment.

“I just don’t think it’s a very good idea. I mean, we work together.” Mark looked down at his hands rather than directly at Trevor.

“That’s not entirely true,” Trevor protested. “You work in this unit, but I’m all over the hospital.” He leaned slightly forward, resting his arms on the table. “Besides, why is that a problem?”

“I don’t know,” Mark hedged. “We do work together. A lot. And it just doesn’t seem like a very good idea. I don’t want things to be awkward at work.”

“Come on, it’s just dinner,” Trevor said lightly. “You seem to enjoy our conversations. It will be like any other time I’ve sat and talked with you, except we won’t be in the hospital wearing these ugly scrub uniforms.”

Mark was quiet for a moment, and then he smiled. “Speak for yourself. My scrubs happen to look very nice on me,” he said, puffing out his chest playfully. “So, is this, like, a date?”

“Hell, no!” Trevor frowned and shook his head, sitting back in the chair. “When I ask you out for a date, I don’t plan to work this hard to convince you to come along.”

“Point taken,” Mark said with a smile, half apologetically. “Dinner does sound good. I need to go home and change clothes. Is eight thirty all right for you?”

“That would be perfect. I’ll pick you up then. Give me your address.”

Mark wrote down his address and telephone number on a piece of paper and gave it to Trevor. “It’s a condo, so give the front-desk person my name and unit number, and he’ll buzz you up.”

“You’re not going to regret this,” Trevor assured him. His entire face lit up as he smiled. “I just have to think of the perfect place.”

Mark couldn’t help but smile as well. Trevor’s enthusiasm was contagious.

“Any special likes or dislikes?” Trevor asked.

“Not really. Nothing too heavy, though; it is a late supper.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Trevor’s expression grew serious as he seemed to be mulling over possibilities.

“Just surprise me.” Mark laughed as he watched the wheels turning in Trevor’s mind. He stood up and looked toward the door. “Right now I have to get back to work or I’ll never get out of here on time. I’ll see you later.” Mark briefly touched Trevor’s shoulder as he walked around the table.

Trevor felt his entire body react to the touch. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, wondering what it would feel like to have both of Mark’s hands on his body. Feeling a little guilty, he looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Beaming, he walked down the unit to check on one of his patients.

T
HE
rest of the day passed in a hurry for Mark. More than once, his mind wandered as he thought about having dinner with Trevor. He was definitely looking forward to the prospect of seeing Trevor outside of work.
Guess I do need to get out more
, he mused to himself as he realized how excited he was to have something out of the ordinary to do after work.

By seven o’clock, he had caught up on all of his work. There was nothing left to do except report to the nurse taking over care of his patients. At seven thirty, he left the hospital and drove the short distance to his condo.

O
NCE
inside his home, Mark gave the condo a quick appraisal.
Thank goodness I cleaned yesterday,
he thought as he walked into his bedroom. He pulled off his scrub uniform and tossed it into the hamper. He took a shower to freshen up and unwind. He wasn’t sure what to wear since he didn’t know where they would be going to eat. He decided on a royal-blue polo, a pair of faded jeans, and plain brown loafers. The phone rang just as he finished pulling on his shoes. He asked the concierge to send Trevor up and walked out into the living room to wait.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock on the door. Mark opened the door and stopped. He inhaled sharply as he looked at Trevor. Trevor was wearing a rust-colored silk button-down shirt that looked as though it had been dyed to match his hair. The top two buttons of the shirt were open, revealing the ginger-colored forest underneath. The tail of the shirt was tucked into his jeans, giving him a casual but neat appearance. “Umm, come in.” Mark’s mouth had suddenly gone dry. He swallowed and turned, waving Trevor into the condo.

“Are you okay?” Trevor asked. He frowned slightly as he walked past Mark into the living room. “You seem a little weird.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Mark replied, slowly feeling his composure return. “You look very different in regular clothes.”

“Different in a good way, I hope?” Trevor asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Digging for compliments?” Mark giggled, rolling his eyes. “Well, yes, you look absolutely gorgeous.”

Trevor’s eyes widened and a huge smile spread across his face. “Gorgeous, huh? I’ll take that. By the way, you look really hot too.” He handed Mark a bottle of chilled white wine. “You might want to put this in the refrigerator for later.”

“What’s this for?” Mark asked as he took the bottle. “I thought this wasn’t a date.”

Now it was Trevor’s turn to roll his eyes. “It’s a peace offering, for Pete’s sake. Or maybe a bribe, to soften you up for when I actually do ask you out for a date.”

“Thank you,” Mark said, grinning as he placed the bottle on its side in the refrigerator. “Would you like something to drink?” Mark looked at Trevor expectantly.

“No, thank you. I’m good,” Trevor replied as he stood, watching Mark.

They stood in the middle of the room, staring at one another for a few awkward moments. Trevor finally broke the silence.

“Should we get going?” he asked.

Mark nodded and picked up a light jacket as they headed for the elevator. When the doors opened, Trevor motioned for Mark to enter first, then came to stand beside him as the elevator descended to the parking deck.

“I’m right over here,” Trevor gestured with one hand, then placed his other hand lightly on Mark’s lower back as they walked toward his car. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pressed the button. In response, a late-model dark-blue Mercedes chirped and the lights came on.

“Nice car for a starving resident,” Mark teased as he sat down in the passenger seat.

“I’m neither starving nor a resident, thank you,” Trevor replied with a smile as he got in on the driver’s side.

Mark laughed and they both relaxed.

The initial period of discomfit had passed, and they chatted about work until Trevor pulled into the parking deck behind the restaurant. As they walked up the steps leading to the restaurant, Mark looked around at the familiar surroundings. Several large oriental planters with bamboo flanked the entrance. It was one of his favorite restaurants, so he was glad Trevor had chosen it.

Once inside, they were seated at a small booth near the bar. A waitress gave them both menus and took their drink orders. She returned quickly with a steaming pot of oolong tea and two iced waters. Mark ordered sesame chicken, and Trevor ordered pepper steak. When the food arrived, they each spooned off a portion onto smaller plates and placed the platters in the center of the table to share. By the end of the meal, they had each eaten about half of the other’s food. They started out by talking about work and the hospital. Trevor told Mark about medical school and a little more about his family. They both laughed as Trevor told silly stories of growing up with two older sisters. Mark was happy to sit and listen. At some point, the waitress removed the dishes from the table. Neither one noticed. Mark started as he looked at his watch and realized it was already a quarter after eleven.

“We should get going. I have to be up at five o’clock,” Mark said as he stifled a yawn.

“I’m sorry!” Trevor responded, getting up from the seat. “I’ve been sitting here babbling when you should be at home asleep.”

“No,” Mark protested. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I just wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow.”

They chatted some more during the short drive back to Mark’s building. Trevor pulled up to the front entrance and stopped.

Trevor turned to face Mark. He reached over to place a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Thanks for going to dinner with me. It was really nice.”

Mark looked back at Trevor and smiled. He cupped his hand over Trevor’s and gave it a little squeeze. “I had a great time too,” he replied sleepily. “I’ll see you at work.” He got out of the car and used his access card to enter the lobby.

Trevor watched Mark touch his key to the electronic lock and then pull the door open.
Man, what a view
, Trevor thought as Mark walked into the building. Too bad Mark had to work tomorrow, because Trevor really wished he had been invited to come back up with him. He smiled as Mark disappeared into an elevator.
Maybe next time.
After looking into his rearview mirror to check traffic, Trevor pulled the car away from the curb. The evening had been perfect, the best one he could remember for a long time. He turned on the radio and sang the entire way home.

Chapter 6