Smile for the Camera (Harry Styles x OC)

Like Two Magnets

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing right beside my head. I was tempted to ignore it, the heavy blanket of sleep wrapped around me as softly as the blankets on my bed, but then the possibility that it was Kaden wormed its way into my brain. Maybe he wants to make sure I got home, maybe he wants to explain why he didn't pick up before, or maybe it's not him but one of my parents or Hailey, at any rate, I should answer.

So I wipe a hand across my eyes and answer my phone with a rough, "Hello?"

"Gale, sorry, did I wake you?"

"Peter." One of the senior doctors at the clinic. Why is he calling me? I clear my throat and sit up. "Yeah, what's going on?"

"I know you have the day off, and I'm really sorry to do this to you, but we need an extra pair of hands. Kaden never showed up for his shift, and he won't answer on his phone," Peter explains.

Kaden never showed up? That's weird. I wonder where he's at. He never disappears like this. But they need someone at the clinic. I glance at my clock at see that it's a little past twelve. I've only been asleep for an hour or two, but what can I do? They need more hands.

I stifle a yawn before replying, "Yeah, I'll be over as soon as I can."

"Great, thank you." And with that, he hangs up.

I push my hair out of my face and look down at my rumpled clothes from yesterday. I need to change. I haul myself out of bed and make my way to the loo to wash my face and brush my teeth. Then, I run a comb through my hair briefly and tie it up before changing into my colorfully striped scrubs. I slip into comfy trainers and make one last attempt to call Kaden.

He doesn't pick up, so I leave a message. "Hey, it's me. Call me back when you get this, I'm starting to get worried. You haven't picked up anyone's calls all day, and I just want to make sure you're alright. Ok, bye!"

By the time I get to the clinic, Kaden still hasn't called me back. I don't have much time to dwell on that though because as soon as I set down my coat, Peter is rushing to my side to usher me into a surgery room.

"Nice to see you, Gale. I hope you had a nice holiday." And that's the end of the niceties. "We've got a female yorkshire terrier with a torn ACL on her left hind leg. It's just you at me on this one, everyone else is tied up with another patient, but the terrier's already sedated."

"Alright then. Lead the way."

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It took over an hour to reconnect the tendon and set her leg so she didn't displace anything while it's healing. By the end, Peter and I are both breathing hard, and I'm nearly swaying on my feet from exhaustion.

"I'll finish wrapping this leg and get her into a crate. You go clean yourself off and get home, Gale. I'm sure we can take it from here," Peter says. I nod and brush a strand of hair off of my forehead with the back of my gloved hand as I start to back out of the room.

Because I'm not watching where I'm going, I bump into someone with a decidedly male form and whirl around, fully expecting to see Kaden finally here. I smile and start, "Hey, where-"

"We have got to stop meeting like this."

The familiarity of the tone surprises me almost as much as the physical familiarity of the person weilding it.

"I just can't seem to get rid of you, can I?" I ask with an astonished smirk.

Smiles grins back. He glances at my bloody gloves and then at the sugery room behind me with the yorkshire terrier on the table. His face droops some. "I see you've met my sister's dog, Millie."