Journey (3)

Chapter 24

complex- katie gregson-macleod 

TESSA'S POV:

I feel like I'm going to faint if I stand up too fast. The moment that I woke up this morning with a killing headache, I knew that last night was a complete mistake. I should never have gone to the bar, and definitely should never have had that much to drink. 

I am sitting on one of the chairs at the nurses' station. Maggie looks down at me, sighing. "You're still not feeling great?" she asks me, concerned. "That is one huge hangover," she tells me, as if that would help.

"I know," I say, nodding. My memories of last night are almost non-existent, but I know from reading back the very humiliating drunk messages that I somehow sent last night, Connor drove me home. At least, I think that's what happened. I don't remember a lot.

"Do you want my opinion?" Maggie asks, and I don't respond because I know that she is going to give it to me anyway. "Going to the bar was an incredibly poor decision in the first place, especially since you had to be here really early in the morning." Maggie shakes her head disapprovingly, but her face softens. "You should go home, Tessa," she tells me. "You're definitely not fit to treat patients in this condition. You know it, too. You should head home."

"I want to," I sigh. "But I have to be here. I'll be fine in a second. Just let me sit here for five more minutes and then I'm sure I'll be fine." I'm not completely convinced that I will be fine, but I want to be here. I have to be here, treating patients. I can't just go home.

"Tessa," Maggie says, firmly. "I'm telling you this as a friend. You don't look well. You need to head home. I can't let you come in here and treat patients when you can't even get out of that seat without feeling like you're going to collapse." She sighs again. "We will manage without you," she firmly insists. "You need to go home."

"Just let me stay here, just for a few more minutes," I say, pleading with Maggie. I don't just want to give up and just go home just because of a little hangover that I can easily overcome, with just a few more minutes in this chair. "I'll be fine if you just let me sit here." Maggie still doesn't look at all convinced. "Five minutes?" I ask her.

"Fine. Five minutes," Maggie says, folding her arms. "But I don't think it will do you any favours to be staying around here." She looks in the direction of one of the treatment rooms on the other side of the ED. "I have to go and check in on a patient over there," Maggie tells me. "But five minutes, and I'll be back." 

"Okay," I say, nodding. "Five minutes. I'll be fine in five minutes." Maggie still doesn't look as though she believes me in the slightest, but she still walks away, in the direction of the treatment room, leaving me sitting on the chair, trying to make myself feel okay enough to stand up.

I see Connor walking past, and immediately avert my gaze. This is not the first time that I have seen him, and I'm purposely going out of my way to avoid making eye contact with him. I don't know quite what did end up happening last night, but from the hazy, split-second memories that I can recollect, I'm fairly sure that I should be able embarrassed.

Unfortunately, without Maggie standing in front of me, I am sitting in quite a visible place. Connor sees me instantly, and makes his way over. It's too late for me to try and act like I haven't seen him, and I definitely don't have the energy to get up and walk away from him.

"Hey," Connor says, getting closer to me. "You're sitting down. Are you okay?" I think that judging by the mess that I turned into last night, that question is probably already answered for me. Still, at least Connor doesn't even mention last night.

"Yes," I say, nodding. "I'm fine. Just sitting down to...catch my breath." It's a lie, and I really don't know if I have the energy to cover it up, but Connor doesn't react to it. He is doing a good job at pretending that the events of last night just did not happen. I'm relieved.