And Then There Was You...

Chapter 7: And I'm Here For You...

3rd Person POV:

Connor woke up to the warmth of Grace nestled against him, her body curled into his as the soft morning light filtered through the curtains. He glanced down at her, clad in one of his shirts, her hair tousled from sleep. A sense of peace washed over him, and he couldn't help but brush a gentle kiss against her forehead. She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open, a sleepy smile forming on her lips as she looked up at him.

"Morning," she whispered, her voice hushed and filled with warmth.

"Morning," he replied, his voice equally soft. "How'd you sleep?"

Grace stretched, her smile growing as she relaxed back into his embrace. "Better than I have in a while," she admitted, her fingers tracing small circles on his chest.

Connor's heart swelled at her words. "Good," he said, his voice full of affection. "I'm glad."

They lay there for a moment, basking in the quiet intimacy of the morning, before Grace sighed, her eyes drifting toward the clock on the nightstand. "We should probably start getting ready for work," she murmured, though she made no move to get up.

Connor chuckled softly, his hand brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Or we could just stay here," he suggested playfully, his voice laced with mock seriousness.

Grace laughed, the sound light and carefree. "Tempting," she teased, "but we both know that won't fly. We have patients to take care of."

He sighed in mock defeat. "Fine, but I'm not letting you overdo it today," he said, his tone becoming more serious. "You've been through a lot, and you need to ease back into things."

She nodded, her smile softening as she leaned up to press a kiss to his lips. "I'll take it easy," she promised. "But I'm ready to get back to work. I've missed it."

With that, they reluctantly pulled themselves out of bed, sharing lingering touches and tender kisses as they got dressed for the day. Connor watched her move around the room, still in awe of the way she effortlessly filled his life with warmth and light. He was falling for her—no, he had already fallen for her, deeply and irrevocably.

As they arrived at the hospital together, they kept a careful distance, not wanting to raise any suspicions about their relationship. But it was hard to keep the smiles off their faces, the secret glances they shared speaking volumes about their feelings for each other.

Grace was immediately greeted by Maggie and April as they entered the ED. The two women enveloped her in tight hugs, their concern evident.

"We've missed you so much," Maggie said, pulling back to examine Grace with a critical eye. "Are you sure you're ready to be back?"

"I'm okay, really," Grace reassured them, her smile genuine. "I'm ready to get back to work."

April nodded, her expression softening. "Just take it easy, okay? We don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

Grace smiled gratefully. "I will, I promise."

Just then, Natalie walked over, looking slightly frazzled. "Grace, can you give us a hand? We've got a little girl in with chest pains."

"Of course," Grace replied, her demeanor shifting into professional mode. She glanced back at Connor, who gave her an encouraging nod before she followed Natalie to the exam room.

The patient was a 10-year-old girl named Frankie, who was clutching her chest, her face pale and frightened. Grace immediately went to her side, speaking in soothing tones as she examined the girl.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Grace said gently, her hand resting on Frankie's shoulder. "We're going to take care of you."

After running some tests, Grace discovered that Frankie had a blood clot obstructing her blood vessels, a condition that would require immediate surgery. Grace explained the situation to Frankie's parents, her voice calm and reassuring, before heading into the OR.