Love in the ER

CHAPTER 3

The meeting room was filled with hospital executives, department heads, and senior staff discussing the latest updates at Salameda Health Care Center. Oliver sat at the head of the table, nodding politely as the head of the department, Mrs. González, went over a lengthy presentation on staffing and upcoming changes.

But no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind was elsewhere.

All he could think about was Paris.

From the moment he saw her that morning during the welcome briefing, she had stood out to him. At first, he hadn't paid much attention to the crowd. After all, he was used to being the subject of whispers and rumors wherever he went. But Paris... she hadn't looked at him like everyone else did. She seemed distant, lost in thought, almost unaware of the commotion surrounding him.

And then, the unexpected happened.

Bumping into her in the hallway after lunch had thrown him off even more. He couldn't shake the feeling of their brief connection—the way she had looked up at him, startled, her eyes wide with surprise.

Damn, she was beautiful.

Oliver leaned back in his chair, barely listening as someone else took over the meeting. He replayed the moment over and over in his mind—the soft, nervous laugh she gave when she apologized, the way her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. It was... refreshing. Most people around him were guarded, overly polite, or intimidated by his status. But Paris? She didn't try to impress him, and that made her stand out even more.

He smiled to himself, remembering her wide-eyed question: "How do you know my name?"

How could I not?

There was something about her that intrigued him. It wasn't just her looks—though she was undeniably beautiful—it was her quiet confidence, the way she didn't seek attention, but somehow managed to draw his. Oliver found himself wondering more about her. Who was she, really? What drove her to work so hard here?

"Dr. Salameda?"

Oliver blinked, snapped back to reality by Mrs. González's voice. The entire room was looking at him, waiting for a response. He cleared his throat, sitting up straighter.

"Yes, sorry," he said quickly, pretending he had been following along. "Could you repeat that last part?"

Mrs. González raised an eyebrow but continued without comment, moving the discussion forward. Oliver nodded along, making a mental note to focus, but his thoughts quickly drifted again.

Paris. He had to admit, she was on his mind more than she should be after just one encounter.

******************

 As the meeting dragged on, Oliver found himself glancing at the clock, counting down the minutes until he could escape. Normally, he'd be fully engaged in discussions about hospital operations, but today his focus was undeniably elsewhere. Paris had taken up far too much space in his thoughts.

Finally, Mrs. González wrapped up the last agenda point. "That concludes today's briefing. Thank you all for your time."

Oliver nodded along with the others as they gathered their papers and filed out of the room. He stood, shaking hands with a few colleagues, but his mind was still far from the business at hand.

As soon as the room emptied, Oliver let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through his hair. He found himself wandering the hallways of the hospital again, half hoping for another chance encounter with the nurse who'd somehow gotten under his skin.

**************

Meanwhile, Paris was back on the floor, tending to patients.

After the chaotic start to her day, she was trying to focus, but her thoughts kept drifting back to that brief moment with Dr. Oliver. She didn't know why it affected her so much. Sure, he was handsome—ridiculously handsome—but that wasn't it. There was something deeper, something unsettling about how he had looked at her, like he saw straight through her. And then the fact that he already knew her name?

Her shift was busy, but she couldn't shake the image of him, standing there in the hallway, calm and confident.

"Earth to Paris," Clara teased, nudging her gently as they walked out of a patient's room together. "You've been off in la-la land ever since lunch. Don't tell me you're still thinking about him."

Paris laughed nervously, trying to brush it off. "No, I'm just tired. You know how it is."

Clara smirked. "Mmm-hmm. You can't fool me. You've got Dr. Oliver on the brain, don't you?"

Paris rolled her eyes, though her cheeks warmed slightly. "I don't. It's just... I don't know. He was different than I expected."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Different, how? Like, heart-stoppingly gorgeous or just the fact that he's a hot doctor who noticed you?"

"Clara!" Paris groaned, but she couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that. He was... I don't know, nice. More down-to-earth than I thought he'd be."

Clara gave her a knowing smile. "Uh-huh. And I'm sure the fact that he's insanely attractive had nothing to do with it."

Paris shook her head, still smiling. "Can we please just drop it? There's nothing going on."

Clara threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. But if I see him making eyes at you again, I'm calling it."

Paris rolled her eyes, but a small part of her couldn't help but wonder... What if Clara was right?