Friends or Something More?

This May Sound Crazy But...

This May Sound Crazy But...

Chapter 9

Alex's POV

2 hours later... 

  A pager goes off. Mer jumps up so I know it's hers. I glance at my watch and see that I have 45 minutes before I have to get ready to see my other patient. I try to grab Mer's arm. She laughs. "I wish I could lie back down for a bit, but I have to go. Bailey's paging me to the ER. I'll see you when I get home." I sigh and watch her dash out before falling back to sleep for a bit.

  45 minutes later...

     I have to force myself to get out of bed. It's a struggle, but I do feel a lot more alert. Now I'll have enough energy to get through the rest of my shift. I only have three hours left, but Mer will probably be here longer than that. I know she'll be exhausted when she comes home. I'm going to help her out by being the one to make the kids supper and put them to bed. Mer works so hard as a single/widowed mother raising three children and working full time. I'm amazed at how she does it.

     The follow up exam with my other patient goes smoothly and is done in within 25 minutes. As I mentioned before, I don't have any surgeries that I know of today so I decide to grab a bite to eat and then I'll spend the rest of my shift catching up on charting. As much as I love surgery, it's also nice to have a bit of a lull day here and there.

That night....

        I'm sitting on the couch watching Criminal Minds when Mer comes through the door. I look at the clock and see that's nearly midnight. She smiles when she sees leftover pepperoni pizza. She grabs the box and plops down on the couch next to me. She tells me all about the advanced Ambulatory Phlebectomy she performed. A procedure that normally takes three to four hours to complete took eight due to some unknown complications. I take in every word of what she says while trying to finish the episode. 

        I watch Mer devour the rest of the pizza within fifteen minutes. When she's done, she drops the box and rubs her stomach and groans. I look at her in concert. "Are you okay?" She waves away my concern. "I'm fine. Just ate a bit too fast is all. I couldn't help it though. I was starved." I take a sip of the water bottle beside me. "Listen Mer, this may sound crazy so feel free to stop me anytime. She raises an eyebrow but let's my continue. "Would you like to go on a date with me sometime? It's been so long since I've been out to dinner at a nice restaurant. I think we both deserve it." She gives me a smile that nearly stops my heart. "I'd love to." 

     I smile like a geek. I can't believe she agreed to go on a date with me. I'm over the moon right now. I'm keeping my cool on the outside, but I'm the inside I'm freaking out in excitement. Mer and I settle on Friday night, which is four days from now. I'm going to pick the restaurant myself and surprise her. Believe it or not, I can be a gentleman when I want to be. 

Hoped that you guys liked this chapter! :) -Mary