𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

chapter one; the internship

꒰꒰・┄┄・𓆩♡𓆪・┄┄・꒱꒱

"HAVE YOU FINISHED?" Helene asks as she flips through the paperwork on her clipboard, the skin between her brows creasing in what Summer could only describe as frustration.

Something that had become quite frequent with her mother now that she had been promoted at the hospital. There was a lot more pressure and the workload was vastly heavier, it was no surprise that the forty-year-old was so stressed out all the time.

"Yeah. Lucy is asleep and I got Mr Landon to finally take his medication!" Summer announced proudly, though her mother was too distracted to hear what she had said. "I also cleaned your office and put fresh coffee in the pot." Again, radio silence. "I'm pregnant with Steve's baby and I'm thinking about moving to Australia."

"I'm sorry, what did you say love?" Helene looks up, a sigh escaping her lips and guilt in her expression.

Summer lets out a small laugh. She knew Helene meant well, things were just a little crazy while she settled into her new position.

"Just that I'm done for the night and am going to head out. Steve is probably waiting for me."

"Alright sweetie. I've got to check in with Martha at reception, so I'll walk with you." She rubs her daughter's arm and the two fall into step as they head down to the front desk.

Having Summer intern at the hospital over the break wasn't something either of them had really taken into consideration, though it had definitely brought them closer together. Once Helene found out that Jonathan had got himself a summer internship working for the local paper, she began to worry about her own daughter's future.

Summer had always claimed that school 'wasn't for her' and that she felt like she was wasting her time when she could be doing something bigger and better. So, when Helene suggested the idea of Summer trying out for a couple of internships the eighteen-year-old was definitely caught off guard.

Though, it was Steve who gave her the idea of taking an internship at the hospital after she had confided in him about it. He shared the same worry as Helene when it came to Summer's future, wanting her to actually make something of herself and not turn out like him.

The fact that he was trying to help with the situation when he had shunned practically anything to do with school from the moment he graduated proved to her just how serious he was about it.

Summer loved to help people, there was no denying that and she'd put herself in just about any situation if it meant saving another, so what better place to do so than at the hospital, where she could help those in need all while working alongside her mother. At first, she was sceptical about the whole thing, worried that spending too much time around Helene would affect her concentration, but she was eager to learn no matter what obstacles she'd come across.