Joyce hadn't been sleeping well for a few weeks. She was thinking about the child she gave up for adoption. She never knew anything about the baby. It was taken when it was delivered. All she remembered was hearing the baby's cry. At the time she was fifteen and traumatized. The baby was the result of Joyce being raped.
This caused Joyce to want men vulnerable to her. The way she was that awful day she was raped.
Joyce has short blond hair, is tall and not slender and not fat. She was forty.
She decided to see if her friend Faye needed any help. Faye was an RN too. Faye was twenty-seven.
Joyce saw Faye at the nurse's station. Faye was on the phone and acknowledged Joyce with a smile.
Joyce mouthed: "Can you use some help?" Faye nodded.
Faye was a petite brunette.
Joyce and Faye finished the charting and updating patient records.
"Phew!!!" Faye wiped her brow.
Joyce looked over at Faye. "Let's get some coffee."
Faye saw tiredness in Joyce's face.
"You seem tired Joyce, I've noticed it over the last few days."
"I haven't been sleeping well the last several weeks."
"Wanna talk about it?" Faye asked.
"No thanks."
"Well if you change your mind Joyce let me know." Faye got up to leave.
Tina came up to the table. She was tall redhead. She was a pediatric nurse.
"Hey Joyce." "How goes it Tina?"
Tina gazed at Faye and smiled and took her hand.
Joyce watched their interaction.
"Tina last night was amazing",Faye said.
Joyce wondered if a man would ever look at her the same way Tina and Faye look at each other. With love.
The next day, Joyce saw Tina with little Anna. Anna was recovering
from injuries from a house fire. There was young firefighter walking beside Anna's wheelchair. He handed Anna a stuffed bunny.
"You found Bessie!", Anna exclaimed with a smile.
"We sure did Anna!", Jimmy Kerns said with a smile.
Anna reached up and Jimmy bent down. They hugged.
"When you get better Anna, come and see us at the firehouse okay.", Jimmy said.
"I will!", Anna said.
Tina laughed, "C'mon Anna, let's get your dressing changed, and then we'll get you some ice cream!"
"Yeah!", Anna said with delight. She waived and smiled at Jimmy as they turned away. Jimmy waived and smiled back.
Jimmy came walking up to Faye.
Smiling. "How you doing Faye?"
"I'm good Jimmy, that was nice of you, what you did for Anna."
"We found it during the cleanup."
Faye turned to Joyce. "This is Jimmy Kerns, Jimmy meet Joyce Carson."
Jimmy extended a hand. "A pleasure nurse Carson."
"Likewise Jimmy and it's Joyce please."
"How bad was the fire that hurt Anna?", Faye asked.
"We found Anna in her bedroom, she had some burns from falling debris. Right after we got her and the parents out, the roof gave way. They're still investigating the cause, I'm just glad we got everyone out."
"We're glad too Jimmy.", Faye and Joyce nodded.
Faye noticed Joyce's warm expression when she looked at Jimmy. Jimmy gave a faint smile in Joyce's direction.
Jimmy was 5'9" with a stocky muscular build, blue eyes, with short black hair.
"Hmmmm,..," Faye thought to herself.
"Both you ladies have a pleasant day!", Jimmy turned and left. He was smiling inside.
Later in the afternoon, Joyce asked Faye Jimmy's age.
"Twenty-five, why?"
"Just curious."
"My lord he's a boy!", Joyce thought to herself.
Joyce just shook her head.
It had been a week since Joyce met Jimmy. She could not get his face out of her mind. She hoped she'd see him again soon.
Another week was in full swing. Joyce was assigned to the ER. A major multiple vehicle accident with injuries had the place jumping.