It was almost a week later and things were back to normal, at least for the most part.  The bruising on Chloe’s head and cheek were gone more or less, as was the whiplash.  In fact, the only evidence that she’d even been in accident that was still present were the now pink, puffy scars that had started to form on her temple and cheekbone.

Chloe was back to work too.  She’d only taken two days off, and that was only after her brother had all but threatened to sit on her if she didn’t call in.

On this particular day she was in surgery.  In fact, she’d been in surgery almost all morning. She’d just finished repairing a ruptured spleen and was now headed to the PACU or Post- Op area to check on a patient from an earlier surgery when a gorgeous bouquet at the Nurses’ station caught her attention.  Pink roses, green chrysanthemums, pink Peruvian lilies and yellow Asiatic lilies brightened the counter-top and there was a card nestled at the top. 

“Who are the flowers for?” Chloe asked the nurses behind the desk.

A nurse named Liz smiled.  “The security guard who brought them up said they were for you, Dr. Hunter.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  It wasn’t her birthday so she couldn’t possibly fathom why anyone would be sending her flowers. 

“From Eddy maybe?” Liz replied, as if reading her mind.

The nurses in Post Op knew her well and therefore knew about Eddy.

Chloe shook her head.  “No.  He wouldn’t.  Not even when we were together.”

“Well, there is a card.” Liz said grinning.

Chloe nodded then gingerly lifted the card from the flowers.  Carefully, she pulled the card from the envelope and her eyes went wide as she read the words scrawled on the small piece of paper.

There are no words that could possibly express how grateful I am.  The best I can do is “Thank you”

Sincerely,

Justin

Justin? It wasn’t possible!  Was it?  No!  The likelihood that the Justin who’d signed this card and sent these flowers was Justin Timberlake was incredibly slim.  There had to be another explanation, another Justin she’d treated.  There was NO WAY he could have known.  He’d been unconscious the entire time.  Yes, she’d told him her name, but again, he’d been unconscious the entire time.  Was it possible he heard her?  Had someone told him?  IF it was Justin Timberlake, which she was convinced it wasn’t, someone would have had to have told him about her.  That was the only rational explanation.

“Who are they from?” Liz asked, snapping Chloe from her trance.

Chloe stuttered a bit as she placed the card back in the flowers.  “Oh…umm…just a patient.”

“Just a patient…ok, then why does your face look like that?” Liz asked grinning.

“Look like what?” Chloe replied.

“Flustered! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were blushing.”

“I’m not blushing.” Chloe protested.

“Yes, you are, which begs the question, who is he? Is he cute?”

Chloe fought to calm herself before responding.  “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t a complete lie.  She still wasn’t convinced it was Justin Timberlake who had sent the flowers.

Liz laughed.  “You don’t know?!”

He only put his first name on the card.” Chloe replied honestly.

“So, what is it?” Liz insisted.

Chloe tried not to blush more.  “Justin.”

“A recent date?” Liz wondered aloud.

Chloe gave Liz a look, causing Liz to chuckle.

“Ok, not a date, a former patient maybe?” Liz continued.

Chloe nodded. “Possibly.

“Hmm, well, have you treated anyone with the name Justin recently?”

Chloe tried not to show how she was feeling right then.  In fact, she was trying really hard not to show just how much this discussion and the flowers were affecting her.  She didn’t even want to think about what might happen, or what people would say if they knew the truth.

Chloe nodded nervously.  “At least one.”

Liz grinned.  “Well, then I bet they are from him.”

Chloe eyes flashed with fear for a moment. 

“I certainly hope not.” She muttered under her breath.

That night when Chloe returned home, she had the flowers with her.  Without saying a word, she set them down on the kitchen table and proceeded to cabinets for a wine glass.

Gabby was sitting at the table eating a plate of spaghetti when Chloe walked in.  Adam was standing in front of the stove dishing up a plate for her so he hadn’t noticed the bouquet yet.

“Those are pretty Mommy.   Where did you get them?’

Chloe blushed slightly.  She was still trying to convince herself they weren’t from Justin Timberlake.

“A patient sent them to me.” Chloe answered honestly.

By this time Adam had turned away from the stove where he was dishing up a plate of Spaghetti for all the grown-ups. His eyes widened and a smile tugged at his lips when he saw the flowers sitting on the table.

“A patient sent you flowers?!” He asked grinning.

Chloe nodded.

“Was there a card?”

Again, Chloe just nodded.

Immediately Adam set the plates down at the table and started digging for the card.  A huge grin spread across his face as the words on the paper registered in his brain.

“I told you!” Adam exclaimed.

Chloe just bit her lip and shook her head.  “I treat dozens of patients in a week and Justin is a very common name.”

Adam made a face.  “Really? How many patients have sent you flowers?”

Chloe gave him a look but he quickly dismissed it. 

“Exactly!  I’m not saying it never happens.  I’m just saying, you got flowers from a patient named Justin just a week after treating Justin Timberlake.  What are the odds?”

Gabby’s eyes went wide as she took in a bite of her spaghetti.

“Mommy…”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Chloe said raising an eyebrow.

Gabby nodded then swallowed.  “Sorry Mommy.  Justin Timberlake? He sings that song from Trolls, right?”

Chloe cracked a smile.  “He does.”

Gabby’s eyes went wider still, if possible.

“You helped him?”

Chloe nodded.  “I did.”

Gabby set her fork down then paused in thought.  For almost 6 she was very bright and very mature for her age.  Then again, the past year had forced her to face things no 5-year-old should have to deal with.

“Well…if you helped him maybe he did send the flowers.  Maybe he was trying to say “thank you” for helping him.” Gabby reasoned.

Chloe nodded.  “Maybe.”

***

After two weeks Lyn Harless was ready to go home.  She loved her son more than life itself but he was a terrible patient.  The doctors had told him to rest his voice as much as possible after his surgery.  No shouting, no screaming, NO singing and very little talking.  After the accident strenuous physical activity was also frowned upon.  No running, no work-outs, no basketball.  Basically, he was under doctor’s orders to do absolutely nothing. 

It was driving him crazy.  He couldn’t remember the last time that he’d had this much free time to just sit.  He was always busy.  Always working on his next project, or two.  He was supposed to be on tour, performing for sold out crowds almost every night but he wasn’t.  Instead, he was sitting in his New York apartment feeling sorry for himself.

Understandably, Lyn had called in reinforcements.  She knew how badly her son could get in his own head.  How much he would over think things.  He needed a distraction and with that in mind she’d called the four men that knew him almost as well as she did, and in some respects better than her.  Joey was busy with his Game Show network gig and being a dad to his girls.  Chris was a father now too and therefore sticking close to home.  Lance was busier than ever doing about ten different things at the same time which just left JC.

At about 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday, just a little over a week before Thanksgiving there was a knock on the door.  Justin’s mother had left to return to Tennessee just a few hours prior and had insisted he stay put instead of accompanying her to the airport.  It made sense, he was trying to keep a low profile after surgery and the accident so the last thing he wanted was to be spotted at the airport but he still missed having her around.  He missed the company.  Being alone in his apartment felt like the walls were closing in on him.  True, it had only been a couple hours but the silence was already deafening.

Justin heard the knock but dismissed it as just his brain playing tricks on him or a sound coming from the TV that was on in the background.  Then he heard the knock again, louder this time.  Cautiously, he approached the door.  The building he lived in had a doorman, who typically checked in if he had a guest but this time no one had called.  True, he had a list of people that were approved to have entry but everyone on the list was hundreds of miles away, or so he thought.

He checked the security cameras and could only smile, bite his lip and shake his head at the person on the other side of the door.

Justin opened the door and there was JC standing on the other side.

“Your mom thought you shouldn’t be alone.” JC said grinning.

There was a duffel bag over one shoulder and he was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and very bright floral print coat.  It was the best thing Justin had seen in days.

Immediately he pulled his friend into the biggest bro hug then winced slightly as the pressure against his chest reminded him of his injuries.

JC chuckled as he stepped into the apartment.  “It’s good to see you too man, but yeah, you might want to take it easy.  It’s going to take a while for those ribs and your lung to fully heal.”

“How long are you staying?” Justin asked quietly.

JC set his bag down on the floor just inside the door and shrugged.  “Until we get sick of each other.  I have no definite plans. “

Justin nodded.  As much as he didn’t want to admit outwardly that he didn’t want to be alone it felt good to have JC there.  JC was the one person that understood him sometimes better than he understood himself.  They’d been friends since Justin was 12.  There wasn’t much they didn’t know about each other.  JC was more like an older brother than a friend.  They were just that close and always had been. 

“Thanks.” Justin replied.

JC smiled and nodded.  “No thanks necessary.  This trip was long overdue.”

For the next couple of days, the two men just hung out at Justin’s apartment watching TV, catching up and ordering take out.  It was exactly what Justin needed.  There was no talk of the tour or the accident.  In fact, during those two days the only reminder of any of it was the ache in his chest and the soreness in his throat. 

On this particular afternoon they were sitting on the couch just watching TV and chatting when a picture on the television caught Justin’s attention.  It was an advertisement for TMZ and they were talking about Justin.  The person on the screen was teasing a story about the accident.  Normally, Justin did his best to try to shrug off stuff like this but given the circumstances that was easier said than done. 

It was all coming back.  All of the emotions he’d tried to push aside.  All the anxiety and guilt he felt after putting the tour on hold.  All the anger and disappointment he felt not being able to do what he loved. 

JC looked over at his friend and his eyes went wide.  Justin was starting to panic.

“Easy there, J.  They are just trying to get ratings.”

Justin knew JC was right but he couldn’t help himself.  That one little sound-byte had pushed him over the edge.  His breathing had quickened and the strain on his lung made it feel like an elephant was standing on his chest.  He was struggling to get air and was starting to feel dizzy.  Not to mention the wave of nausea that had washed over him.

“I can’t breathe.  My chest hurts.” Justin said between gasps.

JC looked at Justin again and immediately decided he needed to take action.

“I’m taking you to the hospital.” JC said, standing quickly.

Justin tried to protest but JC wasn’t having it.

“Nope.  No argument.  We’re going!” JC grunted as he helped Justin to stand.

By some miracle they made it down to the garage quickly but Justin was still struggling.  In fact, he seemed to be getting worse.  His face was pale.  There was sweat on his forehead and he was breathing heavily. 

Truthfully, JC knew that he should be calling an ambulance but given what had brought them to this moment he thought this was the better option.  He didn’t want to risk the paparazzi following them.

Once outside the garage JC looked to Justin again.  He did NOT look good.

“Hang in there, J.” JC said, his expression worried.

Justin nodded then tried to speak.

“Mt. Sinai.” Justin whispered.

JC looked at his friend, his eyes wide.  “That’s farther.”

“Please.” Justin replied between gasps.

His eyes were pleading and as much as JC’s gut was telling him to get Justin to the closest hospital his heart told him to honor Justin’s request.

“Ok.  Mt. Sinai it is.”

Thankfully, JC was familiar with the busy NY streets.  He knew his way around well enough that he was able to dodge most of the congestion and make it to Mt. Sinai in record time.  Within minutes they were pulling up to the Emergency Entrance at Mt. Sinai.

JC pulled his rental right up to the door, threw the car in park, shut off the engine then jumped out and raced around to the other side.

As soon as the sliding doors opened, they were met by hospital personnel who quickly got Justin onto a gurney.

“What do we have?” A doctor or nurse asked.

JC couldn’t be sure.  It all seemed to be happening so fast.

“Uhh...we were just hanging out and he started having trouble breathing.  He said his chest hurt and he couldn’t breathe.  He was in a car accident a couple weeks ago.  He broke a few ribs and his left lung collapsed.  He also had surgery on his vocal chords about 3 weeks ago.” JC explained.

“Let’s get him to Trauma Bay 1.” JC heard someone say.

“Call for a surgical consult.” Another voice called out.

Not knowing what to do or where to go JC followed the gurney carrying his friend to the Trauma room.  The doctors and nurses were so preoccupied with Justin that they didn’t even notice.  Instead, he stood quietly in the corner watching in horror as about a half dozen people fussed, poked and prodded at his friend.

JC swallowed the lump forming in his throat and pushed the tears back but it was extremely difficult to watch.

A few minutes later, after being paged to the E.R. for a surgical consult Dr. Chloe Hunter arrived in the Emergency Room.

“Someone paged for a surgical consult.” Chloe said to the nearest nurse.

The nurse nodded and pointed towards the trauma rooms.  “Trauma Bay 1.  Adult male with chest pain, difficulty breathing and history of a collapsed lung.”

For a brief moment Chloe froze.  What were the odds?

Taking a breath Chloe headed for the trauma room but sucked it in when she stepped into the semi-private room.  Apparently, the odds were high.

“Well, FUCK!” She muttered to herself.

The room was full of activity.  Several nurses and at least 2 Residents were surrounding the gurney.  On the gurney, a very fearful looking young pop star and in the far corner, another equally terrified one.  It was time for Chloe to put her own feelings aside and take action.

Chloe looked to the handful nurses and the two Residents and quickly took charge of the situation.  “Ok, everyone out.  Let’s give the patient some space.” she started.

“Except for you and you.” She said pointing to two of the nurses.

Then she looked to JC.  She knew who he was immediately and she could only imagine what he must be thinking right then.

“You can stay too.” She said nodding towards JC.

Once the room was a little less crowded Chloe approached her patient.  She could see that he was struggling to breathe and probably in a fair amount of pain judging by the expression on his face.  His blue eyes were swimming and his brow was covered with tiny beads of sweat.

“Mr. Timberlake…I need you to look at me.” She said calmly.

Immediately his eyes went wide.  He looked to JC.  There was something about that voice that was eerily familiar.

Chloe cracked a tiny, reassuring smile.  “No.  Not at him.  I need you to look at me.”

Justin obliged and shifted his gaze towards her.  Her green eyes drew him in immediately.

“Good.  Now, I need you to try to breathe normally.  I know that sounds like I’m asking a lot but I need you to try.”

Again, Justin followed her directions as he continued to stare into her eyes.

“That’s it.  In and out.  In and out.”

After a few shaky breaths his breathing started to slow to a normal pace.

“Better?” Chloe asked.

Justin nodded but didn’t speak.

“Good.  Now how about your chest? Are you still in pain?”

Again, just nodded the affirmative.

Chloe pulled the stethoscope from around her neck and placed the ear-tips in her ears.

“Ok, I am just going to take a listen to your lungs and your heart.  Just keep breathing normally.” Chloe explained.

She was trying to stay calm herself but this situation was beyond complicated.  She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if and when he figured out who she was.

He gasped as Chloe placed the diaphragm piece against his bare back.

“Did that hurt?” Chloe asked, her brow furrowed.

“No. Cold.” He replied simply.

Chloe tried not to blush then quickly rubbed the piece against her lab coat to warm it up.  “Oh. Sorry.”

Chloe listened for a few moments then turned to JC.

“You brought him in?” Chloe asked.

“Yes Ma’am.  He didn’t want to, but I insisted.” JC replied nodding.

Chloe smiled at him.  “You did the right thing.”

She turned her attention back to her patient.  “Just a question, what were you two doing when this started?”

Justin blushed with embarrassment.  For whatever reason he really didn’t want her to think less of him.

“Watching TV.” He replied sheepishly.

“To be fair, a commercial for TMZ came on.” JC added grumbling.

Chloe’s eyes widened a bit.  She understood what he was implying.

“Got it!” Chloe smirked.

Then Chloe turned to one of the nurses.  “Would you please order a Chest X-ray and an E.K.G.”

The nurse nodded then both nurses quickly left the room.

Justin’s eyes went wide again as did JC’s.

“No need to worry. I just want to make sure I do a thorough examination.  Your lungs sound good. I don’t think you had a relapse but I want to be sure.”

Justin nodded then forced himself to speak.  “Thank you.”

Chloe smiled. “Of course. It’s my job.”

Just then another doctor entered the room.  He looked from the doctor in the room, then to Justin and JC then back to the doctor and his eyes went wide.  It was plainly obvious he knew the identity of the patient.

“There you are Dr. Hunter.”

Justin’s jaw dropped and he felt his heart start to pound again.   Was it possible that there was more than one Dr. Hunter at Mt. Sinai or was this the voice he’d been dreaming about every night for the past two weeks?  Her voice did sound familiar but at the same time he’d been unconscious.  In other words, he wasn’t positive but he had a hunch.

“Here I am.” She replied flatly.

“What are you still doing down here?” the other doctor asked.

“Treating my patient.” She said.

“Is he surgical?” the doctor continued.

Chloe rolled her eyes.  She had a feeling she knew where this discussion was going to go.

“I don’t know yet.  I’m not done with my examination.  I just ordered an E.K.G and a Chest X-ray.”

“Well, then, why not pass him off to an E.R. Resident? He looks stable to me.” The other doctor argued.

Chloe gave the doctor a pointed look.  Justin and JC both noticed immediately. 

Chloe felt her jaw tighten.  This particular doctor was ALWAYS questioning her but NOT today.  NOT with this patient.

“Mr. Timberlake is MY patient.  I’m not leaving him until my examination is complete and I’m 100% satisfied he is NOT surgical.” She shot back.

“Oh! I see!” The doctor smirked looking from Justin to Chloe.

Everyone in the room knew what he was implying. 

Chloe took a deep breath before responding.  Truthfully, she didn’t owe him any explanation.  She was within her right to continue treating him and she knew the Chief would back her up if it came to that but that didn’t mean it made the situation any easier. 

“Dr. Torres, I know what you’re implying and frankly, you can kiss my ass.  I have every right to finish my examination.  Mr. Timberlake became my patient the minute I was called for a consult.  Truthfully, you’re just pissed that no one paged you for such a high-profile patient.  However, given Mr. Timberlake’s recent medical history I am going to guess that he had a reason for coming to Mt. Sinai instead of Presbyterian, which is where he was initially treated following his accident.”  Chloe snapped at him, her eyes on fire.

“And what reason might that be?” Doctor Torres snorted.

“Me.” Chloe replied bluntly.

Quickly, she looked to Justin.  His eyes were wide and searching hers, as if he was trying to gauge her.

“You?” Dr. Torres choked out.

“Yes. You see Dr. Torres I’ve treated Mr. Timberlake before.”

“When?”

“That’s really not your concern.” Chloe replied.

“As your superior it is.”

“No, not really.  I was “off duty” and outside of the walls of this hospital, so therefore you have absolutely zero say in the matter.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to finish treating my patient.  I’ll see you upstairs when I am done.”

“I’m going to the chief.”

This time it was Chloe that smirked.  “Go right ahead.  You don’t scare me and neither does the Chief.  Besides, he already knows about what happened and has consulted with the hospital legal department.  I’m good. I didn’t violate my contract or break any rules.  In other words, we’re done here.”

Grumbling under his breath Dr. Torres left the room and headed in the other direction.  Once he was out of sight and well outside hearing range Chloe turned back to her patient.

Justin’s blue eyes were wide and he was chewing on his bottom lip anxiously.  He had so many thoughts and questions running through his brain he didn’t know where to begin. 

Cracking the tiniest of smiles Chloe looked at him directly and nodded.  She knew what he was going to ask her without him even needing to say the words.

“Yes, Mr. Timberlake.  It was me.  I was the driver of the other car that night.  I was the one that called 911 and treated you at the scene…and, well, technically speaking I was the one that hit you and knocked you off your bike, but that part wasn’t my fault.” Chloe explained nervously.

“I know…that it wasn’t your fault I mean.  The rest I didn’t know until just now.  I had a hunch, but wasn’t positive.” Justin said softly.

“You had a hunch?” Chloe replied curiously.

Justin smiled a bit.  “Umm…well…your voice.  I remembered your voice. Then that doctor said your name and I thought, what are the odds that there are two doctors with the last name Hunter working here?”

Chloe nodded. “Oh.”

“Thank you.” Justin said as he felt his heartbeat start to slow again.

“You’re welcome.” Chloe replied.

Justin allowed himself to smile and relax a bit more.  Her eyes were still drawing him in and her voice was soothing.  It helped him relax.

“No, really, thank you.  I can’t thank you enough for saving my life, for taking care of me tonight, for sticking up for me just now and for chasing that doctor off.”

“Yeah, that guy was an ass!” JC chimed in.

Chloe giggled slightly.  “Yes. He is, but he’s also my supervisor so unfortunately I have to try to be cordial.”

“Well, thank you, again.” Justin said smiling.

It was a genuine smile and it was making her feel things she didn’t think she should be feeling given the situation.

“And again, you’re welcome, Mr. Timberlake.  I wasn’t about to just leave you on the side of the road that night, even before I knew who you were.  And, as far as tonight goes, as I said, I think you came here and not Presbyterian for a reason.  Or am I mistaken?”

Justin tried not to laugh.  It made his chest hurt but he couldn’t help himself.  She was sassy as hell and he loved it.

He bit his lip and shook his head as he tried not to make his smile too obvious.  “No.  You’re not mistaken.  I was hoping I’d meet you.”

Chloe nodded.  “I kinda figured.  Thank you for the flowers by the way.”

Justin smiled more meanwhile JC could only shake his head.  Of course, Justin had sent her flowers.

“So, you did get them?”

Chloe nodded.  “I did. They were gorgeous.”

It was then that one of the nurses re-entered the room.

“We’re ready for that chest X-ray Dr. Hunter.” The nurse explained.

A flicker of panic flashed across Justin’s face.  Chloe knew what he was thinking.

“No need to worry Mr. Timberlake.  I’m just trying to rule things out.”

“It’s Justin.” Justin said simply.

“Excuse me?” Chloe replied.

“Call me Justin…please.”

Chloe blushed ever so slightly.  “Ok.”

An hour and a half later, after both the E.K.G and the Chest X ray Chloe found herself back in the trauma room with Justin and JC.  She was looking over his test results.  Thank goodness they looked normal.  She really didn’t want to think about the idea of cutting into him.

“Everything looks good.  No evidence of your lung collapsing a second time. Your ribs seem to be healing appropriately. No evidence of any heart complications.  Everything checks out.”

“Then what happened?” JC asked worriedly.

The fact that everything looked normal but he’d still had problems didn’t feel right.

Chloe offered both men a reassuring smile.  “Well, given what I know about what you were doing and the amount of stress you’ve been under lately, in my professional opinion, I’m going to say you had an anxiety attack.”

 Both men made a face causing Chloe to crack yet another smile. 

“I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal but anxiety attacks can be serious, especially when you have such a severe physical response like that.  I would recommend staying away from the news or TMZ for a while, stick with Netflix.”

“Netflix?” Justin asked smiling.

“No commercials.”

Justin chuckled.  “Good point.”

Chloe nodded then paused briefly.  She didn’t know what to say or do now that her job was essentially done. 

“So…umm…I guess I will go sign your discharge papers.” Chloe stuttered.

Justin nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.  Chloe was already headed for the door but he stopped her.

“May I see you again?” Justin asked bravely.

Her voice and those deep green eyes.  He couldn’t explain it but he knew this couldn’t be the last time he saw her.  He needed to get to know her.  That much he was certain of.

Chloe stopped short then turned to look back at him.  The look in his eyes was not what she’d expected.

“I don’t see patients outside the hospital.  I mean, I don’t have my own practice or anything. I’m sorry.”

Justin grinned.  “That’s not what I meant.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide as saucers.  “Oh! Umm…well…I have rules about that.  The hospital has rules about that.  No dating patients.”

Justin grinned more.  “But I’m not a surgical patient, so technically, you’re not my doctor anymore, right? And, well, you are about to discharge me so there is that.”

Chloe immediately bit her bottom lip to keep from showing her emotions.

“Umm…” Chloe started.

“Let me guess…your husband wouldn’t approve.” Justin mused.

Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head.  “I’m not married.”

“Your boyfriend then?”

Again, Chloe just shook her head.  “No boyfriend either.”

“So, you’re single?” Justin replied grinning.

Meanwhile, JC just stood in the corner trying not to laugh.  He and the other guys knew all about Justin’s mystery “Good Samaritan”, the dreams he’d been having and his mission to find her but this was not what he’d expected when they entered the Emergency Room earlier.

“It’s complicated, but to answer your question, yes, I am single.”

“When isn’t it complicated?  I’m definitely complicated, so is he.” Justin teased pointing to JC.

JC made a face.  “Don’t drag me into this.”

Chloe giggled slightly.

“Good point.” Chloe replied.

She was still chewing on her bottom lip.  Part of her wanted to see where this would go.  Then there was the part of her that was terrified of trusting a man again.  Finally, there was the part of her that knew that her brother would kick her ass if he found out she said “no.”

“Let me take you to dinner.” Justin continued.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.  You’re still recovering…I’m…well…very busy…” Chloe replied as she waved her hand around the room.

Justin just smiled at her.  It was un-nerving.  His smile was adorable.

“I’m not.  Obviously.  We’ll make it work.  We’ll go some place quiet, some place we can talk. C’mon, what do you say?”

“I don’t know…”

“Just one date.  Then, if you have terrible time, we never have to see each other again.”

Chloe laughed at this.  “I highly doubt that’s going to happen.”

“Is that a yes?”

Chloe blushed slightly.  “Fine.”

Justin grinned.  “May I get your number Dr. Hunter?”

“It’s Chloe.”

“Well, then can I get your number Chloe?”

Chloe nodded then proceeded to scribble her number down on pad of paper she’d had in her lab coat pocket.  Once she finished, she ripped the paper from the pad and handed it to him.  It was surreal.  Giving any guy her number felt surreal after what she’d been through.  She just hoped she didn’t regret it. 

Adam was going to have a field day when he found out.