Dreams of Us Read Online Free PDF Page B

his face in a neat, polished style.
    "I'm sure you're anxious to discuss your hand," he said.
    "I guess that's why you're here," I said, not taking my eyes from his.
    "I am an orthopedic surgeon."
    "I did have orthopedic surgery."
    He smiled and continued to stare at me for a few seconds before clearing his throat and focusing his attention on my chart. "Are you in any pain?" he asked.
    "If I am, I haven't started to notice it yet."
    "That's good. Just let us know if something changes. Some discomfort is normal, but we'll try to keep you as comfortable as possible."
    He showed me my x-rays from before and after surgery and explained exactly what everything meant. There were wires and pins holding my bones together. I felt light-headed when he first started to explain everything, but he made it seem like such an every day occurrence, that I lost that sensation and was able to focus on what he was saying and appreciate it in a clinical way. I asked him lots of questions, which he answered patiently and intelligently.
    I officially loved Dr. Crawford, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he had a perfect face, hair, voice, body and sense of humor—nothing to do with that at all. I judged him strictly on his doctor skills, and those alone made him totally loveable.
    My dad came in with food while Dr. Crawford was still in my room. I got embarrassed for a second when my mom asked him if he wanted a bite, but I watched with delight as he reached into the bag and popped a waffle fry into his mouth.
    "Are you married, Dr. Crawford?" my mom asked while he was still chewing, obviously as charmed as I was.
    "No ma'am, I'm not," he said.
    But at the same time I said, "Mother!" so I barely heard his response.
    "What in the world were you thinking?" I whispered to her as soon as he walked out.
    My mom smiled and shrugged as she started digging in the bag for her sandwich. "He's so handsome and sweet. What's the harm in asking if he's married?"
    "Because it's embarrassing. It's obvious why you're asking. You should have just looked for a ring."
    "You can't depend on a doctor wearing a ring," she said. "They probably don't wear them to work since they have to scrub their hands so much."

 
    Chapter 4
     
     
    The remainder of that day passed in an absolute blur. I wasn't accustomed to taking any sort of pain medicine, and it had me in a daze.
    My thoughts drifted to Dr. Crawford several times that evening. I even dreamed about him. Regardless of whether or not I thought anything would ever happen between us (which I didn't) it still felt good to be slightly smitten.
    That was a small victory in itself, and I thanked God that my boy-crazy functionality seemed to be in working order. Maybe I could take my newfound skills into the world and try them out sometime. Maybe it was the concussion that did it, maybe it was prayer, or maybe it was Dr. Crawford's extreme hotness that kicked it into gear. Either way, it felt good—felt right.
    They told me I'd be in the hospital for a few more days so they could monitor me and make sure my hand stayed stationary. My parents had gone to my apartment to shower and change, so I was alone when two nurses came in the following morning to do all the things nurses do.
    One of them had the thermometer in my mouth and was watching the digital readout of my temperature on the monitor when she said, "Ortho will be here in a few minutes to check in on you. They might want to get more x-rays of that hand." I waited for her to take out the thermometer.
    "Is it the same person every time?"
    "It's usually Dr. Nelson or Dr. Crawford on Wednesdays. I'm not sure who's here."
    "Dr. Crawford's following up on her case," the other nurse said. "I heard him talking to Dr. Nelson about doing a case study on her hand."
    "You did?" I asked, sitting up a little straighter. "Does that mean I'll have him every time or something?"
    "At least while you're here. You'll have to work out your follow-ups with their office. I'm