CHAPTER THREE
THANK YOUS

I left the room and made my way towards the desk. As I approached Maggie, I noticed a familiar uniform beside her—it was CFD. Drawing closer, I realised it was Herrmann, the firefighter from a few weeks ago, the one I couldn't stop thinking about, though I'd never admit it to myself.

"Hey," I said, standing there, a little confused as to why he was here. We didn't often get grateful patients returning to say thank you.

"You must be Dr Jordan," Herrmann said, a grin spreading across his face.

"I am," I replied, setting my clipboard down on the counter, only for Maggie to snatch it away before I could finish. "I hope you haven't ruined Dr. Rhodes' hard work."

"I promise I've been a good boy," Herrmann said, his grin widening. "But I also heard it wasn't only Dr. Rhodes."

The playful glint in his eyes made me realise he wasn't just talking about his treatment.

"I'm only a resident; I didn't do much," I muttered, my voice tinged with embarrassment and nervousness as I looked down at my feet, which were tapping against the floor in a restless rhythm. I wasn't sure why his presence made me so uneasy—no one had made me feel this way in a long time, and that in itself worried me. I had to act normal, especially in front of my colleagues, who would undoubtedly tease me about it.

"Sitting by someone's bedside, even on your time off, is a lot," Herrmann said, his tone soft but sincere.

I felt a flicker of annoyance stir within me. Dr. Rhodes must have been talking to him.

"Dr. Rhodes really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut," I said, my lips pressing together tightly, the urge to punch him, even though he was my superior, bubbling beneath the surface.

"It wasn't Dr. Rhodes," Herrmann replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I woke up one morning to find you fast asleep beside me."

His grin was wide, and I could feel my face flush a deep shade of red. The embarrassment was so intense it felt like it might swallow me whole.

"You snore, by the way," Herrmann said, causing me to chuckle and, in turn, making the conversation a little less awkward. A few nurses passing by also chuckled, adding to the light-hearted atmosphere.

"Duly noted," I replied, my tone sarcastic, which made him laugh.

We shared a brief, amused moment, our smiles lingering, but then Herrmann's phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached in, pulled it out, and glanced at the screen.

"I've gotta go—duty calls," he said, his grin widening. "But I'd love it if you came by my bar. Molly's. Free drinks all night."

He turned to leave, but then stopped, facing me once more.

"It's nice to properly meet you, Melisa," Herrmann added, his words catching me off guard.

"Hey, how do you know my name?" I asked, the surprise evident in my voice.

He turned, grinned, and before I could get another word out, he was off, disappearing through the ER doors, leaving me standing there, still smiling—at least for a moment.

Once the ER had settled down a bit, I decided to find Dr. Rhodes before taking my lunch. When I walked into the residents' lounge, I spotted him pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Dr. Rhodes," I said, standing there with my hands on my hips as he turned to face me.

"I don't need anybody setting me up, Connor," I continued, my tone firm.

He set his coffee down, closing the file in front of him before smiling. "You've been here for three years and haven't dated a single person," he replied, his gaze intense as it held mine.

"How would you know? We've only been friends a few weeks," I replied, prompting a large grin to spread across Dr. Rhodes' face. And that grin could only mean one thing.

"Maggie," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

He chuckled, clearly amused. "Well, I've been invited to his bar—Molly's. Apparently, it's a first responder hangout. If I'm going, so are you."

I gave him a pointed look, not bothering to hide my disapproval.

Molly's was a pub owned by Herrmann and a few of his firefighter friends, known for being a popular spot for Chicago's first responders. I'd never been, mostly because I spent my nights at the hospital, studying and trying to absorb as much information as I could. I was determined to be the best doctor and surgeon I could be, even if it often came at the expense of my social life.

Later that evening, after a long day, I returned home, took a shower, and started picking out my outfit for the night. As I was getting ready, a knock at the door interrupted me. I set my earrings down on the counter before walking over to the door.

I peered through the peephole and saw Connor standing at the door. With a small sigh, I removed the latch and opened it. As he stepped inside, I reached for my earrings, then glanced at him with a smug smile.

"Well, you came then," I said, watching as he closed the door behind him.

"So, Maggie told me how everything went down," Connor began, making me groan inwardly. I knew exactly where this conversation was headed. Maggie and Connor had been scheming to set me up with Herrmann.

"I don't need a boyfriend, Connor," I replied, trying to sound casual. "You're plenty to keep me on my toes."

He laughed, clearly amused by my response. As he zipped up my top, he said, "Herrmann's a fantastic guy. He's a little older than you, but I think he'd be good for you."

I took a sip of my beer, letting the conversation hang in the air before I slipped on my earrings. "Let's go," I said, heading for the door.

We made our way together from my flat to Molly's pub. As we opened the door, we were greeted with a round of applause, and I froze for a moment, blinking in surprise.

"Hey, it was the doctors who saved Herrmann's life," one guy said as he approached us at the pub, shaking both Connor's and my hands. Another man chimed in, "Yeah, now we're stuck with him," causing a ripple of laughter around us.

"Hi, I'm Otis," he added, offering his hand with a friendly smile.

"Mellissa," I replied, shaking his hand with a grin of my own.

"Connor," Connor said, taking a seat and slipping off his jacket.

"Well, you two have free drinks tonight," Otis said, glancing between us. "What do you want to start with?"

I looked at Connor, raising an eyebrow. "Beer for me, and Rhodes," I said, nodding toward Connor.

"On it," Otis replied with a wink, heading off to fetch our drinks.

"Hey," Herrmann greeted, walking over to where Connor and I were seated at the bar. "I'm glad you guys came," he added, shaking Connor's hand.

"Thanks," Connor replied, and Otis returned, setting a beer in front of each of us before heading off again.

"So, how long have you been working at Med?" Herrmann asked, taking a seat next to us.

"Three years. Moved back here for a fresh start," I said, taking a sip of my beer.

"You moved back? You were born in Chicago?" Herrmann asked, his interest piqued.

"Yeah," I replied, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth as I met his gaze.

End Of Chapter 3