The next morning after I get out of bed, I take a quick shower and soon get my nurse's uniform on. I open the door to the walk-in closet and smile, seeing myself back in this uniform. It feels wonderful knowing I'm about to go back to the place I worked hard to be. Getting back to work is something I need to do for myself.

"Cruz works so hard, it's now my turn to get back to work," I smile as I close the closet door. I look over at Cruz sleeping.

"Babe?" I gently kiss his forehead.

"Hmm?" he groans.

"I don't have time to cook breakfast for you and Braylee."

"What time is it?" He asks me.

"It's a little past seven. I have to leave now."

"Oh, okay. And yes, I can cook me and Braylee some breakfast. What do you want to do for dinner tonight, Aubrey?"

"Hmm, let me think about it. I might just end up bringing dinner home after work."

"Please text me later and let me know."

"I will," I peck his cheek as he lowers his head back on the pillow.

I try my best to calm my nerves during the drive to the hospital. I feel excited knowing I am going back to what I love doing, helping take care of those sweet babies and helping deliver them. I feel so blessed being able to go back to my dream job, and I feel incredibly grateful to Lydia for helping get me hired back at the hospital.

As I pull into the parking lot, I see Lydia getting out of her car.

"Hey, Aubrey, you look great in that nurse's uniform. You excited?" She asks me as she makes her way next to my car.

"I am so excited, Lydia. Are you coming back to work already?"

"Yeah, Shannon called me last night and begged me to come back a little early. I told her I would, but I want an extension on my vacation during the summer."

"Smart move," I compliment.

"Thank you. Well, you ready to get back in there?

"I am so ready, I can't wait to get back to work."

"Well, follow me. Let's get this work day started," she chuckles as she puts her arm under mine.

Once inside, people come up to me welcoming me back and I have to admit, it feels amazing. After arriving on the fifth floor, we make our way into the lunchroom and I see Gloria, the head nurse. She looks over at me and gives a warm smile. Lydia and I walk over to her.

"Gloria, I thought you had to take some time off?" I ask her.

"Yes, I did, I'm not here to work. I have decided it's now time for me to retire. I'm here to pick up the last of my things."

"We certainly will miss you around here."

"You know, Aubrey, you are more than qualified to take my position. After all, it was yours before you had to leave. It can be yours once again. I already put in a good word for you," she informs me, much to my delight.

"You did, but what about Lydia?" I ask curiously.

"Aubrey, this is the position that you should have back. I am perfectly fine with you being the head nurse again."

"Lydia, are you sure? I don't want to take this position if you want it. I know you worked so hard for it."

"It belongs to you, Aubrey. I insist you go for it," she embraces me.

"Okay, I want the head nurse position, Gloria."

"I'm so happy to hear that, because I kind of already told them you would agree to be the head nurse again. So it's official. Congratulations, head nurse Aubrey Garcia," she says, and it brings a smile to my face.

"I am so happy for you, Aubrey," Lydia embraces me once again.

"Can someone help us please?" Lydia and I turn to see a tall, dark-haired man cradling a pregnant woman in his arms.

"Sir, follow this nurse. Her name is nurse Lydia, she will take care of your wife," I assure him.

"Thank you."

"Lydia, get her examined, I'll be right there as soon as I'm finished paging Dr. Robertson and calling Mr. Crimson."

"Pardon me, I hope I'm on the correct floor," a female voice from behind me softly says.

"Are you needing to see a doctor, are you in labor?" I ask as I search for Mr. Crimson's number.

"No, well, not yet. I'm only a little over two months pregnant,"

"Finally, I found his number. Oh, please forgive my rudeness, it's been a little busy around here. I come back to work on its busiest day here."

"Is that so? Well, perhaps you will like hearing the reason why I'm here."

"And what reason is that?" I ask and see her pull out what appears to be a resume.

"The reason is I am here to apply for a job. As you can see, I have the experience of ten years. I'm hoping you need some help," she says, much to my relief.

"Come with me," I reply. We make our way down the hall to the nurse's lunch room. I quickly look over her resume.

"Wow! I am impressed, you have experience with babies and being in delivery. When can you start?"

"Whenever you need me to start."

"I was hoping to hear you say that. As you can see, we are short staffed, Ms. Wilson. Can you please start now?" She smiles and stands to her feet extended her hand.

"I'm ready to get to work, nurse Garcia," she assures me as I shake her hand.

"You are a lifesaver. I see here you just moved here from New York?"

"Yes, that's correct. My grandparents lived here in West Virginia. I love the beautiful mountains. I know the winter months can be cold, but then again, so can New York. I am familiar with this area. My grandparents lived about twelve miles from Morgantown."

"Oh, that's great that you already know your way around. If you need any help getting around anywhere, please let me know."

"That's very kind of you, nurse Garcia. I think tonight after work I'm just going back to my hotel for some dinner, but I would love to go exploring for new restaurants at some point."

"I would be happy to show you the newest restaurants, and they expanded the mall."

"That would be great, thank you."

"You know, I really would like to invite you to have dinner with me and my family tonight."

"I don't want to intrude on your family."

"No, Ciara, it won't be anything fancy, just some tacos or Mexican or Italian. Would you like to join us?"

"Yes, I would. Thank you, nurse Garcia."

"You're welcome. And please, call me Aubrey. Okay, I need to get you with Lydia. If you have questions, please ask. I also need to call my husband and let him know we are having a dinner guest joining us."

"You sure your husband won't mind an unexpected dinner guest, Aubrey?"

"No, you don't have to worry about that, Ciara. You will see what a great guy my husband is after knowing him for five minutes."

"I can't wait to meet your family."