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“You okay?”
He opened his eyes, surprised Chrissie had initiated a conversation with him that didn’t have something to do with a patient or the event. For the most part she’d ignored him or given him the cold shoulder when he’d attempted conversation.
“Fine.”
Appearing torn, she eyed him. “You didn’t look fine. You looked like you didn’t feel well.”
“Had a flashback,” he admitted, shocking himself that he’d said the words out loud. He hadn’t talked to anyone here about the things he’d seen or done. DAW had required he go through psychological evaluation. He’d passed with flying colors, but that wasn’t to say that the things he’d lived through and seen hadn’t affected him. He’d never be quite the same. “No big deal.”
It wasn’t a big deal. Nothing he couldn’t cope with.
“What kind of flashback?”
“Not one of you,” he teased, unwilling to tell her the nitty-gritty details, “so it wasn’t good.”
She smirked. “Ha-ha. Too funny. Seriously, you turned a bit green there for a few seconds.”
Maybe he’d been green at how stand-offish she was around him. He wanted to go back to the way she was four years ago.
He suddenly longed for at least a glimpse of more carefree times. Even if just a short one.
“You want to go play in the bubbles?”
Her jaw dropped at the same time her brow rose. “What?”
He gestured around the medical tent. “We’re not busy and might not get another chance to catch more of the events. The bubbles are new this year. Agnes was excited about them.”
The more he said, the more he wanted her to say yes. He wanted to play, to let loose and have fun. With Chrissie.
“But...we can’t leave. Ms. Perez,” she reminded him, looking a little panicked.
“You should go,” the woman called from a few feet away, obviously listening to their conversation. “Don’t mind me. I’m fine and can have one of these other folk help me out of here.”
First mouthing “thank you,” Trace grinned at the woman. “See, Ms. Perez wants us to go check out the bubbles. We’ll share a dance in her honor.”
“That would be absolutely lovely!” the woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together and obviously playing cupid. “I insist you go.”
Chrissie still looked hesitant.
“Hey, Gianakos?” he called to Alexis, who had just finished with the only other patient in the tent and sent him on his way with an antacid and instructions to cut back on spicy foods. “Will you check on Ms. Perez’s ankle in a few? She’s got about another ten minutes of icing, then have one of the guys take her to wherever she wants to go. Chrissie and I are going to the main area for a while.”
Alexis shot an envious glance toward Chrissie, then nodded. “No problem.”
“Perfect. See, I’ll be fine.” Ms. Perez shooed them away. “You two go have a little fun.”
Before she could find another excuse, Trace grabbed Chrissie’s hand and led her out of Medical. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Not kicking and screaming the whole way. I needed to get out of there for a few.”
She looked as if she still might kick and scream, then her expression morphed into one of confusion. “Trace, what were you thinking about back there?”
He shook his head. “Nothing important now. Let’s go check out the bubbles.”
Her hand was still inside his. He didn’t want to let go so he held on tightly as he led them toward the bubbles. Her hand felt warm and comfortable in his.
As if it belonged there.
