EmeraldArcher Thank you for feedback/praise! I love feedback/praise. It warms my fingers up and keeps me writing.
Still Waters T Thank you for feedback/praise! Your questions will be answered in due time, I hope.
Halo Yes, there will be magic. Soon, oh soon . . . *twiddling my fingers in the air*
wimpy0729 Yup, more work with Bob. Fortunately, in reader time, you get Tara time immediately, although Willow doesn't. *sigh*
Chapter 11: Nighttime Insanity
Tara closed her eyes and desperately wished that she was in a bed instead of leaning against the doorframe of the Hospital lounge. A voice interrupted her vertical nap.
“Hey gorgeous!”
“Willow?” Tara said groggily as she opened her eyes.
“Nope, just me.” Kevin smiled as she turned to him. “Say, wanna help me wheel up a crazy person to the psychology ward?”
“No. Wanna sleep. The doorframe is nice and warm.” Tara leaned back against the doorframe. “You can bribe one of the orderlies with my pudding snack in the fridge.”
“Nope, can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you bribed an orderly with it half an hour ago to wheel a patient back to their room. And you were leaning against this very doorframe as you did it. Come on, let the doorframe get its rest.”
Tara groaned in defeat and turned to walk past Kevin. “Aren’t you supposed to be a man and strong and not needing me to do physical things?”
“Pfft. I gave up on masculinity altogether when I started pre-school.” Kevin waved his hand through the air. “Besides which, you’re my friend and I don’t have to bribe you with my pudding snack.”
“Fair enough.” Tara smacked her shoulder against the wall. “Owch. Stupid wall.”
“I need my pudding snack.” Kevin quipped as he walked around her. “Try not to bang into that wall again, Tara.”
“Mmph. I need to be awake if I’m going to be any help at all.” Tara sighed. “Try to wake me up, Kev.”
“I guess we could, yet again, talk about Willow. Any luck with asking her out?”
“That’s better. And now I’m awake again.” Tara smiled bemusedly. “She seemed slightly upset when I talked to her last night. I never really got around to asking her out.”
“So no date tomorrow night, huh?” Kevin thought a little bit. “Actually, that would be tonight as its probably a little bit after midnight now.”
“Nope, no date tonight.” Tara grinned. “I was even going to take a shower and everything after my shift ended around noon.”
“Ah, and then place candles around the boudoir? Put on a little Barry Manilow? Try not to pass out and drool on her after being completely exhausted from working?”
“I just wanted to see her really badly.” Tara smacked Kevin in the arm. “It probably wasn’t the smartest idea, setting the second date so soon. Immediately after work.”
“Yeah, you just want to see her badly.” Kevin paused dramatically. “Ah, young love. Every day apart is like a year.”
Tara nodded, ignoring his theatrics. “I still managed to agree to ‘make plans’ with her for Saturday.”
“So, the second date will be on Saturday then?” Kevin did a little happy dance. “I know someone who needs to go out to brunch with me on Sunday!”
“There might be nothing to say. The word ‘plans’ seems really casual.” Tara pouted. “Too casual. Casual is bad. Very bad.”
“Oh please, Tara. On Sunday, I could tell that she very much wants to go on a second date with you. I’ve watched the way you work. Laying your Tara mojo down. I’ve taken notes” Kevin struck a forlorn pose. “Oh, huh-hi. I’m so shuh-shy. Date me! Kiss me, you fool! Mwah mwah mwah.” Kevin kissed his hand tenderly.
“As if I was the great Casanova.” Tara rolled her eyes. “Name one time my completely guileless approach has actually worked.”
“Hey, there’s a nurse in pediatrics who is still waiting for you to call her back.” Kevin said earnestly. “She still bugs me about you occasionally.”
“No thanks. We had zero chemistry. And with Willow, I can just tell.” Tara sighed as she stopped walking. “There’s a duh-different energy, y’know, around people who are . . . special.”
“Energy? You okay?” Kevin stared at Tara, dumbfounded. “Maybe I should get someone else to cover your shift. I can get someone else to help me out, too.”
“No, it’s Willow, she reminds me of . . . “ Tara broke off and opened her eyes. “I’m fine, just sleepy. Let’s just get this done so that I can catch some sleep in the on-call room.”
Kevin thoughtfully agreed with a nod of his head. “Maybe we should both get some sleep.”
They worked in silence, wheeling the patient up to the psych ward. Kevin and Tara gossiped about Tara’s phone conversation on the way back to the on-call room. As soon as Tara’s head hit the sterilized pillow, she promptly fell asleep to dream Willow-type dreams.
