It was another day of having to deal with these nonsense rumors that my good friend, Hunter, had spread around the hospital. I still have not found him to this day; it seems to me that he knows what he's done and is hiding. He better hide himself well, or else I'd wrap my hands around his neck tight and not let him see another day ever again.
Also, it was not too hard getting used to these crutches. The doctor did say that I have to use this while my foot is in the healing process; if not, then its condition might worsen. In fear that I might not be able to return to normal as soon as possible, I have been keeping these metal crutches with me 24/7, and it started to feel as if they were a part of me, which I know is silly.
"Dr. Do!" A bunch of nurses blocked my way, and I nearly lost balance again. Their emotions were written all over their faces as I let out a sigh. I just know that they've come to interrogate me about the pointless rumor about me and Riley dating. "Is it true that you are dating Riley Martins? I was his big fan before! I can't believe you're his girlfriend!" I took a peek at her name tag—Risa. She looks younger than me, though; she might have only been around thirteen years old when Riley's band was famous around the world. She could only be lying, as she had seen his face that day. But I never know—she could be telling the truth or feeding me lies.
"Your boyfriend is so hot! Who'd ever thought that he'd date you?"
I glared. "Excuse me?" They have all gone silent when they hear those words from me. "What could be the problem if he were really dating me? As far as I have heard, I am one of the prettiest female doctors in this hospital. Riley must feel extremely lucky to have me."
"That's right." I jumped, losing grip on the left crutch as Riley caught me in one swift move before my body met with the ground. I did not know that he was behind me! He definitely heard! I am so embarrassed!
I got back on my crutches and cleared my throat. Our faces were too close in that position—it was too much for me to handle as his handsome face was shining brightly right above me. I tucked my bangs behind my ear and returned my stare at the nurses who were still in front of me.
"Get back to your stations now! Your doctors could be looking for you; play time is over! Shoo!"
I drew in some breath as it exited through my mouth. Hunter did say that it would be good for me to have a boyfriend, but after this, I don't think I'd ever want one. For all the years that I've worked in this hospital, this was the first time that my name has ever been spread around the whole building, and, of all things, it had to be a dating rumor with somebody who was once a famous singer.
"I must feel extremely lucky, huh?" My face flushed, and I turned to look at him. Riley smirked. "Yes, I do. My girlfriend is the prettiest in this hospital, after all." My eyes were elsewhere while I concealed my shame by clearing my throat. Mentally, I was scolding myself for saying all of that so confidently. Also, what in the world is he doing here today, too?
"I'm going back to my office. See you around, Riley."
He kept up with my pace. I was going slow, and he was a fast walker, and yet he was adjusting to my speed just so we could walk together. It was hard trying to keep a straight face when he was doing this for me.
"Come on, Kat. When will you ever accept my feelings for you?" he whined. I wanted to tell him that I have already acknowledged his feelings for me; it is just that I do not want us to rush things. I want us to take all the time that we need to get to know each other. There are still a lot of things that I do not know about him, and vice versa. I wanted to know if there are some things about ourselves that we should improve on if we really want to be together. For this relationship to work, we both need to put a lot of effort into it.
But I cannot muster up the courage to tell him these thoughts that have been invading my mind.
"Hi, Katarina." I froze when someone called my first name. My head turned upward as I gave the girl a look of confusion. She tilted her head and stared at the man who was behind me. "Hi, Riley." Her voice became low and firm when she called his name.
"You know each other?"
The woman smiled. "We do, and I am here to talk to him about something."
When I was about to speak, Riley grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the girl. I dropped my crutches, and I hopped as we went. Riley had only stopped when I screamed out his name and pulled my hand back.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You're dragging me all the way here all of a sudden... I could have hurt myself today, too!"
Riley walked back and forth, digging the ground as he did. His right hand was on his forehead while the other rested on his waist; he looked troubled by something, and I could not help but think that it had something to do with the woman from earlier.
"Riley!" I yelled, and he froze. He looked into my eyes. "What's going on? Talk to me."
He marched over to me, his big and warm hands gently squeezing my shoulders as he said, "Please don't ever get involved with that woman, okay? I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't be asking you this, but I need you to listen to me, Katarina."
I nodded, rubbing a hand on his back up and down to bring him some comfort and help him relax. His fingers combed back his hair as he licked his lips. "But can you tell me who she is? It looked like she knew you, and she knew my name, too. Did you talk to her about me?"
"No!" he exclaimed, then pulled on his hair, sitting down on the staircase as he exhaled through his mouth. "I'd never talked about you with anyone! She's... Please, Katarina, don't ask me anymore about her, okay? Just keep in mind what I told you—never interact with that woman." I nodded one more time to give him some relief. He definitely sounds and looks nervous; all the colors on his face have drained. Riley caressed my cheeks, and his eyes never left mine. The feeling was warm; however, his hand was cold.
"I'll be back, Katarina. I promise."
"Okay, I'll be waiting here at the hospital."
Riley pulled me close, and then I felt his lips pressing against my forehead. He looked back into my eyes. "Please, stay safe."
Those were the last words that he told me before disappearing in the hospital. I have a feeling that he would be going to that woman—I believe that they really know each other. The only concern is, why does he not want me to do anything with her? It was weird and yet intriguing. Is she a bad woman? Is she not human?
Is she his ex?
"There you are, my friend, Katarina!" That voice changed my mood; now I am mad. It was Hunter. I turned to look at him while he smiled. "Is Riley being good to you?"
"Don't you dare move a muscle, Perez. I will not let you live another day!" Hunter walked backwards, then started speeding up and ran away. "Come back here, you blabbermouth! I'm going to cut off your tongue!"