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The first time he ever saw her was through a classroom window as he was crossing the campus at night. She was sitting in the second row, but there wasn’t anyone sitting ahead of her, so his view was unobstructed.
He couldn’t have said what made him stop and take notice. She was beautiful, yes, but he’d seen hundreds of beautiful girls in his life and they hadn’t drawn him up short like this.
He stood in the dark outside the classroom window, feeling like a madman, but unable to take his eyes off of her until a sudden growl from the lowering sky overhead warned him that he’d be caught out in the rain if he didn’t move quickly.
~?~?~?~?~
The first time she saw him, he was sitting in the student medical centre with a dislocated shoulder, trying to look tough.
He was one of the tallest men she’d ever seen, broad shouldered and long-limbed, but not gawky in the slightest. He had a handsome face and bright red hair that stuck up in cowlicks on the back of his head. He smiled at her when she approached him, even though she knew he must be in pain.
“They must not think me badly damaged,” he said, trying to make a joke, “if they’re sending students to fix me.”
“I am less than three months from graduation, thank you,” she said crisply. “I’m so close to being a resident as makes no difference, and I’ve been working in the student medical centre for ages- I’m already a qualified nurse.”
“Oh aye?” he asked sounding surprised and impressed.
She reset his arm, fit him in a sling and gave him a prescription for anti-inflamatories.
“My name is Jamie,” he said, on his way out. “Thank you very much for the help, Claire.”
She was surprised until she glanced down at the name badge that the staff were required to wear and smiled wryly after him.
~?~?~?~?~
She came to a party that his cousin Colum hosted at his fraternity and Jamie saw her. He’d have spoken to her, but one of the brothers started harassing one of the girls- a sweet, blonde freshman named Laoghaire who was too scared to tell him off.
Jamie punched the brother to get him to lay off. He won the fight, but the brother was big and mean and willing to use dirty tactics so it took longer than it should have.
By the time he was wiping blood of a split lip, nurse Claire had vanished. He tried to make merry, but the beer stung his lip and the brother’s friends were giving him nasty looks, so he gave up and left.
She was waiting outside.
“I’ve got a first aid kit in the car,” she said, without preamble and led him off.
She sat him down on her rear bumper and began to tend him. He wanted to grin at her for the joy of having her fuss over him, but it would split the wound on his lip and make her angry.
“You always seem to be in trouble when I see you,” she said, conversationally. “Had you been fighting to get the shoulder as well?”
“Nay, I was climbing the buildings.”
She didn’t act surprised. “Of course you were,” she sighed.
At that he really did grin, never mind the blood that welled up from his lip again.
“All right then, that’s you done,” she said as she finished cleaning one last cut with a harsh antiseptic.
Suddenly, in a move that surprised them both, she leaned down and kissed one of the bruises across his cheekbone, like a mother to make it better.
He reached up and touched the spot with his fingertips.
“What was that for?”
She looked as surprised as he felt.
“For… stepping in and helping that girl. You didn’t have to. It was very noble of you. Do you need a lift home?”
He shook his head. What he needed was a walk to clear his head, and perhaps some distance from this angel of mercy.
“Goodbye, Jamie,” she said.
He wished he’d kissed her.