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Sophie lived off caffeine; Robby knew that, as did everyone else. It was almost a universal fact in the hospital. So, when Sophie arrived for her night shift to do the handoff with Dana, her face told the story. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and worry furrowed her brow. Robby could see it immediately: she was lacking sleep, and she desperately needed caffeine to keep going ahead of her long shift.
He exchanged a quick, almost cursory handoff with Jack, promising to return soon to help with the Sophie issue. Jack chuckled softly and nodded. “Okay, take care of it,” he said with a grin, a hint of laughter in his voice as if he was mocking Robby. Robby just rolled his eyes at the man.
Twenty-two minutes later, Robby reappeared in the emergency department, carrying a small bag. Inside were two 12-ounce sugar-free Wild Berries Redbulls and a Hershey chocolate bar. He made his way to the hub, where Sophie was just returning from a patient room, followed closely by a recent nursing school graduate, Brandy, who was shadowing her, a few steps behind.
Sophie glances at the young nursing school graduate trailing behind her. “Gimmie a moment, please,” she says softly. Brandy nods silently, and Sophie instinctively tries to hide the flicker of exhaustion in her eyes as she steps closer to Robby.
“Doctor Robby,” she says with a hint of playful sarcasm, “thought you’d be long gone by now.” Her gaze shifts to the bag in his hand, noticing the slight smile tugging at his lips. “Unless… you’ve got a surprise in that bag for me?” she questions, raising an eyebrow.
Robby’s expression turns serious. “You didn’t sleep,” he states matter-of-factly. No room for argument in his statement.
She nods, shrugging her shoulders just enough to convey her fatigue. “Construction started in the condo this morning. Redoing the kitchen. They couldn’t care less about the night shift charge nurse’s sleep, but hey…at least they’re getting a new oven.” Her eyes roll in exasperation. She thought maybe got an hour of sleep all together. She was exhausted but she could make it. “I could feel my teeth fucking vibrating, Robby. I have no idea what they were doing that was making my teeth vibrate. Blackout curtains and a sleep mask could not do one fucking thing.”
The word escapes her before she can think, a rare slip of profanity at work. Her cheeks flush slightly, but she quickly masks it with a forced shrug, trying to brush off the moment.
Robby places a reassuring hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “I’ll talk to Fred,” he says softly, referring to the husband of the couple who lived in the condo next door. “Maybe him and I can work something out.” He pauses, then adds with a small smile, “I got your favorite Red Bulls; two of them. I think I need to start stocking them in my office so Jack can just grab you one when you need it.” Her eyes roll at Robby’s comment, but she doesn’t respond, only giving him a tired smile.
“I’m sorry you didn’t sleep,” Robby continues, reaching into the bag and smoothly removing one of the Red Bulls with one hand. He hands it to her, opening it effortlessly. “I’ll try and fix it tonight,” he promises softly. “Are you going to be okay tonight? Do you need anything else?”
“Yes, sir. I always am and no I don’t need anything else right now, but thank you.” she replies with a faint smile, taking the can from him and drinking half of it in a few seconds. She presses the can to her lips again and then adds, “Thank you for this. I didn’t have time on the way here. My car broke down; I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice softens, today has not been her day. She would message him about the car when she had a few minutes. “Dinner’s in the crock-pot; your favorite, chicken and dumplings.”
“Thank you, love,” Robby says with ease, his voice warm with affection. “I’ll message you when you get home. Have a good shift.”
She leans forward, pressing a kiss on the man’s cheek. “I love you.”
"I love you." He replies, simple easy and doesn't care who is watching and who may of heard.