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The locker room was dim, the silence a heavy weight after the high-stakes tragedy of the Bennett family. Naomi stood by her locker, her hands trembling as she finally had a moment to process the day. While her body was out of surgery, her mind was stuck in a loop, replaying John’s raw confession.
“You know, if you stare any harder, you’re going to burn a hole in the wall,” a voice teased from the doorway. Hannah leaned against the wall, a knowing smirk on her face. “The nurses’ station is currently split. Half of them think you and John are never gonna happen because of what he said to your boyfriend, and the other half are placing bets on how long it takes for you to finally cave. He wasn’t exactly whisper-quiet with that confession.”
Naomi’s face flushed. “It’s that bad?”
“Naomi, the ED has been placing bets on you two since before you left for cardiothoracic.” Hannah teased, stepping further into the room. “Trini and Kacy were convinced from day one that last Halloween was just the tip of the iceberg. When John finally asked you out, and you said no, I think Kacy actually lost twenty bucks.”
Naomi groaned, leaning her head against the cold metal of the locker. “I told him he had his chance and missed it. He got mixed up with Novak, and I moved on to someone stable.”
Hannah nodded, her expression softening as she remembered their conversation from a few months back. “Well, Trini and Kacy were the ones who goaded John into talking to him. Spent some time going on and on about how your boyfriend is a marathoner who builds homes for orphans. They wanted to see if John would finally crack, and clearly, it worked.”
Naomi looked up, her expression shifting from embarrassment to deep conflict. “Well, that makes sense since he told me that he couldn’t compare to him.”
“He actually said that?” Hannah asked, surprised.
Naomi nods, a small, tired smile forming on her face. “In any other circumstance, it would’ve been sweet, and honestly, I might have folded right there. But it was wrong of him to say those things to my boyfriend.”
“And yet, it’s the first time he’s actually been honest about what he wants,” Hannah finished gently. “John isn’t exactly the poster child for opening up, but he basically handed you his heart on a silver platter…even if he did it in the most awkward way possible.”
Naomi let out a breathy, frustrated laugh, feeling the weight of the day’s trauma on her shoulders, the Bennett family losing a mother and daughter in an instant, pressing down on her. Dr Lenox's words kept running through her head: “Nobody knows how much time they have left.”
Hannah sat on the bench next to her, placing a supportive hand on her back. “Look, John probably realised that ‘playing it safe’ meant losing you to a guy who everyone deems ‘perfect.’ But perfection isn't what you need in this career.”
She looked Naomi in the eye, her voice grounded and sincere. “It's high-stakes, and it's exhausting. Finding someone who understands the gravity of what we do is important. Maybe it’s time to stop punishing him for the bad timing and start reaching out to the person you've actually wanted this whole time.”
Hannah gave her a quick, anchoring hug before standing up. She gave Naomi a supportive nudge as she headed toward the door. “I know you like him, and clearly, he’s drowning in it. If seeing that family lose everything today taught us anything, it’s that we don’t get to choose when our time is up. We only get to choose who we spend it with. Stop waiting for the timing to be right, Naomi. Just make it right yourself.”
The steam from the untouched coffee rose in thin, swirling ribbons as Naomi sat in the quiet booth of the cafe near Gaffney. She was miles away, her mind a chaotic blur of the day’s trauma and the words that refused to stop echoing in her head.
“Naomi?”
She blinked, realising she’d been staring into space for a while. Her boyfriend was looking at her, his cup still, a shadow of realisation crossing his face.
“You’re not here,” he said softly. It wasn’t an accusation. “You haven’t been here since you got off your shift. You’ve been miles away.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the guilt pooling in her stomach. “It was a hard day. A patient.. a family… it just made me think about things.”
“It’s about him, isn’t it?” That doctor? Frost?” he asked, his voice steady. “I can tell something is different. You’re looking through me, not at me.”
Naomi looked down at her coffee, unable to meet his eyes.“I… don't know what to say.”
Her boyfriend gave a small smile that surprised her. “You don’t have to say anything. I saw it today,” he said, setting his fork down with a finality that made her heart sink. “When he was patching up my arm, he wasn’t just a doctor doing his job. He was a man who was terrified of losing something he didn’t even have yet.” He gave a small, sad smile. “He cares about you. It was written all over his face… even if he was a bit in over his head.”
“He was out of line,” Naomi stumbled, her face flushing. “He shouldn’t have tried to get into your head like that. It was unprofessional and wrong.”
He reached across the table, though he didn’t take her hand. “It’s clear that he likes you, Naomi… and it’s just as clear that you like him… don't you? Or there was some sort of previous history between you guys.”
Naomi struggled to find a logical explanation. She had told John he had his chance and missed it, but now she realised that she was using her current relationship as a shield against the risk John represented.
Naomi stumbled over an explanation, her words catching in her throat. “I-I’ve been trying to do the right thing. You’re a good boyfriend… you’re everything that should make sense.” She thought of Hannah sitting next to her in the locker room, telling her that perfection isn’t what’s always best.
“But it doesn’t make sense, does it?” he asked gently. “Life is too short to be with someone who is just ‘the right choice’ on a checklist. I saw the way he lit up just at the mention of your name. And honestly? I liked him. He’s a good guy, and it's obvious he’d do anything to make up for the mistakes he’s made with you.”
Naomi felt a sudden, unexpected bubble of laughter rise in her chest. She started laughing in sheer disbelief, a sound that felt both hysterical and freeing. He was sitting there, the man who was objectively the best partner she could ask for, and he was gracefully handing her the keys to someone else.
“You’re a really good guy, you know? I tried to make this work with you because you make so much sense, and here you are, telling me to go to the guy who tried to one-up you by telling you about the time he had to go to a patient’s house to save a rabbit.”
Her laughter faded into a heavy, quiet realisation. She thought of the Bennett family, how a father had lost his wife and daughter in an instant, with their final moments spent in an argument. Dr. Lenox’s words ran through her head again: ‘Nobody knows how much time they have left.’
She looked at him, finally letting go of the logical defences she had built up for months. “I do like him,” she admitted, the words feeling massive as they left her mouth. “I’ve spent months telling myself I didn't, or that the timing was just too horrible, but I do.”
“Then go,” he said, his voice sincere. “Don't spend tonight at this table thinking about what you're leaving unsaid at Gaffney. You deserve to be happy outside of those scrubs, too, with a person who makes you happy.”
He stood up, signalling for the check. “Go find him. I'll be fine. I'd rather you be honest with me now than stay because you’re afraid of the risk.”
Naomi stood up, her eyes bright with a mix of tears and sudden clarity. She gave him one last look, a silent thank you for being the person who helped her realise she was ready to take a risk. She turned and walked out of the cafe, moving with a sense of urgency toward the hospital.
She just hoped he was still there waiting.
The walk from the cafe back to Gaffney felt longer than usual, Naomi’s heart hammering against her ribs with every step. Her brain was trying to construct a script, a structured way to tell John that she had ended her relationship with her boyfriend. Did she need a grand gesture? Oh, God, what was she going to say?
But as she reached the ED, those structured thoughts began to crumble under the weight of the reality of what she was about to do. She kept thinking about whether she should wait until tomorrow and have a conversation when she was not running on adrenaline.
Just as she pushed through the double doors, she nearly collided with Hannah.
“Naomi? I thought you left for the night,” Hannah asked, confusion written on her face, stopping short. She tilted her head, her sharp eyes immediately landed on Naomi’s hands, which were twisting and fidgeting with the hem of her jacket. “You okay? Do you want to ta-”
“I… is John still here?” Naomi cut her off, her voice slightly breathless. She stopped playing with her hands and looked up, her expression determined despite the nerves. “I have something to tell him. It’s important.”
If she spent any longer in the ED, she felt like she would talk herself out of it… or maybe throw up… or maybe both.
Hannah’s face broke into a knowing smile. She reached out and gave Naomi’s arm a quick, encouraging squeeze. “He just finished his shift. He’s in the locker room changing.” She gave her a playful wink. “Go get him, girl.”
Naomi didn’t wait. She headed straight for the locker room, her logic slipping away with every step closer to the locker room. As she rounded the corner, she found John standing by his locker, looking tired and worn down from the day.
John turned, a look of surprise flickering across his face. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she said softly, her voice breathy from the walk and the nerves.
Naomi stepped closer, her heart racing so fast she was sure he could hear it. She hadn't planned her grand gesture, and as much as she planned out what to say, as soon as their eyes met, her mind went blank.
It looked like he was about to say something, probably apologise again for his behaviour today, but she was two seconds away from chickening out, so she needed to take control of the conversation.
“Um, I forgot something,” she murmured, stepping into his space.
John’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. “What?”
Before she could talk herself out of it, Naomi reached out, grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn’t planned or practised; it was an impulsive reaction to the realisation that she didn’t want to leave anything else unsaid. When she finally pulled back, John looked dazed, his breath hitching as he searched her eyes.
“That,” she whispered, answering his question with words this time.
“Wow… Um-” John breathed, looking as if he couldn’t believe what just happened. A slow, boyish grin began to spread across John’s face. He shook his head, almost as if he was shaking himself out of the daze. “What happened to, you know, super handsome, builds houses for orphans guy?”
“Uh, we broke up,” she admitted, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.
“Really?” John asked, his eyes searching hers with a mix of disbelief and growing excitement. “How’d he take it?”
Naomi couldn’t help but smile, “Really well. He likes you,” she said with a soft laugh, “Thinks you’re great and wishes us well.”
John let out a short, characteristic huff of a laugh, the confidence returning to his eyes. “Of course he does.”
They both laughed, and her eyes flickered back to his lips. John leaned in slightly, his eyes never leaving hers, the air between them still thick with the residual shock of her confession. He let out another soft, breathy laugh, the kind that reached his eyes and made the corners of them crinkle. The playful arrogance was there, but it was tempered by a vulnerability that Naomi had only seen glimpses of before.
He took a final step into her personal space. He reached up, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw where the heat of her blush still lingered. He leaned forward, capturing her lips in a kiss that was much more certain than the first, a silent promise that they were finally done missing their chance.