Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2014 17:53:29 -0400 From: numlfl C Subject: Winning Dana's Heart This story is the property of the author. You may keep a copy on your computer for personal enjoyment, however if you wish to publish or distribute the story then you must get the permission of the author. Winning Dana's Heart Part One Dana sat down heavily in her chair at the nurses' station after getting all her patients settled in for the night, the flu season was just ending and most of her patients were the unlucky ones that came down with it when most everyone else had had it over the winter. This was also the last of seven straight nights and she was more than ready for a couple of nights off. All she wanted to do was to get the night over with and then go home and sleep for two straight days. She was just picking up her Tablet to relax for a few minutes before she had to make her next check on her patients when her phone buzzed. "Shit!" Dana said mostly to herself as she looked down at her phone. "Code on Twelve!" Dana then said to Carol, who was her only real friend at the hospital and the nurse that she worked with most nights. "Okay, I'll take care of your patients," Carol replied as she was inputting some information about one of her patients into the computer. Dana didn't even acknowledge her as she was already outside of the nurses' station heading toward the door leading to the stairs. Dana was on the team of nurses that responded to any emergency on any of the floors on the wing that she happened to be working. She was just thankful that it was only two floors above her floor. She took the steps two at a time feeling the strain in her thighs with each step. As she rushed up the steps, she went over in her mind what meds the doctor would need and in what order. While every doctor was different, the medication that was used was almost always the same. She had been through this drill many times in her young career as a nurse and she was good at it. She took pride in saving a patient and felt depressed anytime that they lost someone, always wondering what she could have done different that might have saved them. While the doctor was the one in charge, she knew that the nurses played a very important role. When she got to the twelfth floor, she immediately turned to the right and headed down the hall in a run. All the floors were laid out the same and the message on her phone gave her the room number. She entered the room; she saw Rita and Joan already working on what appeared to be a slightly overweight middle aged man. Joan was giving the patient CPR as Joan was opening the crash cart that had the defibrillator and all the medications that would be needed. Dana saw Joan give her a smile of relief. "What's his age and weight?" Dana asked and just as she was asking this a female voice from the doorway was asking it too. Dana glanced around and saw a young woman with her jet black hair pinned up. She was slim but even with the scrubs and lab coat that she was wearing, Dana could see that she was very pretty and very fit. She knew she that this was the new doctor that the hospital had hired. She had heard from some of the other nurses that this young pretty doctor knew her stuff and was great in an emergency situation. She never got raddled or upset. Dana figured that she was about to find out if the other nurses were correct, not that she doubted them. Dr. Carter came around to the opposite side of the bed to listen to the patient's non functioning heart. Dana meanwhile was pulling out the vials that she knew she would need and was filling the first one. When Dr. Carter gave out her first medication order, Dana had the filled syringe in her hand, she quickly checked to make sure she had the right med and dosage before pushing the needle into the IV line. She glanced over at Dr. Carter who was staring at her like she didn't believe that a nurse would dare to know what she was going to order and in what amount before she had even ordered it. Dana knew that she had just pissed off another Doctor but it was too late to pretend that she was some dumb nurse. Dana stared back at her for a second and then Dr. Carter went back to work. She checked the patient before ordering for the defibrillator and she shocked him. Seeing that he didn't respond, she gave out the next order which Dana had ready. Again she did a quick check to ensure she got the dosage right and injected it into the line. This time Dr. Carter didn't seemed to be surprised or mad. But then she had a dying patient to worry about. Dana knew that the nice looking doctor would deal with her later. They worked for another ten minutes shocking the patient twice more and several more injections of medications Dana had ready before they got a faint heartbeat that steadily grew stronger. When the heartbeat got strong, Dr. Carter ordered Joan to call up to the Cardiac ICU to tell them that they were on the way up. "I want you to come with me," Dr. Carter said with a commanding voice that left no doubt that she expected it to be followed. Dana knew without looking up that Dr. Carter was talking to her. "Yes Doctor," Dana replied. Rita helped them get the bed and IV's out the door and into the elevator. That is where Rita left them and Dana waited for Dr. Carter to start chewing her out for presuming to know what she would need but instead, she just asked Dana what the monitors were reading while listening to the patient's heart. When the elevator opened there was three nurses waiting for them and they took over. Dana followed along to tell the nurse that would be taking over his care what they had done as Dr. Carter went in to talk to the Doctor who was on duty that night in the Cardiac ICU. Dana finished up first and she waited by the elevator for Doctor Carter; going over in her mind what she was going to say to Dr. Carter. It wasn't the first time she had pissed off a Doctor and she knew it wouldn't be the last. A few minutes later, Doctor Carter came out of the ICU and Dana noticed that some of Doctor Carter's hair had fallen down and she saw that it was long and very black, a shiny black that was actually very pretty. Dr. Carter had it put back up by the time that she got to her. "I wasn't trying to show you up or anything but I have..." Dana was saying when Doctor Carter put her hand up stopping her. Doctor Carter first looked down at her name tag before looking back into Dana's eyes and Dana saw that the Doctor had brown eyes with long eyelashes and she then she smiled and Dana saw that it was a very nice smile. "May I call you Dana?" She asked. "Of course," Dana said quickly becoming confused about where the good doctor was going with this. "Dana, never apologize for knowing what the hell that you're doing." Doctor Carter said flashing a big smile. "Yes Doctor," Dana replied. "It's just that I had an issue when I worked in the ER." "My guess would be that issue would be with Dr. Ellis," Dr. Carter said looking at her with those big brown eyes that Dana couldn't seem to avoid. Dana looked into those eyes trying to decide if she could trust this young Doctor or not. Dr. Carter seemed perfectly at ease with letting her think. Finally Dana smiled, "Yea that'd be the one. He didn't seem to appreciate that I could actually think a step ahead of him." "Well Dr. Ellis is a great ER doctor..." Dr. Carter said and Dana feared that she stepped from the frying pan and into the fire. ".. but he is sexist and a pompous asshole." To say the least, Dana was taken off guard by Dr. Carter's comment though she had the man pinned to a T as that was exactly what he was. She let out a laugh before replying, "That he is." "By the way my name's Raven, please call me that." Raven said giving her a nice smile. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, you know how management is about the staff calling the doctors by their first name," Dana said trying to keep things formal though she was warming up to Dr. Carter now that she knew that Raven, or rather Dr. Carter respected her. "Well let's keep it formal for them and informal for us," Raven said reaching for her forearm. Dana felt Raven give it a squeeze before letting go. "Okay," Dana said finally smiling. "Good, maybe we can be friends," Raven said to her flashing Dana a soft smile. Dana wasn't sure what to say so she just turned to the elevator and pushed the button. "So how long you've been here?" Raven asked just as the doors opened. "A little over four years," Dana stated getting into the elevator before she realized that she meant to take the stairs but Raven had caught her off guard and thus she wasn't thinking properly. "Why don't you work in the ER, that's where your skills could be put to the best use," Raven said entering the elevator behind of her. "I started out there but then Dr. Ellis decided my skills were needed here on the floors on the night shift, far away from him and his ER." Dana told her honestly. "Damn, he really is a case isn't he..." Raven mused. "You know I can see about getting you back to the ER." "No, don't." Dana quickly replied. "I meant I like it here on nights, I've grown to love the peace and quiet and there's no hospital politics to worry about. Everyone leaves us alone." "Okay, if you say so," Raven said though Dana felt like she couldn't trust that Raven was completely serious about keeping this promise. The elevator door dinged and began to open, "Well I've got to help Joan with the cart and record what medications that was used." Dana said as she started to step forward. "Okay, I'll see you around Dana," Raven said with a smile. "Oh and the next cardiac arrest I have to work, you'd better be there." Dana had to smile at the compliment, "I'll try Dr. Carter." "Raven," the good doctor corrected her with a frown. Dana knew she then knew that she was stuck with calling Dr. Carter by her first name from now on, "Raven," she said correcting herself. "Better," Raven said just as the door began to close. "Weird," Dana said to herself as she headed for the patient's room to help Joan. "So what's our new Doctor like?" Joan asked as soon as she entered the room. "Different, very different," Dana said to her. "Well she knows her stuff; I thought that he was a goner for sure." Joan said. "Yes she does," Dana said thinking about Raven and how she was going to deal with her. "Do you think she'll be easy to work with?" Joan asked. "I do, she didn't mind at all that I knew what to give and how much." Dana told Joan. "I do appreciate that you showed up when you did, you're the best in these situations," Joan told her. "You'd done just fine without me," Dana said with a smile though she did like being appreciated by her fellow nurses, even more so than the doctors. "I know but things go better when you're here, it's much calmer and we're all at ease. You know you should have been a doctor." Joan told her meaning it. "I love being a nurse, that's all I've ever wanted to be." Dana told her. "Well think about it," Joan told her. They then went on to other topics as they checked the crash cart and Joan wrote down what they needed to replace. Dana then went to the nurses' station to record her part into the patient's computer record before returning to her own floor, just in time to check on her patients. Dana thought about Raven and the conversation that they had while waiting for the elevator and on the ride down. She had been more open with her than she should have been, but Raven seemed to just bring that out in her. Then she corrected herself to call Raven, Dr. Carter, despite what Raven had told her told do. Then she had to correct herself again. She knew it was going to be hard to do this with Raven but she knew she had to at least try. But at least she had two whole days to forget about work and get some much needed rest after all those straight shifts. "May I join you?" Dana head a familiar voice say to her. She looked up from her tablet to see Dr. Carter standing there with a tray in her hand. "Ah... sure, Dr. Carter," Dana said quickly marking her page and then shutting down her reader. When she glanced back up she saw that Dr. Carter was frowning at her. "Thanks, so do you always take your meal break at two thirty?" Dr. Carter asked as she sat down. Dana noticed that Dr. Carter was eating a salad and a juice to drink so she was obviously very health conscious. "Most of the time, Carol likes to take a later meal break so I go first." Dana said to her. "So what you reading?" Dr. Carter asked. "Oh just some cheap novel, Dr. Carter," Dana said making a point to call Raven by her title and getting another frown. "So just what do I have to do to get you to call me Raven?" Raven asked before putting some nonfat dressing on her salad. "I just think that it's better that way," Dana told her. "I'm the doctor and you're the nurse so I do the thinking and don't you forget that." Dr. Cater said to her. Dana looked up from her salad not believing that Dr. Carter even dared to say something like that to her and she did so with this serious expression so she obviously believe what she was saying. Everything that she had believed about Dr. Carter being nice to work with went right out the window. She felt her face going red with anger and she so wanted to tell her off but she bit her tongue instead. However she had to say and do something, "I really don't appreciate that remark and I can't believe that you would be so demeaning!" Dana then began to get up from her chair. "I wouldn't appreciate someone saying that to me, if I was you I'd be pissed." Dr. Carter said. "Then why did you say it?" Dana asked staring down at her. "Because I wanted to push your button and make you angry, and then I'm going to ask you to sit back down and let us have lunch as two friends who call each other by their given first name." She said. "You're..." Dana stated to say but then she wasn't sure just what this weird doctor was. "A pain in the ass and determined to make you call me Raven," Raven said with a smile. Dana finally let a smile come across her face as she sat down, "Yes you are... on both accounts." "Yes I am so is it Raven from now on?" Raven asked. Dana relented as she knew she wasn't going to win this argument, at least not completely. "Yes but if someone is around, you're Dr. Carter." "Deal, now let's eat, I'm starving." Raven said putting a fork full of salad into her mouth. "Me too," Dana replied, "So is the walk-in clinic busy tonight?" "No, it usually slows down after one, gives me time to relax and visit the floors. The nurse practitioners can handle most of the cases until about six when it picks back up." Raven says. "Yea, that's about the time we pick back up," Dana said. "So what do you like to do when you're not working?" Raven asked. "Oh not much, I try to work out and do some swimming." Dana told her keeping it vague. "And read," Raven said. Dana laughed, "Yea that too; so what about you, what are your favorite things to do when you're not bullying poor nurses into calling you by your first name?" This time Raven laughed, a full hardy laugh that made Dana smile at her. "Oh I like to ride my bike and swim... and do some reading when I can." "Well we got a couple of things in common, I guess." Dana replied. "Yes we do," Raven said giving her a smile that made Dana uncomfortable but not in a bad way. "Where did you go to school?" Dana asked getting them onto something other than what they had in common. Raven smiled at that question, "Actually a little of everywhere." "Well that tells me a lot," Dana stated with a grin. "Let's see," Raven said grinning and then pausing a moment to take a sip of her juice. "I did my undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee and went to medical school at Stanford. I then did my internship at John Hopkins." "Man you did go all over but why?" Dana asked. "Because my grandmother thought it would be better to get a little bit of my education from different schools, that way I can see more and not be influenced by one way of thinking." Raven told her. "Plus she paid for my education so I wasn't about to argue." "Well I don't blame you there; I'll be paying for my student loans until I retire." Dana said and not stretching the truth by much. "She was a smart lady," Raven said with just a hint of a frown. "Was?" Dana asked. "Yea, she died last year," Raven told her. "I'm sorry, I bet you miss her," Dana told her. "Yes I do, she could be a pain at times but I did love the old woman," Raven said with a smile creeping onto her face. "So how about you, where did you go to school?" Dana had just taken the last bit of her salad so she had to finish chewing before she could reply, "I grew up here, went to school here and then got a job here at the hospital. Kind of boring aren't I?" "No, I don't believe you are," Raven said with a curious grin. Dana wasn't sure what to say to that but then she heard the alarm go off on her work phone, alerting her that it was time to head back to work. "Sorry but duty calls, it was nice talking to you Dr..." Dana was saying before stopping herself, "ah Raven." "I enjoyed it too, maybe we can share a salad again soon," Raven said to her and Dana just knew that she'd be seeing Raven at her meal break again. Sure enough, Dana had barely sat down in the cafeteria the next night, than did Raven show up; this time sitting down with her without bothering to ask. They talked a little about work but then went onto more personal things. Dana found out that Raven's grandmother was half Cherokee Indian which explained the black hair and pretty brown eyes. Raven explained that when she turned six, she was sent to spend the summer with her grandmother. Then when she turned ten, her grandmother decided that she should stay there so that she could oversee her education and her parents relented and allowed her grandmother to do so. Her grandmother would make her clean her house and she also made her read to her every night. The books were all classic novels that Raven at first had struggled to read but it also served her as she grew up. But her grandmother wasn't all about work and studying; she also took Raven on trips to further her education and also have some fun. Dana enjoyed listening to Raven talk about her grandmother and she could see how Raven's grandmother had such a great affect on Raven and made her who she was, a determined woman and a very smart one. The next day, Raven made Dana talk about herself, something that while she was getting to know Raven and was beginning to see her as a friend, she wasn't completely comfortable talking about herself. But she did talk about growing up about thirty miles east of Wilmington. She talked about her families trips to the beach every summer. How she and her little sister loved to build sandcastles in the sand. But the most important thing about herself, she left out. Raven was off for the weekend, so Dana had lunch to herself and she got to read as she ate. She hated to admit it but she missed Raven a bit. She had gotten used to seeing her during her meal break and it was a bit lonely eating alone as she normally preferred to do. Come Monday, Dana was on the last night of only five days this time and she was so looking forward to two days off. It was a slow night at work as they only had seven patients for her and Carol to care for. This gave Dana time to read while Carol worked on her needle point. Their patients were sleeping peacefully and they only had to check on them every few minutes which they took turns doing. While Carol was out checking in on one of her patients and Dana was sitting at the nurses' station deep into her book, she was lost to anything going on around her. She was just getting to a very "interesting" part when her tablet was suddenly jerked from her hands causing her to gasp aloud while about falling from her chair. She looked up to see Raven turning her tablet around to look at it. "So what you reading?" Raven asked as her eyes turned down toward the tablet. "Nooo...," Dana said with fear in her eyes not wanting Raven to see just what novel that she was reading or rather what type of novel. Raven didn't pay her any mind as she continued to read as Dana jumped up to reach out for her tablet. "Ohhh..." Raven then said as her eyes went wide and she looked from the tablet to Dana who was blushing and so wanted to find and hole so that she could jump into it. Dana could see from Raven's shocked face that she had just read the paragraph that she herself had been reading when the tablet was jerked from her hands. The two main characters were in a passionate embrace, kissing and feeling of each other's naked backs. That wasn't so bad since it was a romance novel that just went so far and left the rest to the reader's imagination. However the romance novels that Dana read had main characters which happened to be females. So the fact that Raven had caught her reading a romance novel was bad enough but reading a lesbian romance novel was something that she didn't want Raven to know, or anyone else for that matter. Her sexual orientation was something that while she wasn't ashamed of nor hid, however she felt that it was something that was personal and something that she wanted to keep private at work. Dana looked into Raven's eyes trying to determine what she was thinking but she couldn't get a good read of what Raven thought and she didn't know what to say however she did manage to reach out taking her tablet back from Raven. She saw that Raven was about to say something when her phone buzzed. Raven pulled it from her lab coat and her eyes lit up. "Shit, there's been a double shooting; I've got to get to the ER." Raven said as she started in a trot toward the stairs. "We'll talk later," She said before she disappeared behind the door to the stairs. "What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Carol said to her as she came around the nurse's station. "Dr. Carter just caught me reading on duty," Dana told her. "So I do needle point, it's no big deal, you know that..."Carol said pausing for a moment and Dana let her finish the thought that she could see that she was having. "She saw what you were reading didn't she?" Carol asked. Carol was one of the few people at the hospital that did know that Dana was lesbian and that she read lesbian romance. But then Carol was her friend and was each other's confidants. "Yep, and just where it was getting very interesting," Dana said feeling her heart sink. "I don't think she'll say anything, it's just a trashy romance novel," Carol told her. "Yea but about women," Dana reminded her. "So I still don't think she'll say anything, you two have become friends, I mean; she has made a point to sit with you when you take your meal break." Carol told her. "And I bet she came up here tonight just to visit with you." Dana could see that Carol was trying to reassure her, but still, how strong was her budding friendship to Raven. "Yea maybe...," Dana said dropping down to her chair while feeling like her world had just ended. "She didn't say anything did she?" Carol asked and Dana turned toward her seeing that Carol was now worried about her. "No about that time that she was going to say something; she got buzzed, something about a double shooting down in the ER." Dana told her forcing herself to smile and appear calm. "Oh that's bad, do you need to go help?" Carol asked. "No I think they just needed another doctor," Dana said to her, not that she wanted to face Raven right then anyway. "Maybe you can see her later and talk to her, but I still don't think she'll say anything." Carol told her. "Why do you think that, you know something about her that I don't?" Dana asked trying not to be mean but she didn't understand how Carol could be that sure that she could trust Raven to keep her secret. "I don't know, call it an old woman's intuition, I just see something good about her. And besides she seems to like you for whatever reason, god knows no one else does," Carol said trying to put some humor into the situation. Dana tried not to smile but she couldn't help herself, "You're not old. And if I'm so unlikeable, why do you work with me?" Dana asked feeling a little better having such a good friend as Carol to be able to talk to. "Because you're a sweet young woman who knows her stuff, and besides you're the daughter I never had," Carol told her sincerely. "Thanks," Dana said with a smile. "But I do think we need to get her to wear something other than those soft sole shoes that she wears so we can hear her coming," Dana said with a laugh. "That'll work," Carol said with a little laugh. "Now get up and let's clean this place up a little." Carol knew just what she needed and Dana was grateful to have something to do as she was no longer in the mood to read. When Dana went down for her lunch, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see Raven or not. She so needed to talk to her but dreaded doing so at the same time. She picked at her food, not eating much and she got more worried when Raven didn't show but then she figured that Raven had her hands full in the ER at least she hoped that was the reason for her not to show up. When she returned, Carol asked if Raven showed and when she told her no, Carol was quick to reassure her that everything was cool. Just relax and forget about it for the rest of the night, which was harder said than done. But then Carol kept her busy and she talked on and on about her grandkids just to keep Dana's mind occupied and that did help. When her shift ended, Dana went straight down to the clinic but since Raven worked different hours, she had already left. Now she was going to be off for two days without anyway of contacting Raven. She knew she could call her that evening when Raven got to work but she wanted to talk to her in person. And showing up at the hospital when she wasn't working wasn't a good idea either. She'd just have to wait it out. She knew that she'd never be able to sleep, so she went from the hospital to a Rumba class that she enjoyed doing. It was the only way she could work off her nervous energy and get any sleep. When she got home from her class all sweaty and tired, she took a shower and fell into her bed for a few hours of sleep that didn't leave her feeling very refreshed. She woke up looking the dark walls of her bedroom and she figured that it was time to repaint her bedroom, something that she had been putting off for some time. By the time her two days off ended, she had repainted her whole apartment though it actually wasn't an apartment per say, it was a condo that she rented. There were four condos in her building with her being on the first floor with one to the side and two on top of those condos. All of these were two bedrooms condos though the second bedroom was very small. So while it was a small, it took her the whole two days to get it done and also more money for paint than she wanted to spend. But it kept her mind off of Raven, well for the most part it did. When she arrived for work Thursday night, she just knew that she would be called into the Director's of Nursing office. While her sexuality was somewhat protected by Federal Law, she did work in the south and in a conservative state that didn't look kindly to gay rights. The most that they could do to her was to write her up for reading on duty. But they could also give her some shit job so that she would quit on her own. But nothing was said when she got to the nursing station and once she got her report on her patients for the night; she and Carol were left on their own. They both went to look in on their patients before coming back to the nurses' station to put some notes into the patient's electronic records. They talked for a while or rather Carol talked about seeing her grandkids and what they had done. Carol keep kept the conversation far away from what was on Dana's mind and Dana was grateful. It took Dana about an hour to start to feel halfway secure that what Raven had seen her reading, Raven had kept to herself. She was about to pick up her Tablet when one of her patients bussed her. When she got into the patient's room, she saw her patient sitting on the side of her bed and she had thrown up all over herself, her bed, and the floor. She had an IV hooked up and she was apologizing for making a mess. Dana went to her and assured her that it was all cool. She got Carol to help her clean up the older woman and get the bed changed. She also got her a pan to throw up into. Dana then had Carol call down to see who was working the overnight clinic and get them to look in on the poor woman who was so ill. A few minutes later Raven strolled in, Dana was relieved to see her as she knew that Raven would take care of her patient but that also meant that she would have to face her. Raven went directly to the patient and talked to her finding out what how she was feeling and what was hurting which of course was her stomach and now her bowels. Raven then set in on examining the patient and checking her over. Raven talked to the woman asking her questions about why she was in the hospital and even her family as she did her examination. Raven then went out to check to see what the woman's doctor had ordered and what she was allergic to. Raven went with her while Carol came in to stay with her patient. When they got to the nurses' station, Dana said to her "I want to thank you for not saying anything." "Say anything about what Dana?" Raven asked not looking up from the computer screen. Dana swallowed hard and she had to take a deep breath not believing that Raven was even asking her. "About what I was reading the other night," Dana told her. "I didn't see anything," Raven told her giving her a little wink. "Here give her fifteen CC's of this and let me know how she does. I've got to get back to the clinic; it's packed for some reason." "Oh okay," Dana said to her. "I'll see you at your meal break right?" Raven asked as she got up from the computer with her expression turning from a serious look of a doctor doing her job, to a smile for a friend. "Yea, I'll be there," Dana said finally smiling for the first time in what seemed forever. Dana went to the medicine cabinet getting the medication that Raven had ordered for her patient. She drew it out and went to her patient's room. She, with Carol's help, rolled her patient over and she gave her the shot that would calm her stomach. Dana then sat with her until the medication took effect and the woman fell asleep. Then she kept coming in and checking on her to make sure that she continued to sleep and didn't throw up anymore. "So how's our patient?" Raven asked as she sat down at the table with her chicken salad. Dana had to smile as it was like Raven to ask about her patient first which was the proper thing to do. "She doing fine now, sleeping soundly, thanks to you," Dana said. "Well you had something to do with that too, you and Carol are the ones caring for her." Raven replied while opening her bottle of lemon water. "So you got your patients cleared out?" Dana asked. "Yea, it was like a bus stopped outside, we had no one in the waiting room to it being full, everyone having that stomach flu going around." Raven said frowning. "I do want to thank you again for not saying anything about what I was reading, it's not something I want spread around the hospital." Dana said wanting Raven to understand how much she really did appreciate her keeping quiet. "Speaking of which..." Raven said as she put her fork down and began to dig into her lab pocket pulling out several scraps of paper. As each paper came out of Raven's pocket, Dana got more and more worried as to what Raven had to show her. "Oh there it is," Raven finally said pulling out a folded paper and opening it up. "There is what?" Dana asked. "Here are some books that I think you'll enjoy. They're written by a woman named Bella Bailey. She has her own website where you can buy her books. She writes some very intense books that'll have you hooked from the first page." Raven said and Dana saw a mischievous grin appear on Raven's face. Dana took the paper while looking at Raven then she glanced down at the paper to see about twenty titles listed. She looked back up at Raven who was still smiling. From some of the titles, she got the impression that the book were going to be about lesbians, though she had never heart of this author and she thought that she knew most of the well known lesbian writers. "To answer the question that you're dying to ask, yes I've read all those books plus several others of hers that I didn't list..." Raven said pausing for a moment and she had this tinkle to her eyes. "...and yes I'm also a lesbian who enjoys a trashy romance novel from time to time." "Oh..." Dana said seeing Raven in a whole new light. "And you?" Raven asked. "Are you a lesbian or..." "I'm strictly lesbian," Dana said with a smile but then she frowned, "Why did you look so surprised when you saw what I was reading?" "Did I worry you?" Raven asked instead of answering her question. "Well... yes, I was afraid that you were offended and would say something to management." Dana confessed feeling relieved but also curious as to why Raven reacted as she did. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that but I was just surprised that you were lesbian, pleasantly surprised but surprised all the same. Then the shooting victims came in and I didn't have time to talk to you. And since I hadn't gotten around to asking for your number, I couldn't call since someone has an unlisted number." Raven told her while raising her eyebrows. "Oh yea, I do." Dana said with a smile feeling good to know that Raven had at least tried to reach out to her. "Well," Raven asked. Dana looked at her confused for a moment before she laughed. "Oh!" Dana said getting her pen out and writing her number on the corner of the paper that Raven had given to her. "I'll lose this tiny piece of paper before the night is over," Raven said getting her personal phone out of her lab pocket and entering Dana's number into it, a moment later Dana heard her own phone buzz. Dana pulled her phone out to see an unknown number listed. "Now you have my number." Raven told her. "So I do," Dana said grinning at Raven and feeling good inside but then she thought for a second, "But do you think it's such a good idea for us to be friends outside of the hospital." "You're hung up on this Doctor / Nurse thing aren't you," Raven stated with a bit of a frown. "Well yes, you know how management frowns on..." Dana said not sure how to say what she wanted to say so she took another tact, "I meant look around here, all the nurses sit together as do the Doctors and even the techs sit at separate tables." "Except us..." Raven said with a smile. "Except us," Dana echoed. "Well I don't worry about what management thinks and they don't determine who I'm friends with or who I call when I'm at home or who I invite to my home when we get off work this morning." Dana said with firm conviction. "What about you, do you care what they think?" Dana didn't have to think even for a second to answer Raven's question, "No of course not." "Good, since that's finally settled, we can eat our meals and talk and not worry if anyone knows that when we get off work this morning, you'll be following me home so that we can have a morning swim." Raven told her and then she took a bite of her chicken salad. "Yes we can..." Dana said and then her brain kicked in and she realized that Raven had just invited her to her home. "What? A morning swim...?" "Damn..." Raven said as she reached into her pocket pulling out her work phone. "Sorry duty calls... I'll wait for you in the doctor's parking lot; I'm in the white Jeep Patriot." "You know I don't carry a bathing suit around in my car." Dana asked a bit confused by Raven's invitation to swim. "That's okay, I got extra's," Raven said with a wink as she got up with her tray in hand, "see you later." And then she turned walking at a quick pace toward the exit. Dana watched as Raven walked away and she suddenly had this imagine of Raven in a bathing suit wondering just what Raven's body would look like. She had to shake her head to get that image from her mind. Once she had done so, she glanced up to see that Raven was at the cafeteria door, grinning and Dana just knew that Raven knew what she was just thinking. She felt her face turning red as she blushed and she saw Raven grinning even more before she disappeared through the door. Dana sat there for a moment as her mind went over what had just happened which she wasn't sure what that was other than she was going to be going to Raven's home. It took her another moment to realized that she had never heard Raven's phone buzz so that meant that Raven had tricked her into the date or whatever it was , not that she minded or didn't think that she did. "From the smile on your face, I see that everything went well with our pretty Doctor," Carol said with a knowing smile. "It seems that I've been invited to Raven's house for a morning swim..." Dana said sitting down in front of Carol whose eyebrows raised at hearing this bit of juicy news. "Mmm... interesting, do tell me and don't you dare leave out a single detail." Carol said putting down her needlepoint turning her attention to Dana. "Don't you want to take your meal break, I'm sure that you just have to be starving by now, I could wait until you get back. I'm pretty sure that I'll remember everything..." Dana told her all innocently like. "Dana!" Carol exclaimed loudly. "Shhhh..." Dana said smiling at Carol; she then rolled her chair over in front of her. "Well it seems that Raven wasn't that shocked by what I was reading or rather she was but not in the way that I thought she was." Dana said in a hushed tone so that their conversation wouldn't disturb their patients. She then told her everything, not leaving out a single detail. She knew that she could trust Carol with what she was telling her. Carol had never broken the trust that Dana had in her and she wouldn't betray the trust she was placing in her now. "I just knew that our dear pretty doctor had her eyes set on you," Carol proclaimed after hearing Dana's tale. "And just how did you know that pray tell," Dana said sitting back and studying her friend. "It was just a feeling that I had," Carol said confidently. "That old woman's intuition again?" Dana asked. Carol smile, "Yes that and the fact that she was making too much of an effort to befriend you." "But she didn't know I was lesbian until she saw what I was reading and was surprised that I was lesbian too." Dana countered. "Maybe she didn't know for sure if you were straight or gay but obviously she thought that you were worth becoming a friend with and you are. She didn't have anything to lose did she?" Carol asked. "No I guess she didn't," Dana replied. "So you going for that morning swim?" Carol asked. "Would you?" Dana asked really wanting Carol's advice. "I wasn't asked," came Carol's coy reply. "Carol, I'm asking for your advice here," Dana told her. "I know you are child but I can't answer that question for you but I do have a question for you," Carol said. "Which is?" Dana asked. "Does your heart want to go?" Carol asked. Dana only had to think for a briefest of moments before her heart told her the answer, "I believe that it does." "Then you have your answer don't you," Carol told her. Dana had to smile at her friend, "Yes I do. But you know one of these days it would be nice if you'd tell me what you think I ought to do without turning the question back on me." "How long have you known me?" Carol asked. "Too long," Dana said seriously getting the frown from Carol that she wanted but then she smiled. "So where are you going swimming anyway?" Carol asked. Dana had to think for a moment, "You know she didn't say." "This is going to be interesting," Carol said with a little laugh. "Yes it is," Dana said, "Very interesting." "Well it's time for me to go to get something to eat and for you to check on our patients," Carol said getting up and as she went by her, Dana felt Carol give her shoulder a squeeze. Dana got up and did what she was told; going first to check on her patient that had gotten so sick on her. Once she made sure that she was resting, she went on to their other patient's rooms. She had one that had woken up so she sat with him for a few minutes until he was able to go back to sleep. When Dana clocked out, she decided to just go on to the doctor's parking lot and then let Raven drive her around to her car. It would be quicker that way since the doctors got to park next to the hospital while the hospital staff had to park on way on the other end of the hospital, past where the patients and visitor parking lots were. When she opened the door, she saw that Dana was parked right next to the building, only a few feet away from the side door. She was standing by her Jeep with her phone in her hand, texting someone from the way that her thumbs were moving. She stopped for a second, looking at Raven and she realized that it was the first time that she got a real look at her without her lab coat on. Even though her scrubs weren't tight fitting, she could still see how fit Raven appeared. She didn't seem to have any fat on her but she was by no means skinny either. She appeared to have a full B cup breasts and while she couldn't see Raven's legs, but from how firm her arms were, she was sure that her legs were the same. It made Dana thankful that she worked out regularly thought she knew that Raven was in better shape than her. While they were the same height, Dana was a bit bigger and her breasts were a small C cup. It also made her begin to wonder just what Raven would look like in a bathing suit. She then shook that thought from her head as she was about to find that out. "Must be nice, I'm parked about a mile from the hospital." Dana said smiling as she approached Raven who looked up from her phone. "That is one advantage of working nights and being a doctor." Raven said giving her a sweet smile. "Obviously," Dana said grinning. "I thought I'd just let you drive me to my car, it's be quicker that way and you wouldn't have to wait so long." "Okay, get in and we'll be on our way," Raven said as she sent her message before putting her phone in her scrub top pocket. "So where do you live anyway?" Dana asked. "You'll see," Raven said flashing a smile at her, before turning to open the door. "Oh okay," Dana said walking around to the other side of Raven's Jeep and getting inside. "So how did our patient do?" Raven asked as she put the Jeep into reverse and began to back out. "She did fine, how was the rest of your night?" Raven replied. "Slow, very slow, I don't think we had more than ten patients from one o'clock on." Raven told her thus confirming that Raven had indeed lied about suddenly becoming busy after inviting her to swim when they were taking their meal break. "That makes it a boring night doesn't it?" Dana said not really paying attention to where Raven was driving. "Oh that is when I visit the patient floors to check to on the patients. That is part of my responsibilities too." Dana told her as she turned onto the street leading out away from the hospital. "And check up on the nurses to see what they are reading..." Dana said with a bit of a grin. "I only do that to one particular nurse," Raven said while turning her head toward her, giving her a little wink. "Well Carol and I have decided to sneak and put those little metal things that tap dancer use on your shoes so that we can hear you coming down the hall," Dana told her. "I guess I'll have to hide my shoes from you two then won't I?" Raven said with a little laugh. "Yep," Dana said before turning her attention away from Raven and then seeing where they were heading. "Hey you forgot to take me to my car." "No I didn't," Raven told her. "But now you'll have to make two trips," Dana said though she had a funny feeling growing inside of her. "I don't mind," Raven told her. "So how did you learn to swim?" Dana wanted to press Raven on just what her intentions were for the morning but then she decided to play it by ear. "Well my mother was afraid of water and she didn't want my sister and me to have that same fear. So she made us take swimming lessons from when we were young. I was even on a swimming team up until I got to grade school." "Why did you stop?" Dana asked. "The town where we lived cut out the budget for the team and a lot of other youth sports. So I had no team to swim for but I never stopped enjoying swimming." Dana told her. "I'm glad." Dana told her. "So what about you, how did you get into swimming and biking?" Dana asked her. "Again I got to thank my grandmother for both of those. In the evenings my grandmother and I would either go swimming or we would get on our bikes and ride. For her it was to exercise and a way for her to get me to work off my pent up energies so that she could get me to sleep at night. As she got older, she had to stop but I continued to do both. Then in college I really got into biking and started to do some mountain biking. Maybe that is something we can do too." Raven told her. "Well I haven't rode a bike since I was a little girl and I know I'd never be able to ride one on a rough trail." Dana said with a little laugh. "That's fine, we can still ride. There's lots of nice flat trails around here we can ride on." Raven told her. "So bike riding is next on your agenda for me," Dana asked. "Yep, it is," Raven said with a laugh. "Well at least you'll keep me in shape." Dana said wondering just where Raven was taking her and she didn't just mean wherever Raven's house was. Dana let that thought simmer in her head while they talked about riding bikes and Raven had several bikes, one of which she was sure that she would like. While they talked, Dana watched where Dana was driving and she saw that they were heading toward the coast north of Wilmington. Soon Raven was driving along the coast road passing by a number of expensive beach homes. The homes eventually became smaller and it was one of these homes that Raven pulled her Jeep into the driveway. "You own a beach home?" Dana asked looking up at the small but very nice cottage that was elevated up on a number of thick sturdy poles thus elevating the cottage. There was also a separate garage sitting to the left corner of the cottage. However she didn't park in the garage but in front of it. "Yes... well actually it was my grandmother's home but she deeded it over to me when I was in college. That's why I came back here to practice when I got out of med school. It kind of pissed the rest of my family off that I got the beach cottage, well that and the med school money and what she left me in her will." Dana told her somewhat sadly. "You are the one who took care of her and looked after her, what did they expect?" Dana asked. "I don't know but I do know I'd give them all everything if it would bring my grandmother back," Raven said and Dana saw how much Raven really did love her grandmother. "I know you would," Dana said reaching over and grasping Raven's forearm and giving it a squeeze. "Enough sad stuff, let me show my little beach cottage and then let's hit the water." Raven said flashing a bright smile. "Sounds good to me," Dana said reaching for the door handle and getting out. She was at least thankful that it was a warm early summer morning so she wouldn't freeze. Raven took her on up the stairs and into her home. Raven first noticed the hardwood floors that were polished to a shine. Raven took her through the living room that had mostly older looking furniture but it all looked nice. Dana guessed that the house was still much the way it had been when Raven had grown up there. The kitchen was small but again it looked nice. There were two bedrooms, one the smaller guest bedroom and the other the master bedroom. There was a full bath that had a tub/shower. It was roomy enough and Raven told her that she wanted to remodel it but Dana had a feeling that was something that Raven would never get around to doing. "What are you about a size eight?" Raven asked. "Good guess," Dana said with a smile. "Thought so," Raven said going to her dresser. She looked around for a moment checking out the swimsuits that she had before pulling out a light green floral colored bikini. "Don't you have a one piece?" Dana asked. "Nope," Raven said giving her a wink. "Now you can have the bathroom and I'll meet you out on the back pouch. "Okay," Dana said taking the small bikini from Raven and looking at it while she walked toward the bathroom. Once she had closed the door behind her, she began to undress. She found a coat hanger to hang her scrub top upon, hanging it on the shower curtain rod. She then took off her white pants folding them and placing them by the sink. She took off her bra and panties leaving her naked in front of the mirror. She looked at her body and thought it didn't look to bad but she wondered what Raven would think of her breasts. She cupped them in her hands feeling how firm they were with no sag. She snapped her mind off of her body and she sat down on the toilet to pee. She wiped herself clean before getting up and picking up the bikini. Both the top and bottom used strings to tie them on so she started with the bottoms. She slipped it between her legs and tied the right side. She then went to the left side tying it together. She had to go back to the right side to retie it a bit tighter. She adjusted it around her pussy and at her asscheeks getting it to cover as much skin as possible. She was thankful that she shaved her pussy so she didn't have to worry about showing any pussy hair which she would have with this small a bikini. All she could say was at least it wasn't a thong. She then put the top around her body tying it in front before she turned it on around and brought the stings up around her neck tying it. She adjusted it around her breasts so that they were covered. She looked at herself in the mirror and she had to admit that she didn't look half bad. She would have preferred a bathing suit with a little more material but then again, maybe she should wear something like this more often. She used her fingers to brush out her hair before turning and opening the door before she chickened out. She looked in the bedroom seeing Raven's clothes on the bed but no Raven. She walked on through the house to the back door where she saw a pair of what looked like new pink flip-flops. She slipped them on before taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly before opening the screen door and walkingout. The first thing that she saw was the view of the ocean out beyond the sand dune. It was such a beautiful view that she walked on out to the end of the porch and she just took in the beautiful view. "It's beautiful," Dana said to herself however she did so louder than she realized. "Why thank you, I think this bathing suit brings out all my best assets," Dana heard Raven say from somewhere below her. Dana looked down seeing Raven standing at the bottom of the stairs on the small boardwalk leading out to the dune and then the stairs leading up over it. "No I meant the ocean view," Dana said before she could stop herself. "You meant you don't think I look beautiful in my bathing suit, I put it on just for you," Raven said looking up at her with sad puppy dog eyes. Dana felt like shit and she tried to get herself out of the hole that she dug for herself. "No you look beautiful too, I just..." Dana was saying when she saw Raven smile before she burst out laughing. "Got you!" Raven said with glee in her voice, "I was messing with you; I know you were talking about the view of the ocean and it is beautiful." "You're mean!" Dana said and she pouted at Raven who laughed again. "Yes I am," Raven said smiling. "But you do look beautiful in that suit; it does bring out all you're nicest assets." "I wish it had a bit more material," Dana said blushing but she liked Raven's compliment. "I don't, now come on down here and let's go swim." Raven said holding out her hand to her. Dana started down the steps and this time she did take in the other wonderful view that was Raven. She had on a black colored bikini that was much like hers, only it did have less material. The top had just enough material to barely cover her breasts and the bottoms showed a lot more of Raven's ass than did Dana's. The front showed enough skin to indicate that Raven also shaved her pussy. Raven's stomach was tight with no fat at all and her thighs and calves were muscular while still being very feminine. Raven was a very fit and beautiful woman and she was all woman for sure. Raven then turned around slowly and Dana just stared at the beautiful woman before her. "Do you like?" Raven asked. Dana knew that there was more than a slight sexual context to Raven's question. "Yes I do, you're a beautiful woman." Dana told her. "You're a beautiful woman too, a very beautiful woman," Raven said smiling softly. "Thank you," Dana replied blushing a little. "First off, let me put some sunscreen on you, with your fair skin, I don't want you to get sunburn." Raven said going over to what appeared to be an outdoor shower and changing room. Raven went in and a moment later came out carrying a bottle of sunscreen. "Hold out your arms," Raven said sounding like a doctor instead of a friend which made Dana smile. "What?" Raven asked as she began to spray the sunscreen on Dana's arms. "You just sounded like a doctor there," Dana said still smiling. "I'll always be a doctor, it's a part of me," Raven told her but not defensively. "I know, I didn't mean it in a bad way but a good one," Dana told her. Raven then moved the spray of the sunscreen to her stomach making her giggle a little from the cool spray. "I'm got to make sure I look after that soft smooth skin of yours," Raven said giving her a wink that made Dana smile and she felt a shiver go through her body that started from between her legs. Dana decided that she needed to change the subject so she said, "You know I'll always be a nurse so even if you are nicely tanned, you're getting some too," Dana said. "Of course," Raven said with a shy grin and Dana realized that she would be seeing Raven's body even closer than she was seeing it now and that was pretty damn close. She then felt the spray on her legs and she knew that she would need to get to the water rather quickly less Raven see a damp place on her bikini that she feared was developing. "Close your eyes dear," Raven said as she straightened back up and she sprayed some of the sunscreen onto her hand. Dana closed her eyes and a moment later she felt Raven's fingers touching her forehead. Raven was using a soft gentle touch which made Dana want to coo however she stopped herself from doing so and thus embarrassing herself in front of Raven. Dana kept her eyes closed as Raven moved around her and she felt Raven moving her brown hair with its soft natural curls. Dana had always kept her hair cut so that it just reached her shoulders and when she was working or working out she kept a hair tie in it to put it into a pony tail. She felt Raven moving it over her right shoulder so that it fell in front. She felt Raven spraying her back with the spray and then she felt in down to the back of her legs. "Your turn," Dana told her and Dana opened her eyes to see Raven standing back in front of her. Dana wanted to decline, at least her mind was telling her to do that however her heart told her to take the spray bottle from Raven's offered hand. But when a decision had to be made and her heart and brain were at opposite sides of the argument, Dana's heart always won and it did so now. So she reached out taking the bottle from Raven, noting that it was water resistant. Dana was wondering about that since they were going directly into the water. Raven moved her arms out from her body and Dana began to mist the sunscreen onto those tan, firm arms. Dana saw that Raven was watching her and she tried not to show how Raven's body was affecting her. She had one problem with that, she was never one to hide her emotions; they were there for everyone to see. When she was angry, her face showed that and now that she was becoming aroused, she knew that her face was letting that be known too. She moved the spray bottle over toward Raven's chest and her eyes glanced down at Raven's breasts that were barely covered by the top that she was wearing. She could feel her face warming and when she glanced up at Raven's eyes, she could see that they seemed to understand what she was feeling and what Dana was feeling, she suspected Raven also was feeling. Dana began to mist the spray onto Raven's shoulders and down toward those breasts. She tried to be careful not to get any spray onto Raven's pretty bikini but that meant that she had to place the bottle closer to Raven's chest and that also meant her hand got closer to those lovely orbs. Dana moved on down below Raven's breasts to get her stomach but then she had to squat down and she was face to face to Raven's bikini bottoms. This just added to her arousal as the top of that bikini was just an inch or so above Raven's pussy. Even though the bikini was black, Dana swore that she saw an area that was just slightly darker. Dana quickly moved to Raven's legs and the tops of her feet. Raven then turned around and Dana was face to face with Raven's ass. Dana felt her tongue slip out and wet her lips, doing so with without her thinking about it. Dana thought to herself that she was in real trouble; she had in a few short hours went from fearing that Raven would turn her in for what she was reading to wanting to drag her back inside of her house and tearing her bikini off. She pressed the button on the spray bottle and saw that she was spraying between Raven's legs, not hitting any part of her legs. She quickly adjusted her aim and then sprayed Raven's legs and back as rapidly as possible. She wasn't sure that she hit all of Raven's body but then with her tan skin, she really didn't need the sunscreen that much anyway. "All done," Dana saw and she felt the sweat that now coated her body. Even though it was a very warm morning, it wasn't that warm. "Good," Raven said taking the sunscreen from her and putting it on the shelf of the change room. "Come on, let's go for a swim," Raven said as she came back out of the change room. Dana felt Raven's hand grasping her hand and Dana naturally entwined her fingers with Raven's. "Yes, it's getting warm out here." She replied trying to cover that fact that she was sweating from every pore. "So did you and your family come to the beach often?" Raven asked as they walked down the boardwalk to the stairs leading over the sand dune. "Yea we came out pretty often, I loved to build sand castles in the sand," Dana said and she felt Raven squeezing her hands tenderly. She liked the feeling of Raven's hand in hers. That fit into her romantic side along with kissing. Then she wondered why she thought of that right then. "I never was any good at making sand castles, I don't guess I'm creative enough," Raven told her. "Well I'm great at it so I can teach you," Dana said with a little modest laugh. "Yes you can," Raven said turning and smiling at her. Raven had her describe what she liked to build as they walked on out to the edge of the water. They both slipped off their flip-flops and began to walk into the water. The tide was going out so they didn't have to worry about their flip- flops disappearing on them. They moved on out into the water until they were up to their chests. The waves were small so it was easy for them to jump over them. Dana got Raven to talk about living on the beach and also about her grandmother, who Raven seemed to love to talk about. They didn't actually do much swimming; mostly they just let the waves move past them as they floated in the sea. After an hour or so, they were both ready to move back to the beach. They belly surfed a small wave part of the way, which gave Dana a good view of Raven's ass. That caused her to feel a stirring down below, one that she had been able to control as they talked. When they got in close to the beach, they both stood up. Dana saw how beautiful Raven looked with her shinny black hair plastered to her back. They took a few steps toward the beach with neither of them saying anything. Raven was to her right and Dana glanced down to see Raven's hand. Dana eased close moving her right hand over taking Raven's hand in hers. Raven's head turned and Dana saw the soft smile on her face. She felt Raven entwine her fingers with hers. Dana gave Raven's hand a squeeze drawing a loving smile from Raven. They walked past their flip-flops, neither seeing them nor caring that they were leaving them behind for the ocean to claim. No words were necessary either; they just slowly walked toward Raven's beach house. It was only when they got to the change room that Raven let go of her hand and Dana felt the loss of Raven's touch. Raven turned on the shower and Dana was glad to see that she had both hot and cold water. It was very warm outside but still Dana didn't want to rinse the salt water off in cold water. Raven got the water going, getting it warm before stepping back. Dana stepped forward until she felt the tepid water hit her face. She heard Raven close the door giving her some privacy though there was no ceiling and the four walls began about the height of her knees and ended a foot or so above her head. The water was spraying her face and hair when she felt Raven's fingers at her back where her bikini top was tied. Dana tensed her body and she lowered her face though she kept her eyes closed. "What are you doing?" Dana asked. "I'm untying your bikini; you can't wash off completely with it on now can you?" Raven asked all so softly. "I... I guess not," Dana said feeling the back come loose, then she felt Raven's soft fingers parting her hair and untying the string that tied there. The bikini clung to her wet skin and she felt Raven's hands at her sides. They slowly moved on around slipping under the edge of her top. "Do you think this is a good idea?" Dana asked feeling her breath catch as Raven's soft hands replaced her bikini top which fell to the floor. "Yes I do," Raven whispered and Dana felt Raven's hands tenderly clasping her breasts and then she felt Raven's hard nipples pressing against her back. Raven had obviously already removed her bikini; an instant later she felt Raven's lips tenderly kiss her right shoulder. "Do you want me to stop?" Raven whispered with her lips now at the back of her right ear. End of Part One To be continued... Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com