Chapter 1

The stark smell of bleach was overwhelming. Grace tried to fight the nausea rising in the pit of her stomach. She scrunched her eyes at the bright light that was sipping through her closed eyelids. The strong smell of disinfectant filled her nose. She could almost feel her lungs shrinking. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting, as she blinked severely in an attempt to sharpen the blurry images before her.

She heard the beeping of a machine and slowly turned her head toward the source of the noise. She groaned at the feeling of the stiff muscles at her neck; a massage right now would be heaven sent. She examined her surroundings. The room was pristine clean and gloomy, the walls were a sickly green color and the linens were grayish. The place looked nothing like a room where a patient should be motivated to get better. She gazed at herself through the transparent window and noticed she was in a hospital gown.

Her body was powerless and weak. She stared at her lower body, which was covered with a warm blanket, and she flung it aside. Her legs were covered with a thick whitish material that felt unnecessary. She tried to shift her legs, but they felt numb and heavy. She tried once more by shifting her head erratically, and due to the pressure she applied on her body, her head hung upside down at the tip of the hospital bed.

She recollected the last words she heard from a nurse before she was wheeled into the operation room.

"I don't think she's ever going to walk!"

Grace let out a shaky gasp as her thoughts were jumbled with different interpretations on her current situation. All she could remember was being bashed by an incoming car and she blacked out. Her muddled thoughts were halted when a pair of strong hands cupped her head gently and positioned it appropriately on the bed.

Grace lifted her neck and gazed at her saviour. He had thick tousled dark brown hair, which was thick and lustrous. His eyes were a mesmerizing deep ocean blue, silvery light performed ballets throughout. His face was strong and defined; his features seemed molded from granite. He had dark eye brows which sloped downward in a serious expression. His lips were pale and thin and his nose, slender and rounded; a prominent jaw curved gracefully around his neck and enamelled by the sun, he radiated energy and brio. His mountain peak cheekbones appeared chiselled into shape by a master craftsman. He was dressed in a white coat and a stethoscope hung around his neck was an icing on the cake added to his handsome features.

Completely mesmerized by the handsome stranger hovering over her face, Grace extended her right hand which trembled with shyness and placed it on his cheek.

"I must be in heaven because I am looking at an angel!" Grace said groggily, a smile etching on her face.

Email Address of writer : jesuloba2002@gmail.com

Joshua closely observed the woman on the hospital bed whose palm was cupping his cheek that were now deeply flushed at her words. Locks of chestnut-brown hair curtained her oval face, she had alluring, galaxy-blue eyes and it enhanced hypnotic quality to them. They were orbit round. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes. Her delicate ears framed a button nose. Her megawatt smile seemed fixed with fluorescent, archangel-white teeth that sent jolts of electric current down his spine. She had puffy lips, they were kiss-inspiring.

Snapping out of his temporary daze, Joshua smiled and removed her right hand slowly from his cheek which were now filled with warmth from her touch.

"I am a doctor not an angel but you can call me that too, I really don't mind," He joked.

Grace blinked, clearing her throat repeatedly and gazed at the ceiling, her blush burned through her cheeks and her face felt like a hot oven. She suddenly felt awkward as she attempted to hide her rosey cheeks behind her skinny fingers.

"Anyways what's your name? Do you know where you are? Can you tell today's date?" Joshua asked.

"Go easy with the questions, I just woke up," Grace rolled her eyes, replying with a smug look. She wondered if he treated all his patients exactly like this.

"Can you please tell me your name?" Joshua tried again after a sigh.

"Well, my name is none of your business," Grace said, laughing softly at the look on Joshua's face.

Joshua rubbed his hands on his forehead, he desperately wished he could squeeze her pouty lips till she talked sense. He was only here to check on the patient that sparked conversations among his colleagues, the patient he was assigned to.

A smirk grew on his face as he looked back at her. "Would you like to borrow my name?" Joshua teased, leaning on the side rails of the bed.

"It's Grace....Grace Waters." Grace confessed with a bright smile.

"Nice name befitting for a pretty woman," Joshua complemented, touching the sides of his nose. He didn't mean to be flirty, it was his own way of making his patients relax. He brought out a scorecard from his coat ****** pocket and began scribbling.

"Age?" He asked.

"27," Grace replied.

"You have been out for two weeks since your surgery." He informed her.

"Two weeks?" Grace whispered, “I've been out for two weeks?"

"Yes." Joshua said answered. She tore her gaze from him, looking at a corner in the room, her eyes opened wide, a panicked expression growing on her face.

Grace's face changed on remembering something, she turned back to Joshua and asked, "Why can't I move my legs? I tried to move them but they didn't budge."

"Well, I was hoping you would ask that question. You had an accident and your spinal cord was damaged which affected your legs majorly, that's probably why you can't feel anything," Joshua replied, chewing on his lower lip. Relaying bad news to his patient was something he always found hard.

"So I am never going to walk?" She asked, each word coming from her lips slowly. "I am going to be bedridden forever," Grace stated, salty tears arose in her eyes, she blinked causing them to roll down her face.

Joshua found it hard to answer her question as he scratched the back of his neck. He reached for a plastic chair, drew it closer to the hospital bed and sat on it. He took her hand in his and rubbed comforting circles on her palm.

"Don't talk like that, there could be a miracle," He soothed.

Grace shook her head and laughed with no humor, "Everyone knows that miracles don't happen. My life is completely useless. Why the hell did those surgeons save me? Death is so much better."

"Don't say that, you have your life. “Joshua looked her in the eyes. "That's not something to discount. You are awake and healthy. Appreciate that and the rest is just an inconvenience."

"Is that supposed to be comforting because you are really doing a bad job at it. You have your legs, you can move around. Maybe you don't understand, my legs were the reason for my persistence in life and now they feel like shackles that are going to draw me backward," Grace spat, her shoulders trembling.

Joshua grimaced. He couldn't find a direct answer to her words. The pain evident in her tone shook him emotionally. He drummed his fingers against his cheek, searching for an ideal statement to say.

"Can I be your opthalmologist? cause I can't gazing into your eyes," Joshua cheekily said, a subtle dimple gracing his left cheek. He wished his words will fill out its purpose, and calm her down a bit.

Grace shifted her face backward as it pressed closer into her neck. She was shocked and amused at his playful pickup line. He looked mature but the words that flew from his lips were flirty and it sent tingles of sensation down in her belly.

"What... are....you... doing?" She asked, her voice low. "A-Are you trying to flirt with me. Isn't that against your work ethics?" Grace stuttered.

"Don't you want me to flirt with you? You look like my type. Can I seduce you as well?" He winked with a smile dancing on his thin pink lips, his eyes playful and mischievous.

"Please stop. You are creeping me out." Grace begged with big pleading eyes. He looked like an angel earlier but now he sounded like a seductive devil to her. Joshua tilted his head and his pink lips turned pouty as he advanced towards her dramatically, his eyes closed and begging for a kiss.

Heat rose from Grace's stomach to her chest, her cheeks turning a pinkish hue. His lips were getting closer and closer and her heart decided to skip a beat. She shut her eyes and parted her lips stupidly awaiting his lips but warm air fanned her face instead. She opened her eyes to see a ridiculous look on his face.

"Are you really desperate for my lips?" Joshua chuckled, arranging the ballpoint pen in his coat pocket.

"Nope!" Grace shook her head violently, almost yelling. She wanted to punch the stupid doctor in the face for messing with her, but she couldn't because she was the one that stupidly followed in the action.

Joshua smiled at her as a vibration buzzed in his pocket notifying him of his commitments. He peeked at it and noticed it was a text from Helen, a doctor and his best friend. She had sent him a text saying that his attention was needed in the emergency unit.

"I have to go." He stood up and looked at the door before bringing his eyes back at her.

"Go?" Grace asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I am a doctor, remember? I'll let the nurses know that you are awake. Just press the buzzer over there if you need me, I'll come right up," Joshua stated with a shrug as he walked over to the door.

Grace nodded with a small smile.

"And I almost forgot, My name is Dr Joshua Rogers, but just call me Joshua." He continued, patting the knob before slamming the door shut.

Joshua dragged his feet as he headed to where he was supposed to be with regret colouring his mood. He had given her his name. He'd told her to ask for him if she needed anything. What a stupid thing to do. He was going to be busy all day over trivial things. Why did he do that?

He wanted to believe that regret was due to him giving his assurance and comfort but deep down he knew that it was because he had to leave her. He knew the insecurities she was feeling and how much she needed to know that she wasn't alone. He could fix the physical pains but not the emotional ones. He had no right to be the man who held her and helped her through the fears she was facing. She would have to find someone's else to take up that role but the problem was that he didn't want anyone else doing that for her, and that scared him. He doesn't understand why he felt that way about someone he just met. He tapped the sides of his face repeatedly, why was he still worried about her?

Just another patient, he reaffirmed. He could handle that, he was a professional. He just couldn't understand why she was still invading his thoughts. He just needed to screw his head back on before he screwed everything up.

He knew he was in trouble. He was in big trouble!

Joshua strode down the hospital hallways, greeting his busy colleagues with a slight nod and a dashing smile to complement. He walked over to the emergency unit with hasty steps and was about to fling the door open when Helen popped up right in front of him with a cherubic smile.

"Hello Doctor Joshua, where are you going?" Helen questioned, folding her arms under her voluptuous bosom, causing them to rise and reveal fair cleavage to the eyes of the one in front of her.

With a loud smack on his dry and crackly lips, Joshua replied, "I got your text, you said my attention was needed in the emergency unit." He was confused at her question.

"Oh, did I say your attention was needed in the emergency unit?" Helen blinked, flipping her midnight black hair that toppled over her shoulders.

"Yes, you did!" Joshua glared at her, he was starting to get irritated, he couldn't comprehend why she was playing silly games with his mind. He glanced at his wristwatch briefly and folded his arms behind his back.

"I meant to say that I needed your attention. My phone must have typed the wrong message." Helen chuckled, then proceeded to pluck out two buttons off her shirt letting some of her ample chest spill out and giving him a glimpse of red lace that was hidden behind her blouse.

Joshua gulped, sucking in a deep breath. He looked at the red lace bra that barely contained her big mounds, her nipples were hard and seemed to be begging for his touch through the bra, her white coat made her look even more irresistible. He groaned out, the sound of a man fighting his instincts. He wasn't willing yet she was begging for it.

"Then I should probably go back and check on my next patient," Joshua told her, shutting his eyes to remove the lustful image of Helen in his brain. He didn't want her, but he was a man and had needs.

"You aren't busy, I already looked through your schedule, you have no patients to attend to this afternoon and you have no night shifts either." Helen pressured, a pout on her red lips as her eyes begged.

"Are you sure? The shifts would have changed. Why don't I go check?" Joshua argued, worry laced in his tone. He looked around the room, anywhere else but the inviting bosom in front of him.

"Why don't we go to that fancy restaurant and have some fun?" Helen suggested, reaching out to caress Joshua's chest through his shirt, pretending that he had specs of dust on his starched blue shirt.

"Or I should probably head home and have some fun, alone." Joshua concluded helplessly, raising his hands up in the air.

"But—" Helen interjected.

"Next time, call me when there's an actual patient," Joshua replied with a frown growing on his face.

"But you are always busy and this was the only way I could draw you out. I miss my best friend," She cooed, pouting her lips again.

"That's not an excuse, Helen. Go attend to your patients. I am damn sure they are crying out for you." He ordered, peering daggers at her fluttering eyelashes.

"Give me a hug so I'll feel better," Helen replied, stretching her arms out.

She wanted to use that and trap him and he knew it, one hug with her ****** pressed against his chest, may be his downfall. Joshua bluntly declined and turned around. He refused to look back, fearing that her tear stricken eyes might draw him back. He could still hear Helen grumble and stomp her feet angrily in rejection, almost like a child throwing a tantrum. The drive to walk faster pumped into his legs.

Helen was his best friend ever since they both began medical school and she always displayed her affections openly. He never liked her in a sensual or sexual way, neither did he ever catch feelings for her but she was always persistent, even when his late wife, Sally was still alive, Helen was still into him knowing he was married. Couldn't she see from the way he stared at her or from the way he stood her up on several occasions?

Helen was cute but not in a knock off your socks kind of way. She had lambent, jade-green eyes that could melt a man's heart and a soothing voice to match. She had a sculpted figure which was twine-thin. Her waist was tapered and she had a burnished complexion. She wore skirts and pants trousers that brought the firm swell of her hips and from what he noticed, her skirt hitched up her thighs anytime they were alone in the doctor's lounge.

Joshua simply ignored her body advances without telling her his true feelings. He didn't want to ruin a long time friendship, he hoped that she would move on over her silly crush on him and find a nice guy to settle down with. Someone who will love her for who she was and not what her body was offering.

He reached the parking lot and raced towards his car, he removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He opened the vehicle door and bent his head before flopping on the seat. His height was always a problem even with doors. He started the engine with vigour and he drove fast, faster than he should have, the mental picture of Grace swiped in his head and then a guilty picture of a dead Sally and his late two year old daughter popped up in his head. He swore loyalty to his dead wife as he punished the steering wheel with a death grip.

This was torture, This was hell. This was wrong. He needed to get Grace out of his head but her puffy pink lips didn't help his predicament. She was just a normal patient, they had met only once and he was already smitten by her physical beauty.

\*\*\*\*\*\*

It was almost night when Joshua stopped in front of his small apartment which was situated in a secluded place in Ohio, he jerked the car to a abrupt stop and removed his car keys from the hole. Grabbing hold of his doctor's coat, he strode towards the front porch with his lips pressed in a thin line. He unlocked the door and the wisp smell of loneliness lingered around the nearly pitch black living room. Empty packs of noodles greeted him as he walked over to the refrigerator to grab a drink.

Placing his white coat on a nearby couch, he bent low to pick up the empty noodle packs and he threw them into the trash can. He then opened the refrigerator and after some quick thinking, he settled for a soda. He took huge gulps in his mouth as his Adam's apple bobbled, reacting to the sweet taste of the soda in his right hand.

Joshua reached to remove a portrait on the wall with his left hand and then flopped on the soft couch. He trailed a finger over the portrait that showed him and Sally with his daughter, Leah smiling brightly at the camera. The picture was taken a year ago, few months before they both lost their precious lives to a bomb explosion in Florida. A tear rolled down his right cheek, then another followed and another.

Oceans of water kept running down his face, he sniffed, trying to get control of himself, but it was all in vain. Everyday, he worked hard in the hospital with a determination to treat lives but he couldn't even save his own family. His brain tried to persuade him that everything was going to be alright but the loud thumping of his heart said otherwise. He took another large gulp of the soda and wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

Joshua was a man who smiled sweetly in the day and cried himself to sleep at night.