Someone Get Me a Doctor, Someone Call the Nurse

(Maddie POV)

Jared left the following day, leaving me behind with my thoughts. As I sat at my computer, typing a report for work, I checked my email. Shannon had sent me a link to their site calendar, adding a note to look at March’s dates. Puzzled, I followed the instructions, smiling when I saw what he wanted me to. In three months, the band would be coming to Charlotte again. It was reassuring to know I’d get to see everyone again. I finished my report and hit send before grabbing my coat and heading out the door to work.

Upon arrival, I was directed to surgery for a biking accident. The man had torn his ACL and PCL, broken his tibia, and shattered his left ankle. Prepping quickly, I could already see that we had some major work. The bone stuck out from around halfway up the man’s leg, leaving a bloody tear in the skin. Thankfully, the man was already under anesthesia. I could hardly imagine the pain he would have been in otherwise.

It took all of two and a-half hours to piece together the bones and tendons and stitch the poor male back up. Even with all of that, he had several screws in his leg and ankle to stabilize the fractures. He would need intensive physical therapy to walk on that leg normally again. As I walked out of the room and cleaned up, Dr. Redburn patted me on the shoulder. His salt-and-pepper hair gave him a very classical gentleman look, and his masculine face made him a favorite among the other nurses.

“Good work, Dr. Berger.” I smiled up at him. He was like the cheerleader for surgeons new to the hospital.

“Thank you. How’re the grandkids?” Chuckling deeply, he shook his head and rested his hands on his hips.

“They’re fine. Growing like weeds, though. Max is already 7, if you can believe it?” I laughed softly, fully understanding what he meant. The pictures he had in his locker showed all five of the little darlings in various stages of life. Max was the freckled brown head with an insatiable thirst for anything science-related. I had met him once at a get-together and instantly adored the hyper little child. It was like having a little brother, and I had enjoyed chasing lightning bugs with him around the backyard while everyone sat back and enjoyed their beers and burgers.

“Wow…soon he’ll be off to college. Tell him Maddie says hi!” Walking out the door, I trotted down the hall to find more patients in need of care. Dr. Redburn waved after me, agreeing to pass on my message.

By the end of the day, I was dragging my feet and dreaming of bed. Laying on the couch, I cut the tv on to watch a little before bed. Still on the music channel from this morning, I got ready to change it when a bit of words caught my ear and stayed my hand.

“And Thirty Seconds to Mars wins another award for their album This Is War. We have Jared Leto here to talk about this wonderful event. Jared?” I blinked at the tv, feeling a mild excitement creep into my chest and squeeze my lungs.

“Thank you. We’re all excited about the award. Making the album was hard work, and in the end, we’re glad it’s done. Everyone was great about helping to promote it. Thanks to the fans for buying it and for enjoying our music. We’d be nothing without them.” His smile filled his face, and I felt my own lips tug into a grin. He looked handsome in his three piece suit, and I felt a mild twinge of sadness that I couldn’t be there to congratulate him. Grabbing my phone, I sent him a quick text. As I put my cell down, a familiar ringtone went off, and, startled, I looked up at the screen. It was live? Jared glanced down at his Blackberry and smiled wider before putting it away. “Sorry about that…someone important just got the news and wanted to congratulate us.”

“Oh? And speaking of someone important, I’m sure countless women are wondering if there’s a special someone in your life?” The question obviously had been asked before, and Jared didn’t miss a beat. With a flirty grin and a wink, he answered the woman interviewing him.

“Wouldn’t they just love to know?” The woman laughed softly before turning back to the camera.

“Well ladies, it looks like his lips are sealed. Thank you Jared for your time and congratulations to you and your band.” He nodded to her and walked off, disappearing from the camera’s view. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed beside me and I picked it up.

“Hello there…A little behind on the entertainment news are we?” Fiddling with the cushion beside me, I smiled softly at the hidden laughter in Jared’s voice.

“You look nice in a suit. And I can’t believe you’d answer your phone in an interview…You’re terrible!” The laughter he had held in bubbled out, making my stomach flutter with its rich tone.

“Stalking me now? Tsk tsk Maddie. If you wanted to know, you could’ve asked.” My own laughter joined his.

“I just cut on the tv. It was a long day.”

“Oh? You ok?” The sudden concern and seriousness in his voice made me smile. It was nice to know someone cared for me.

“Yeah. Nothing overly bad happened. Just an ordinary, long work day.” I cut the tv off and headed upstairs, no longer feeling the urge for cable. Jared’s soft voice relaxed me, and my eyes started to grow heavy with sleep.

“That’s good.” Sudden screams drowned out his voice, and I caught faint hollers of various music artists’ names. Once the noise faded, I began speaking.

“Well, I know you’re busy, so I’ll let you go. I just wanted to congratulate you on your award. You guys are amazing. Tell Tomo and Shannon I say hi!”

“The guys say hi back, and thank you. We’re excited about it.” He paused for a moment, the crowd echoing in the background. “Maddie…I’m never too busy for you, ok?”

“Ok.” His words sent a thrill through me, their meaning not lost on me. It was a lot of importance he was placing on me, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel my ego grow with the knowledge. “Thank you, Jared.”

“I mean it.” Sounding deadly serious, I fought a grin at his words.

“I know. It means a lot to me to know you care. Now, go be mister rockstar. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“You better!” I laughed as we hung up. Life being friends with the three men had gotten very interesting in the last year or so. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if I never met them.