Notice Me

Enter the Golden Retriever

Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!

The rhythmic thumping of Catherine's heart hammered in her chest, so much that she could feel it pulsating in her ears. She whipped her head swiftly and stared wide eyed towards the darkened windshield of the black sedan.

The door to the car swept open with a snap, and a man stepped out from the driver's seat, his brows furrowed with concern. He was tall-just shy of Ethan's height-but where Ethan's face were all stormy sharp edges and straight stern features, this man was all sun-drenched ease with soft, open features.

His light brown hair, which curled slightly at the ends, swept messily across his forehead and brow, the tousled mess looked like it had been run through nervously a few too many times. His skin were like sun kissed wheat, a little tan, and he was lean in a way that suggested he ran more for fun than out of necessity. His features were clean and striking, the kind that could've belonged to a catalogue model or a billboard.

He wore a fitted navy sweater over a neatly ironed white collared shirt, sleeves pushed casually to his elbows. His hazel eyes scanned her with worry, the little flecks of amber in them catching light with every small shift.

"You alright?" he called out, voice rich and warm, like a well played cello. Genuine concern threaded through his tone.

Catherine, on the other hand was still stunned, she blinked at him like he had just stepped out of an entirely different reality. The cold wind blew at her cheeks, adding a layer of colour to them. She opened her mouth, her voice finally stumbling out.

"I-yeah, yeah, I think so."

He quickly rounded the car toward her, only slowing down when he was an arm's length away, his hands raised slightly like he didn't want to startle her. He paused in front of her, giving her space but hovering protectively, unsure if she was just playing it cool and saying she was fine out of pride.

"s**t. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he asked again, his tone softer now. "I didn't see you-well, obviously I couldn't possibly have seen you-Ah, God, I'm such an idiot."

Catherine, a little calm after finally found the energy to breathe properly again, muttered softly "Yeah," then she looked down at her shoes as if they could explain what just happened. "I guess it's my fault too. I wasn't looking."

They both stood there, awkwardly taking mental observations of each other. Catherine was still caught between exhaustion and embarrassment. He, on the other hand, looked genuinely stricken. His eyes trailed down her frame quickly, checking for any visible injury or sign of pain. "Are you sure? You look a little shaken."

Catherine let out a dry laugh, hoping to lighten the already awkward stare down. She shook her head while rubbing the sides of her arms. "Well, I Just came out of a nightmare. Figured I'd try a near-death experience to complete the day." She chuckled.

He blinked, thrown for a second. "Okay...? Good thing you seem cool about me almost mowing you down. For a second there, I thought I was about to be sued by someone really pretty, it sure felt like a weird emotional conflict." The man grinned, keeping up with her remark.

"Huh?" Catherine tilted her head to the side. She didn't quite understand how this strange man's personality did a full 360 at the smallest chance he got.

"Oh, I said I'm sorry," he laughed awkwardly, hand brushing through his already messy hair. He stepped closer. "I wasn't expecting someone to just suddenly jump into the road like that."

"I didn't jump," she muttered, glaring. "You were speeding. Besides, I'm on the sidewalk, you came to me!"

"Did I really?" He looked over his shoulder at the quiet road behind him, at his car which was a little into the sidewalk path, then back at her and shrugged. "Okay, maybe. But you must admit, I brake pretty well."

"You nearly flattened me!"

"Well, if it helps, I only flatten pretty people" he added, brows raised in amusement.

Catherine felt like she had just swallowed blood. Could anyone really be this thick skinned? She rolled her eyes in utter disbelief. "Are you always like this?"

"Witty under pressure? Yes," he said, smiling sheepishly. "Terrorizing women with my car? Not usually. This is a first."

This time, Catherine couldn't help the small, tired laugh that escaped her. As annoying as he was, he had a really good way with words.

"Seriously though," he added, the concern creeping back into his voice. "Do you want to go get checked out? The hospital's right there. I can walk you in."

He pointed to the building behind them-the same hospital Catherine had just come out from-and she recoiled like he'd offered to throw her into fiery furnace.

"Back inside? not unless I'm actually bleeding." She remarked.

His eyebrows shot up. "Wait, really? Are you perhaps visiting someone?"

"Working."

The tall man tilted his head slightly in surprise. "Oh... you work there?"

"Intern," she said, already regretting telling him anything.

"Ah. That explains the thousand-yard stare and caffeine withdrawals." He shook his head in sympathetic understanding.

Catherine didn't respond, but her silence was answer enough.

"Fair enough, you don't need to respond to that, that was stupid. I'm Kevin, by the way." He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Catherine "Dr. Kevin Harte. At your clumsy, overly-concerned service."

He's a doctor?

Catherine's eyebrow twitched at the word.

She glanced at the card in his fair, smooth hand. "I really don't-"

"Keep it," Kevin said quickly, gently nudging her hand closed around the card. "You never know. Chest pain, heartbreak, spontaneous combustion, just give me a call if anything happens."

Catherine scoffed at his words. "I'm not calling a man who almost ran me over."

"Yeah, but if you did, you'd be in very good hands," he said with a charming grin.

Catherine laughed despite herself, a short, and dry sound. "You're definitely full of yourself."

"No, I'm full of coffee and compliments. The ego's just a side effect."

She chuckled at this and gave him a long, unreadable look. This one was really an odd one, a breathe of fresh air compared to Ethan.

Fuck.

Catherine face palmed in her head. Why the heck did that asshole cross her mind? She sighed, not knowing what to say.

"And if it helps, I make excellent banana bread."

Catherine opened her mouth. Closed it. "Banana bread?" She asked. That was the most random thing she'd ever heard in a conversation.

Kevin nodded solemnly. "It's how I bribe nurses into letting me skip the coffee line back at mine"

He said chuckling dryly.

She gave a reluctant smile, then sighed, slipping the card into her coat pocket. There was no reason to refuse anymore. Not when Kevin was being too honest.

With one last look, Kevin smiled at her again but this time, it was less playful, and a little more sincere. "Hey. Jokes aside, I'm really glad you're okay. Really."

Catherine stared down at her feet, unable to look Kevin in the eye. "Yeah, thanks" She said quietly.

Kevin sighed and took a step back, nodding with satisfaction. "Alright. I'll let you go before someone else nearly kills you."

They let out a short laugh.

Honk!

The car horn sounded loudly, startling both Catherine and Kevin. He turned to look at the car yelling "Coming!" then faced Catherine again, giving her another nod.

And just like that, he climbed back into his car, the engine purring to life and headlights casting long shadows across the sidewalk. He made a swift turn away from the curb and drove merging back into the drive, the tail lights disappearing around the corner.

Catherine stood on the sidewalk for a moment, her pulse finally settling. She hadn't realized that there was another person in the car. They must've been in a hurry.

Sighing, she glanced down at the white card with gold writings in her hand.

Kevin Harte

Cardiology & Electrophysiology

St. Howards Medical Center

Pager: xxx-xxx-xxxx

"Do no harm, but if you do, do it with style."

St. Howards. That name sounded familiar but no matter how long and hard she thought, she couldn't remember where she heard it from.

No matter. Catherine did another once over at the card, this couldn't be his actual business card, could it?

"Do no harm, but if you do, do it with style."

She rolled her eyes at the quote that made absolutely no sense and couldn't help the small grin tugging at her lips. It sure seemed like it was something he edged the designer to include. She turned and walked the rest of the way to the bus stop, the heat of adrenaline still feeling fresh under her skin.

The apartment was dark when Catherine stepped in and it had a faint smell of lavender and stale coffee, the soft orange glow from the streetlights outside leaking through the blinds. Somewhere in the distance, one could hear a dog barking and a siren wailing. It was quite noisy, but inside these four walls, there was peace. It was hers.

Catherine didn't bother turning on the lights in the room, and the soft click of the door shutting behind her sounded like the loudest thing in the world in the some how quiet room.

She kicked off her shoes without aiming, her bag sliding off her shoulder with a dull thud against the hardwood. The small one-bedroom was barely furnished, it just had the basic essentials. Couch, bed, coffee machine that wheezed like it was on its last breath. Quite comfortable for a twenty six year old who was a thin line from being homeless.

Catherine dragged herself to the bathroom, peeled off her hospital scented clothes, and let the shower run hot until the mirror fogged and her muscles finally stopped aching. For a while, she just stood there, forehead resting against the cool tile of the bathroom wall, letting the water run through every inch of her body.

A while after her relaxing shower, she finally stumbled into her bed, hair damp and skin still warm. With eyes closed, she sank into the mattress.

Then, with a sigh, her hand drifted to the coat she'd flung over a chair near the bed. From the pocket, she pulled out the card he'd given her. She didn't need to turn on the light. Just looked at it under the dim filter of her bedside lamp, the bold gold lines in the off-white rectangle between her fingers.

She stared at it for a long time.

Dr. Kevin Harte.

That smile. That flirty nonsense. That annoying but weirdly comforting energy.

For a second, she considered it. Calling him. Texting. Not for an emergency, of course. Just... because. Out of curiosity.

But then her stomach soured. As if disagreeing with her. Her gut feeling was right, Catherine didn't need a knight in shining scrubs. And if Ethan was of any indication, men in hospitals, no matter how soft their curls looked or how nice their damn smiles, were bad news. She figured getting too entangled with people from here would cause her nothing but trouble.

Catherine stared at the card for a moment longer, her fingers tracing the edge.

Then, without a word, she got up, walked over to the small trash bin near her desk, flipped open the trash bin and without hesitation, dropped the card in.

No attachments. No trouble.

Kevin Harte might've been warm and witty, stupidly good-looking, and great to talk with, but he was also from here. And she'd had enough of here for one day.

She closed the lid.

With a deep breath, she walked back to her bed, and with a flop, she laid flat with arms spread wide apart.

She had eight hours before her next shift, she wasn't about to waste them thinking about a man with honey-coloured eyes and his supposedly tasty banana bread.

And if she was lucky, not a single charming stranger or brooding asshole would show up in her dreams.