Chapter 8: The choice
966 Words
“Eva,” the doctor began, tone gentle but firm, “we can’t keep doing this part-time anymore. His episodes are unpredictable. Someone has to be here all the time.”
Eva’s fingers tightened around the folder she carried. “You mean… a live-in nurse?”
Dr Pierce nodded. “Yes. His seizures, the headaches, the fatigue, these are increasing. He needs monitoring day and night. The hospital can’t spare anyone better suited. You’ve handled him well.”
She managed a tired half-smile. “He listens to me because I don’t let him order me around.”
“That’s precisely why I’m asking you.” He sighed, taking off his glasses. “Nathan trusts no one, but you’ve earned his respect, whether he admits it or not.”
Eva looked away. Respect wasn’t the word she’d use for what passed between them, more like tolerance. But Dr Pierce’s eyes were kind, pleading even, and that tugged at her.
“I’ll think about it,” she said softly.
“Don’t think too long.” He packed his notes, then added, almost as an afterthought, “He needs you more than he knows.”
---
The house was quiet after the doctor left, just the hum of the air-conditioner and the faint tap of rain against the balcony glass. Somewhere upstairs, Nathan slept under a mild sedative, his world sealed away behind a locked door and a stack of bad habits.
Eva’s phone buzzed—Audrey.
“Girl, you okay?” Audrey’s voice came bright and rough from her late-shift fatigue. “ just checking in on ya.”
Eva rubbed her forehead. " Yeah I'm good dear. Your Mr celebrity almost died today in my absence. Another seizure. Too much alcohol, too little care.”
“That man’s a walking mess,” Audrey muttered. “So what’s the plan?”
“Pierce wants me to move in. Full-time.”
A beat of silence. Then a low whistle. “Move in? As in live there?”
Eva nodded even though her friend couldn’t see. “Yeah. The pay’s triple. I’d be stupid to refuse.”
“Triple?” Audrey chuckled, then softened. “That’s tempting, girl. But you sure you want to stay under the same roof as that man? He’s chaos in human form..... for you though.”
Eva’s lips twitched. “Maybe. But chaos still needs care.”
“Fine,” Audrey said, voice warm now. “Just promise me you’ll call if he gets on your nerves—or if he starts flashing that smile of his.”
Eva laughed quietly. “You think too much.”
“No,” Audrey said. “You feel too much.”
---
By noon, the paperwork was on her lap, the hospital letterhead crisp and final. Eva stared at her name typed above the signature line. The words looked heavier than they should.
She signed anyway.
When she handed the document to Dr Pierce later, he smiled with visible relief. “You’ll start tomorrow. Your room’s being arranged next to his suite.”
“Next to his?” she murmured, eyebrows lifting.
“Convenience,” he said simply, gathering his files. “Don’t worry. He won’t bite.”
Eva gave a faint laugh, unsure if she believed that.
---
That night, back at her small apartment, the rain had settled into a steady rhythm against the windows. Audrey was still at work, so Eva sat alone on the couch, half-watching the muted TV.
Her phone vibrated again—Henry.
She answered at once. “Hey, you’re still awake?”
“Barely,” his tired but warm voice came through. “Been debugging all day. Thought I’d check on my favorite nurse.”
She smiled, small but real. “You should be sleeping.”
“Not when my fiancée doesn’t text me goodnight anymore.”
Eva laughed softly, though her chest tightened. “We’re not officially engaged, Henry.”
“Yet,” he said easily. “Give me time. I’m saving for the ring.”
The words made something inside her ache—not because she didn’t care, but because she wanted to match his certainty and couldn’t.
“I know,” she whispered. “You always keep your promises.”
He hesitated. “You sound tired. Rough day?”
She leaned back on the couch. “Work’s been… a lot. I might have to take on longer hours. My patient’s condition’s getting worse.”
“Longer hours?” he repeated. “You sure you can handle that?”
“Yeah. It’s just work, Henry. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’ll always worry,” he said softly. “That’s part of the job description for the man who plans to marry you.”
She closed her eyes, letting his words fill the silence. She loved him—she did. He was kind, steady, everything she thought she needed. But something invisible kept her heart one step behind his.
“I’ll be fine,” she murmured. “Promise.”
“I believe you,” he said, even though he didn’t sound convinced. Then, in a lighter tone, “Hey, my mom keeps asking when she’s meeting you again. I told her soon. Maybe next month?”
Eva smiled faintly. “I’d like that.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I want to.”
They talked a little longer—about small things, about dinner plans they’d never find time for—and when the call ended, the room felt suddenly empty again.
She placed the phone beside her on the couch, next to the signed contract. Two different lives, sitting inches apart.
The thought settled heavily in her chest.
She whispered to the quiet apartment, “It’s just work. Nothing else.”
But even to herself, it sounded uncertain.
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