Page 15 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

“Shhh,” she said, shoving Hudson’s arm playfully. “Don’t say that in front of the new guy.”

“He’s bound to figure it out if he’s on your tail all day. How many cups of coffee have you had?”

“Just two. I’ll get another before I start. Come on, I’m not the only one with that bad habit, right? Whose side are you on, Luca? Team coffee, or team I’m going to muscle through it until I drop?”

Luca burst out laughing when she tried to mimic a dude’s voice.

“I’ll go with team coffee if you don’t talk like that again.”

“Wow, Gabriela. You might have met your match here,” Hudson said.

“Sweet. Someone who isn’t offended by my personality.”

“It takes a lot to offend me,” he said. “Do you know the things a teenage boy says to you when they are trying to act cool?”

“Oh yeah,” Hudson said. “Gabriela doesn’t get that.”

“No, I get the snotty teenage girls who act like they are an adult and I’m lame. I’m not lame. No one thinks I’m lame. I’m the cool one of the family.”

“We let her think that,” Hudson said. “And here comes my replacement, so I can get home and kiss my kids before I get some sleep. Nice to meet you. I’ll be seeing you soon, I’m sure.”

Luca nodded and the two of them left the floor while she showed him where some supplies were kept, the break room again, and then moved down the hall from that building to the pharmacy where she waved at her sister-in-law through the glass, then opened the door.

“Gabriela, what are you doing here?”

“I’m showing our new pediatrician around.” She snagged Luca’s arm and pulled him in. “Luca Brewer, this is my sister-in-law, Justine Mills. She’s married to my brother, Garrett. I only have one brother, which I’m sure you know.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, putting his hand out. “I’ve got a rough idea of who is who with those I’ll be dealing with. I didn’t know your family touched the pharmacy though.”

“I think our family has touched every single department in one form or another in history,” she said, laughing. “We spread like a disease.”

“Oh my God,” Justine said. “Get her and her warped sense of humor out of here.”

She laughed. “Sorry. This happens on day five when I don’t have enough caffeine yet.”

“Then let’s get you that coffee,” he said. “How many do you normally drink on day one of your rotation to day five?”

“I think it’s double by the end. I’ll only have one more this morning, then I’ll have soda with lunch. I know it’s horrible, but it’s just a change. Another coffee after dinner to get me through. Any vices you want to share?”

“No,” he said, smiling.

He had kind eyes.

And a wicked grin to match.

She shouldn’t be thinking of those things and could only blame it on her exhausted mind.

“No, you don’t have vices, or no, you don’t want to share?”

“I’ll let you guess,” he said.

“You’re going to be fun to have around,” she said. “Let’s go meet the rest of the office before our patients get here for the day.”

5

STILL BRUISED BUT ALIVE

Luca didn’t know the last time anyone told him he was fun to have around.