Page 21 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

“Not on purpose,” she said emphatically.

But good intentions didn’t always get followed through either.

“It won’t affect him doing a great job,” Justine said. “How was he with the patients?”

“Wonderful. He used humor like me. He related with the boys well with sports. I think we are going to be similar with how we practice.”

She noticed he had some funky bright colored socks on but didn’t want to stare. It was only when he sat before her in the cafeteria.

So he tried to have something bright or funny in his life.

“That’s always a good thing.”

“It’s not as if we will work together, but we are colleagues. And Hudson was thrilled because Luca can work in the ER. So on the weekends when he’s working, he has an extra set of hands, not just me or Jessie there filling in with children.”

“Sounds like it’s going to work out then. Is he living on the island or in Boston?”

“The island,” she said. “We talked little more other than he was surprised he found a place but realized he couldn’t be fussy either. He’s been here less than a week and finally unpacked.”

“That’s a lot of conversation to have in a day,” Justine said, grinning at her.

“We were together for sixteen hours. Most of it was spent with patients. Well, at least in the office. In the hospital we weren’t as busy. He ended up leaving around seven. I told him there was no reason for him to stay. There were only two kids on the unit by then and he’d be working on his own for the next five days. This weekend in the ER on top of it.”

“So getting thrown right to it,” Justine said.

Her shoulders lifted. “It’s how the rotation fell.”

“Okay, tell me about that dating thing you did last week. That is why I thought you were coming over.”

She shivered. “I’m trying to push it from my mind. It was almost gone until you just asked me. Now I’m going to have nightmares again.”

Justine giggled. “I want to say it’s not that bad, but having been single not that many years ago, I know exactly how bad it is. Especially when you’re a woman in a male-dominated field. I got sick of men looking down on me like I’m some angel or ditzy blonde.”

“You are an angel. Not ditzy though,” she said. “You held your own with me.”

“I’ll never forget the first time we met when you showed up while I was working.”

Her eyebrows wiggled. “I was only protecting my brother. He’d had it rough with women in his past. He’s a softie.”

“He is and I love every minute of it, but he’d be insulted if you called him that.”

“I’ve called him soft before. We know he likes to avoid those heavy conversations.” Or to worry about conflict, but Garrett did it when he had to.

Gabriela, she never worried about conflict.

Didn’t have a problem telling anyone the way it was.

Even parents, but she was more tactful on the job.

Her personal life was another story.

“I’m not much different from your brother, but we’ve made it work.”

“Maybe someday I’ll find someone to make it work with,” she said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “But it’s not going to be at one of those things. Not unless I’m open to nose pickers, multiple children with different baby mamas, or one-night stands. Oh wait, I totally forgot about the guy with a hole in his shirt. That was the first one. All I could think of was he didn’t even look in the mirror before he left.”

“Are those really some of the guys you talked to?” Justine asked, cringing.

“Not all. There was one with a dead tooth front and center.”