Feelings

Chapter 29

Lim didn't sleep much that night. It was the first time in a while that she had a nightmare, and she had forgotten how terrifying they were. Naturally, she was the first one up, so she showered and dressed before going downstairs to start the coffee. Melendez came down not long after, also exhausted from lack of sleep. Lim turned to face him and smiled softly. "Morning," she quietly greeted.

"Morning." He smiled and kissed her. She seemed pretty stiff, almost embarrassed. "Is something wrong?"

Lim sighed. "No," she lied.

"Audrey?" Melendez raised an eyebrow.

Lim finally surrendered. "I had my first nightmare in a couple months," she admitted sheepishly.

"Oh," Melendez acknowledged. So that explained Lim's tossing and turning the night beforehand. "Did you...want to talk about it?"

Lim shook her head. "No, not right now, Neil. Maybe later tonight."

"Okay," Melendez said, relieved that she had agreed to talk about it.

"I just thought I was past them, that's all. It's embarrassing to take two steps forward, only to take one step back," she admitted.

Melendez squeezed her hand and said, "Everyone recovers at their own pace, sweetheart." His face fell. He had never really called Lim any cutesy nicknames before now. "Um, is it okay if I call you that?"

Lim chuckled a little and nodded. "Yes, in the privacy of our own home." She liked the sound of that: our home. She stood and walked around the table, laying a hand on Melendez's shoulder. "But if you call me that at work, I'll kill you with my bare hands," she whispered in his ear.

Melendez nodded, perfectly understanding the context of the threat. "Yes, ma'am."

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When the pair arrived at work, they went their separate ways, and Melendez went to find Shaun and Claire. When Claire saw her superior, she hastened her stride to catch up with him. "Dr. Melendez?"

"What do you have for me?" he asked her.

"You ordered a cardiac MRI for Casey Garrison today?" asked Claire.

"That's correct," Melendez confirmed.

"She says she won't go unless the doctor from the ER comes with her," explained Claire.

Melendez looked at Claire in confusion. "You mean Dr. Lim?"

"Well, she is the doctor who normally covers the ER," said Claire.

Melendez sighed and said, "Go get Casey ready for the MRI. I'll go see if I can find Audrey."

Luckily, both Cooperberg and Lim were covering the ER that day, and he agreed to let her go for the time being. By the time Melendez and Lim got to the MRI room, Casey was already prepared, and George and Martha Garrison had followed the proper protocol to join her in the room. Melendez and Lim entered the observation room where Shaun and Claire were already seated. Lim pushed the button to turn on the microphone and spoke, "Hey, Casey, it's me. It's Dr. Lim. Are you ready to be sent into the giant donut?"

"Yes," everyone heard her say.

"Okay, we're going to put you in slowly," said Claire.

After about thirty minutes in the machine, Casey started to squirm out of impatience and anxiety. "Casey, I need you to lie still just a little bit longer," said Melendez, though the young girl wasn't calming down any.