Tamara hadn't even had time to think about the bar fight on the weekend. She was so busy with study and papers to complete that she only left the house twice because Melodie dragged her out to Starbucks for a proper breakfast and coffee.

The whole week had been no better. Tamara realised now what her father meant by 'no time at home,' and she was only a nurse. Who wanted to be a doctor, and the work load didn't put her off. She was going to meet her next five and ten year plans even if it killed her.

Once Tamara was on that plan, no one could pull her off it.

"Tammy?" Little Grace asked timidly as Tamara stood beside her bed, clipboard in hand and only butterflies stitches and a good bruise to show for her chair leg incident.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Tamara replied, sitting on the edge of her bed. It was Friday, a full week since the night at the bar, and Tamara had spent most of her free time at the hospital down in the children's ward with Grace and the others.

"Do you think I'll get to see the next eclipse?"

Tamara thought quickly inside her head, knowing it was supposed to happen this year but not entirely sure when. Grace watched her expectantly, waiting patiently like a person much older then a seven year old would.

"I do, Gracey. You'll see the one after that too." Tamara smiled, and for a moment Grace looked like any regular, healthy seven year old girl, minus the choppy hair. Her eyes were just so full of life and happiness, Tamara had to look away.

"Do you think I'll get to see One Direction, too?"

Tamara smiled, patting her knee. She'd heard of the band...okay, so she owned the CD, but that was allowed.

"You can do whatever you chose, Grace."

"Then can I choose to leave here?" She asked, looking down at her hands. "I want to go home. Mummy's always here, but I can see she's tired. I want to go home to my swing set and Toby." She said, voice sad.

Tamara knew it wasn't fair that a girl like her could have cancer, it wasn't fair to anyone. But the reality always rose above fantasy.

"I'm sorry, Gracey, but you can't go yet, your treatments not quite finished."

"When it's finished? Can I go?"

"Yeah,"

"Promise?" The little girl held out her pinkie finger expectantly, and before Tamara could think, she grabbed it.

"Promise."

"Jacobs, can I see you outside?" Tamara froze at the sound of his voice. Josh stood a few feet behind her, looking as professional as always. He had acted just that the past week, purely professional, like the incident at the bar or the weird moment between them had never happened. It was almost as if he were avoiding her. Tamara told herself she should feel relieved.

She didn't.

"Sure," She walked through the doors, into an empty hallway. Josh followed seconds later, and for a moment neither spoke.

"Is this important?" She asked, voice not clipped, but not exactly relaxed. Josh's face didn't change, his expressionless mask hiding his emotions.

"Yes, actually. Dr. Sullivan's got a triple by-pass surgery booked in an hour and he wants a couple of the trainees to watch. He picked you, so we need to get over to the theatre now-"

"Wait, what?" Tamara said, excitement filling her veins. "Me? To watch?"

"Yes, you. To watch." Josh said, and she saw the familiar spark of annoyance behind his mask.

"What about the others-"

"He wanted you, know go." Josh gave her shoulder a light shove, not enough to really move her, but she shot him an irritated look anyway.

"Man handler," She muttered under her breath.

"I didn't know you had a Y chromosome."

"Well woman handler doesn't sound practical, does it? It makes you sound like a pimp."

Josh smirked slightly, the left side of his mouth kicking up a little. "What goes on in your head?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She snorted, and opened the door to the lift that would take them upstairs and towards the room that nurses and doctors could watch from above. They reached the room, and pushed the door open to see Rose and Nathan seated already, although they were far enough apart to make things slightly awkward in the silence.

"Hey," Tamara smiled, and Nathan waved but Rose just rolled her eyes and turned away, but not before shooting Josh a heated glare.

"Better hold your balls, she's after them." Tamara snickered, and sat next to Nathan, Josh to her right. Now, normally she would have gone over and sat with the other girl in the room, but for some reason she got the impression she wasn't Rose's favourite person in the room, but she certainly wasn't the least favourite.

Josh shrugged, not caring a bit. He leaned over and whispered in Tamara's ear.

"I already had said no about seven times before you started eavesdropping-"

"I wasn't eavesdropping."

"Oh, sorry, admiring the wall colour." Tamara shot him a dirty look, but he continued. "Anyway, she's been anti-me all week, like I've contracted an STI or something." He shook his head slightly, and Tamara felt some of his hair brush her temple slightly.

"Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest."

"I'm not a whore!"

"Oh, that's right, your a pimp."

"What it is with girls and rejection though? I mean, just get over it. Us guys do, and girls normally reject us so much harsher then guys do to them."

"Well, I can see her point of view. Kind of. I mean, an attractive guy turning her down is-"

"You think I'm attractive?" Josh grinned, mocking her. Tamara could feel herself blush, and watched as he leaned back, smug look on his face, and folded his hands behind his head. "Well, I'll be."

"You're from Britain, not Texas!" She hissed, flustered. "And I meant that she found you attractive, not me."

"And yet you're as red as a tomato."

Tamara blushed deeper, and turned to Nathan, completely ignoring Josh who was enjoying it too much. God damn it, she thought, now she'd gone and done it. Planted the seed in his head that she might find him the tiniest bit attractive.

Who was she kidding? He was one of the most good looking guys she'd seen in a long while.

And the accent.

But he was an arrogant brute who could cut you off at the knees faster then a rotary hoe. And, he was a colleague, and not only that, but her supervisor. So Josh, as attractive as he may be, stayed as the out of reach guy who always had to be an asshole.

It was best, she thought. Not that she liked him. But in case feelings did sprout, she wouldn't have to try and squash them because she already knew that her and Josh were like water to a bird. Good for drinking, not for swimming.

Tamara frowned. What the hell did that even mean? Maybe she did need her head fixed.

"Nathan, do you have any paper and a pen? I want to write some things down."

Nathan nodded, handing her some refill and a blue point marker. As soon as the surgery started, Tamara forgot all about the people she was sitting next to and just marvelled in the surgery. It was amazing to watch, and it seemed to her like only five minutes had gone by when Dr. Sullivan started stitching up the patient.

"Finally," Rose muttered, getting out of her seat and leaving the room. Tamara checked the clock, realising they'd been sitting for four hours.

'Wow." Was all she said, as the two guys stood and stretched beside her.

"You look like a kid on Christmas." Josh chuckled, and Nathan slapped her on the back, a habit of his.

"Hey, you want to come out tonight? I promise they'll be no bar fights this time." Nathan smiled, and Tamara knew he wanted her to bring Melodie too, not that she blamed him. Melodie had been whistling and cleaning, of all things, the whole week.

"I take it last week went well with Mel, then, to try and drag this walking disaster to the bar again." Tamara smiled when Nathan blushed slightly.

"Well, yeah. It did. So will you come?"

"I'll pass, but I'll send Melodie out as soon as I get home." Tamara answered, and Nathan frowned slightly, glancing at Josh.

They walked to the changing rooms, and Tamara took her time, hoping to avoid Nathan and his nagging at coming out. She really didn't feel like it, and besides, Josh was going to be there. Best she stayed well away from him after hours.

As soon as she thought Nathan would be gone, she sneaked out to the car park, and opened her car door. Jumping into the seat, she grinned like a fool in excitement for getting away, then groaned.

Banging her head against the steering wheel, she almost yelled at Polly, who she had bought from a car dealership owner three years ago.

Polly was temperamental. Temperamental = not starting.

Turning the key in the ignition again and again, Tamara groaned again, and got out, kicking the car tire then instantly regretting it. Now she had hurt Polly's feelings, she wouldn't start at all.

"Car trouble?"

Tamara spun, seeing Josh walking towards her in a fitted long sleeved grey merino and dark jeans. She looked away from his body and at his face.

"Well...yeah."

"I'm not surprised considering it's a Honda."

Tamara glowered. "Best damn car about, this one." She retorted, pointing to Polly.

"That's why she won't start." Josh stopped in front of her, and nodded his head in his fancy cars direction. "You want a ride?"

"You're being nice?" Tamara said, waiting for the punchline. Josh stared at her liked she'd lost a couple brain cells.

"Well, it's dark, and there's a lot a pedophiles out there, so I can't make you walk home, even if you learnt self defense at 13..." He trailed off, and Tamara threw up her hands.

"Fine! Drive me home." She said, and walked towards his car, waiting for him to unlock it. He took his time, dawdling around, and Tamara knew it was to annoy her from the small hint of a smirk he couldn't quite hide well enough.

Finally, she sat in the passengers seat and turned up the radio as they drove towards her house, when something made her turn and look at her.

"Where do you live, exactly?" She asked, and Josh's forehead creased as he thought.

"Probably ten minutes away from you. Why? Feel the need to stalk an attractive guy?" He didn't hide his smirk this time, and Tamara glared, pointing her chin upwards.

"You know I can see up your nose when you do that,"

"Don't British people do it?"

"My god, we're not all uptight cashmere wearers, Jacobs." He snorted, turning right onto her street. "Some of us, much to your disbelief, actually are quite chilled out."

"When did you move here?" She asked again, not knowing where the need to know was coming from.

'When I was seventeen. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"You are a stalker, aren't you?" He quipped, and she sighed in exasperation.

"Just trying to get to know a new colleague." She grumbled, folding her arms and looking out the side window.

Josh pulled into her driveway, turning the ignition off. She sat still for a couple of seconds, wondering if she should ask him inside for a drink or-no.

Strictly professional, she chanted in her head. Simply that, just that, always going to be that.

"Always going to be what?" Josh frowned, confusion written all over his face.

"Uh, nothing. Thank you for ride Josh. I really do appreciate it." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. For a few seconds, she just looked at him, and he did the same. His grey eyes were focused on her, and for a few seconds she felt the temperature tilt again, so she cleared her throat and jumped out of the car into the cool night air.

"Anytime, love." He said, and pulled away out the driveway as soon as she shut the passenger door.

This time, it sounded like he meant it, no mocking taunt or sarcastic comment, just him saying a simple couple of words.

Tamara shook her confusing thoughts, and turned the doorknob, realising quickly the house was empty. Melodie had left a note on the bench, and she picked it up to read it.

Hey,

I'm out at the bar with Nathan. Don't wait up.

P.S. If Polly plays up again, and a certain hottie British doctor needs to drop you home, there's condoms in my second drawer down.

Stay safe,

Love Mel. xxxx

Tamara felt her cheeks burn, and she crumpled the note before throwing it in the trash.

Stupid best friend.

Stupid condoms.

Stupid hottie British doctor.

****

I tried with this chapter, and I hope you like it. Wasn't really where I was intending it to go, but it did. Comment and fan :)