Another Day, Another Patient

I met a new patient today, let's call him Alex. He was hurt but had an easy charm about him that made everything better. We started talking, and I felt things stir inside me that shouldn't have been there. It wasn't just physical; it was his smile, the way he held my gaze as if we shared a secret no one else knew. We left the hospital together once, for coffee. It was awkward, but not in a bad way. There's something about him that feels... different from anyone I've dated. Maybe it's because this is so new and undefined. We hugged goodbye after the coffee, but my heart was still racing when I walked back to work. I'm not sure what will happen next, if anything at all. It's a complicated time for me right now. But even with the uncertainty, just thinking about him makes my chest ache.