A Night Off Duty

So I just got divorced a few months ago and it's been rough. I'm a nurse at this hospital in Boston, you know the kind of place where everyone is on edge 24/7, but tonight was different. It was my night off, I came home, locked myself inside, poured a couple of glasses of wine, and just let everything out. There’s this patient, let's call her Jane, who's been in and out for years with chronic illnesses. She always struck me as beautiful, you know the type with curly hair that never seems to be styled but somehow looks perfect, and eyes that are dark and stormy like a summer thunderstorm. Anyway, tonight after my shift ended, I was heading home when it just hit me. I wanted her, no more beating around the bush, I wanted Jane. So I decided to do something about it, even though I know it's wrong on so many levels. I waited until she had a late night admission and snuck into the room under pretense of checking blood pressure or something. She looked tired but beautiful as ever. I whispered to her that everything was fine with a wink before stepping back. But then... I leaned in close, my breath on her ear. I asked if she wanted some wine and maybe a little company tonight? Her eyes widened and for a moment there, it was like the whole world paused. She didn’t say no or push me away, just let me help her out of bed into my arms. We ended up in the lounge down the hall where I had made sure to stockpile some supplies. It felt wrong but oh so right at the same time. She wasn't a patient then and there, she was someone who needed comfort as much as anyone else might. After that night, we never spoke of it again officially; the nurse-patient code is strict after all. But I saw her next shift and she winked back, that spark in her eye telling me everything. I'm not proud of what happened but... if I had to do it again, with the same circumstances and risks involved, I probably would. Maybe it was just a moment for both of us to escape reality for one night, and we needed each other's strength more than ever that time. Sometimes you have to take things into your own hands when others won’t.