Page 19 of Rookie Days

“Patience isn’t your thing, is it?” Janet chuckled.

“Why?” A sharp, ironic eyebrow went up. “Is it yours?”

Janet bit on her tongue as the question sent her brain on a delicious tumble. She thought of all the ways patience could be a great thing. Savoring a moment through it... Teaching its benefits to an eager lover… Mmm. And more. She wondered about Ellie. What kind of a lover would she reveal herself to be? Impatient, perhaps. Eager, possibly. Smooth and fluid, certainly, based on her physique. She was powerful, moved gracefully, and seemed at ease in her own skin. Janet suspected that awoman like Ellie might surprise her in lots of unimagined ways. She kept herself in check, only shared a little, but there still appeared to be plenty more to discover under her rigid reserve. Remembering her own resolve to show restraint, Janet simply smiled.

“You’ll be fine. If you don’t rush your recovery, like I told you yesterday, you should be able to return to full duty after we remove your staples.”

“Yeah, well.” Ellie pulled off her hand as she sat back. “My commanding officer will decide if and when I’m allowed to go back to duty.”

“If?” Janet repeated in surprise.

She just had time to catch a flare of raw emotion in her eyes before Ellie clamped her mouth resolutely shut, and their food arrived.

“Grazie Joe,” Janet thanked him. “Questo ha un profumo meraviglioso.”

“Prego dottore, goda ora.” He grinned, winked at Ellie, and left them to enjoy their meal.

“You speak Italian?”

“Un po’.”

“Uh?”

“A little bit,” Janet translated. “My grandmother was born and raised in Napoli. She was only eighteen when she fell in love with her American husband and moved over here. He divorced her soon after my mother was born.”

“Must have been tough for your grandmother.”

“It was… But she was a lot tougher.”

“Ah,” Ellie smiled. “That’s nice. Good for her.”

“Yes. My grandma Giorgia was an ambitious woman, intent on building a good life for herself and giving her only daughter a useful future as well. She spent five years studying on the sideof a full-time job in order to achieve her dream of becoming a pediatric nurse.”

“She must have been pleased when you decided to become a surgeon.”

“Oh, she was unbelievably proud!” Janet laughed. “I think the whole of Napoli must have heard about it at the time.”

“That’s great. Do you still have family over there?”

“Yes. Cousins.”

“Do you go back?”

“Not very often.”

“No? Why not?”

Janet paused, resting her gaze softly on her face.

“Is this an interrogation, detective?”

“No… Sorry. I’m just… Enjoying getting to know you in my own way.”

Ellie sounded so careful, so on guard, that Janet reached to touch her hand again.

“I was only teasing. Thanks for asking and being interested. Mainly, I don’t go back because I don’t have enough time. But I always thought that one day…” She stopped, shook her head with a wry smile.

“What?” Ellie prompted.