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I know I have a full case of patients today, but I keep checking on Tyler. It’s almost three in the afternoon and he’s supposed to be discharged soon. His friends from the coffee shop stopped by around one to see him. Austin and his partner, Remington, are going to take him home.

Tyler’s room. The symptoms align and him fainting would have meant he went into a crisis, which is serious and scary.

“I did. It’s just a suggestion, but the way he was saying he had pain in his lower back, and his levels when he first came in.

Plus always looking tired and like he’s one step away from getting sick when I see him in the coffee shop. ”

“No, I think you might be right.” Doctor Walker smiles.

He’s not an arrogant doctor, like some that work here.

He listens to his nurses and patients. I wish we had more like him.

“I ordered the testing for it and just got the last of the results back. The CT shows scarring and the stimulation test showed no changes either.”

I was hoping I was wrong. Addison’s disease is a tough one. It’s not common to begin with, which is probably why he hasn’t been officially diagnosed yet. The fact it took a crisis and him losing consciousness for us to diagnose it… I feel like I could have seen this earlier.

“I’m going to let him know and give him the rundown on what he’ll need to do moving forward and the medication he’ll have to take.

Do you mind getting his papers ready and making sure he has a follow up appointment with his Primary to get rechecked in a week?

We’ll probably have to play a game to get the right dosage. ”

“Will do,” I say with a nod.

I finish the documentation for another patient before I pull up Tyler’s chart.

The call to his Primary’s office is easy enough and I have him scheduled for next Tuesday to get rechecked.

I see the order for the medication, standard for this diagnosis, and call the pharmacy downstairs to make sure they have it ready by the time he checks out.

This isn’t a medication he can wait a day or two for.

There are three other patients that I make my rounds on before I head to Tyler’s room once more. I’m still waiting on a final sign off from the doctor, which might take about half an hour or so, but I can at least get his last checks in to make sure he’s good to go home.

I knock twice before pushing the door open. Austin and Remington are still in the room. I sanitize my hands before grabbing a pair of gloves and putting them on. Tyler is sitting up in the bed and he is smiling when he looks over.

“Hey, Brandt. Do I get to go home now?”

“Soon,” I say. “We just have to do a last check and have the doctor sign off. Which means you can finally get out of this bed and get dressed.”

“Finally,” he says with a sigh.

“Ty,” Remington says sternly, giving him a look that says don’t be smart. “They just saved your life, from what the doctor said. I think he deserves a little more respect than your sarcasm.”

“Sorry,” Tyler mumbles. The way Remington said it isn’t rude, more like a protector.

I can see the worry on his face. I feel like there’s something between them, but can’t quite put my finger on it.

I’m also going to ignore that pang of jealousy as well.

Tyler’s green eyes are back on me. “Thank you for everything today.”

“Just doing my job,” I say and plaster on a smile. My eyes flick to the two other men and back. “Do you two mind stepping out while I help Tyler get dressed and we go over a few more things?”

“Of course,” Remington says. “I’ll go ahead and get the car from the parking garage. Austin, do you want to wait for him at the main doors and I’ll pick you both up?”

“Okay.” They both give Tyler a quick glance before walking out of the room.

“So, what other things do I need to go over?” Tyler asks.

“We’re just going to do a quick walk up and down the hall to make sure you’re good. No lightheadedness or anything. Do you want to get dressed first?”

“Please,” he says. “Can I dress myself?”

“I’ll have to stay in here just to make sure you’re good, but I’ll turn around unless you need help. Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“I’m good right now,” Tyler says.

I help him out of the bed and have him stand for a minute to make sure he doesn’t have any sudden drops in his levels. When I’m satisfied that he’s okay, I turn around and give him the privacy to get dressed.

“I’m dressed,” Tyler says after a few minutes and I turn around. He’s in a pale green shirt and jacket with a faded pair of jeans. His feet are still bare.

“Need help with your shoes?” I ask.

“If you don’t mind,” Tyler says. He sounds almost sheepish. “I bent down to put my socks on, but I felt a little wobbly.”

“Do you still feel like that?” I step closer to him, laying on a hand on his upper arm to guide him back to the edge of the bed.

“No, it was just a quick feeling.”

I grab his socks from the bed and bend down to slide them on. His shoes go on next and I make sure they’re tied properly before standing back up. I pull the pulse oximeter out of my pocket and place it on his finger. “Let’s get walking, shall we?”

I help him up once more and we walk side-by-side across the room and down the hall. He’s steady on his feet, the pulse oximeter stays normal. We don’t say anything as we round the corner and head back to his room.

“Did I pass the test?” he asks when we’re back in the room. I smile. His oxygen stayed over ninety-seven and pulse was within range.

“How do you feel?”

“Way better than I did this morning,” Tyler says. “I do feel good. Hopefully this is a thing of the past now.”

“Tyler.” I wait until he’s sitting back on the edge of the bed.

I’m standing just a foot away from him. He looks up at me.

“This is a lifelong thing. You’ll have to be careful to avoid stressful situations, be vigilant on your medication and follow up appointments.

I would also suggest getting a medical alert bracelet.

If you go into another one of these crises, that bracelet will let anyone trained know what you need. ”

“That’s what the doctor said too,” Tyler says. “I’ll look into getting one when I’m home.”

“Do you live alone?” I ask. When Tyler doesn’t answer, I explain further. “I want to make sure someone is around to check up on you. Otherwise, I will be making sure you actually use that number I gave you months ago.”

He mumbles something that I don’t catch. I’m about to cross a line, to fit my finger under his chin and lift his head so he’s meeting my eyes, but the door opens and the doctor comes in once more.

“Alright, looks like everything is good to go. We’re ready to get you out of here, Tyler.

You have an appointment with your doctor next week to do more blood work so please make that appointment.

We’ve sent the prescription to the pharmacy already.

You can start taking that tomorrow. Today, rest and stay hydrated with water, okay? And no skipping meals.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” The doctor hands over a stack of papers to me before walking back out.

I look at Tyler, not letting his mumbling go.

“I live with my parents, so I’ll have someone at the house with me.

I called my mom earlier and she’s taking off work tomorrow and my dad will be home already when I get there today. ”

“Good. That number still works, though, if you start feeling any weird side effects or have questions. Please use it, okay?” I realize how pushy that sounds so I try to lighten the mood. “I need to make sure I’m getting the best breakfast sandwiches each morning.”

“I’m glad I’m good for something for you,” Tyler says with a small laugh. My eyes go wide for a second before we’re both laughing. “That came out wrong. I appreciate that you like the sandwiches I make.”

“Alright, let’s get you out of here, okay? I will have to take you down in a wheelchair, but once we’re outside and Remington brings the car around, you’re good to go.”

“Sounds good. Thank you, for everything.”

We go through the discharge papers once more before I grab a wheelchair and we head downstairs.

We make a pitstop for his medication. Remington already has the car parked and he steps out to help Tyler into the backseat.

I notice that he buckles him in as well.

It’s very caring, if maybe a little strange for his boss’s boyfriend.

I don’t know their dynamic though, so I refrain from any more judgement.

“Thanks again, Brandt.” Austin says from the passenger seat. “We’ll see you at the shop. I already gave him tomorrow and Wednesday off.”

For selfish reasons, that makes me feel better. I know that these feelings aren’t professional and if Tyler comes back in, it’ll be best for someone else to be his nurse. I find him attractive and I enjoy our brief talks in the mornings. Giving him my personal cell number was already a stretch.

I wave to them as Remington pulls away.

I only have an hour left on my shift and I spend it at the nurses’ station. I give the evening shift nurse the rundown on my patients before I clock out and head home.

My apartment isn’t the biggest. It’s nice, but definitely not designed for more than one or two people.

A couple, seeing as there is only one bedroom.

I have Sir Fluffikins, my orange tabby. My niece named him when we went to the animal shelter two years ago.

After she named him, I knew I had to adopt the little guy.

He was just a kitten then, but now he’s a lovable furball.

“Hey, Fluff.” He meows when I say his nickname.

He rubs against my leg and then weaves between my feet.

A minute later, he lets out a much more urgent meow, the one to tell me that he’s been starving all day and I need to feed him now.

“Okay, okay. I swear, you’re more demanding than some of my patients. ”

I put my stuff down on the small kitchen table and open the pantry door.

His food is locked up tight because he’s way too smart for his own good and will eat until he physically can’t move.

I grab the bag out of the plastic container and move to his bowl.

His water is still half full so I don’t bother with it.

I check my phone once more, smiling at the previous texts from Tyler.

He did text me to let me know Remington got him home safely and he is just laying in bed.

His mom was on the verge of panic when he got back but he’s since told her he needs to rest. Still, he’s timed her and she peeks her head in every twenty minutes.

There isn’t anything new from him and I focus on making myself dinner. Well, reheating last night’s dinner I didn’t finish. Chicken curry. I love my spicy foods.

“What shall we watch tonight, Fluff?” I ask as I walk past his nearly empty bowl and to the living room. I get comfortable in my favorite spot and turn on the TV. I have two of the many streaming services and bounce between both.

Unlike a lot of my co-workers, I love the hospital shows. They’re certainly not accurate, but I still enjoy the storylines. I’m debating between two different shows when my phone buzzes on the table next to me. It’s a call and I see Tyler’s name.

“Tyler? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I’m sorry for calling. Just– Please don’t judge me, but can you tell my mom that everything is going to be okay? I’ll put you on speaker phone.”

I want to chuckle at those words, but I hold it in. I hear a commotion before a woman’s voice becomes clear.

“...forbid a mother to be worried about her child when he comes home from the hospital after fainting.” She sounds a lot like my own mom. A tad overbearing, but obviously means well.

“I don’t know everything there is to know about Addison’s, but if Tyler sticks to the regimen we outlined and avoids stressful situations, he’ll be okay.

” I hear rustling of papers and then some low muttering before Tyler’s voice comes through clear.

“I’m sorry about that. She read the whole ‘you can die from a crisis thing’ and freaked out when I got home.

She wouldn’t stop asking me questions and it was starting to get a bit much. ”

“I’m off on Thursday if you need a buffer,” I say before I can think that through.

I definitely should not be offering to have a patient come over and hang out.

But I’ve already said if he comes back in, I’ll let them know I can’t be the one to treat him.

The thought of taking care of him fills my mind.

Not only can I keep an eye on him if he’s here, but I can show him the reputable sites to look up information and make him food that is good for keeping symptoms at bay.

There’s silence on the phone and I’m about to say nevermind when Tyler speaks.

“Are you always off on Thursdays?” That question catches me off guard. “I ask because you always come in with that group on Thursdays. If you don’t work, why are you awake so early?”

I smile at those words. I move my bowl of curry to the coffee table and shift on the couch to get more comfortable. “I do work most Thursdays, but this week I switched with another nurse because she has a wedding to go to over the weekend. So she took my shift and I’ll take hers on Saturday.”

There’s another brief pause where I can hear mumbling but not make out the words.

Tyler comes back a few seconds later with a long sigh.

“I swear, it’s like she forgets I’m twenty now.

I might have to take you up on that offer just to get some quiet.

I’m planning on going to work on Thursday though.

A day in the hospital is sure to push me back a good buck, even with my insurance. ”

I did see that he has his own insurance, which is rare with people his age.

Not that I’m much older. I’m only twenty-nine.

Most will stay on their parents’ insurance until twenty-six, though.

There are options as far as payments, but that isn’t any of my business.

Another reason I should step back from being a part of his clinical team.

“If you feel like you want some quiet after working, just let me know. My apartment isn’t too far from the shop and hospital. I can give you the address.”

“I’ll let you know,” Tyler says. “I think right now, I’m going to go eat and then call it an early night. Thank you, again, for everything today.”