A Man to Believe In. Kathleen Pickering

feeling like one problem would soon be solved. He’d have to take up Cassie on her offer of rides to work. Not that he’d have a problem with that arrangement. Now, he just had to find a place to live.

      Working his way toward the hospital, Peter ducked into a pizza place to grab a slice. A few mothers and their kids sat around an outside table eating a large pie that was three quarters finished. The boys were fooling around shooting spitballs through straws at the girls across the table. Instead of complaining, the girls shrieked with laughter, ducking and shooting back with their own straws. No one, including the mothers deep in conversation, noticed the youngest girl busy chewing her pizza.

      As Peter watched, he saw the girl try to swallow, then struggle. Her gag reflex kicked in. Peter rose to attention, ready to help, but didn’t want to interfere if the mothers were going to give her aid. The girl’s face reddened. Panic lit her eyes. Clearly, if she couldn’t speak she was choking and no one was noticing.

      The server slid Peter’s slice on the counter. Without looking, Peter said, “Just a second...”

      The mothers noticed him approaching then realized his focus was on the girl, who was silently gagging. The mother across the table said, “Oh, God! Jenny!”

      Peter pulled the girl into his lap, opened her mouth, holding her jaw open, and reached thumb and forefinger to grab the wad of cheese he saw caught in her throat. As he pulled, the cheese came out first in a clump, then stretched like a long string. Peter reached in again, grasping as much of the cheese as he could. The girl continued to gag, stiffening with fear.

      “Easy, honey. We’ll get this out. Shhh. Just relax...” He didn’t want the cheese string to break, leaving pieces lodged in the kid’s airway.

      The girl seemed to realize Peter was her only hope. Tears running down her face, she stopped struggling. For five years old or so, she seemed pretty smart, and Peter was grateful as hell. He didn’t want to have to call an ambulance and administer the Heimlich while waiting. This kid was small. He might crack a rib. One last gentle pull and the final wad of cheese came out.

      “Got it!” He said, triumphant, and tossed the cheese onto the girl’s plate. The girl started to cough from the gag reflex.

      “Jenny!” The mother grabbed the girl from Peter’s lap. “Oh, honey. Are you okay?”

      The table had fallen silent, the girl’s siblings watching with dropped jaws before breaking into bedlam.

      “Did you see that? Jenny almost died!”

      “Who are you, mister?”

      “How’d you know she was choking?”

      “Did you get it all? Is she okay?”

      “Oh, man. That was disgusting!”

      Jenny’s mother stared at Peter in disbelief. “I can’t believe you got her to stay so still. She usually panics and screams when she’s afraid.”

      Peter stood. “Well, her survival instincts must be pretty good.” He frowned when he realized what the woman said. “Let me point out that she couldn’t have screamed. I saw her try, which is how I knew she was in trouble. That’s the problem when someone is choking. They can’t talk, so if you’re not aware, they can choke to death without making a sound.”

      The woman went pale. “Oh, Lord. I had no idea.” She grabbed his hand. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here. You knew just what to do.”

      “I’m a nurse. But this is really important, ma’am. If you wouldn’t have known what to do, can I suggest you take a CPR course? You never know when something like this can happen. I’m sure Mercy Hospital or the kids’ pediatrician can point you in the right direction.”

      The mothers nodded in agreement. “That’s a great idea. We’ll do that.”

      One of the other girls pointed to Peter’s forehead. “What happened to your eye?”

      He’d forgotten about his wound. He must look awful. “Car accident. It looks worse than it feels.”

      The girl grimaced. “It looks bad.”

      He smiled. Kids were so damned honest. “It’ll get better soon.” He gestured to the counter. “I’m going to grab my lunch. Have a good day.”

      The woman reached for her purse. “Please, let me at least buy your pizza.”

      He waved away the woman’s offer. “I already paid. Please, no thanks.”

      He patted the girl’s shoulder, noting she still sat with her head against her mother’s chest. She’d had a brush with a little terror and would probably be staying away from pizza for a while. He stooped down to the girl’s level. “You’re fine now, honey. I know that was scary. Just chew your food really well next time. Okay?”

      Jenny nodded, complete trust in her eyes. Her expression pulled at Peter’s heart. Yeah. He loved being a nurse, especially for kids. Someone had to help them feel safe.

      Back on the sidewalk again, his direction led to Mercy Hospital. Four days until his first day at work, but he was curious to see how the E.R. operated. Doc had told him there was a staff of fifteen in emergency, including five nurses. He made six. He’d like to get familiar with the flow of the department before starting his first day. He didn’t want to admit a small part of him hoped to run into Cassie.

      The glass doors swished apart as he walked into the hospital. The waiting room was a decent size, painted a soft hue of yellow with lots of natural light through the windows. Large potted plants framed the windows, giving the effect of the outdoors inside. He’d exited through the staff entrance on Tuesday with Cassie so he’d missed the reception area. The modern comfortable seating, a widescreen television, a play area to distract kids and a sign offering free Wi-Fi and laptop borrowing made the place seem more like a family room than a hospital waiting room. Nice.

      He approached the reception desk, where a woman sat behind an open window. “I’m Peter Chapman. New nurse. I start next week. I was hoping I could come in and look around a bit.”

      She returned his smile. “I remember you. Your eye looks better.” She held out a hand. “I’m Carmen.”

      “A pleasure. So, is Dr. Bailey around?”

      She hit the buzzer on a door. “Come in. He’s here somewhere.”

      The charge nurse with the shiny black hair caught back in a bun and a fun smile was the first person he saw.

      She waved from the nurse’s station. “How’s the eye?”

      “Looks worse than it feels. You’re Rachel, right?”

      “Yes, indeed. What brings you here?”

      “My truck is in for repair.” He gestured to his feet. “Since I’m limited in range, I thought I’d see if I can get some orientation around the E.R. before I start work. Maybe fill out my papers and get all the red tape out of the way.”

      As he spoke, Cassie emerged from a nearby examination room. His heart almost stopped in his chest. So much for thinking his initial reaction to her had been a fluke.

      Her long locks were pulled back in an elastic band, her eyes bright and smiling. She wore a white long-sleeved crewneck shirt beneath a pair of charcoal V-neck scrubs. Gray sneakers with pink laces adorned her feet. A stethoscope around her neck, a chart in her hand, she looked at home and thriving in her profession. Everything about her screamed she was his version of the ideal woman. An angel and a caregiver wrapped in one. Amazing.

      He blew out a breath just to make sure he was still breathing. He didn’t know if he liked her better in scrubs or biking clothes. He’d like the chance to see a few more choices to round out his decision.

      A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw him.

      He waved. “Hi.”

      She