I sigh in frustration as I walk up the stairs with boxes in my arms. Mike was supposed to help me move today, but he got called in for Duty last night. I miss being on Duty, picking up the packed duffel bag that I never kept far from me and hopping on the next flight. The military life is all I know. Going from High School straight into the Army, and that was my life for seventeen years.

I put the boxes in the hallway, stacking them all near the door of my new apartment closer to my new job at Mount Sinai Hospital. I never thought in my thirty-four years that I would be working as a Surgeon in a regular hospital... But I was an Army Medic for fourteen years, so being a Surgeon in a hospital will be the closest thing to action I get.

It was seven in the morning when I set off driving through the New York City traffic. It took me an hour to get to my new apartment in Brooklyn. I didn't plan to live in Brooklyn, but it was the closest drive to the hospital, and it's in my military budget. The neighbourhood didn't give me a good impression on my first day since I watch as some blonde druggie stumbles out of the door wearing a blood-spattered shirt. I wasn't alarmed, but I was concerned about the person whose blood was on his shirt.

I decided not to run after him since he was already halfway down the road by the time I parked the truck and got out. Plus, the moving vehicle has to be back by four in the afternoon. When I got into the apartment, I tried to hear anything out of the ordinary, like someone screaming in pain, but I heard nothing. When I went to the elevator and tried to press the buttons but it didn't work. Then I look up to see the poorly made sign.

I look down at my watch and it's nine in the morning. I set up the coffee maker and I set the coffee table down in front of the leather couch, I hear my neighbour above me turning on their shower. New York apartments- I sigh, frustrated at how even at my new place I still get to listen to my neighbour shower

I pick up the two boxes filled with dishes walking up the long four flights of stairs. When I make it to my floor, I set them down next to the door looking at my watch. An hour and a half have passed, and I have a few boxes left in the truck. I go to head down the stairs when I collide with a small body, hitting the wall hard. I look down to see a woman about to fall down the stairs, but I catch her in time. I didn't even see her...

Her face scrunched up like she was embracing the fall, but when she notices she isn't falling her beautiful green eyes flutter open looking into mine. I could hear her heart pounding. She is terrified. Noah snap out of it! Make sure the woman is okay!

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." She shakes her head. She sounds winded, almost struggling to breathe. Did I hurt her ribs? I let go of her arms slowly, making sure she was steady and mentally checking off any medical symptoms- She moves her long brown hair away from her face, and that's when I notice a giant gash on her forehead.

"Your head." I go to check it out, but she moves away from my hand. That's not normal- She reaches her hand up to touch it and hisses. When she looks down at her side, I know, it's my cue to step in.

"I'm a doctor. Please. Let me help you." I feel horrible that I caused it- I should have been watching where I was going, but instead, I injured this beautiful woman's face.

I am snapped out of my crazy thoughts when I notice an accent in her voice when she speaks... Australian?

"It's just a cut. I'm fine." She stutters, trying to stand up away from the wall. "Woah." I hear her say, watching as her body starts to collapse.

"Woah there." I grab onto her, making sure she doesn't fall, "I got you." I won't let you fall. She more than likely has a concussion and she needs stitches. I wrap my hand around her small waist, practically feeling her bones as I walk us into my apartment. I walk her to the couch in the living room, feeling her small-framed body freaking out next to me. I feel her trying to pull away from me, but I grip her slightly.

"Let me set you down so I can take a look at your head." I place her down in the middle of the couch and head into the bathroom. I look through the different boxes filled with medical supplies looking for my bag. I rush back into the living room, expecting her to be gone, but luckily, she is still where I placed her. I sit down in front of her on the coffee table and open up the medical bag.

I need a better look at the cut- I reach to move her hair out of her face, but again she flinched away from my touch. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but there is one reason why women do that.

"I'm not going to hurt you" I speak softly not wanting to scare her off as I put on a pair of gloves. "I apologise for hurting you. I was zoned out, and I didn't see or hear you." I am frustrated with myself. She is silent, just watching my every movement.

I reach my hand out slowly, just in case my intuition was right about her and brushed the strands away from her face. She holds in a breath as I slide my hand under her jaw behind her head. This is, so she doesn't flinch away from me. I finally get a good look at her face- She looks so drained and tired with bags under her eyes and red veins surrounding her big green eyes. It seems like she hasn't slept in days. With my hand right up against her carotid artery, I feel her heart pounding against it. She's tachycardic...

"Just breathe," I whisper as she lets out a shaky breath. I examine the cut, and it's pretty deep, "It's a deep cut, you are going to need stitches." I let go of her face, opening up a new bag of gauze to clean it.

"I'm fine. I- thank you, Doctor, but I really need to leave." She finally speaks, trying to stand up from the couch. Oh no, you don't- I hold onto her shoulders, making her sit back down.

"Call me Noah." I smile, waiting for this beautiful, fragile woman I'm taking care of to answer with her name. But she doesn't.

"I-" She tries to say, but I give her a look. She goes to sit up again, but I beat her to it holding her shoulders down. She can't leave without stitches.

"I promise it won't take longer than ten minutes." I am so going against my medical teaching for this woman. "Skilled Surgeon fingers." I try to relax the tension in the room.

She hesitates but finally agrees. "Fine." She says in a monotone voice, looking up at the ceiling and not at me. I need to tell her everything I am about to do before I do it.

I put on a pair of gloves, grabbed the gauze and soak them in sterile water. I take an antiseptic solution to clean the area around the wound. When I clean most of the blood away, I notice slight bruising around it as well as some hair missing from the top of her head. I look down at her beautiful face and see her cheekbones are caving in. Taking a quick glimpse, I look down at her neck, and I see bruising.

"I need to numb the area." I go into my bag, grabbing a syringe filled with Lidocaine. "I will take this and prick the sides of the open wound." Which numbs the surrounding area so I can suture her forehead without her feeling any pain.

She nods her head slowly, squeezing her eyes shut signalling me she is terrified of needles. "It won't hurt." I chuckle slightly injecting the numbing solution around the open wound. When I'm done, she peeks her eyes open as I thread the needle with black thread.

"Time to stitch you back together." I smile down at her, giving her six stitches in the forehead. When I finish, I press the gauze down and tape it, so it doesn't get infected.

"Thank you." She whispers as I throw away the used medical supplies and gloves. "I should get going." She sounds nervous, as she picks her bag off the ground and heads for the door.

"If you experience any dizziness or vomiting-"

"Go to the Hospital. Got it." She interrupts me, nodding as he gets to the doorway. I follow behind her, mostly because I need to get the rest of my stuff out of the truck. But also I was hoping she didn't fall down the stairs. I pick up some of the boxes outside of my apartment, seeing her wince as she slowly walks down the stairs.

Nothing more to do except see her again and then I will get my chance to check for more injuries.

-

• If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote and answering the questions below •

-

Hello readers! I hope you're enjoying my new book. This is Noah, Noah is my favourite and I hope you like him too!

Questions:

1. What do you think of Noah?

2. Do you think Noah will be able to help Phoebe?

Thank you!

- Anna