For Andrea that warm, pleasant summer day started just like every other. She got up early, fed her cat Rory, made coffee and made herself breakfast. An hour later she was changed into shorts, sports bra, and a tank top - she was ready for her daily run. She emerged outside and stopped on the sidewalk in front of her house to do some quick stretches. The sun was shining hotly and she felt a warm breeze that rushed past her making the leaves on the trees flap wildly. She looked up at the Maple tree in her front yard and it was as though all the leaves were waving to her! She chuckled to herself and waved back to them. Anyone walking past her would have certainly thought she was nuts! A breeze, any breeze, was an asset to a runner in Illinois on a hot, humid, summer day. She took a deep breath and began to jog. She hadn't been running long, just about a year now but it was very addicting and helped to relieve some of the stress in her life. She was a nurse on the surgical floor of Edward Hospital in Naperville and found it to be a very rewarding job but stressful none-the-less. Not to mention it kept her lean and trim. And Andrea liked to eat! She turned the corner and jogged on. As she passed an elderly neighbor's house the old woman called out to her.

"Annie! Have a nice day!" Andrea waved to her but ran on. There was no stopping while she was exercising. She came to a cross street, looked both ways quickly and then moved on, air pumping in and out of her lungs. It was at this point in the run she always mentally thanked herself for not smoking. She mentally chastised herself for having lived with a smoker for 3 years but smiled knowing she was rid of that dead weight. Her ex-boyfriend, Jamie, was a smoker. He was also a loser. He was an auto mechanic who wanted to work part-time and sponge off of Andrea full-time. When she discovered the "other" woman that was the end of Jamie. Once he was out of her life and, even though it was the dead of winter, she opened up all the windows in her apartment and let the smoke, and memories of him, drift away. It took two days! It took another six months to find the right house and she moved on with her life. She left her apartment and her job in Berwyn, found a nursing position at Edward Hospital and moved to a quaint little house in Naperville. Her breathing was coming faster and the sweat was running down from her head onto her back. It felt wonderful this freedom. She sucked air into her nose and out her mouth as the pavement moved beneath her feet. After an hour of running she spent the last 20 minutes walking back home to stretch the muscles. She stopped by her neighbor's house and greeted her properly this time. Feeling sweaty and reeking with perspiration, Andrea excused herself and went home to shower before leaving for the hospital. She was due on the floor at 3. She was a third-shifter.

The fifth floor surgical unit was quiet when Andrea arrived. Karen, a short, chubby, pixie-faced nurse strolled up to her and smiled a knowing smile.

"You have got yourself a famous patient tonight Annie." She said. Andrea put her hands on her hips and reached for the chart Karen was holding in her hand. Karen pulled it backwards. "Have you ever heard of someone named Brent Scanlon?" She asked. Andrea frowned and looked up.

"No, I haven't. Who is he?" She held her hand out for the chart. Once more Karen held it out of her reach.

"He's a rock star from a group called Foul." Karen said, waiting for Andrea to acknowledge she knew of them. Andrea shook her head.

"Again, don't know who they are. Now give me that chart!" Karen handed it to her.

"I never heard of them either but supposedly he's famous." Andrea opened the chart and read why he was in the hospital.

"When was he admitted?" She asked, reading.

"Just this morning. I guess he came here for a concert a couple of days ago, had a sore throat and now it has developed into an abscess. They canceled the tour indefinitely and Dr. Georgenson wants him watched carefully. Can you handle that?" Karen teased. Andrea closed the chart and glared at Karen.

"What, is he Mel Gibson or something?" Karen giggled and walked away.

"No, but the other nurses think he's pretty hot." Andrea sighed and headed down the hallway towards his room.

The door was closed and she pushed it open quietly. The patient lay on his back in the bed, the covers pulled up under his chin. There was a visitor sitting in a chair next to the bed, a very bald man with a black mustache and goatee. He stood as Andrea entered the room. He was quite tall and thin, he was wearing a black t-shirt and very baggy, denim pants. He looked like a rock star much more so than the pathetic looking patient lying in the bed.

"Hi." The tall man said. Andrea smiled at him.

"Hi. My name is Annie and I'll be his nurse for the night. Are you a relative?" She asked going over to the I.V. bag and checking the levels.

"Uh, no." Tall Man said. "My name is Curt. I'm his friend." Andrea nodded and looked at the computer screen above the head of the bed. She punched in some numbers and then reached down for the man in the bed's arm and checked his I.V. site. At the light touch of her fingers the Brent's eyes opened and he looked up at Andrea. He was quite handsome, she noticed right away. His crystal blue eyes watched her. Andrea smiled at him.

"Hi, I'm Annie. I'll be your nurse for a while. How are you feeling right now?" He opened his mouth and she held her hand out. "Don't try to talk, just nod yes if you are okay, no if you feel crappy." He shook his head "no" with no hesitation. She reached down and grabbed her ear thermometer and stuck it in his ear. "I will see if I can get you something for pain." She read the temperature, made a note of it on the computer screen. She went over to the other side of the bed and took hold of his wrist, checking his pulse. As she watched the clock he was watching her. She was beautiful with her long, straight, blonde hair, small up-turned nose, pink cheeks, and deep blue eyes. Wow, he thought, much better than the fat one that just left not too long ago. She had the bedside manner of a wet rag. Not this one, her touch was gentle, her voice soothing. He got goose bumps when she applied slight pressure to his wrist. She dropped it back onto the bed and he turned to her again, watching, not saying anything. Next came a blood pressure check. Curt watched this exchange with interest. It was quite amusing being with Brent and him not running off at the mouth! Andrea slid her hand under Brent's head and lifted it and readjusted his pillow. She asked him to open his mouth so she could look inside. He did and she saw the large lump that nearly closed this throat off. She frowned and nodded.

"Thanks." She said and he closed his mouth. "Are you comfortable, do you need anything? If you do, write it down and you can push the page button or send Curt for me, okay?" She looked into his eyes and thought she could see his pain. "And I'll check on those pain meds." He nodded as she turned and walked out of the room. Once she was gone Curt stood up and walked to the side of the bed and smiled at Brent.

"Wow, man, if you're gonna be sick that's the chick you want to nurse you back to health." Brent smiled and raised his eyebrows. He had a few things to say about it but his throat felt like a lump of raw meat and talking would be not only quite painful but darn near impossible. He just winked at Curt. "I'm thinking I may have to rent a bed here - at least for the night! Did you see her ass?" Brent frowned, reached up and pushed him backwards. Curt stood by the window and looked out. Brent swallowed and winced. This pain was unbearable. Just then Andrea burst back into the room waiving a hypodermic needle.

"I've got drugs!" She said cheerfully. Curt turned around to watch her. "In which cheek do you want it?" Brent's eyes opened wide and he glanced over at Curt. Curt laughed silently. Andrea pulled down the covers and pulled up his gown. "Let's see which cheek has the most meat." Brent rolled over to one side and she surveyed his thigh and buttock. He was lean with very little fat. "This may hurt a little." She said, rubbing the site with an alcohol wipe and uncapping the needle with her teeth. She pinched a bit of skin with her fingers and slid the needle in and back out quickly. She rubbed the site a moment and pulled his gown back down. He rolled back onto his back and she pulled the covers up again. She noticed his cheeks were a little flushed. "You okay?" She asked slipping the needle into a sharps container. He nodded a little hesitantly. She leaned down close to him, touched his cheeks - they were a little warm - and whispered "You will start feeling better shortly. That was Demerol I gave you." He watched her and nodded. Whatever that is, he thought. "Okay, I'll be back in a while unless you need me before then." She left again.

"Fuck, man." Curt said. "I think I need a shot. I'd drop trou in a second for her." Brent smiled, his eyes curling up at the corners. She'd need a shot after fucking you, Brent thought but couldn't and wouldn't say it out loud.

Curt stayed for a couple of hours. As he was leaving he spotted Andrea at the nurse's station and approached her. He wanted to ask her what time she was finished, perhaps she'd like to have dinner with him but he was hesitant. Instead he told her that either he or someone else would be back in a while to keep Brent company. Andrea told him that would be fine and then he left. Andrea checked on her patient every hour, checked his vitals, made notations in the computer. Brent enjoyed his hourly visits with Andrea. He wished he could converse with her, he'd like to work his charm and watch her giggle and blush. This throat infection was pure torture, and he was starving on top of it all. At seven Andrea noticed two other guys going into Brent's room. One was tan and muscular with wild, curly brown hair, the other paler and bald just like Curt. When she went in to check Brent's I.V. bag they introduced themselves as Kelvin and Geoff, also bandmates of Brent's. They were very animated and kept Andrea there a while chatting, laughing, and telling stories. Finally she excused herself and went to check on the other surgical patients.

At Eight she booted them out. Visiting hours were over. Brent was unsure of whether or not he was glad they had to go or sad. He was glad because now he could be alone with Andrea but sad because he couldn't talk to her and at least Kelvin and Geoff talking to her kept her near and he could watch her expressions as she listened, hear her laugh, take in her voice as she conversed with them. The pain medication worked and he was sitting up, watching T.V. when she came into the room at a little after nine.

"You feeling a little better?" She asked reaching for his arm to check the I.V. site again. Brent nodded. "You look better." He smiled at her. He scribbled something something on a piece of paper that was on the tray table in front of him and held it up to her. It said: want to stay for a while and visit with me? She smiled at him. "I wish I could but I have other patients to check on." He scribbled something else and showed it to her: please! She sighed. "Okay, a few minutes." He winked at her and she sat on the foot of the bed. He started to scribble and then showed her the paper. So are you married, he wrote. She shot him a look. "No, I am not married." Have you ever heard of me? She shook her heard. "I'm sorry to say I haven't. What group are you in?" It's called Foul, he wrote. She frowned. "What kind of music do you sing?" Alternative. She shrugged. "I'm a classical music girl myself." He stuck out his tongue. Not for me, he wrote. "It's not for everyone. I find it very relaxing, I even listen to it while I run." Which was a lie but he didn't need to know that. His eyebrows went up, you a runner, he wrote. She stood up and checked the computer for the time she was supposed to give him antibiotics. He watched her closely. She certainly had the body of a runner, lean and tight. He tried not to smile and it didn't work. "Yes, I run. Everyday. When it doesn't rain or snow, that is!" She walked over to the side of the bed and rested her hand on his arm. "I have to go now but I will be back to check on you. Don't hesitate to push that button if you need me." He grabbed her arm to stop her. He noticed it was soft, smooth, and warm to the touch. He then scribbled more on the paper and showed it to her. How long you here for, he wrote. "My shift is up at 11." He nodded. "Remember, if you need me ..." She pointed to the remote control which turned the T.V. on and off and also rang for the nurse then walked out.

When she was gone he leaned back against the pillows and sighed. His throat hurt really bad. It even hurt to breathe. And when he yawned, he thought he saw stars last time! He thought about Andrea and smiled a sly smile. Shit, if he felt better he would have her in his arms! She was beautiful, smart, friendly, and that body ... He closed his eyes. How long would it be before he felt better? He didn't know and that damned doctor hadn't come back to see him since admitting him earlier. He thought about the tour, it was canceled for a week or two due to his illness. That was bothering him some. He wondered about Roberta, his girlfriend. Had anyone contacted her to tell her he was in the hospital? And if they had gotten a hold of her, why wasn't she here? Wasn't this life-threatening? He could die here and he would die alone!! He thought of Andrea. Andrea wouldn't let him die. At least she wouldn't let him die alone. He was tired and he wanted to sleep but his mind wouldn't let him. He kept thinking about his nurse. He envisioned himself with her, touching her, kissing her. He drifted off into slumber and dreamed weird dreams of concerts and Andrea and his throat as big as his whole head. It was disturbing and he awoke with a start sometime later to find Andrea injecting something into his I.V. He tried to mumble something to her and it came out as a squeak. She looked at him quickly.

"Don't talk." She instructed. He cheeks were pink again and she touched his face gently. It was warm. "Do you want some more pain meds?" She asked as she stuck the thermometer in his ear again. His temp was up there. It worried her and she considered paging Dr. Georgenson just to let him know. He nodded, yes. She took his pulse and then his blood pressure, made some notes on the computer. She took her stethoscope from around her neck and stuck the ear pieces in her ears. "I'm going to listen to your heart." She told him and pulled down the covers and pulled his gown up. The first thing she noticed was his hard-on and then she noticed the goose bumps that popped up all over his chest, tummy, and arms. She ignored the hard-on but couldn't ignore the goose bumps. It was another sure sign of fever. He closed his eyes, embarrassed, while she listened to his heart quickly and then pulled down his gown and pulled up the covers.

"Sorry." He whispered as best he could. The strain of using his throat sent shooting pains through him. She put her finger to her lips and said "Shhhh, don't talk." She pulled a pen out of her pocket and made a few notes in his chart then left the room only to come back a moment or two later with a needle. She gave him his shot and then tucked him in the best she could.

"Do you want me to stay with you for a few minutes?" She asked, feeling sorry for him. He glanced at her with his tearful blue eyes and nodded pitifully. The other patients were asleep and she had time to spare so she sat down on the bed by his feet again. "It won't be long and you will feel better. And probably sleepy too." He nodded to her and closed his eyes. She sat there and watched him. When she saw him relaxing against the pillows she rubbed his shins lightly through the covers. Twenty minutes later he was asleep again. She got up and snuck out of the room.

Andrea was sitting at the desk at the nurse's station when the phone rang. It was MaryAnn, the nurse due at eleven to relieve her. She said she was going to be late and could Andrea cover her for an hour. Andrea said she would. What difference would it make to her, she was just going home alone to an empty house -- and Rory! At Eleven she checked on Brent again, he was still sleeping. Good, maybe some rest would do him some good. She knew that the abscess would need to be lanced before it got too bad and she was worried about that. It wasn't a pretty surgery. MaryAnn showed up right around midnight and Andrea went back to check on Brent once more before leaving. She checked the bag and then touched his hand where the I.V. was plugged into his vein. He responded to her touch by rolling over. His eyes flickered open but she could tell he was still asleep, his pupils were huge! He looked at her but didn't see her. She checked his pulse and then his blood pressure, they were both fine. She checked his temperature and it was high, 102.7. She touched his face. He groaned and blinked once or twice, his pupils still large. He tried to say something and squeaked instead. Once again she tried to stop him from talking by touching his lips with her finger and saying "shhhhhh." He reached out for her, grabbed her hand and held it tightly. She rubbed his arm and his grip loosened and he let go. She watched him a moment and then left him for the night. When MaryAnn came in Andrea left for home.

Brent was sleeping restlessly, his dreams were wild and vivid. He saw himself laying in the bed and Andrea was coming to him. She pulled down the covers and pulled up his gown. He was naked and ready for her. She hovered over him and he felt her presence but she did not touch him. He reached for her and his hand passed through her. He felt her lips brush his, was it a kiss? He couldn't tell. Then she was floating away and he was naked and ready for sex but he was alone. He was always alone ... He started to cry softly ....