Hate Me, Kiss Me

POV: ITALYAH

"Look at me, 57 years old and no son in law. What will become of me? I'll die before I walk my daughter down the ailse. Look at me, my Italy. I am perishing. Perishing!"

"Mom!" she yelled after her mother's vanishing body. She grabbed at the scattering dust, the grains went running through her palms. She gasped awake.

Pushing off her desk, she blinked her eyes open to realize it was all truly just a dream. A terrifying never ending dream... Doom settled on to her shoulders. Nightmares with the fast approaching month of february were always common. Her mother's nagging followed her even in to her dreams as another year passes with no husband to invite to family dinner.

Heck! At this point, her mother would be pleased if her 27 year old daughter just brought home a steady boyfriend. Italyah didn't even have that though.

"Enjoyed your nap, Nurse Cole?"

Tsk. Unfortunately, for Italyah's mother the only steady man in the nurse's life was the man looming over her. Tall, uncceptably handsome, weathy, a doctor and the most arrogant asshole Itaylah had ever met.

The good doctor folded his arms with a scowl, "I've been calling the CUG for the past five minutes. Imagine my delight when I find you resting so peacefully while the work piles up."

"Well, if you could find the time to come searching for me during my lunch break then I suppose the pile of work was not nearly as high as it could have been."

His jaw ticked, a jaw covered in stubble that Italyah couldn't help but notice, he had such a nice jawline. His physical appearance may have been his only 'nice' quality though.

He scuffed at her. Hilarious, was all Italyah could think. He hid behind professionalism, averted angry eyes and sometimes a blue mask, but his tense shoulders, crossed arms and impatient stance always screamed what his mouth couldn't. The truth.

Italyah's body language spoke too, because, she had arms she could cross as well and she certainly did. She didn't avert her angry eyes. No, she stared him down, her hackles up and her teeth gritted.

It was a tale as old as time. They were oil and water, stripes and floral print, cat and dog

With a constraint voice, he declared, "Your lunch break ended five minutes ago. Taking liberties with this clinic's time is so unlike you, Nurse Cole."

Liberties? Liberties! Going 5 minutes over on her lunch time during a ten hour shift was taking liberties! If this were an episode of tom and jerry, steam would be rising from the top of Italyah's head and her fist would swell to twice the size of her body and send this guy sailing across the world.

Italyah rose slowly from her seat. Keeping her hands pressed to the desk, so she didn't actually form the fist, she damn near shatter her teeth as she growled, "Now, look here, Dr Evans --"

"Nurse Cole!" Into the lunch room, Jamie came barelling in with arms flying. She grabbed Italyah, preventing the other nurse from completely destroying the head doctor. Gripping her shoulders, Jamie led Italyah away from the lunch room.

Before being dragged through the door, Italyah tossed a blatant glare toward Dr. Evans.

Asshole.

POV: JORDAN

Asshole!

Her eyes screamed what her lip wouldn't. Big brown gloabes that flipped the bird better than any hand could. Jordon was well aware that he went hunting for that one too. For the love of God though, the woman got under his skin. Every sharp gaze just sent her deeper and deeper under and there was no avoiding it. There was no avoiding her. Dare he admit it, he sought her out, purposefully every time.

It was impossible. Impossible to do anything else because even their little tiffs woke him up, made him feel alive. Jordan Evan's grandfather had started the small clinic in Klensindale. Klensindale was just a small town outside the city of Jasper. Though Jordon had spent a near decade building his career in the major hospitals of Jasper, he let himself be dragged to the small town by the old man so he could take over as the only doctor at Signature Health Clinic.

When his grandfather had opened the clinic, he hired a nurse. That nurse would work at the clinic until she eventually became the head nurse. Of the nine other members of staff: four nurses including the head nurse, one onsite pharmacist, one receptionist, one security guard and two janitors, the head nurse was his grandfather's favourite employee.

When the old man handed over operational duties to Jordan, a mere few months before his death, he forbade the young doctor from ever firing the woman. He had even gone so far to put it in his will that if she were ever fired, Jordan would lose any claim to the clinic, access to full wedding coverage if he were to marry and a ten million dollar pay out upon marrying her. His grandfather had dubbed it, an investment into his future.

Had he told Jordan that the head nurse was like a hissing cat he would have done anything in his power to change the man's mind. Italyah Cole was combative, difficult, opinionated, argumentative and absolute gorgeous.

The first day they'd met, Jordan was sure he'd been struck by lightening or that the world had stopped spinning. It was never the case that Jordan didn't come across very attractive women. There were many gorgeous women interested in a successful doctor and not to toot his own horn but he was a damn attractive dude. He was of his own right, hot shit.

It was the air around her that was fresher. It was the smell of her perfume that hit him as she extended her hand. It was most definitely her eyes, her eyes that told him her every thought for the next couple of months. Italyah Cole was not the prettiest woman he had ever met. She was the most breathtaking woman he had ever beheld and she hated his guts.

Him, Jordan, the man who always wanted to be near her, to have those expressive eyes merely glance at him. Him, the man who provoked those reactions from her hoping to create strong emotions in her. Emotions like what he felt, desperation for attention, for her time, for her affection.

Anything would do, any smidge or crumb of regard as long as her emotions were directed at him. As long as those emotions were what she felt because of him.

It would have been inappropriate to approach her. She was his employee. It was obviously imappropriate to ask an employee to date him. It was obviously inappropriate to think about her, her eyes, her lips, her voice whispering that she wanted him too. His imagination sure knew how to paint up images when it come to Italyah. Sometimes when alone all that would ring through his mind was her name. Italyah... Italyah.

Jordan, in the space of a couple months, had convinced himself that it didn't matter if what she felt was hatred. He just wanted to breathe the fresh air that surrounded her. He wanted to be in her space. So he provoked her. He kept her close. He sought her out. Even if when she stared at him her eyes screamed asshole. It was enough that she was looking at him.

POV: ITALYAH

Italyah could not believe her eyes, first her dreams and now standing at the clinic was Marjorie Cole.

Whisper - yelling, she cried, "Mom! What are you doing her?" Grabbing her mother's arms Italyah glanced around the half empty waiting area. The day was almost over, they would soon stop accepting clients. Only locals hung around, Mrs. Davidson was there waiting for her regular check up, every Tuesday and Thursday. Mr. Clarke and his latest wife, Mrs Clarke #3, were there again with another case of "I have cancer." -- spoiler: he didn't.

They all knew Marjorie and all about her mission to have her daughter marry. Italyah had, after all, spent every embarassing man hunting second of her teens and adulthood in good 'ole sunny Klensindale.

"Honey ask the doctor for the rest of the day off," Marjorie rushed. For the first time, Italyah truly focused in on her mother, sweat dampened her forehead causing a flew of her purplish silver hair to her skin. She was frantic and slightly breathless.

"Mom, what's going on?" Italyah's heard started to pound. Was her mother sick? "Should I call Doctor Evans?"

"Yes! Immediately."

Italyah looked her mother over, besides the sweat and obvious distress the older woman had no other indication of being hurt or unwell. Dread sunk into Italyah's heart. Her mind began to race through possible conditions. It could be anything, excess sweating and cardiopulmonary distress could mean a plethora of conditions ranging from the lungs to the heart to the goddamn kidneys.

"Mom, don't panic, we have the same blood type. We match. If you need a kidney --."

"Kidney?" Incredulous, her mother gave her a puzzled look before shrugging, recovering from her confusion quickly.

"Forget about that and listen to me, call the Doctor and take the rest of the day off. We need to go before the situation is out of control."

"Mom, what situation?"

"You won't believe it, my Italy. Bless you, my love. I have found your future husband."