My partner, my hero. (Originally Posted September 23, 2006)

For my birthday this year my baby brother (The Responsible One), gave me a pretty silver watch. I loved it. The longstanding joke between us is that any present he gives me becomes my “lucky” whatever. He gave me earrings one year. They were instantly my lucky earrings. When he was 11 he made me a necklace. It became my lucky necklace. This watch was my lucky watch. It was an integral part of my job. I NEEDED that watch. Plus, as I said, the second he gave it to me it became my lucky watch. I loved it.

The problem is, it has a weird latch on it and picks horrible times to fall off. Add to that the fact that I NEVER know it falls off until I go to take someone's pulse.

Last shift it poured most of the night. The rain came down in sheets.

I lost my lucky watch. It disappeared somewhere between Local ER and a run we had a few miles away. I noticed it was gone pretty quickly, tore apart the back of the squad, and realized it was probably on the ground out in the rain. I was a little heartbroken over it, but there was no way I was going to be able to find it in the middle of the night, in the middle of a downpour. Besides, I wasn’t even positive I lost it at the scene. Pseudo Dad talked me into going back to the scene, in the RAIN mind you, to look for it.

To make this already long, boring, only-interesting-to-me story a little shorter, he found it.
We were both drenched and sitting in the squad after what I thought was a fruitless ten minute search when he said, “Hold out your hand.” There it was. Still ticking too.

Pseudo Dad is my hero. We've only worked together for a few months and he already knows when to tell me to sleep, even if it's only for 25 minutes... He doesn't roll his eyes at me when I'm whining (at least not to my face)... He buys me a Slider or a cup of coffee when I'm destitute... He makes me laugh out loud and teases me mercilessly. He's a good guy. I couldn't ask for a better partner at work.

I'm a lucky girl. I have an unbelievably wonderful and supportive husband at home, and a great partner at work. You can't ask for much more.