Just as we expected, people start muttering behind us as soon as we walk past them. I hope he’s right about all this, because right now, I feel like I’m chum in the water, and the staff here is a group of starving sharks ready to attack.
I let out a slight sigh of relief when I see Bridget, waiting where we agreed upon, with a huge smile on her face. She looks so pleased I half-expect her to start a slow clap. Thankfully, she doesn’t. Instead she waits for us at the locker room door, waiting until we get closer, then she hugs me and says just loud enough for all the prying ears to hear, “It’s about time I can quit keeping this secret. I’m so glad you two are out as a couple now.”
Nate lets go of my hand and kisses my head. “I’m sure you two need to discuss, but I have a surgery to get ready for. Have a good day, Gorgeous. I’ll talk to you later.”
All of this, right down to his farewell, was planned. Bridget said just enough to make people go to her for information, and as a trusted friend, Nate and I agreed she should share we have been together for a few weeks now. It covers a couple of bases. One, it says we can work together professionally. Two, it says we aren’t just a fling and he’s not open for the taking. Third, it’s accurate information we can control getting out.
Another part of our getting ahead of things was each of us emailing our direct bosses over the weekend, giving them a heads-up and promising we would be nothing but professional while we are here. We cited the length of our relationship already, as well as how successfully Simon and Bridget navigated these same waters, as our justification.
Miranda was happy for us, but cautioned me. Just like we knew, my probationary period isn’t up yet. This won’t be a mark against me in any way, but it could play a part if any complaints or reports are filed against me.
Nate’s boss was less happy about it, but he couldn’t argue the work we’ve done. And since Simon and Bridget’s relationship was accepted, ours needed to be too. So far, everything has gone right. But we’ve only been here for a few minutes.
“Phase one is complete,” Bridget whispers. “I’ll do what I can to make sure everyone knows only facts, and gets bored with you two as fast as possible.”
I give her one last hug and whisper back, “Thank you. We both appreciate it.”
We break apart after an extra squeeze of reassurance and luck then head off in our own directions; I’m ready to start the day, dive into my job, and hopefully ignore all the chatter and gossip I’m sure will spread throughout the hospital after our very public declaration.
****
Nate
“Seriously, Nathan? You’re openly with her?” April is standing across from me in an empty hallway with her arms folded over her chest. “That can’t be allowed. It must be against hospital rules. I mean, I’ve already noticed how you have gone easy on her.”
The nerve of this woman. “Enough, Miss Johnson. You do not get to question my professionalism. She has been shown the same respect as any other employee in this hospital, who has proven they are competent and good at their job. Are we clear?”
She snaps her mouth shut, fighting the urge to spew more bullshit I’m sure, and nods her head. I’m sure this can’t be the end of her complaining, but I’ll handle it as necessary. She is not my boss, after all.
“Good. Since you are my subordinate, I don’t answer to you. Out of professional courtesy, and what I’m hoping is concern for our patients only, I will let you know both my and Dee’s supervisors know what is going on. There are safeguards in place already due to the very thing you are accusing me of.”
“Nathan, I’m not accu—”
“It’s Dr. Alexander, April. I’m afraid in my attempt to be kind and professional, allowing you to use my first name, you have taken it to mean you are in a higher position and standing than you are. From here on out, you are Miss Johnson; I am Dr. Alexander. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Dr. Alexander. It’s crystal clear.”
“Very well. We have rounds to get to, if you need a moment or two; please take them. You can join me anytime you are ready.”
I wait for her acknowledgement, the one that comes in the form of a silent nod; then walk down the hall to start on my rounds.
I knew she would have a problem with this news, it’s nothing Dee and I didn’t expect, but I am shocked she actually called me on it. The accusatory, angry tone was a little surprising, too. Dee warned me she was acting like a woman who lost out on her man, not a concerned coworker, at the restaurant. I was, and still am, hopeful April will handle this professionally and maturely after today. She and Dee had been making some progress.
Heads turn and whispers stop when I step on the elevator, and each of the women occupying it watch me closely as the doors close and it starts to rise to our floors. “Ladies, how are you all doing?”
Shock flitters through each of their expressions like dominoes, and only one has the nerve to speak up first, “Well, Dr. Alexander. I’m well. How are you?”
“I can’t complain one bit.” The elevator dings when we stop at my floor and I step off. “You ladies have a good day now.”
Not even a second after I’ve stepped away from them, I hear the faint sound of stifled giggles and “Oh my Gods.” I can’t fight the smirk overtaking my face. Now that I’m off the market and everyone knows, it will make shocking the women around here entertaining. I can say hello without them thinking I’m hitting on them. By now, I would imagine every Memorial Hospital employee has heard the news.
It’s the freest I have ever felt working here. Funny how my feeling free comes with the fact I am also less free from dating than I have been in a very long time.
I’m constrained by a relationship, yet free from all the flirty, hopeful efforts of everyone. I’d say Cassidee Parker is a damn good reason to be attached, and an even better cause of my freedom than I could’ve ever imagined.
Twenty-Nine
Nate
“Hey, Gorgeous.” I set my phone down on my desk and open up my laptop, checking my emails and searching for anything my brothers have sent about the foundation. “What are you up to tonight?”
We don’t always go home alone, but we do both have other responsibilities, and some breaks are nice. I missed seeing her after I finished at the hospital though, especially since today was announcement day.
“I’m just walking. How about you?”
I’m momentarily distracted when I read an email Jackson sent, regarding the legal and financial information with our foundation I asked for, but I caught enough to answer her right… I think. “Where are you walking?”
“You sound distracted. Should I come back later?”
“What?” I minimize the email. “No, you shouldn’t call back later. I’m sorry. You have my full attention now. Where are you walking?”
“Come to your door and find out for yourself, Nate.” She doesn’t give me a chance to respond before the line goes dead.
She wasn’t supposed to come by tonight. She had a video dinner date with her friend back home and she wanted to get some things done before work tomorrow. I get up and walk to the front door and open it though, finding her standing there with her hair piled in a messy knot on top of her head. She’s wearing short cotton shorts, a plain tank top, no makeup, and she has a bag in her hand. “What’s all this?”
“After today, I thought we should probably do dinner and talk tonight. Nothing serious. And since talking usually leads to more, I brought clothes with me for work tomorrow, just in case.” Her words alone reflect confidence, but the sheepish look on her face, along with the way she keeps glancing down, has me believing she’s not sure she should be here.
“That’s the best thought I’ve heard all day.” I reach out and take her bag from her, then step aside so she can come in. “What do you want to do for dinner?”
“I picked up a pizza on my way. There’s a six-pack, pizza, and cheesy bread down in my back seat.” She smiles and holds her keys out. “Could you get it, I have to pee.
”
I drop her heavier than I would have expected bag on my floor and take the keys, chuckling. “I suppose. But only because I don’t want you pissing yourself trying to get down and back. And I don’t want my dinner getting cold.”
“You’re such a charmer, Dr. Desirable,” she teases then walks away from me toward my bathroom. “Don’t forget to lock the car before you come back up.”
“You’re lucky you’re so gorgeous!” I shout for her to hear in the bathroom. “Otherwise I’d have something to say about your bossy, demanding behavior.”
“I’d love to hear whatever it is!” she calls back, voice hollow due to the closed bathroom door. “But first get our dinner.”
I shake my head and head out the front door, making my way to her Civic so I can get our food and beer. It’s a quick trip to her car, and the second I open her back door the smell of pizza and cheesy bread fills the air around me. My stomach immediately growls and I hurry back up to her so we can dig in.
“I’m back with the food, you little punk.” I let the door slam shut behind me and set our pizza and beer on my counter, watching her pad barefoot over to me.
“Who do you think you’re calling a little punk, ya big jerk?” She perches her hands on her hips and pops up on her toes, completing her attempt at appearing big and angry. It’s insanely sexy though, not intimidating. The way her tank top is clinging to her, and the subtle rise of her already short shorts, has my mouth watering.
“You. Do you have a problem with that?” I step closer to her so she has to look up at my face, and she shakes her head no, muttering something beneath her breath as she turns with attitude and tries to walk away.
I reach out and grab her by the arm. “Oh no you don’t.” I reel her back toward me and turn her into me, dipping my head to claim her lips with my own and grinning. “You’re feisty tonight, Gorgeous.”
She kisses me back and growls against my lips. “It was a long day.”
I let go of her arm, grinning wide, and kiss her again. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re here though. I was just starting foundation stuff.”
“Oh shit. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll work on it again after we eat. It shouldn’t take too long, minus talking to my brothers...” I open the box of pizza and my mouth waters even more than it did in her car. “My favorite.”
“I know what my boyfriend likes.” I know what she’s getting at. She wants to talk about today, anything we’ve heard about ourselves, and the responses we’ve gotten from others.
“You do, Gorgeous.” I reach past her and open the cabinet housing the plates, pulling two out and past her head. “One slice or two?”
“Two please, thank you. Do you want a beer?”
I nod my head and she pulls two beers from the six-pack and then puts the rest in the refrigerator while I put slices on both our plates. “Why don’t you tell me about your day first?”
We walk into the living room and drop onto my couch, using the coffee table as our dining table for the evening.
“It was busy, hectic. Everyone watched me closely and whispered constantly behind my back. It’s safe to say I’m the most known, possibly hated woman in the hospital for snagging you up.” She takes a bite of her pizza, and I pop open her beer for her.
“They don’t hate you. Nobody does, not even April.” I hope.
“Speaking of, April apologized to me before I left today, apparently she made some comments about us to you, and you told her why she was wrong. She said she figured I would find out anyway, so she wanted to apologize to me before it happened.”
That’s not what I expected her to say; it does make me happy though. I want April and Dee getting along. They’re both valuable assets in the healthcare setting. “She couldn’t believe we are together. She questioned my judgment and professionalism. I told her in no uncertain terms she had no right. I insisted she call me Dr. Alexander from now on, too.”
“Damn.” Dee takes a drink and picks off a piece of cheesy bread. “So she won’t be calling you Nathan or Dr. Desirable then?”
“Hell no. The only person who I will ever allow to call me Dr. Desirable is you. As far as Nathan, I probably shouldn’t have been allowing that to begin with. Maybe had she not made it clear she liked me once, but since she did, I should’ve been more aware and conscientious about keeping her at an arm’s length.”
“You were just trying to be nice.” She takes another bite of pizza and then sets it down, wiping her hands off. “Bridget told me there was a lot of talking down in the ER between seeing patients. Most of the nurses didn’t even know who I was, which is good I guess. The ones who did, she said, weren’t too cruel or hurtful about their opinions.”
“That’s a positive on the day. I’m glad they aren’t being cruel or hurtful, you don’t need that.” I reach out to wipe some pizza sauce she missed from the corner of her mouth then let her lick it off my finger.
“Apparently so many nurses thought you were gay they’re all just happy you aren’t. Now, if we break up, they think they’ll have a chance.”
“Joy. If we break up, do you think they’d believe you were my beard?” I’m not serious. Not completely anyway. It would be worth thinking about though.
Dee’s sweet, full laugh rings out into the room, and I smile at my words having had the desired effect on her. “I guess you could try it. I should probably not take out a full billboard over how good you are in bed then, though. I’d hate to ruin it for you.”
“That would be disappointing,” I respond, shoving the rest of my pizza into my mouth.
“That was attractive.” She rolls her eyes and tears off a piece of her crust, pushing it between her lips, reminding me of other things I’ve seen pass through them in much of the same way.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” I say around my food. “My brothers will be calling any minute now, and I can’t ignore them. It won’t take me long though, then I’m all yours for the rest of the night.”
She drinks her beer and crosses her legs in her seat. “Foundation stuff, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. You’re welcome to come in and listen. Or you can watch TV out here or in my room.”
She ponders things for a moment then rises, shoving her pizza in her mouth, and carrying it there while she takes our plates to the kitchen. She pulls the slice out of her mouth and says, “I’ll sit and listen. I am so intrigued by all you do. I’d love to hear what I can and know more. But if there is private information, I can stay away?”
“I’ll tell my brothers you’re listening, they can either share the financial stuff, or we can talk about it later. I’ll leave it up to them.”
****
Dee
“Perfect. I’ll take my drink and just listen then.” I give him a smile, return to the coffee table to grab my beer, and follow him into his office. “I’m still amazed at how nice this space is. I really do love it. I could do so much in here if it were mine to make it a mini-library.”
He looks around his office and then looks at me. “I’ve never really thought much about using it for that purpose. I guess it would work though.”
“It would. And most book lovers imagine having libraries in their homes, but I don’t think most of the normal population, such as yourself, do. So it’s okay you didn’t.”
His laugh rings out just as his call comes in, and he answers it while he is still cackling at my library and book love. I take a seat in the chair he has by the window. It’s soft black leather, doesn’t recline, but is so fluffed up and comfy I could easily imagine losing myself to a book in this very spot.
“What are you laughing at, fucker?” one of his brothers asks.
“He was probably watching some porn or something and nearly got caught,” the other adds.
“You’re both fucking idiots,” Nate answers, chuckling some more. “If you must know, I was laughing at something Dee just told me. So you both know, she’s in the room with me, s
o try to be on your best fucking behavior. She doesn’t need to know what dipshits you are. Got it?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. This woman is real? Dee! Are you actually there or is that the name he’s giving to his sex doll?”
“Fucking hell,” Nate mutters, as I start laughing hysterically.
“Dude, that’s a woman’s laugh. Our little boy really is growing up,” the other brother says. “It’s nice to hear you, Dee. We thought Dickhead was lying about having met someone.”
“What if he just hit a button and made the computer or his phone sound like a woman laughing?” the first brother adds.
The three of them are relentless with each other. I’m certain Nate gives as much as he’s taking tonight, when he isn’t on the hot seat, and it makes me happy. I rise and point to the computer, catching his attention over the monitor. He shakes his head, face alight with amusement, and mouths he’s sorry.
I shrug my shoulder, still grinning, and mouth back “Want me to come over so they lay off?”
“Look at that stupid fucking grin,” a voice carries from the screen again. “You just caught him in the act, X-Man. He really is faking this shit.”
Xavier laughs at what Jackson said, and Nate rolls his eyes. “You two are too stupid for your own good. Come here, Gorgeous. Shut them the fuck up for me.”
He holds his hand out and I take it when I round the desk, letting him pull me down into his lap. I’m pretty sure both his brothers’ jaws drop to the ground when they see me, and I love I could give him this small victory over them.
“Holy fuck,” one of the brothers says. He’s wearing a backward black cap, a tee, and is grinning wide. I recognize him instantly as Xavier Alexander, hockey phenom.
“Xavier Jace! Watch your fucking mouth,” Nate chastises his youngest brother. “Dee, the big mouth is Xavier. The other one who still has flies flying in and out of his gaping hole is Jackson.”
Doctor Desirable: A Hero Club Novel Page 22
