by Rye Hart
“Looks like you've brought a friend, Dr. Pierce,” he said, grinning at me.
“Uh yes, this is my intern, Ms – ”
“Dr. Brooks,” I said, reaching out and shaking Tyler's hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McAdams.”
“Please, call me Ty,” he said with a wink. “All my friends do.”
“She's your doctor, not your friend,” Dr. Pierce growled. “Yes, sir,” Ty said dryly.
Gavin looked through the patient's file, acting as if I wasn't even there. “Your surgery is scheduled for next Monday. Do you have any questions, concerns, or anything else you'd like to bring up at this time?”
“I don't think so,” Ty said, shrugging. “I honestly don't know what to expect.”
Gavin closed the file and turned to his patient, still pretending to not see me.
“Not much to expect,” he said. “You'll go in early on Monday, be finished by the afternoon and then we will set up some physical therapy sessions to get you back up on your feet, skating like normal.”
“Is it really that easy?” Tyler asked, looking at both me and Gavin for answers.
“You have a grade three tear,” I said. “That means physical therapy and healing could take some time afterward. But this is an injury you should be able to come back from without too much of a problem.”
Gavin looked over at me as if surprised I was still in the room. “Yes, there will be some recovery time, but overall, this procedure is pretty cut and dry,” he said. “I suspect you'll be just fine.”
Gavin got up and started to exit the room, then looked back at Tyler and me. “Morgan, may I speak with you, please?”
“Shouldn't we finish up here first?” I asked.
“We are finished,” he said, looking over at Tyler. “Unless you have any more questions?”
The poor kid just looked terrified. I so badly wanted to stay and answer questions – questions he wanted to ask but now likely felt rushed to leave.
“Uh no, I don't think so,” he said.
“I figured. Like I said, it's an easy procedure,” Gavin said. “You’ll be in and out in no time. Nothing to worry about, kid. I've done this a thousand times. I could probably do yours blindfolded”
Gavin walked down the hallway, leaving me there. When he reached his office, he turned and looked back at me, an impatient expression upon his face.
Turning to Tyler, I said, “If you have any questions or concerns, you can call and ask for me,” I said. “He's right though. It is fairly straight-forward and you have the best surgeon you could ask for handling this, so there's really nothing to worry about.”
It was clear on his face that my words put him at ease. “Thanks, Dr. Brooks,” he said.
“Anytime.”
“Dr. Brooks?” Gavin called out to me again.
With an awkward grin, I walked out of the room and headed down the hallway, where judging by his posture and the expression, I could tell I was going to be in for it. Whatever I had done, I had apparently done it wrong.
CHAPTER THREE - GAVIN
“What were you doing back there?” I asked as soon as I sat down at my desk.
“What do you mean?”
She stared at me with those large, green eyes, and looked thoroughly confused. Not that I could blame her. I knew I was overreacting, but didn't really care. She needed to learn her place.
“It's your first day here, and this is a client I've been working with for months,” I said. “You waltzed in and tried to take over, which is not something I appreciate. Not at all. It undermines me. I don't like being cut off at the knees like that.”
“I didn't mean to undermine you,” she said. “He just looked scared. I wanted to make sure his questions were answered. That's all.”
“I had it under control,” I said.
“Sorry, it just looked like you were in a hurry and I – ”
“You thought you knew more than me about my own patient.”
Morgan crossed her arms in front of her chest and paced the room.
“Will you have a seat, please?” I asked.
She stopped pacing, but she didn't sit.
“Listen, Dr. Pierce, maybe I shouldn't have said anything, you're right. It's my first day. I'm sorry about that,” she said. “But you couldn’t even be bothered to answer his questions or try to make him a little less nervous. I mean, the guy is going under the knife the next time you see him. He was scared and I wanted to help ease his concerns – like a doctor should.”
“We'd already been over everything before, several times,” I said. “This was just a routine checkup, and had you not swooped in, I would have spent more time with him. But I was just so angry – ”
“And that's an excuse?” she said, biting her lip and staring down at me with an irritated look on her face. “You're a professional. You're a surgeon, one of the best in the field. If a woman being in the room with you, engaging with your patient, is going to be enough to throw you off your game, I seriously underestimated your abilities, Dr. Pierce.”
“Please leave,” I said.
She didn't hesitate. “You don't have to ask me twice.”
Morgan turned and left my office. She didn't slam the door or throw a fit, she merely walked out with her head held high and her tight little ass swishing as she walked. Damn, why did she have to be so sexy? No, she didn't deserve all that I'd just laid on her, but she was a distraction. It was hard to focus with someone so attractive in the room. And knowing that much, I knew that there was no way I could handle performing surgery with her nearby.
Yes, I handled my last appointment with Tyler McAdams poorly, but had Morgan not been there, everything would have been fine. That was why I didn't hire attractive women to work for me in the first place. Even Lila, as sweet as she was, was older than me and more like a mother than a potential date. I never had to worry about her distracting me. That relationship worked.
But Morgan Brooks – well, having her around would be a problem.
It was probably a good idea that she quit and let me be, honestly.
As shitty as that sounded, it was probably for the best.
***
Lila poked her head in my office a few minutes later.
“Where did Dr. Brooks run off to?” she asked.
“Hell if I know,” I said with a shrug.
“Do you know when she will be back?”
I shrugged. “Maybe never?”
“Well, that would be a shame,” Lila said, shaking her head. “Because Tyler McAdams is asking for her.”
“Of course he is,” I muttered under my breath. “Send him in.”
Lila nodded and went on her way like the obedient employee she was. A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door and in stepped Tyler McAdams, hobbling along on his crutches.
“Where's Dr. Brooks?” he asked.
“She stepped out,” I lied. “Have a seat.”
“I was really hoping I could speak to – ”
“I'm sorry, she's not here right now,” I said, massaging my temples – a headache was coming on from dealing with it all. Just fucking great. “I may not be as pretty as she is, but I promise, I have more experience and knowledge of medicine than she does. If you have any questions, I can answer them for you.”
Sure, maybe that was a bit rude, but it was the truth. Tyler frowned at me.
“It's not about how she looks, I'm married.”
Not for much longer, I thought as I remembered my morning with his wife, Tracy.
“It's just – I don't want to bother you with all my silly questions,” he said. “I know you do this every single day and it's easy for you. But this is my first surgery, ever, and I was hoping Dr. Brooks could ease my mind a bit, ya know?”
With a deep sigh, I nodded. I hated to admit it, but my bedside manner wasn't always the best. I got the job done, I made sure the athletes got to play again, but I wasn't the warm, cuddly type. “When she gets back in, I'll have her give you a call.”
“Thanks,” he said with a crooked smile. “And just so you know, I think it's awesome that you have her working with you now. I know you're a busy man, but having someone available to answer the mundane questions can be useful. I know a few guys who went elsewhere because of your tight schedule. But I think bringing Dr. Brooks in will help a lot. I'll send guys your way from now on.”
Yeah. Great. Except I wasn't sure Morgan would come back to work for me.
CHAPTER FOUR - MORGAN
I hadn't ventured very far after storming out. I knew I couldn't just quit – not like that. I needed that internship and I would need to suck it up and apologize to Gavin. As much as it killed me to even think about doing so, I knew what I had to do. I'd come too far to give it all up now.
No, instead of going home to sulk, I just went down the street to the coffee house at the corner. I stared at my green tea and contemplated how I could go about doing apologizing to that pig without sacrificing my values.
As I pondered how to do what needed to be done, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, half expecting it to be Dr. Pierce firing me. With a groan, I answered.
“Yes?” I said, hoping for the first time in my life that it was a telemarketer.
But of course, I couldn't be that lucky. I could never be that lucky.
“Morgan? It's Gavin Pierce.”
Ah, so the man actually had some balls on him. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for the argument.
“Listen, Dr. Pierce, I'm sorry – ”
But he spoke at the same time, speaking over me. “Morgan, I know I screwed up and I'm sorry – ”
We both stopped.
“What?” I said.
“What were you saying?” he asked me.
“No, what were you saying?” Did he really apologize did me? Did I actually hear him right?
Of course, if I wanted him to say those words again, I knew I would probably be waiting a long damn time. Especially since I started off with an apology – and likely an admission of guilt in his mind.
“I was just wondering when you'd be back in,” he said. “Tyler McAdams had a few questions and wanted to talk to you specifically, so if you wouldn't mind – ”
That was his way of asking me to come back, of maybe even admitting that he needed me. With a smile on my face, I decided maybe I wouldn't have to sacrifice my values or get down on my knees and plead for my job back after all.
“Yeah, sure. I'd be happy to speak with him,” I said. “I'll be right there. I just needed some fresh air.”
“That's fine,” he said, sounding so much more pleasant than he had before. “See you when you get back.”
We hung up the phone, and even though it had gone so smoothly, I knew Gavin Pierce had struggled to make that call. I knew he hadn't wanted to admit it, but he needed me. I would use that to my advantage.
I could only hope he wouldn't be such a dick to me upon my return.
“Welcome back, Dr. Brooks,” Lila said to me sweetly.
She pushed back her glasses and smiled at me. How could someone so sweet and personable work for such a misogynistic pig? Hopefully Gavin didn't talk to sweet, old Lila the way he talked to me. That would make him an even bigger dick than I already thought he was.
“Thank you, Lila,” I said with a smile as I walked to the back.
Lila motioned for me to come closer to her, which caught me off-guard but I recovered quickly. I walked into her tiny little reception area and waited for her as she looked around and then leaned a little closer to me.
“I know Dr. Pierce can be hard to work with,” she said, her voice soft. “You're not the first intern he's had a problem with. He has a very large ego, that one. Don't take it personally, dear.”
“I'll try not to,” I said.
I had to wonder how many of his other interns had been female. Based on how he'd spoken to me earlier, I would probably have guessed none. And he probably would have kept that no-woman streak alive if it hadn't been for my unisex name.
“Thanks for the chat, Lila,” I said. “And the warning.”
“We women have to look out for each other,” she said with a wink. “I'm always here for you, and I don't take any crap from him or anyone else.”
The idea of this sweet, older woman standing up to the egotistical doctor put a smile on my face. She had some spunk to her that I appreciated. Maybe I'd be lucky enough to see her put him in his place one day.
Speaking of the devil – Gavin's voice called out to me from his office. “Dr. Brooks? Is that you?”
With a sigh, I smiled at Lila before walking down to Gavin's office.
“Yes, I'm back and ready to get to work,” I said with a friendly smile.
“Good,” he said, motioning for me to step inside. “Have a seat. I'm afraid we got off to a bad start.”
You think? I knew he was trying to be nice, and I could see how much it killed him. But at least he was trying. And considering I was stuck working for him for a while, I needed to do my best to play nice as well. I sat down across from him, hands clasped on my lap.
If I wanted an apology, I wasn't about to get one. Instead, he started talking about our next patient – a college basketball player named Michael Greene who recently broke an ankle. Dr. Pierce went straight into business, not so much mentioning what happened earlier.
I smiled and nodded, listened and took notes. Through clenched teeth, I even agreed to stand back and listen – instead of talking – during the consult with Michael.
I was there to help kids like Michael, athletes who had a dream just like my dad had. If it meant putting up with Dr. Pierce, then so be it. I'd do what I had to do, learn from him and move on from this experience being better for it.
CHAPTER FIVE - GAVIN
Morgan was a quick study. She was better than any of my recent interns, and picked up on things quickly. She also knew her stuff. On several occasions, she surprised me with her skill – and it took a lot to surprise me.
But still, I couldn't help but check out her tight little ass or her curvy figure every chance I got. With the way the buttons on her shirt threatened to pop open, it was hard to focus at times. Yes, I loved women, maybe a little too much, but women like Morgan were not my normal. Brains and beauty? It was like a powerful drug for me.
My phone buzzed and, looking at the caller ID, I saw it was Tracy. I had a moment where I could talk, but I didn't want things to be awkward. I knew she was delivering the divorce papers to Tyler that afternoon, and well, I'd just seen him a few hours before. Now was probably the time to cut ties with her – for professional reasons.
When I didn't answer her call, it rang again, and this time, she left a message and sent me a text.
“Sounds important,” Morgan said, glancing over at me as we walked into Michael Greene's room.
“Not really,” I said. I reached into my pocket and silenced my phone. “It's my personal phone, so it's not a patient.”
“Uh huh,” she said, as if she knew more than she let on. “Well, hopefully whoever it is won't be too mad at you.”
Yeah, Tracy wasn't known for being calm and collected. It was one reason she and Tyler didn't work out, I suspected. Tyler, as far as I could tell, was a good guy. He loved his wife dearly, and with good reason – she was hot as hell and willing to do pretty much anything in the bedroom. He wouldn't cheat on her, not with another woman, though that is what Tracy liked to tell everyone. But his career came first, and I already knew how their arguments went down.
She accused him of cheating because he was gone all the time. He denied it and I believed him. He was a pro athlete and they lived life on the road. But, she'd flipped the fuck out and things got ugly, fast. I knew women like her all too well. Tyler wasn't the problem – Tracy was. And now, she was trying to be my problem.
No way was I going to let that happen.
I put all thoughts of Tyler and Tracy aside as we stepped into the room to meet our next patient. Michael was a poo
r kid from the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. He went to college on a basketball scholarship – one he risked losing if his ankle didn't let him play next season. As soon as we walked into the room, I saw the look of fear in the boy's eyes.
“Please tell me I'll get to play next season, doc,” the kid said, tears welling up in his eyes.
Michael wasn't interested in a basketball career – he had other things planned. So, in many ways, he was different than most of my patients. But basketball is what paid his way through school, and was his ticket out.
“What are you studying, Mike?” I asked, sitting down across from him.
“I'm pre-med,” he said.
“So you want to be a doctor like me, huh?”
Morgan shot me a look as if to tell me to be careful.
“ I actually want to focus on oncology ,” he said with a small shrug.
“So basketball is just a hobby?” I asked. “Something you're good at?”
Michael nodded.
I looked over the x-rays and noted that it was a clean break. It should heal fairly well on its own, probably didn't need my help. But I knew why he was sent here instead of to another clinic.
“Well, good news,” I said. “You should be back in and ready to play before the season starts.”
“Really, doc?” Michael's face lit up.
“Yep, and I don't even think you need surgery or rehab,” I said. “Just good old-fashioned rest and relaxation. The break is clean and will heal if you let it.”
Those were the cases I lived for. The moment I could tell a kid he was going back into the game, and that his life wasn't going to be in shambles all because of a fall or the hit to a knee. We finished up with Michael, and as I exited the room, Morgan stopped me.
“Why is he coming to you?” she asked me.
“Why wouldn't he?” I answered.
“His condition didn't seem severe enough,” she said. “It's a break and doesn't need your expertise.”
“Better safe than sorry,” I said, turning and walking down to Lila to hand her the paperwork.
“But how is a poor kid like him even going to pay for this visit?” she pressed.
