The Doctor's Secret

by Heidi Cullinan

  Hong-Wei cleared his throat. “I think I’d like to come in on Monday, unless you have any objections.”

  Andreas’s expression took on a mercenary quality. “I’m absolutely pleased to hear you’re ready to work right away. We have a fill-in surgeon scheduled for another seven days on contract, but I’m still negotiating the week after that, so if you decide you’d like to take on the surgical schedule for that week, say the word. Basically, tell me what you’d like to do, what you need to get set up, and I’ll make it happen.”

  Simon was right. This man did indeed seem to run much more than HR. “For now, I want to spend some time with Simon and any other surgical staff I’ll be working with so they understand my expectations. That’s my first priority.”

  Andreas nodded. “I’ll send out a memo letting people know the surgical team members might be called away to work with you while on shift. As you’ve noticed, we all fill in wherever we can here, so your staff might be doing things in odd places. I’ll send you a roster. But as you noted, Simon will be who you work with the most. We have fewer surgeries right now since we’re working with a skeletal staff. I’m eager to have our sub staff work the weekends you’re unwilling to take call instead of the weekdays. I’m going to have marketing let people know we’ll have surgical staff on the weekend again soon.”

  Hong-Wei blinked. “You—you don’t have surgical staff on the weekends right now? At all?”

  “Unfortunately, no. We’re lucky to have a resident OB-GYN. Dr. Lambert-Diaz generally keeps track of when her mothers are due and doesn’t go far out of town unless she can help it, because when she does, if her mothers go into delivery, they have to go out of state. Ironwood, Michigan, has the closest hospital, and it’s not in much better shape than we are. We have to call ahead and make sure they have surgical staff if we send someone there. Otherwise it’s a hot ambulance ride to Duluth or Eau Claire. Duluth is closer, but depending on what insurance or Medicaid people are on, we have to keep them in the state if we can. Dr. Lambert-Diaz is going to be thrilled you can cover for her if she needs to take a weekend off.”

  Hong-Wei couldn’t believe this. “So if someone comes in tonight with acute appendicitis, you have to send them away?”

  Andreas looked Hong-Wei dead in the eye. “If someone comes in tonight with emergency surgery needs, I’m getting on my knees in front of you, Dr. Wu.”

  The revelation there was no surgical coverage if he left town shook Hong-Wei to the point that he closed himself in the office Andreas had told him was his in the clinic area and called his sister. He literally sagged with relief when she answered, though he didn’t let her get more than two words into her ribbing before he cut her off.

  “They have no surgical coverage on the weekend. None at all.”

  She whistled low. “Grim. Makes sense, though. Only emergencies on the weekend.”

  “Yes, but they have to ship them hours away. I was going to leave town to buy a car tomorrow. There’s no way, now. The whole time all I’ll think about is who’s dying because I wanted to—” He cut himself off before he could say flirt with my nurse. He decidedly wasn’t telling Hong-Su about Simon.

  “Hon, you can’t start with that attitude. This job will bury you. You have to be able to leave town.”

  “They’re going to switch the sub coverage to weekends I don’t want to take call, apparently. The bottom line is, I don’t think I get a car this week.”

  “Why do you have to leave town to get a car?”

  “They only sell domestic in town.”

  “Wow. Okay. Well, you know, you could probably tell one of the local dealers what you want used, even in an import. Or you could build a new car online, send it to a dealer, and have them tell you when it’s ready. You have plenty of money hoarded to make a down payment. If not, I’ll spot you.”

  He’d spent a lot of his money on the furniture, but he’d kept enough aside for a decent used car. He hadn’t considered buying new. He’d gotten a signing bonus, and he could likely get more if he told Andreas he’d work call for the first month. But that would make it tricky to pick up his car. “Do you think they’d deliver my car to me?”

  “Depends on how much money you spend. Think one of your new fans would go get it for you?”

  He could see Gagnon rubbing his hands together at the prospect. It wasn’t as if Hong-Wei actually wanted to go to Duluth anyway. Maybe he could send Gagnon and Kumpel and, while they were gone, spend the day with Simon. “I think that could be arranged.”

  “See? It’ll work out. Remember, too, these people have gone a long time without a regular surgeon. Just because you’re there doesn’t mean you have to save the world. You ran away to the boonies to stop everyone from pressuring you. Don’t you be the first in line to start it up again.”

  She was right. She was always right. “Okay. I’ll remember. Thanks.”

  “This place sounds like something else. You’re starting to make me curious. Maybe I’ll come visit you.”

  His entire body went tense. Much as he wanted to see her, he couldn’t handle his family seeing him here, not yet. “Absolutely not.”

  “Okay, go be a hero. Gently and at a sedate pace.”

  Hong-Wei did his best. Over the next hour, he sent emails to the staff Andreas listed, introducing himself and letting them know he’d be pulling them aside to go over procedures for how he wanted to run the OR. He went down to the ED and talked to Simon, but he was less able to keep his cool there, too distracted by each patient coming in, even though not a single one of them went to surgery.

  “You okay?” Kumpel asked after Hong-Wei hovered during the dressing of a young boy’s broken arm in the ED. “You seem out of it. I can’t tell if you’re bored or worked up or both.”

  Probably it would be best to confess, since being at the hospital was settling his anxieties. “Andreas told me we have no surgical staff on the weekends.”

  “Yeah, it’s not ideal, but we’ve figured out our workarounds.” Kumpel gave Hong-Wei a long look. “Is that why you’re hanging out? At first I thought it was because of Simon, but now I’m starting to wonder.”

  Hong-Wei startled at the casual way Kumpel called out his interest in Simon. He decided to ignore it. “I stayed initially to talk to Simon about surgical procedures, but… yes. I think I’m on trauma watch. Tonight and for the whole weekend. There’s no way I can leave town knowing someone might need a surgeon while I’m gone. I couldn’t focus on anything.”

  “You’re worrying a tad bit much, but I can’t say I mind. Usually our fill-ins can’t run out the door fast enough on Friday night. I like what this says about you, that you haven’t finished orientation and you’ve put yourself on call.” Kumpel leaned on the counter of the exam room and tapped his fingers against the side. “You certainly don’t need to hang out here for that, though. Don’t you have a condo full of new furniture to try out?”

  It would take some getting used to, everyone knowing everything about his life. “I do, but I don’t mind being here.”

  Kumpel snorted. “Nobody wants to be here. You must be restless. Well, I have the cure for that, shy of the person you want to cure your restlessness with.” He picked up his phone and punched out a text. Rising, he put an arm around Hong-Wei’s shoulders. “Come on, Jack. Let’s go find you some scrubs and a patient to play with.”

  Hong-Wei meant to object, but he didn’t, and he ended up seeing several patients and doing rounds with Kumpel in the general wing. Nothing serious came through the ED, mostly the usual Friday-night drunks and weirdness, and a few sick babies that were firmly Kumpel’s territory. He kept dragging Hong-Wei along anyway, though, introducing him to patients and parents as if he were visiting royalty. “This is our new surgeon, Dr. Jack Wu. He’s helping us out in the ER and getting to know the staff. We’re incredibly lucky to have him here.”

  Kumpel was amazing with kids. Not only did he clearly know his discipline, he put his patients at ease and made them laugh more oft
en than not. He also played well off Simon, who was a competent ED nurse.

  “Have you worked with kids much?” Kumpel asked during a lull in the shift. Simon was with them this time, updating a patient’s chart.

  Hong-Wei shrugged, trying not to feel edgy at the question. Kumpel was simply getting to know him. “I did some moonlighting in pediatric surgery. Among other places.”

  “I still can’t get over someone from Baylor coming here. I won’t ask you too many questions in case I break the spell and send you away, but I’d love to know more about your background. All Andreas told us was you were a general surgeon.”

  General surgeon. Simon had said the same thing. Well, he was one now, he supposed. He set down his cup and cleared his throat. “It’s complicated.”

  “That’s what I figured you’d say.” Yawning, Kumpel stretched in his chair. “Oh, hey—Simon, I forgot to tell you. Mrs. Mueller got discharged to the nursing home today.”

  Simon sighed, not looking up from the monitor. “She’ll be back here within a week.”

  “It’s the truth.” Kumpel turned to Hong-Wei. “She has the inoperable stomach tumor I showed you the other day.”

  Hong-Wei remembered. The scans were poorly done. He wanted to see new ones, but apparently he’d have to fight Medicaid. “You’ll let me know when she’s a patient again?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They had no operations that night, and before Hong-Wei could try to get a ride with Simon, Kumpel captured him. As he dropped him off at his condo, the doctor leaned over the center console to speak to Hong-Wei.

  “I’ll swing by tomorrow morning around nine and pick you up. Owen makes a great Saturday brunch—if he’s on call, I’ll cook and send Simon for you. Speaking of Simon, you don’t have any worries, he’s totally into you.”

  Hong-Wei stilled and carefully stared straight ahead out the windshield.

  Kumpel continued on, calmly. “I’ve seen you eyeing him all night. For the record, Owen and I are also queer, and the three of us are out. You don’t have to be, though. That actually might work well, because Andreas’s no-dating policy between staff is trash, and Simon’s freaked about getting fired. The point is, I’m saying I’ve got your back, and Owen does too. We love Simon and want to see him happy. If you make him happy, so much the better.”

  This town was so strange. “It would be my pleasure to come over for breakfast tomorrow.” Sweat dripped down his brow.

  What was his problem, anyway? Hadn’t he left Houston so he could do things exactly like this: make friends, fall in love, enjoy his life?

  I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know what I went away for.

  “Great. I’ll get your number from Si, and I’ll be in touch. Sleep well. And don’t worry about emergencies. If they happen, we’ll figure them out. That’s the St. Ann’s way.”

  Nodding, Hong-Wei slipped out of the car and drifted up the walk to his condo. After letting himself inside, he flopped on his new couch—so wonderful to have furniture—turned on the Bluetooth stereo with the remote, and played Chopin until he felt calm.

  Chapter Four

  NOTHING ABOUT the weekend went the way Simon expected it to, but that turned out to be fine.

  He hadn’t expected Jared to go out for milk and come back with Hong-Wei, to start, or for Hong-Wei to be against going to Duluth to shop for a car. Jared seemed unsurprised by this too. When Hong-Wei mentioned he wanted to look into shopping online for a new car, Owen pounced, leading him into the den with his laptop, and an hour later Hong-Wei emerged with a 2018 Toyota Avalon on order. Until then, Owen promised he could borrow his car whenever he needed one.

  As a thank-you, Hong-Wei took them all to dinner at the Chinese restaurant because Owen had heard about the magic of personalized ordering and wanted to see it for himself. Simon worried this was going to end in disaster, but Jared winked at him.

  “Don’t fuss. Everything’s going to be fine. If Owen gets too crazy, I’ll reel him in.”

  To Simon’s surprise, Owen behaved, too enraptured with watching Hong-Wei address the waitstaff in Mandarin. The spell was broken, however, when two nursing techs came in, saw Owen, whispered in panic to one another, and left.

  Hong-Wei glanced at Owen, then at the door. “What did you do to them?”

  Owen shrugged, indifferent.

  Simon answered for him. “Owen is only friendly with the two of us. And now you, I guess. Everyone else calls him Owen the Ogre.”

  “I’m not an ogre.” Owen ran his finger around the Chinese zodiac on his place mat. “I don’t care for other people, is all. They always want me to do things for them, and I hate that.”

  Hong-Wei laughed. “I guess I’m glad I passed the test?”

  “Sure. You like Simon, and he likes you, so it’s automatic.” Owen squinted at his place mat, oblivious to the way Hong-Wei had gone rigid and Simon went as red as the decor around them. “I hate being an ox. I want to be a snake.”

  Hong-Wei shook himself out of his paralysis and focused on his own place mat. “So you were born in 1985? So was I. You’re not just an ox. You’re a wood ox. You’re decisive, straightforward, and always ready to help the weak and the helpless.” When Owen beamed, he added, “You’re also restless.”

  Jared laughed. “That’s him to a T. Okay, so I’m 1984. A rat.”

  “Also a wood rat.” Hong-Wei got out his phone. “Enterprising, and you go straight to the core of the matter.”

  Now it was Simon and Owen’s turn to laugh. Owen waved at Simon. “You’re a little younger. What are you?”

  Simon checked the place mat. “1986. Tiger.”

  Hong-Wei winked. “Fire tiger.”

  Owen threw up his hands.

  Hong-Wei ignored him as he consulted his phone. “Tolerant, talented, and have strong will. Faithful and popular, but easily taken advantage of.”

  Jared and Owen pointed at him at the same time, their eyes wide. “You. It’s you. Fire tiger.”

  The meal was excellent—Simon wasn’t sure what they ate, except it wasn’t anything similar to what he usually had at Chinese restaurants. Also the entire staff of the place seemed to wander past their table to talk to Hong-Wei, who was patient with them. Owen was fixated on the food, but Jared, like Simon, was fascinated by Hong-Wei’s admirers.

  “I can’t think they’re coming by here because you speak the language,” Jared said at last.

  Hong-Wei shook his head. “It’s the doctor thing. I let it slip when I was placing the noodle order.”

  Jared and Owen raised their eyebrows and exchanged knowing glances. “Ah,” Jared said. “You ended up giving free medical advice?”

  “Yes, except they were confused I didn’t know Eastern medicine too. I explained I’ve lived most of my life here, but they want to know why my grandmother didn’t teach me medicine.”

  Simon frowned. “But by that logic, their grandmothers could have taught them medicine.”

  Hong-Wei smiled. “I think they’re teasing me at this point, which is kind of nice, as if I’ve been adopted. It’s nice to use my Mandarin, in any event. The owner is a good person who treats his staff well. Some of these places can be brutal.”

  Simon put down his fork. “What do you mean?”

  Hong-Wei raised an eyebrow. “How much do you know about the history of Chinese restaurants in the United States?” When they all looked at him blankly, he continued. “In the late 1800s, the US cut off all immigration from China, but in 1915 a court case made an exception for restaurant owners. This began a machine which expanded across the country and fueled a network of immigration that still exists today, some through legal immigration, some illegal. In a lot of the restaurants, the workers stay for six months at a time or less, moving on with little or no notice via buses that exist only to take them to the next restaurant. They sleep together, live together, work together. As a rule, they get every other Sunday off. They’re often paying off a mammoth debt they incurred to arrive in the States, or they�
��re sending money home to family in a small village. But Mr. Zhang appears to be running a respectable establishment, and he’s a kind man who treats his workers well.”

  Simon, Jared, and Owen all stared at Hong-Wei, dumbfounded. “I never considered the lives of the people who work here,” Jared said, recovering first. “I don’t know what I assumed. I guess I thought they seemed so professional—God, the more I talk, the more idiotic I feel.”

  Hong-Wei glanced around the restaurant. “This place is good. It would be important for Mr. Zhang, though, because working here means complete isolation. There isn’t even another Chinese restaurant nearby.”

  Simon considered. “We have a Chinese bar at the grocery store now.”

  Hong-Wei rubbed his lips to hide a smile. “I know. They laugh about it. It’s not part of their restaurant network, and it’s apparently not very good.”

  Simon had to agree, it was pretty bad. He still reeled from the idea that the workers here had been so cut off from the Copper Point community all this time. Had they wanted it that way? Or had Copper Point been that unwelcoming?

  He thought a lot about the restaurant on Sunday when he got asked to cover a shift on the main floor for a nurse who called in sick. He thought about Hong-Wei in general, the way his voice sounded when he told stories, when he laughed. Much as Simon longed to see him again, he was glad Hong-Wei wasn’t at the hospital when Jared dragged him over to the cafeteria for a farewell performance for one of his peds patients. That was laughter Simon didn’t need to hear.

  Still, Simon kept thinking about Hong-Wei as the day wore on, remembering the casual way Owen and Jared kept tossing him together with Hong-Wei during dinner, and how Hong-Wei didn’t seem to mind.

  Did Simon mind, though? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t shake the vague sense of panic he had over the surgeon’s potential attention. Jared was right, his nerves weren’t entirely about the policy. Simon didn’t exactly want to be the next doctor’s secret liaison exposed, no, but his unease was more complicated than that.