"Really?" I turned and locked gazes with him. "Were the rules different back then?"
"No." He laughed. "We were just trouble-makers. We kept our relationship under wraps for a year or so, and then she decided to go work for someone in private practice, which was great."
"So you guys snuck around at the hospital?" I worked to open the wine.
"Yep, but don't try it."
"Why's that?" I couldn't help but prod him a little. He seemed to have always been the staunch pillar of integrity in our department. It was nice to hear that it wasn't the entire truth.
"Because I know all the tricks and places to hide out. I'll find you," he chuckled and walked out of the kitchen.
I could imagine that it would be stimulating hiding out in various parts of the hospital, stealing kisses, or making love to a girl who had captivated me enough to do such things. Elizabeth's sweet face moved across my mind's eye, and I couldn't help but wonder if her saucy little comments earlier that day hadn't been exactly what I thought they were. Surely she wasn't that innocent and naïve. She played it off well, either way.
"So this guy is treating you well?" Peter walked back into the kitchen with Elizabeth beside him.
My eyes moved across her, taking in the delicious curve of her breasts and curvy hips, as she wore her skirt and clingy blue top well. My hands itched to move around the counter and run along her sides, tease her resolve to be professional. I growled at myself, but covered it with a cough into my hand.
"He is." She smiled at me. "He's brilliant, and I'm honestly honored to have someone like him to learn from. It's going to propel me far into my future at St. Mark’s."
I nodded. "Keep up the accolades, and I'll put in a good word with the guy who hires for our positions. He's a hard-ass, but I've known him a while. His wife likes me."
Peter chuckled. "Good Lord. It might not be a good idea to have the two of you together. You're both far too intelligent and cheeky for your own good."
The doorbell rang, and Peter made his exit, taking on the job of answering it for me.
"What can I do?" Elizabeth set her purse down on one of the barstools and moved into the kitchen with me.
"Nothing, I don't think. I just put out a few appetizers that I had delivered from the steak house down the way. They're used to me calling last-minute. Dinner is in the oven so that it stays warm." I lifted a glass of wine toward her. "Care to have a drink?"
"I'd love one." She took the glass and lifted it in the air. "To you. To me. To us and all that we could be."
I couldn't help but chuckle. The girl was a complete tease, wrapped in innocence, or she was playing me like a fiddle. Either way, I loved it.
I hit my glass against hers and was almost grateful for the group of people who walked into the kitchen behind Peter. The spell was broken for the moment, but I had no doubt that it would rise up again soon and drag me back under. Elizabeth was the center of my most recent fantasies, and I didn't see that changing in the near future.
***
"So tell us again about the working with Dr. Martin. I've heard she's a bitch." One of the other residents leaned forward at the large dining table we all sat around. There were around twenty of us by the time the servers brought in dinner.
Elizabeth was the center of attention, which she didn't seem to enjoy nearly as much as I thought she might.
"She was great to me, but I have a hard shell, I guess." She shrugged and picked up her wine. "There was no beating around the bush with her. You either did what she expected of you, or she would toss you out on your butt. The M.D. program at NYU might not be the top program in the state, but it worked well for me. Dr. Martin forced me to go as far as I could in my training, and I'm grateful for it."
"Sounds like your old mentor, Dr. Barkley, Aiden," Peter spoke up from the far end of the table, dragging me from my thoughts as I stared at my resident.
"It does. He was a hard bastard to like, but incredibly easy to respect." I brushed my hand over my lips and tried to ignore the desire to turn my attention back to Elizabeth. I could almost feel her staring at me. How she left me unraveled so effectively without me knowing a damn thing about her was upsetting. I would have to talk with her a few minutes after everyone left.
"This is true." Peter patted one of the young male residents to his left on the back. The kid looked like he was ready to go skydiving, not save lives. "Freddy's father is the associate dean at Harvard. He's a good man. I'm hoping this guy can live up to those same standards."
Freddy paled, and I chuckled, unable to help myself. Peter always picked some poor kid to tease in each new class of residents that joined us. I was just glad it wasn't Elizabeth this round. I had no doubt that I would have been be in front of her, defending her, though the old guy meant no harm.
"Who is your father?" I glanced over at Elizabeth as her warm brown eyes moved back to me. We lingered for a moment too long in a shared stare. I forced myself to turn to Freddy as he spoke.
"Vince Barker." Freddy picked up the roll on his plate and took a bite.
"I know Vince. He was a scoundrel back in the day," I laughed. "We didn't go to school together, of course, but he was a professor there when I attended."
"You went to Harvard?" A blond resident on my right asked, her voice airy - flirty.
"Sure did. He graduated valedictorian," Peter piped up, his eyes filled with the same pride he always had when bragging on me. It was embarrassing, though I'd gotten used to it.
"It was easier back then." I smiled and turned my attention back to Freddy. "Tell your father that Aiden Crawford said hello."
"I will, sir." Freddy turned back to his dinner as various conversations rose up around the table. I turned my attention to Elizabeth, who sat on my left.
"So I figured out how I know your advisor. It was driving me crazy the other day when I couldn't place her." I sat back in my chair and let my eyes move across Elizabeth's face as she watched me with open interest.
"Oh yeah? Did you guys date? You'd make a great couple." She smirked.
"Funny. No, her sister was a patient of mine. They would poke fun at me each time I came into the room. I think she wanted to date, or, rather, I knew she did. She's quite aggressive." I widened my eyes and picked up my fork to get another bite or two of my dinner before dessert was served.
"That's interesting." Elizabeth laughed and brushed her wine glass past her impossibly kissable lips.
"Yeah? More than it should be?" I lifted an eyebrow at her, and realized how comfortable it was to have her there beside me, talking quietly together as if we could create our own little world. Something told me we could. Too bad she was dating someone, from what Parks had told me, and that she was my resident.
And that she's ten years younger than me.
"She just warned me that you could be a little difficult when we met for my final assessment before coming to the hospital." Elizabeth's eyes filled with something like excitement. "Now I realize why. She said that the dean wanted you and me paired together, but she didn't."
I smiled, enjoying her honesty. It was refreshing. "Yes, your dean was good friends with my father when I was younger."
"Is your father a doctor too?" She leaned in as the conversation around us quieted.
"No." I glanced down the table at Peter as he stood, clapping his hands and smiling brightly. He was saving me from the story of my parents’ death. I was grateful.
"Alright. Let's go into the living room for dessert. That alright, Aiden?" He moved away from the table and toward me.
"It's perfect. If you spill anything on my carpets, you'll be over here cleaning them for a week. Got it?" I stood as the room dropped into an awkward silence. "I’m kidding. I don't want any of you back until Peter forces me to."
They all laughed, and I reached out, pressing my fingers absently to Elizabeth's back. I hadn't meant to. It was natural to want to guide her around. Her stiffening caused me to jerk my hand back.
"Forgive me," I
whispered. "Old habits."
"It's okay." She glanced over her shoulder, and from the angle I got of her pretty face, I could have sworn I saw a hint of the lust that I'd been experiencing for the last week. Surely not, but I coveted the idea of it all the same.
We had dessert in the kitchen, followed by Elizabeth, Peter, and me cleaning things up. We talked about the good old days as Elizabeth laughed and asked questions, egging us on. Peter left just after we finished cleaning up, and I walked Elizabeth to the door and opened it.
"Tonight was fun." I explored her expression, wanting to see a hint of the desire that I could have sworn brushed by her earlier. I couldn't make the first move, but damn if I didn't want to. I'd have to hold myself back if nothing else.
"It was. I loved all the stories of your first few years at the hospital." Her expression changed a little, and it left me wanting to push her.
"What? You have something you want to know?" I pressed my shoulder against the door frame and shoved my hand in my pocket. The need to reach out and touch her was almost consuming. It was something I'd yet to experience in my nearly-forty years.
"Are you lonely?" Her brows pulled in tight, making her impossibly beautiful. "I mean, I'm not asking so I can fill that hole, spot, er..."
I laughed. "Yes. It's lonely at times, but I married my career a long time ago. I love it with every part of me. Saving lives is who I am."
"Thank you." Her cheeks turned pink. "I think I'm headed down that same path."
"I hope not, for your sake. Besides, Parks was lamenting earlier over your boyfriend. You're already headed in the right direction. People need relationships." I was digging and I hated myself for doing it.
"Parks is ridiculous, but I'm going to enjoy becoming friends with him." She shook her head. "Only friends."
"Yes. You have to be careful of him." I shifted and she stepped outside as if sensing that the conversation was drawing to a close. I didn't have a confirmation on her dating anyone, but she'd done that on purpose. I wasn't giving her nearly enough credit.
"Thanks again for tonight. I enjoyed it." She turned to go, and I called out to her.
"Elizabeth."
She glanced back, her face captivating me. "Yes?"
"I think we're going to be great friends as we continue down this path, so remember that I'm a resource to you. If you need something…"
"Thanks, Dr. Crawford." She smiled and turned, leaving me to stare after her.
Not only had she saved me from where the conversation was headed, but had set us back to being mentor and student. I appreciated it, and yet despised the shutdown. It was deserved, though. I'd made it quite clear in my office a few days back that I wasn't interested in anything with anyone, not even her.
"Not even an extended conversation." I rolled my eyes at myself and closed the door after she got in her car and pulled out of my driveway. "Such an asshole at times."
No wonder I was alone.
Chapter 9
Elizabeth
Stephanie woke me the next morning before my alarm by pouncing on my bed. "Get up! You promised to stay up last night so we could talk, and your ass was out cold on the couch."
I pushed at her, groaned, and pulled my covers over my head. I was having a dream where Aiden wasn't a friend, but a lover. He had just taken a handful of my hair and was feeding me his cock when Stephanie interrupted.
"Get out. I was at the good part of the dream. Shit." I rolled over and playfully humped the bed, accentuating my words with my thrusts. "He. Was. Almost. There."
"Gross." She hit me in the head with a pillow and got off the bed. "Get up. I made muffins."
"You can't cook. Why do you torture me by trying?" I sat up in time to take a pillow to the face.
"Shut up and come in here. I have a plan, but I need your help." She laughed as she walked down the hall.
"This can't be good," I grumbled and got out of bed, working to fix my t-shirt and sleeping pants as I stumbled into the kitchen. "What time is it?"
"Just before six. Sit down and I'll get you some coffee."
I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly. "Before six? Shit, Steph. I had another hour. What's so important?"
"Parks. I want him, and you're going to help me figure out how to get him." She set a cup of coffee in front of me, and I blinked the sleep from my eyes before finally focusing on her. She was in a cute mini-skirt and tight shirt that tried to accentuate her small breasts, but failed.
"Wait. Why are you dressed like that?" I lifted the coffee mug to my lips and took a tentative sip. A groan left me at the deliciousness of it. "You need to make my coffee every morning."
"I didn't go to sleep." She tapped the table in front of me, causing me to jolt back. My coffee spilled onto the table, and I gave her a look.
"Chill. I just woke up, or maybe I'm still trying to." I leaned back as she worked to wipe up the mess.
"I'll make your coffee every day for the rest of our lives if you just help me get Parks." She walked back to the kitchen and returned with a plate of muffins that actually looked edible.
"I'm not sure what you want from me, but, like always, I'm here, so just tell me what to do, and as long as it's not something that I'm uncomfortable with, I'll do it." I shrugged and reached over, grabbing a muffin and taking a small bite. I couldn't usually stomach her food because she always seemed to forget a necessary ingredient. Sugar was the one she loved to leave out the most. A sugarless cake was nothing more than a disgusting biscuit.
"Good. I need to figure out what to do." She pressed her face to her hands. "He didn't shut the fuck up about you for ten minutes last night. I love you. I really do, but you need to push him off unless you're interested, then you need to tell me. I think I might be in love with him."
I laughed loudly and rolled my eyes. "You're not, but okay. I'll tell him to take a hike."
The muffin was good, and I was more than surprised. "You didn't make this, did you?"
"No." She smirked. "I got them at the store on the way home, though I shouldn't have. Our electricity bill is overdue by two months. I really think one of us is going to have to get a job, or find someone to start sleeping with who's willing to pay."
After taking another couple of bites, I dropped the rest of it on my napkin and took another drink of my coffee. "I'll look for additional jobs after my shift today. I can take on more. You just focus on the hospital. You know you don't do really well when you have ten things to juggle."
"You sure? I know you're wanting to impress Doctor Hottie. That's not possible if you're a zombie." She reached out and tugged at my hair. "Tell me about the dinner, and the sexy dream. Don't leave out any details."
"Of the dinner?"
"No. The dream," she snorted, and I couldn't help but laugh. We were broke as hell, but we would figure things out. We always did.
***
The calmness that I had over the electricity bill and me getting an additional job faded fast as I sat on the train on my way to the hospital. There had to be a better way to make some money on the side. Maybe I could tutor or help out with someone's side business at the hospital. I knew a lot of nurses and doctors would pick up extra shifts at other hospitals, or work a few days a week in a private office for additional income.
I wouldn't need it ten years from now, but I sure as hell did today. The electricity would be cut off by the evening if we didn't get a payment into them. It wasn't going to happen, and that alone stressed me out completely. I couldn't call my mom, seeing as how she had less income than even the poorest of the poor. I was surprised that she still had the little house my dad had built thirty years prior, but he'd been smart and paid the thing off. She could afford the small amount in taxes and insurance since she was in the middle of the ghetto.
"One day," I mumbled to myself as I got off the train and jogged across the street to the hospital. I would make enough money one day to take care of both of us, of all of us. It would be my legacy to bring us from dipping past the p
overty line to having more than enough. I'd use my excess to set up a fund to help others like me. Surely there were a handful of medical students who had used scholarships, fellowships, and loans to get their M.D. Not everyone had a paid ride and a silver spoon in their mouths. I had no doubt that Aiden did, but maybe I was being unfair.
The ER was pure chaos as I walked in, and the madness of it caused me to stop short. "What's going on?"
"Move!" A loud voice yelled from behind me, and I jumped to the left to make way for the stretcher and the two EMS guys who were running past me. The guy on the stretcher was covered in blood and shaking violently. Another two followed him.
"Shit." I ran toward the locker room and chucked my stuff in before racing back toward the ER. I wasn't allowed to diagnose or perform anything more than the nurses might be able to do, but I was an extra set of hands, and surely someone could use my help.
"Elizabeth. Get over here. There was a bombing downtown this morning. People will be piling in. Just help with check-in and triage. I'll be going into surgery for substantial injuries. Join me as soon as you can, but start here." Aiden touched my shoulder before jogging toward the OR.
I didn't get a chance to reply, but there was no need to. It was time to jump into the fray. I worked for the next two hours beside a handful of nurses, helping with bandaging, assessments, and drawing blood.
"It's going to be okay. You're in good hands, sweetheart." I touched the side of the face of the little girl who sat on the table before me, shaking. "You're okay now."
She reached for me, and I moved up, wrapping my arms around her. I looked up as Karen walked into the room and mouthed for me to come on. I mouthed back, asking where the girl's mother and father were. Karen's face fell as she shook her head. They hadn't survived.
I let out a long breath and moved back, smiling down at the girl and squeezing her tiny shoulders. "Miss Karen's going to take care of you, but I'll be back to check on you shortly. Okay?"
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 117
