Page 12 of Scrubbing In
“But youarethe new surgeon, and I’m supposed to be giving you a tour right now. The one I will be working with. You can’t be anything else.”
Hearing her voice crack almost undoes me. Her words create a tightening in my chest. “No, stop.”
She interrupts me. “No, you can’t be anything more—thiscannot be more.”
My heart sinks at her crushing declaration that we can’t be more than coworkers. I don’t understand why and voice my sudden question, “Is it against hospital policy? The standard is filling out paperwork declaring our relationship status. Besides, I won't be your superior in any way.”
With a shake of her head, the hoop in her nose catches the light from above, she says, “I don’t know if it’s against policy. At least it’s not enforced.” She mumbles the last part, and before I can question her, she continues. “But I don’t—won’tget involved with someone I work with.”
“Why?” I ask, confused.
She pulls her hand from mine and takes her phone from her back pocket, reading a message on the screen. With a roll of her eyes, she returns her gaze to mine and responds to my question. “It’s messy. I’ve seen it get messy, and I don’t want to deal with that.”
“We’re both adults. I think we can agree to act accordingly, no matter where this goes.”
We haven’t even had the chance to get started, and she’s trying to end us. It’s impossible to imagine this not leading somewhere. The magnetism I feel pulling me to her isn’t something I have ever experienced. However, I did grow up with parents so in love with each other they were always telling my siblings and I thatwhen you know, you know. Don’t ignore it, but hold on to it.I’m sure as hell going to try.
However, I see her closing herself off from me. I felt it immediately when she dropped a shield between us, wrapping herself in professionalism as Alisha “introduced” us. I need to shut down whatever is happening in her mind right now.
Pinning me with her gaze before she looks back at her phone, sighing, her delicate fingers tap out a message. “We need to get going. Connor will be expecting you in his room soon.”
Before I can speak, she slips around me and starts back down the hall. Tamping down an irrational spark of jealousy when she says Connor’s name again, I follow her.
My longer stride, and her hindered gait, quickly brings me to her side. Looking down at her profile, my hand hovers at the small of her back, but I clench my fist and stuff it in my pocket. She’s closed off right now, but I’m not giving up.
Instead, I decide to switch to another topic I’m equally interested in. “How’s your ankle?”
Tilting her head, she side-eyes me like the sudden topic change has thrown her for a loop. “Oh, um, it’s fine.”
“Really?” I ask skeptically. “I can tell you’re trying to keep weight off it when you walk.”
Her lips part in small “O” and the apple of her cheeks flush a beautiful shade of pink I’m coming to realize just may be my favorite.
“Nope, it’s totally fine. All good.”
“Must’ve been getting it checked out by a leading orthopedic specialist so quickly, huh?” I tease.
She snorts. “If you were such a premier doctor, I wouldn’t be limping so badly, would I?”
“Ahh, so you admit you’re not ‘all good’?” I ask with a growing smile.
Her lips twitch, and with an adorable huff, she bumps against me. She’s so tiny her shoulder bumps my elbow. “Let’s go.”
Before I can respond, a door down the hallway bursts open loudly, followed by a booming, “Leena!”
My head shoots up, and I see the Chief of Surgery coming around a corner from another set of double doors I hadn’t noticed as Leena hurried us down this substerile hallway earlier to talk somewhere in private.
“Oh, Ian,” Diego booms when he sees me. “Good to see you, man. Leena giving you the grand tour?”
“Yep, she sure is.”
“She’s one of our best,” he says, flashing a smile at her that has my hands curling into fists.
“The very best, I’m sure.” Working to keep my tone neutral, he doesn’t seem to hear the slight edge that colors my words. But Leena shoots me a speculative look, brow arching.
“Good, good. I was looking for Leena because I need to put a case on for tomorrow.”
Once again, she is the epitome of professionalism, minus the blush still coloring her cheeks.
