CHAPTER TWO - MORGAN
I'd heard a lot about Dr. Gavin Pierce. He was the best of the best in the field, which was a plus. He also happened to be a raving misogynist, which was obviously a big minus. Others who'd interned for him had reported back, talked about the way he viewed women as little more than a conquest. I, for one, wasn't about to put up with that shit. I'd worked hard to get through medical school, to secure this internship. And no man was going to screw it up for me.
Not even Gavin Pierce.
I had to admit though, he was more attractive than I'd thought he’d be. Being in his late thirties or early forties, he had at least a decade on me. His old-fashioned mentality toward women and because the fact that he'd built up a reputation as a genius in his field, had me expecting someone older. Either way, it came as no surprise that he could lure attractive, young women into his bed. With his short-cut sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, he was the epitome of classic American sex appeal. Tall, built like an athlete himself, and confident as all get-out. He was catnip to many a pussy out there.
And yet, I already despised him.
“We're meeting with Tyler McAdams this morning,” he said, once we got past the awkwardness of him degrading me because of my gender. “Do you know who he is?”
I had to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes. “Yes, of course,” I said. “I may be a woman, but I'm not an idiot.”
“Yeah, he is fairly popular with the women,” Gavin muttered.
“That's not why – I know who he is because I follow sports, Dr. Pierce,” I said. He shot me a cocky, half-grin and a shrug. “Are you familiar with his injury?”
He was testing me, so I shot him an equally cocky grin.
“I am. He tore his MCL,” I said. I continued on about what that meant, how it could impact his career as a winger for the Sharks, and the entire time, Dr. Pierce just stared at me, a condescending look on his face. It was as if he was expecting me to say something wrong, maybe even secretly hoping for it so he could swoop in and correct me, thus proving his point that women were inferior. And when I didn't get it wrong, he didn't even look impressed. He actually looked disappointed.
“Very good, Ms. Brooks,” he said.
“Dr. Brooks,” I corrected him. “After all, I did graduate from med school. Same as you.”
I knew he was intentionally demeaning me – it wasn't a misstep to not call me by my title. It was a purposeful act, and he was enjoying this way too much. He even had the balls to look amused when I stood up for myself. I could already tell this was going to be one hell of an internship if he was going to disrespect me every step of the way.
“Yes, Dr. Brooks,” he said. “I'm sorry. I'm just not used to working with women.”
“Well get used to it,” I countered. “Because statistics show that many more women are entering this field these days. And I have a feeling I won't be the last woman to work underneath you.”
“Oh, you can count on that,” he muttered, obviously taking the last part of my sentence to mean something dirty .
Already, I could probably get him in trouble for sexual harassment and discrimination. If I could prove it anyway, that was. Considering his reputation in the field, a measly intern like myself wouldn't stand much of a chance going up against someone like him. And I had to face facts – he was the best of the best and I needed to learn from him, even if it meant being talked down to in the process. It was just one of those things I was going to have to learn to deal with.
Lila poked her head into the office and shot me a faint smile, obviously sensing the tension. “I'm sorry, Dr. Pierce and Dr. Brooks,” she said. It was nice to have someone refer to me by my proper title. “But Mr. McAdams is here. I thought you'd like to know.”
“Thanks, Lila,” he said. “We'll be right out.”
There was a moment of silence between the two of us. I stared off behind Gavin, not focusing on his granite cheekbones , but rather on the awards and photos behind him. He was photographed with some of the biggest names in the sports industry, many of whom, he'd helped at some point in his career.
He'd won prominent awards in general medicine and orthopedic medicine as well, all of which were displayed behind him along with the photographs. Those accomplishments made his resume incredibly impressive. I hoped to be able to look back and say I had a career like his one day.
“We shouldn't keep the patient waiting. Shall we?” he said, pushing away from his desk and walking toward the door. He held it open for me and I walked through without saying a word.
***
Tyler McAdams was larger than he looked on TV. I knew I'd be saying that a lot when it came to meeting professional athletes, but it never ceased to amaze me how much bigger they actually were in person. I wasn't about to be fangirling all over him, but he wasn't too hard on the eyes.
He was a ginger, which was one thing that set him apart from most of his teammates. And currently, he had a nice, reddish-brown beard going on as well that made him look scruffy and manly – and even more dreamy in the eyes of his female fans.
As soon as I walked in the room, his eyes fell on me and he smiled.
“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.