The tension between me and Parks was almost worse than it was between me and Nolan. I felt like I was living in the middle of a goddamn soap opera. It wasn't me at all, and just a few days since Parks had gotten there, I was growing weary.

"You look like hell." Aiden smiled from my computer screen as I sat down with a cup of coffee and turned up the volume. We Skyped from time to time, just to stay in touch. Neither of us could seem to get away for a day to meet up. It was sad, but it was our lives.

"Thanks." I ran my fingers through my hair and got them stuck in the tangles. He chuckled as I grumbled and worked out the tangles. "It's your fault."

"Doubtful, but tell me why you believe that lie to be true." He lifted a perfect eyebrow, and I wished we were closer in proximity. He was my best friend outside of Gwen. It was weird to know that all I had was family, but maybe one day that would change. It just felt a little too scary to consider opening up to someone who wasn't.

"You sent the hottest, most obnoxious surgeon I've ever met up here for a month. Why? What have I done to deserve this?" My voice was loud and dramatic, but I winked at the end to let him know that I hadn't completely gone off my rocker.

"Ahhh... only four days and he's already under your skin." Aiden smiled and shook his head. "Just make sure he doesn't know that he has you where he wants you."

"Where he wants me?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"He wants all women to unravel around him." He shrugged. "If you were a guy, you'd know this trick well, but you're not."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." I reached for my coffee and blew on it as I watched my brother. "And he wants me unraveled because he likes knowing that he has an effect on us weak-willed women?"

"Not at all. He wants to see you emotional so he can move in and save the day."

I laughed. "He's the one fucking up the day!"

"That's irrelevant."

"So is me not showing him that he's got me pinned against a wall. I'm already a bit of a wreck having to work side by side with Nolan. Throwing Parks in the mix hasn't done me any favors."

"That's your choice, Ansley. I told you that I could make a spot here for you at St. Marks. You always have choices. You're never stuck. You know this." His voice had shifted to sound like my father. Where I would bristle at his advice in my twenties, I rather welcomed it now.

"I know." I took a sip of my coffee and sat it down. "I don't want Parks to unravel me, but it's not a hard feat nowadays. Nolan and I had another screaming match over me finally getting my name change back."

"Nolan is hoping you're going to grow weary and give up the fight."

"He might get his wish. I just want to have one day where I don't feel the need to rip someone's head off."

"Then make that day today." He tilted his head a little to the side as if he were trying to diagnose my brand of crazy. Good luck to you.

"How are things going down there?"

"Great, but that's because I let things that don't matter slide off my chest."

"I have tits. Things get stuck." I gave him a toothy grin.

"Way more than I needed to know, but thank you for that. I might actually barf if you keep it up."

"Now, that would make my day." I leaned back and let out a long sigh. "Show me the new surgeries that you have coming up, and I'll give my opinion as always. I have my files here for when you're done."

"Excellent. Gwen would call us nerds if she knew we did this." He smiled and pulled up a file.

"Let's never tell her. It's just our secret."

"Like that cave you found near the coast when we were kids?" He glanced back at the screen as mischief filled his eyes.

"You remember that?" I snorted and laughed as memories washed over me. Aiden and I had tons of secrets as kids, secrets from everyone else, but not each other. We protected one another, shared life and found adventures. He was my rock, my best friend, my brother.

Now if I could find a good man like him to be my husband. Then life would be right.

* * *

"Impossible." I glanced sideways at Parks as we stood outside the OR in the wash room, scrubbing in side by side for surgery.

"No, it's not. I've done this surgery in two hours plenty of times." His smirk was insanely sexy.

"Forgive me for being a doubter, Doctor Parks, but there's no way." I turned, and Nancy helped me into gloves and handed me my goggles and mask. "Nancy, have you ever heard of anyone doing this surgery in under four hours?"

"Nope and four hours is fast from my experience." She leaned around me. "I think you're full of it, Doctor."

Parks chuckled and moved up beside the both of us, sticking his hands out. It was nice not to be tense with him. The need to be etched away at me, but talking with Aiden had helped me calm down a little earlier that morning. Maybe I was taking out my angst on Parks because it was easier than being nice to the cocky bastard.

"How about this," he paused and smiled over at me, "I do this one, and I do it in two hours."

"Why does it sound like there's more to that statement?" Nancy asked, laughing before she left the two of us alone.

"And what?" I turned to face him as excitement ran through my chest. Was he really capable of wrapping up the surgery in two hours? It would be a new record for our hospital. The very idea of seeing something so miraculous had my pulse spiked. Or maybe it was the handsome man with more tats and piercings than should have been allowed in the OR.

He was a complete rebel, and some part of me yearned to be one too, but much like the time for kids had passed, so had the time for pipe dreams and acting youthful.

"And if I wrap it up in two hours or under, you go out with me." He licked the side of his mouth, and fuck if my stomach didn't contract with a rush of tingles.

"No." I turned and walked into the operating room to find our staff prepped and ready to go. "Not a chance."

"You know you want to see this, Ans." He moved to the other side, and Henry lifted the scalpel.

It was hard to breathe all of a sudden as I stood there in the middle of indecision. I wanted to go out with him, to have dinner and hear his story. Aiden loved him like a brother. Why? What was it about Parks that had my brother willing to bend over backward for him? That wasn't Aiden at all. There had to be more to this guy than I thought.

"Who's performing the surgery?" Henry asked as he glanced between me and Parks.

"It's just dinner." Parks smiled, and I knew I was in trouble. Fighting almost felt safer.

"And if you don't do it under two hours?" I wanted to challenge the fuck out of him. A passion rolled through me that I couldn't remember feeling before.

"Then I'll pack up my shit and leave." He winked at me.

"Fine. Whatever. It's not going to happen anyway. This is impossible." I glanced over at Henry. "Let Doctor Parks take this one and wow us all as he's promised to do. It might just be the last time we have to put up with him."

He ignored my jab. "To defeat the impossible, you have to first believe that it's possible, Ans." Parks took the scalpel and moved into place.

I wanted to correct him, but I was lost to how delicious he looked in his scrubs, leaning over the patient, taking full charge in complete confidence that he was about to school us all.

A huge part of me hoped he did.

I moved in closer and watched, handing him instruments and supporting him alongside Henry until we were done. I glanced over my shoulder to see that he'd wrapped it up in just under two hours. My body flushed with a flurry of warmth, and I had no doubt that my cheeks and neck were stained pink.

"Done." He moved back and smiled. "Let the heavens cry. This one isn't coming home today."

"I like that." Nancy glanced over at me. "Just under two hours."

"So it is." I moved in to inspect his work. It was impeccable as if Aiden were standing across the table from me. The scar would almost be unnoticeable once the woman's hair grew back along the base of her skull. "It's perfect."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Parks turned and walked from the room, closing the door behind him.

I nodded for Nancy to follow after and helped him wash up. Henry moved up on the other side of the table and leaned over to inspect the young doctor’s work as well.

"I have to say, your brother has taught him well, Doctor Crawford."

"Yes. He has." I glanced up and smiled. "Make sure not to compliment the cocky bastard too much, okay?"

Henry laughed. "Anyone who is cocky at his age is being as such for a reason. He's thirty-one, Ansley, not twenty-one. He might look youthful, but he's not a boy. If he's still holding out the cocky card, then I would reckon that it's due to him protecting himself. Women only like cocky for a night."

"Oh no. Not you too." My smile grew wider. "You've fallen for him."

Henry moved back and laughed again. "I haven't, but I do believe you might."

"He paid you, didn't he?" I finished my review and walked to the door as Henry gave me a few words of advice.

"Ansley."

I glanced over my shoulder. "Yes, old friend?"

"When a doctor performs heart surgery, how many days is it before we force the patient to get up and walk, though it hurts so incredibly bad?" He pursed his lips.

"As soon as they wake up and get through the first twenty-four hours."

"Right. When something is broken and gets fixed, you don't wait for a complete healing to occur. You move forward, and in the movement, the healing begins. Hear me?"

Tears blurred my vision. I was so broken from my divorce, and the loss I believed would always be mine that I'd stopped breathing, stopped living for the last year. I nodded and turned to walk out.

"Ha! I told you that I-" Parks bounced on his feet, but his expression softened as he caught a glimpse of me. "Ans. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I turned my face and wiped my tears on the sleeve of my scrubs. "Just a memory shared between me and Henry. I'm fine. Great job. You won."

"You sure?" Nancy moved up beside me and helped me remove my gloves and other garb. "You need to talk?"

"Nope." I grabbed some paper towels and wiped my eyes before turning to see Nolan walk into the room. Fucking great.

"Doctor Parks. It's come to my attention that you've just broken a record." Nolan's voice boomed in the small room.

I glanced back to see a new nurse standing on the other side of the glass, her smile so big it looked like it might crack her pretty face. She had been an extra in the surgery. It would seem she was trying to get Parks on her side. Too funny. Did she not know that he was a fuck 'em once and leave ‘em kind of guy? Doctor Feelgood didn't hang around for seconds.

My nasty thoughts helped to push away my sensitivities thankfully.

"Thanks so much. I have Aiden to thank for that. He pushes so hard that you make it or break in half trying," Parks responded.

I started for the door, not wanting to partake in the ass-kissing ceremony. Nolan stopped me.

"Doctor Crawford. Did you congratulate your brother's protégé? You might have a few things you could learn from him."

Stopping, I turned and forced a smile on my face. "Of course I congratulated him. He did an incredible job." I glanced over at Parks, who funny enough, looked like he might be sick. "Feel free to teach me your wickedly talented ways anytime."

"Ansley," Nolan started.

I turned and walked out into the hallway, close to unraveling again.

"Ans. Wait." Parks jogged after me as I walked down the hallway. "We have tomorrow off. Dinner. Six tomorrow night. I'll come get you from your place. Text me the address."

"No." I turned to face him as the door to the OR opened, and Nolan walked out. He was too far to really hear us, but I had no doubt that he would be concerned with our closeness. I stepped back to save myself another fight. "You did a great job. That's more than enough of a prize. We're here to save lives and do it effectively. You did just that."

His eyes darkened a little. "Tomorrow night at six. A deal is a deal."

"Fine, but I'll meet you there. You're not picking me up. Period." I clenched my jaw, unwilling to budge. There was no way I was going out with him. I'd end up in bed with him and then... I'd fall in love. There was no fucking way I was adding another loss to my list. And he would most certainly be one.

"Alright. We can meet there." A ghost of a smile played along the side of his mouth, drawing me in far too deep.

"I'm not going to be an ounce of fun. I can promise you that." I let my eyes move across his impossibly handsome face. His five o'clock shadow looked so damn good on him, his lips so kissable.

"You let me be the judge of that." He winked and turned, walking back toward Nolan.

I stood there for a moment, trying to remember where I was headed. Right. My office to sulk.

Great.