Charli

IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER before the knock came at the door.

Charli had to ease her way free from the stranglehold Max had managed to get around her. Somehow, he’d tangled her up, grasping the hand she’d put on his hip and then wrapping his other arm around her waist.

The night had been insanely long, and she was now kicking her own ass, and Con’s—metaphorically, at least. Once this was all said and done, she just might kick Con’s ass literally, then find a friend and ask said friend to kick hers.

This was a lot more complex than Max just getting some infection from a manky knife. He’d gone from almost fine to seriously ill in the blink of an eye. Opportunistic infections didn’t set in like that in the typical, run-of-the-mill healthy guy in his twenties.

Her belly flip-flopped as she thought about what that might mean, but she shoved it aside and refused to think about it for the time being.

What mattered was that Max was beyond sick and she needed to get him to the hospital.

Of course, she had been insanely stupid and she might be looking at trouble with the medical licensing board, but she’d deal with that later.

Still, she needed help.

Finally, she extricated herself from Max’s grip and adjusted her clothing. As she stood, she did a mental evaluation and decided she was fine. She’d been feeling better every day, but those when she went without much rest were harder. Needless to say, today had been one without much rest.

She didn’t see herself getting much rest any time soon, either.

“Relax,” she muttered.  “You’ll get plenty of rest here soon...when you no longer have to go to the hospital.  They’ll terminate your residency. You’ll never be a doctor.  You’ll have all the time in the world to rest.”

She shoved aside the growing lump in her throat and tried to tell herself not to think about it, not right now at least.

She’d done what she thought was right at the time.

Looking back, she would have done the same thing.

And she was wasting time.

Her best shot was one of the few other people she trusted—the doctor who’d inspired her to go into the medical field. Joshua Rodriguez was coming up on retirement. Dr. Josh knew both her and Max, and more, he’d understand Max’s aversion to hospitals. He’d been one of the few people in the medical field who’d understood what was being done to Max, and he’d done everything he could to help.

Sadly, Max’s ice-bitch of a mother had been too concerned about appearances to worry about her son.

But Dr. Josh had tried, and in the end, his persistence had accomplished what nothing else had done.

It had gotten Max out of his father’s home.

He’d also understand why Charli had been so willing to try to handle this on her own, away from the hospital. It might not save her future in medicine, though.

She knew that, and she would face whatever consequences.

The knock came again, nearly two minutes after the first, but she was almost at the door. Dr. Josh was incredibly patient.

She opened the door, still trying to smooth her hair into submission. She’d given up on her shirt. It was a disaster.

The man waiting on the stoop was of average height with kind eyes set in a round face. If it wasn’t for his utterly bald head, he might have passed for somebody closer to her age, but she knew he’d grown up with her parents. “Hey, Dr. Josh.”

“We’re practically contemporaries, Charli.” He crooked a smile at her and offered a hand. “You can call me Josh at this point.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. “No.” Shaking her head, she took his hand and shook it, lingering on it as she pondered the idea of the man who’d removed stitches from her forehead, her left knee, her hip, then her right knee, being her contemporary. She’d been twelve the last time she’d needed to have stitches removed, having finally somewhat outgrown the tomboy stage. He’d let her keep the sutures that time and she’d watched the entire thing, while her mother turned away and hid her eyes.

“You’re always going to be Dr. Josh,” she said, laughing a little. Then, as his face softened into a smile, she had to fight the sob burning inside.

“Hey...” Dr. Josh pulled her up against him in a gentle hug. “What’s this, Charli? What is this?”

She shook her head, refusing to give in to the fear that had festered over the past few hours before finally spilling out of control. “I...it’s...just. No. You come and see. Then we can talk.”

But when she went to pull away, he caught her arm.

“Charli.” She paused at the tone in his voice. “Are you...okay?”

Blood rushed to her face and she looked away. “I figured it was too much to hope you wouldn’t hear.”

“I was in the hospital the night it happened,” he said gently. “I just...overheard.”

“Yeah.” She gave a short nod. “The life of small-town physicians, right?”

She placed a hand low on her abdomen, the tenderness there finally fading. “I’m okay, Dr. Josh. Getting stronger every day. Back still hurts some, but...”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

She met his eyes then. “That’s all I’m willing to discuss. Come on. Max is the one who needs you right now.”