"Dammit!" Simon tossed his phone half across his desk and ran his fingers through his messy hair. After a week of leaving her be, he thought she might actually have considered letting him come over for a minute. He glanced up at the bedroll that laid on the edge of the couch in his office and growled.

It had been a week, and where he knew he had fucked up royally, there was only one way to get her back. To get in her face and remind her of all they meant to each other. He would spend the rest of his life making things up to her, but without the power to force willingness upon her, he was without recourse.

The anger in her voice was only compounded by the sadness he could hear as she poked at him. Good. He deserved her nastiness and so much more. His cock twitched in his scrubs at the thought of seeing her fiery and pissed. He rolled his eyes and pressed his hand against the front of his pants. "Fuck off! You're the cause of all of this. As if anything or anyone is better than Julie." He stood and shook his head. "What was I thinking? Right. I wasn't."

A week. A whole damn week of sleeping at work and picking up double shifts just to keep himself busy. Even with only a few hours a day to himself, he still couldn't find rest.

A knock at his door had him standing to his full height. He might have caused his personal life to be a hell-wreck, but his professional one didn't have to follow it. His job was the only thing he had going for him at the moment.

"Come in," he barked.

Elijah opened the door and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms over his chest and pinning Simon with a knowing stare. "You know you can't work another double. I just checked our reports and if anyone saw how many hours you've put in this last week, I’ll be called in and questioned. After today, you take the night off."

"And go where?" Simon crossed his own arms over his chest, not quite liking the trajectory of their conversation. He and his best guy pal weren't on great terms either seeing that Elijah had lied to his wife, Charity, or rather, just hadn't given full disclosure of the incident between Simon and Pam.

It was the chief of staff before him that had sewn up his head when he came in from the accident he and Pam had gotten into. The bloody accident was the wake-up call he needed to wake him up from his mental slumber. Everyone else looked at it as punishment for his sins no doubt.

"Get a hotel or an apartment. This thing between you and Julie isn't going to clear up in a matter of days, Simon. Stop acting like it is. You can’t keep sleeping here and you know it."

"Then let me stay at your place. You know I hate hotels and Jules isn't going to let me come to the house until she's good and damn ready. I don't blame her either." Simon added in the last bit before Elijah did, which he would have.

"I would offer, but Charity wants the house open to Julie should she need to come over." Elijah shook his head. "You're the bad guy in this. The reasons behind your actions don’t negate the fact that you have to fix this shit between you and Julie as best you can before the rest of us give you the time of day."

"But you're my friend." Simon walked around the desk and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're supposed to be on my side."

Elijah jumped in with an angry look on his face before Simon could explain. He wasn't looking for Elijah to support his sleeping with Pam or his bad decisions, but the guy could at least offer to be a shoulder to lean against as the healing process began.

"I’ll never be on your side when your behavior is destructive. You know that. I'm not an enabler and you’re being asked nicely by your friend to get your shit and find a new place to rest during your off periods. This isn't an apartment. Relocate today or you'll get a less-than-friendly visit from the chief of staff. Got it?" Elijah's countenance was angry, his brows pressed together and lips pursed into a tight line.

"Got it." Simon shrugged and forced himself not to spout out something he might regret later. Elijah was in the right and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he wasn't going to budge until things cleared up with Jules. No one was.

"Your shift ends in two hours. Stop by and see me before you go, please." Elijah turned to leave and paused at the door. "Have you tried to go see her? To talk to her face to face? I've seen you and Julie together when things were good. Memories of that time might help rebuild..."

Simon cut him off. "I'm good. Thanks. No need for coaching or mentorship. I've tried everything and nothing’s working. I deserve it, so whatever." He hated how much like a spoiled ass he sounded, but he couldn't help himself. Having just gotten off the phone with his bride and misunderstanding her choking for emotion, he was hurting all over again.

A call came over the speaker system. The nurse's voice filled the room, but the slight tremor in it told Simon that something was up far beyond what they were spilling to the hospital.

"Dr. Bennet. You're needed in the ER, Stat. Dr. Bennet. You're needed in the ER, Stat."

"I'll come with you." Simon grabbed his coat and jogged to catch up with Elijah as he turned and jogged down the hall toward the stairs.

"What the hell, now?" he grumbled and barreled into the door, taking the stairs fast.

Simon kept up as his heart raced at the possibilities. Nothing gave him a high like saving lives each and every day did. Having been in the ER most nights since taking residence at the hospital, he was almost glad for the chance to be there again.

Over the years, he had been carefully shifted out of trauma and into a regular schedule as their lead neurosurgeon. He loved his job and had come to covet the moments that him and Julie worked side by side in the OR for the more complicated procedures. Even more so now...

"Any clue what's up?" Simon jogged beside Elijah and checked his phone to make sure he still had time on the clock should they need his help.

"No, but it can't be good. Charles is down here this afternoon. He's beyond skilled, so anything that needs my attention means it’s someone incredibly important or death is eminent."

"Right," Simon mumbled and moved in behind Elijah as they rounded the corner to a rather quiet ER hall. One of the nurses turned toward them and jogged their way, handing Elijah a chart and glancing over at Simon with a hateful look on her elderly face.

Did everyone know about him and Pam? It would almost seem that way.

"Talk to me, Cheryl." Elijah took the chart and stopped short. "Why do I have this chart?"

"Because she's the patient, Elijah." The nurse glanced toward Simon. "This is a rather private matter, Dr. Paulk. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave."

"What?" Simon felt his blood run cold. Since when did the nurse get to denote who was and wasn't included in a trauma case? He was regularly brought in and if Elijah was being called to assist, then he would most certainly be welcomed right beside him.

"She's right." Elijah glanced toward him. "I'll come find you later. This is high priority and not your specialty. It’s obstetrics."

"Oh." Simon paused and took a step back before turning to walk toward the ER check-in desk. He waited until Elijah walked from the room with the nurse to lean over and tap the desk in front of him.

A younger male, who must have been relatively new, glanced up. "Yes, Sir? How can I help you?"

"The patient that was just brought in. Give me her name, please?" He knew he shouldn't, but his curiosity got the best of him. Elijah being brought in was non-routine, especially since he wasn't the head of obstetrics himself. Glen was, and for some reason, his name wasn't called over the intercom. Why?

"Of course." The young man flipped through the paperwork in front of him as his brow pulled tight. "Hmmm... odd. It's not listed here where it should be."

Simon reached over the desk and plucked the file from the boy before fingering through it quickly. The last line on the narration page had an address, which he didn't expect to tell him anything, but unfortunately, it did.

"Julie." He turned and walked toward the heart of the ER, not giving two shits what anyone thought. Why was Julie there and what the fuck did she need an OB for? Had something happened to her that he wasn't aware of? Maybe it was a Gyno or maybe they were making shit up and she had been in an accident. She was still his wife and legally his responsibility.

He pressed the door to the only occupied room open and caught her eye as she clung to Elijah, the soft sound of him comforting her almost undoing Simon.

"What the fuck’s going on?" Simon moved in the room as the nurse moved toward him.

"You're not welcomed in here at the moment."

"Fuck off," he growled at her and moved around her with ease.

Elijah turned and got in his face. "Out. Now. I'll find you later."

"No." He moved a little to his left, trying to get Julie's attention. The light blue hospital gown fit her perfectly, but the pasty white of her skin left his insides shaking with fear. "Baby, what's the matter? What happened?"

She adverted her eyes from him as Elijah picked him up and muscled him out of the room. The smaller man yelled behind him for the nurse to close the door.

Simon jerked from his hold and got in his face. "Fucking move out of my way right now. That's my wife in there."

"She was your wife, Simon. Get yourself together and back off or you'll be looking at suspension papers the minute I have time to get to my desk. This isn't a daytime drama and I need to be in there with Julie. Take yourself back to your office and cool off. I'll come find you after I help her."

"Help her with what?" He was left dizzy by the fast pumping of his blood, his body numbing quickly as fear permeated every cell.

"I’ll fill you in later." Elijah wouldn't budge. “Let me help her, please.”

"If this was you and Charity, I’d never do this to you."

"Perhaps, but I'm making the only call I know to right now. She doesn't want you involved. You're not going to be. Leave or I'll have you escorted out. Your choice."

"Fuck you." Simon jerked from him and stormed out of the ER as tears pricked his vision. It didn't matter what he had done or hadn't done. Julie was still his wife, and knowing she was in the ER and not allowing him to come down to help her, to hold her, left his heart shattering in his chest.

Perhaps it was really over and hope should be laid to rest.

Too bad that didn't seem much like an option. He was never going to give her up. She was worth the world. He just had to find a way to prove it to her.