Chapter Seven

Ryan

Monday morning, my alarm hadn’t even announced it was six AM before I was lacing up my sneakers and grabbing my keys to drive to the gym. I worked out hard, then showered, had breakfast and drove to work all in record time.

Lauren and I hadn’t talked since she’d left almost immediately after we fucked in my apartment. She’d given me about five minutes of holding her, of thinking that it felt so damn right, her being in my arms, before she’d scrambled up and started dressing, telling me what had happened had been a horrible mistake and would I please, please forget it and let things go back to the way they had been between us.

The entire time, I’d watched her, wanting to tell her it hadn’t been a mistake. That it had been fucking fantastic and that we should do it again and again and again. But I’d kept quiet, partially because she seemed so upset already and I didn’t want to make it worse, but mostly becase I was feeling a bit suckerpunched and concerned myself.

Before and after Callie, I didn’t do connections. I didn’t do long term. I didn’t do thinking and worrying and daydreaming about a woman. I did one night stands. I did ‘that was fun’. I did move on, always move on. Despite knowing better, despite how Callie and I working at the same hospital in New York and making things personal had ended in disaster, I was terrified I’d see Lauren again and not want to move on.

She was smart and sexy and strong. And she fucked like a fucking goddess of the deep. My horniness was the least confusing feeling coursing through me as I opened the lobby doors of the hospital and waited for the elevator.

As the doors were about to close, I heard someone shout, “Hey, hold that elevator.”

I wedged my hand just in time to let in a tall, middle aged man with dark hair and gray at the temples.

“Floor?” I asked.

“Four.”

The man swiped through his phone without a second glance at me. I shrugged and watched the floor numbers flash by on the screen. When the doors opened on the fourth floor, I held my arm out to indicate he should go first, but he shouldered past as if it was his intention regardless of me. He turned right and I stuffed my hands in my pockets, because I, too, was heading right.

He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he found me behind him.

“Cute ass,” I said.

He stopped. “Excuse me?”

I held up my hands. “Chill, man. I’m just going in the same direction.”

We awkwardly walked along the same path till we were both standing outside of Marcus’s office. I was there because he wanted to check in on how things were going after my first week with the hospital and with Lauren as my attending surgeon. Why this guy was there, I had no idea.

“Doctor Pierre is just stuck in a little traffic, doctor,” Judy, Marcus’s assistant, told the stranger before she turned to me. “Ryan, if you don’t mind waiting?”

I shook my head. “No problem.”

“Coffee?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

Judy turned to the dark-haired man. “Doctor?”

His eyes remained fixed to his phone. “Is it still that same shit from that filthy ass pot?”

Judy’s jaw clenched. “We used the department’s overhead to get a new operating table, not the latest espresso machine.”

The man didn’t miss a beat. “Then no.”

I mouthed ‘dick’ to Judy and she winked before disappearing around the corner. I took a seat across from the asshole and drummed my fingers on my knees. “You used to work here then?”

He looked up, clearly annoyed. “And you are?”

I grinned and pointed to my name tag stuck to my white coat. “Ryan Castle.”

“Yeah, I can read. I mean what are you doing here?”

“Oh, me?” I asked, playing dumb. “I’m waiting for Marcus.”

He rolled his eyes and returned to his phone. Judy returned with a coffee in a small plastic cup.

I glanced over at the man to make sure he wasn’t looking and then pointed over at him, mouthing ‘Who is that?’

She held up a finger.

“Let me get you a napkin,” she said aloud.

I saw her scribble something behind her desk and the napkin she handed over the counter read: Samuel Decker - surgeon, left after big thing with nurse, Dr. L’s ex, ASSHOLE. I crumbled the napkin and shoved it in my pocket. I studied the man across from me, surprised that Lauren would ever be interested in such an asshat.

Just then the elevator down the hall dinged and a moment later Marcus and Lauren appeared around the corner, chatting and clearly oblivious of the two of us sitting there. I saw the smile on Lauren’s face fall the very moment that her eyes landed on her ex, Samuel. She paled and for a split second, looked like she was going to faint. Instinctively, I almost got up to go to her but she met my gaze and subtly shook her head. Then she whispered something to Marcus who shook his head.

Lauren marched past the small waiting room and straight into Marcus’s office, closing the door after her.

“Samuel,” Marcus said, approaching the man. “I thought we said Tuesday morning?”

Samuel stood. “Your assistant told me Monday.”

Marcus turned to Judy, who quickly explained, “Doctor, your email said to arrange the interview for Monday morning. Maybe I entered the time wrong in your calendar or—”

“No, no, Judy, I’m sure you did everything right. I’m just getting old,” Marcus smiled. “There’s a reason I’m retiring after all.”

Samuel did not laugh with Marcus. He didn’t even crack a smile. Marcus cleared his throat and patted the man on the shoulder. “Give me five minutes with Doctor Decker—er, Lauren. We have a tricky surgery scheduled for this afternoon. Then I’ll be right with you.”

Samuel threw his hands up in obvious frustration. “Shit, Marcus, you’re going to make me sit here and wait for you?”

“Five minutes,” Marcus said, already closing the door to his office.

“Marcus,” Samuel started, but the click of the door interrupted him leaving him standing there fuming.

Almost immediately, we all heard Lauren’s voice. “He’s here to interview for your position? Why didn’t you warn me, Marcus?”

Judy and I exchanged worried looks even as Marcus responded, his voice indistinct. Lauren must have lowered her voice as well, because although we could hear the talking, their words weren’t decipherable.

I glanced back at Lauren’s ex, wanting to punch him when I saw the satisfied smirk on his face. Obviously sensing my gaze, and probably the hostility behind it, he looked at me and cocked a brow. “You might want to come back later since Marcus will be busy interviewing me for a while.”

I gave him a tight smile. “Thanks, but I’ll wait until he’s done speaking with Dr. Decker.”

His gaze sharpened. “You know Lauren?”

“She’s my attending.”

“Since when?” He looked at Judy, obviously demanding an explanation. Judy looked at me, which made me smile, because I knew the fact she wanted my okay before explaining things to this Dr. Decker would piss him the hell off. “By all means,” I said.

Judy turned back to Lauren’s ex. “Helen Lewis left so there’s a chief resident position open. Graton’s is extremely interested in recruiting Dr. Castle, which is why he’s here for a month to shadow Dr. Decker. To see if he’s interested in accepting the position.”

Lauren’s ex turned back to me and snorted. “To see if you’re interested? You’d be a fool to turn it down. Graton’s is the best teaching hospital in Denver, and will be the best in the country after I take over as Chief of Surgery.”

“Assuming you get the job,” I said.

“Excuse me?”

I quickly changed tactics, wanting to punch the asshole but deciding to play with him instead. “I mean, of course you’ll get it. After all, you’re Dr. Samuel Decker, aren’t you?” I widened my eyes and leaned forward in my chair. I’d actually never heard of him, but if he was being considered to take Marcus’s position, he had to have impressive credentials. “Wow, I mean, wow, I read about you in the Harvard Medical Journal.”

Samuel nodded and puffed out his chest like a cartoon rooster. “I’ve heard that a lot.”

I willed my eyes not to roll. It was a struggle, but I somehow managed even though I think I might have strained something.

“I hope that one day I can be half the surgeon that you are, sir.”

He shrugged. “I’d already saved fifty lives at least by the time I was your age, but yeah, sure. Study hard or something.”

“I’d really love the opportunity to speak with you sometime and get some of your wisdom.”

“I’m really busy.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure, I’m sure. But I’d love just a few minutes. I could meet you at your hospital maybe? I’d bring coffee. The good shit. On me.”

Samuel seemed to consider my offer as he chewed on the inside of his mouth. “Well… I do like the coffee shop on 15th. And I’d be interested in hearing how you’re finding it working with Lauren. Who you must have guessed by now, is my ex-wife. But no worries. We’re keeping things professional between us.”

“Sure, sure,” I said, trying to make my eagerness sound sincere.

“I’m really doing you a favor here,” Samuel said as he pulled out his phone again. “A cappuccino double pump caramel almond milk, steamed, and tell them to swirl the hell out of it.”

“Got it,” I said even though I hadn’t been listening. “When works for you?” I stood up and crossed the space between us. He was scrolling through his calendar as I leaned over him.

“I don’t know, kid. I’m pretty full.”

I bit my tongue at the use of the word ‘kid’ and pointed to an open slot. “How about then?”

“Where?”

I moved closer and accidentally, absolutely, positively, cross-my-heart it was accidentally, tipped my coffee cup a little too far over his lap. He leaped up as the full contents of the cup poured over his phone. I swear I didn’t purposefully aim to hit the tiny speaker at the top which would lead straight into the central components of the phone. I swear.

Samuel tried to wipe the phone off with a medical magazine on the table as he swore at me. “You fucking idiot! What is wrong with you?”

I put my hands up in the air. “I’m sorry, Samuel, man. Dude, I swear it was just an accident.”

“It’s fucking Dr. Decker to you, you little piece of—”

The door to the office swung open and the confused faces of Marcus and Lauren peered out.

“Dr. Decker, what the hell is going on?” Marcus clipped out.

Samuel, red and puffy in the face, pointed a shaky finger at me. “This fucking kid spilled coffee on my phone.”

Lauren stepped forward. “That kid is Dr. Ryan Castle and Graton’s wants him as its new chief resident.”

Samuel rounded on her with a sneer. “Defending your pupil, Lauren? So loyal of you.”

I could see it was on the tip of her tongue to say it. To say, I am loyal, unlike you, you cheating dirt-bag, but before she could, Marcus interjected.

“Samuel, please come into my office. We both know you could afford a hundred new phones.”

Samuel glared at me and then finally walked past us into Marcus’s office. The door closed and then it was just me and Lauren and Judy, who was trying and failing to hide her giggles. I grinned and looked over at Lauren.

But it was abundantly clear that she found none of this funny.

“Dr. Castle,” she said, her tone clipped. “May I speak with you in private?”

After a last glance at Judy, I followed her down the hall like a puppy about to be disciplined for chewing up a shoe.

“Lauren, I—”

She whirled on me as soon as we got inside her office and she shut the door.

She pointed a finger into my chest, causing me to back up into the wall. Anger was written all across her face. “I do not,” she hissed. “I repeat, I do not, need you to fight my battles.” She paced in front of me like a wild tiger thrust into a cage. “I’ve built a respectable career for myself long before you arrived in a wailing bundle on my doorstep, okay? Do you think this is the first male asshole I’ve had to deal with in twenty years? Do you?”

“No, but—”

“I can deal with Samuel by myself, too. You and I aren’t together because we matched on some stupid dating app. We aren’t a couple just because we”—she lowered her voice to a whisper—“drunkenly fucked one time. We aren’t a thing because of one regrettable night.”

“I wasn’t drunk and neither were you,” I shot back.

She stopped pacing and stared at me, and I crossed my arms over my chest, daring her to repeat that what had happened between us on Friday night had been the result of too much alcohol rather than an irresistible desire.

Her shoulders slumped.

“No,” she said, rubbing at the back of her neck. “You’re right. We weren’t drunk. Granted, I’d been drinking, and the whole reason I’d gone to that club in the first place was because Samuel had called and said some ugly things but—”

“Great guy, making sure he upset you even before he shows up to interview for Marcus’s job. He didn’t deserve you, Lauren.”

Lauren sighed. “Be that as it may, Ryan, you don’t know me.”

“No, but I’m getting to know you, and no one has to know you very long to understand what an incredible woman you are. You’re such an incredible woman that even with the way you keep pushing me away, I don’t regret what we did Friday night. Do you? Really?”

She stared at me, pleasure dancing in her eyes, before she shut it down. “I made a mistake Friday night. It’s an unavoidable fact that you are a resident in my hospital. It’s an unavoidable fact that you are a decade younger than I am. It’s an avoidable fact that I should regret what we did together but…”

I no longer felt like I was standing in her office in a public hospital. It felt like I was back in the entry hallway of my rental apartment, in the dark, standing across from Lauren, her eyes on me, on me and me alone.

“I don’t. I don’t but we can’t do it again.”

Her eyes fell to the ground and she turned and without another word, she walked out of her own office.