Quinton’s Quest (Love in Mission City #6)
Chapter 1
Chapter One
Quinton
“He’s a total fucking asshole.” I paced back and forth in the staff room at my hospital.
My hospital.
Dr. Lucia Maroni sat at the table and munched on her apple. She swallowed. “Who precisely are we talking about?”
“Dr. Leopold Rodgers.” I put as much derision into the doctor as I was capable of.
Lucia arched an eyebrow.
“Not all doctors,” I was quick to clarify.
This was an ongoing joke between the two of us. Nurses hated doctors. Doctors disliked nurses.
Until they like, married or something.
“Isn’t today Leopold’s first day?” Lucia examined her nails. “Excellent reputation—did really good work at Royal Columbian over in New West. Abbotsford was lucky to nab him.”
I waved her off.
She glared back. “Cardiothoracic surgeons are tough to find, Quinton. You know that.”
“As opposed to nurses.”
She tut-tutted me. “Nurses are critical to the functioning of the hospital. That said, nurses like you are extra special.”
“You’re just buttering me up.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you want an invitation to my Absolutely Amazing Valentine’s Shindig.”
She rose. “Quinton, darling, you already invited me. Considering Foster and Arnav got engaged at the New Year’s party, I can only imagine what’s happening next week.”
I pressed my fingers against my temples. “I can’t think of a party.”
“Because you’ve got a shift to work?”
“Because the best-slash-worst one-night stand of my life is now roaming the halls of our very hospital.”
“Ah.” She grasped my cheeks in her hands. “Get over yourself. Truly. You’re a good nurse. Hell, you’re a great nurse. You know a lot about a lot—which means you can rotate in where you’re needed.”
“Do you think I can ask to be taken off surgical rotation permanently?”
“One. No. Two…what would you do?”
“Oncology. Pediatrics—” I flip-flopped my hand. “Surely there’s something. I mean, I met you through your nephrology practice.”
“And you were great with my patients. But you grew bored.”
“Did not.” I jutted my chin.
“Sick kids make you sad.”
I pursed my lips. “They still need nurses.”
“Talk to Marlena. She’s got a soft spot for you.”
Marlena was the administrator of the nursing rotations. And yeah, she did have a sweet spot for me. “I’m on surgical rotation this week.”
“Maybe your surgeon won’t have any surgeries.” She tossed her apple core into the compost bin. “Exactly what made him the best-slash-worst one-night stand ever?” She rinsed her hands in the sink and washed them thoroughly.
I closed my left eye in deep contemplation. I always tell Lucia everything. Why stop now?
Because it’s embarrassing? Annoying? Makes me look childish?
Yeah, except when has that ever stopped me?
I put my hands on my hips. “We met up at the gay bar in Langley.”
She dried her hands. “And? Nothing you haven’t done before.”
“He got a hotel room for us.”
“Did you at least talk first or did you just move straight to fucking?”
I huffed. Semi-indignantly.
She raised an eyebrow.
“We talked.” A tad defensive? Yep.
“And you told him you were a nurse at Abbotsford Hospital, and he told you he was the new surgeon, and you were so excited to realize you’d be working together that you what? Just fell into bed together?”
I pursed my lips.
“Did you lie?”
I shook my head.
“Did he lie?”
“He didn’t tell me the truth.”
She laughed. “And you didn’t volunteer your life story either. Was he a bad shag?”
I held back the laugh. “No. Best fuck all year.”
“Uh, Quinton, it’s the beginning of February.”
“Well—” I tried not to replay the amazing sex in my life.
“Oh-ho.” She rested her hip against the counter. “So are you lying to me, to yourself, or to both?”
“Both?” I might’ve squeaked that.
“How good?”
“Lucia.” I hissed that.
“You’re saying he was the best lay this year. I’m thinking a lot longer than that.”
She wasn’t wrong. I was someone who loved to party. That said, I didn’t go home with every guy I met. “Okay…like really talented.”
“So just good in the sack? No personality? Butt ugly?”
“Uh…no.”
“To which?”
“To both.”
Another arched eyebrow.
“Okay, the guy’s unbelievably gorgeous. And definitely knows how to fuck.”
“Ah.”
“He’s also a pompous jackass.”
“Oh.” Her dark-brown eyes flashed—obviously expecting juicy details.
“He said, and I quote, I hope the nurses aren't as lazy in this hospital as they were at my last place. Always on their phones while patient call bells were ringing.” I used air quotes—just in case she questioned my use of his exact words.
“Oh.” She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, that’s bad. What did you say?”
“After discovering he was a surgeon? Something like nothing like arrogant surgeons to not understand how much nurses have to cope with. I’ll see myself out.” Again with the air quotes. “Uh, and then, like, and lose my number. As a lazy nurse, I don’t date people above my station.”
“Wow.” She examined her blunt fingernails with clear polish. “That was—”
“Witty? Sharp? Brilliant?”
“I was going to say bitchy.”
“What?” I pressed my hand against my chest. “He insulted me. He insulted all of us.”
“You don’t know what his experience was.”
“You’re saying all the nurses at New West sit on their phones and ignore their patients?”
“Of course not.”
“Right. So his generalization was out of order.”
“He also didn’t know you were a nurse.”
“Doesn’t that make it worse? That he’s spreading gossip about nurses to people who don’t even know us?”
She shrugged. “You don’t have any scruples about calling him an arrogant surgeon.”
“Well, because clearly he is!”
“You’ve called many doctors arrogant. In front of your friends and God knows who else.”
“Are you calling me a hypocrite?”
“If the stethoscope fits.” She glanced at her watch. “I have rounds in a few minutes.” She tweaked my nose. She was petite—and therefore shorter than my own five-ten. Funny how Dr. Arrogant was just a few inches taller, but he made me feel delicate.
Probably all those muscles. No doctor deserved to have muscles that…sculpted.
“You know I love you.” Lucia met my gaze.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Then find a way to make peace with the doctor. It’ll be hell on you if you don’t and, frankly, doctors are usually harder to replace than nurses.”
I huffed. She was right. My skill set was in demand—but nabbing a competent surgeon was more important. I’d do best to remember that.
Lucia walked out of the staff room just as Marlena breezed in.
“Oh, Quinton, perfect timing. Dr. Long is giving our new surgeon, Dr. Rodgers, a tour. I was hoping you might put in an appearance. A way to show the nurses will always be there to support him.”
Breathe.
“Of course. Anything for the team.”
“Great. I’ll see you later.” If she found anything amiss in my tone, she certainly didn’t call me out on it. Instead, she breezed back out.
I tucked my lunch into the fridge, pulled up my big-boy pants, and headed over to the surgical wing.