Chapter 6 Winston
WINSTON
“Lagging today, Dr. Warrick?” Olivia asks when she catches me yawning for the fifth time this morning.
Not even the large cup she got me is helping to put a pep in my step.
I’ve finished two cups, and I still feel as though I just rolled out of bed.
I got no sleep last night. It wasn’t because I doomscrolled until the break of dawn.
I truly couldn’t care less about videos like Olivia warned me about.
I stayed up all night checking comments and messages, hoping and wishing that one of the thousands of women declaring their love for me was Dove.
None of them were.
This is torture. Every video I’ve posted has received millions of views. The only other option is that Dove has seen my pleas for her and has decided to remain silent because she’s no longer interested.
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well. That’s alright. Not the first time I’ve had a long day and it won’t be the last.” I stand, grabbing my white coat from the hanger and slipping it on. “Hey—” I yawn again, covering my mouth with my fist. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been there.”
“Thanks.” I pick up my empty coffee mug, deciding I definitely need a refill. “You booked the War-Med Con accommodations, right?”
She tilts her head, placing her hands on her hips. “For the sixth time, yes. Not that I need to. Your family runs that Con. You could show up and you’d be given anything and everything you want.”
“I like to have my plans in order. You know me.”
“Don’t I ever,” Olivia grumbles with a clear sick of me tone.
“Thanks for that. I appreciate it.”
“First class ticket even though you could take the War-Med family jet.”
“You know I don’t like that. Why use a jet when first class exists? My family can be so over-the-top.”
“You do have the penthouse at the hotel—like always.”
“Perfect. And my speech? My presentation?”
“Saved on your computer and in the storage cloud on your laptop.” She follows me out of my office, sitting down in her chair when the phone rings. “Everything I set for you. You have a meeting in two hours. Don’t forget.”
“With who again?” I pinch my eyes closed and rub the corners, hoping it will give me a small pep in my step.
“The residents. You have to select the chief resident, Dr. Warrick. Before you leave for your conference.”
I tilt my head back and groan, wondering how I could have forgotten about that major milestone for my residents. Once I select a chief resident, so much will be taken off my plate and I’ll be able to defer to him or her.
“Right. Okay.” I sigh, rolling my head over my shoulders to relieve the tension. “I’m going to the pit for a few to see if I can’t get a pep in my step. And I’m going to get a fresh coffee.” I set my mug on Olivia’s desk. “From the coffee shop.”
“Oh, and my coffee isn’t good enough?” She feigns being upset by pressing a hand to her chest.
“I need more. I need something with espresso.” I hit the button to the elevator. “I’ll be up for the meeting. I promise.”
“Please don’t make me reschedule it. The residents are clawing at the bars of their enclosure to see if they were the one selected.”
The elevator dings open and I step inside, meeting Dr. Greene again.
“I won’t. No more rescheduling I promise. A resident will be selected”—I slide my hand between the doors to stop them from closing and Dr. Greene sighs—“before I leave for the conference this weekend.”
I slip my hand free for the doors to close and I give an awkward smile to Dr. Greene. “Sorry about that, Doctor.”
“Doctor.” Only this time she says it with clear irritation.
When I get to the main floor, it’s buzzing with doctors and nurses.
I do my best to keep my head down while heading to the emergency room, hoping no one will pull me to the side.
I need to stay busy. My mind has been too preoccupied with Dove and the only way for me to move on is to finally realize that things weren’t meant to be.
I have an important job that deserves all my attention or it could cost lives.
I push myself through the doors of the pit and notice it’s a little more chaotic than usual.
“Dr. Warrick. Thank goodness. We could really use you down here. We could use your consult for a few traumas. Rooms two, three, five, and six.”
“A few?” I quirk an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you guys were so backed up.
Why didn’t you call me down sooner, Jackie?
” Jackie has been the charge nurse in the emergency room going on ten years.
She keeps this place running smoothly, so when it’s overflowing like this, I know it’s because she needs help.
“I should have.”
“Where are my residents? Call them down here now. I want them handling the traumas and if there’s someone in need of a surgery consult, I will consult. Call them. Now, Jackie.”
She swallows hard from hearing the seriousness of my tone. I don’t use it often, but I’m tired of pride getting in the way of things needing to get accomplished. Pride is a dangerous ally. It can be a wicked monster that holds you back if you aren’t careful.
“Never do that again, Jackie. Lives depend on it. You have two doctors here and that isn’t enough. Don’t let me see it happen again.”
“I won’t Dr. Warrick. I’m sorry.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dr. Leighton, the best OB-GYN in the country, at the bedside of a pregnant patient. She snags the light-blue curtain and yanks it closed, but not before I get a glimpse of the patient’s profile.
She has soft features like Dove and long dark hair, but I know it can’t be because this woman is pregnant. My heart skips a beat with excitement and hope. What if it is her?
The realization that she could be pregnant has me forgetting how to breathe.
In the best possible way.
I stop in the middle of the hallway, thinking back to the night in Costa Rica.
Could that patient be Dove? I can’t remember if we used protection.
I don’t think we did, but the chances of her being pregnant are slim.
She said she was on birth control, which I know isn’t one-hundred-percent effective, but there’s no way to be certain unless I find her.
Why do I want her to be pregnant? The dark, possessive part of me wants her to be. That would mean she’s tied to me forever. Bound to me. She would be stuck with me for the rest of her life, which gives me the opportunity to have her fall in love with me.
That’s sick and twisted of me, but when it comes to Dove, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to have her by my side.
Replaying that night in my head, I do my best to filter through the blurry moments, hoping I find myself remembering that I unwrapped a condom packet. I run a hand down my face, only thinking about how good she felt when I slid inside her for the first time.
A high-pitched scream yanks me from my thoughts. I glance to the right to see a man being wheeled into a trauma bay. His arm is bleeding profusely and one of my residents flies into the room to take over.
I have always like Dr. Sawyer. She’s driven, ambitious, and brilliant. She’s always a few steps ahead of the others and doesn’t mind taking charge.
Seeing her in action solidifies my choice of who will be chief resident. Dr. Sawyer is by far the best fit for the position.
“This man needs surgery right away. Call the OR. Make sure they are ready,” Dr. Sawyer orders, holding on to the rail of the gurney while they rush out of the room to take him to surgery.
“Dr. Sawyer,” I yell after her, and she pauses just before the double doors her patient just disappeared through.
“Yes, Dr. Warrick?” She grips her stethoscope that’s slung around her neck.
“Great work,” I praise, which isn’t something I do often.
They’re doctors. They need to learn that more times than not, praise or thanks isn’t going to happen. I’m not going to give them a pat on the back for doing what all doctors need to do, but when I see one of the residents taking charge like Sawyer is, that’s when I give praise.
She doesn’t smile or act excited. Sawyer remains professional, giving me a curt nod. “Thank you, Dr. Warrick.”
A few of my other residents float from room to room, so I make my way to the waiting room where it’s typically packed with patients waiting to be seen for the flu.
I snag a face mask, slipping it on and over my ears, snag a few gloves, and head out into the patient waiting room.
The moment the doors open, I’m surrounded by the sounds of loud coughs and children crying.
The nurses at the desk seem overwhelmed.
Between patients lining up and waiting to check in, and the phones ringing off the hook, they’re barely treading water.
“Dr. Warrick, what are you doing here?”
I glance at the nurse’s name tag because I can’t remember every face I come across. “I’m here to help clear out your waiting room. I have time to kill and I need to keep busy.”
She tucks a bright orange piece of her hair behind her ear, whispering, “Is it because of the girl you can’t find?”
The nurse behind her leans back in her chair, pulling the phone away from her mouth. “We’re all rooting for you, Dr. Warrick.”
“She would be insane not to reach out to you.” Nurse Rachel cups a hand on the side of her mouth so no one can see what she’s saying.
“I mean, you’re the most eligible bachelor here.
A few of us were wondering if you were ever going to date or if work was going to consume you. I’m glad you’re getting out there.”
I snap a pair of gloves on, needing this conversation to be over. I’m close to deleting those videos after how they seem to be taking over my life.
“Let’s not talk about my personal life, Nurse Rachel. We have a job to do.”
She scrunches her nose. “She still hasn’t reached out, huh? Don’t worry, Dr. Warrick, she will. I have a good feeling.”