Chapter 1 #2
“What was that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”
“I said you’re such a considerate doctor,” she yells at me over her shoulder, and now I can’t stop my laugh.
But the second we meet the OR floor, all humor is gone from my lips.
“Hi, Dr. Fritz,” Angelica, one of the nurses, says to me, batting her long lashes at me flirtatiously as she goes about tying my gown and helping me with my sterile gloves. “I’m so glad you’re in here performing this surgery. I know the patient is in the best of hands with you as her doctor.”
“Actually, I’m the one doing the surgery, Angelica,” Grace smoothly interjects. “Dr. Fritz is simply here to supervise me. So, if you’re ready to get back to work, I’d like to start.” With the patient fully prepped and ready, Grace gets into position, holding out her hand. “Ten blade, please.”
The scrub nurse obliges, and all other commentary ceases as Grace sets to work while I watch on, here to jump in at any time if needed, but I already know I won’t be.
Grace, while only heading into her third year of residency, is as competent as any fourth year or attending.
She’s by far the best OB-GYN resident in the hospital.
Just as she makes the incision, the pediatrics and NICU teams roll in.
The patient is holding her own, getting another unit of type-specific blood while Grace works diligently and methodically to get the baby out.
That’s actually the easy part. The fastest part.
After that is where the real work for us begins.
Especially with a case like this. We have to remove the placenta without causing more damage or further bleeding.
“How’s my patient doing, Larry?” Grace asks the anesthesiologist just as we get a couple of beeps on the monitor.
“Blood pressure dipped a little, but I’ll get it back up.”
“That would be greatly appreciated.” Grace locates the fetus, working with skilled, precise movements. “If you’re not too bored over there, Carter, maybe you could cauterize that bleeder for me?”
“I’ve got it,” the nurse says, doing her job.
“I think Dr. Fritz is well beyond cauterizing bleeders,” Angelica simpers. “I’ve seen him perform the most complex of surgeries with ease.”
“Hey, Larry?” Grace cuts in once again, completely ignoring Angelica who has always been a flirty kiss ass. “Did Dr. Fritz ever tell you why he decided to become an OB-GYN when the field is predominantly female providers?”
“Here we go…” I mutter.
“Yes. Here we go.” Grace extracts the baby, blue and wet, handing him directly to the waiting pediatric team. They immediately start working on him. “Time of delivery, nineteen-thirty-two.” She glances up at me. “Seventy-eight seconds, Carter. I believe you owe me one hell of a birthday present.”
“I’ll let you use the robot in my next surgery.”
She shakes her head. “No way. I want something better from you, Doctor. Something real I can sink my teeth into.”
So do I , I think and then quickly shut that bitch up. “A steak then?” I offer. “Since we know Tony won’t be around to take you to dinner.”
I get a death glare for that.
“Wait, back up,” Larry jumps in, before Grace can unleash more of her wrath. “Why are you an OB-GYN, Carter? You that into pregnant chicks and pussy?”
Grace, as well as every nurse in here, throws Larry a scathing look.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that, because it makes you sound like a total misogynistic asshole,” Grace barks while she goes about removing the placenta and tying off any active bleeding vessels.
“But no. He actually walked in the room when his mother was in the throes of delivering Rina and after that decided birthing babies was his life’s calling. ”
I hate that story.
It always makes me sound like such a pussy—pun intended.
Plus, Rina works in this hospital as an ICU nurse, so I know this will somehow funnel back to her, which never fails to make her laugh at my expense.
Speaking of… all the nurses, right on cue, start oohing and awing, humor dancing in their eyes. The NICU team who have an umbilical line placed and are giving the baby—who is pinking up and half crying—oxygen to help him along, are also joining in on the dig my resident just took at me.
She’s not dumb either. Grace has to know I’ll punish her for this. Professionally speaking, of course. I’m not actually allowed to punish her the way I’d like.
My comments about Tony must have really pissed her off this time.
Still, when you’re engaged to a total dipshit, douchebag who takes you for granted and is never around, you should learn to get used to people making disparaging comments about him. Even Oliver can’t stand the guy and Oliver generally likes everyone.
“That true, man?” Larry inquires, not bothering to hide his chuckle.
“Yes, it’s true, and now I’m one of the top surgeons and OB-GYNs in Boston that you” —I point at Grace— “have the pleasure of learning from and watching in action. Just wait till you see what I have in store for you tomorrow, Dr. Hammond.”
Grace peers up, likely to say something else that will boil my blood when pediatrics cuts us both off. “Five-minute APGAR is six. We’re moving the baby up to the NICU. Have someone page us when mom is awake.”
They roll out and we finish our surgery, everyone quiet as the team works, the tension in the room so thick you could cut it with a scalpel. Just as Grace finishes the last stitch, I turn and march out of the room, tearing off my surgical gear and going straight for the sink to scrub out.
Then I slink back, tucked in the corner along the shadows.
Two minutes later Grace comes out, glances around and when she doesn’t spot me, she sighs.
In relief or regret, I cannot tell, but she goes for the sink, rolling her neck until it pops as she begins to scrub out.
And when her hands are lathered in soap, and she has nowhere else to go, I move in behind her, towering over her with my height.
I take a deep inhale, marveling how she still manages to smell sweet and clean after a day spent in the hospital and my cock twitches in my scrubs.
She feels me behind her, not touching her but merely inches away, and she stiffens. “I thought you’d gone.”
“Not quite yet,” I whisper, my lips dipping down till they’re hovering by her ear, watching as goose bumps dance across her neck.
“Pull another stunt like that and I’ll have you running scut along with the interns for the rest of your residency.
As it is, tomorrow you’re on postpartums. No surgeries. ”
“Carter—”
“The proper response is yes, Dr. Fritz . Anything else is completely unacceptable.”
“Yes, Dr. Fritz,” she grits out through clenched teeth, and I grin, making sure she feels it on my lips. That’s how stupidly close I am to her right now. So stupidly close I feel her sharp intake of breath and quickly force myself to get control and step back.
I shouldn’t have done that.
Each time I give in just an inch, I lose ground on forcing her into her neat and tidy role in my life. Brother’s best friend. Resident. Engaged.
Off-motherfucking-limits.
“Good work in there, Doctor. Keep it up and I will take you out for that steak.”
With that, I turn and leave the hospital, needing to clear my head. Clear it of her.
Because that’s all I can ever do with her. Even when the desire for more is growing increasingly unbearable.