Chapter Nineteen Zoey
The hospital was just as busy as it always was on a Monday. I hit the ground running, and it was a relief to be back to work. I enjoyed my vacation, but this place gave me purpose.
I got the report from the night shift nurse and jumped right into action, checking on patients, reviewing charts, and picking up lab reports. There was always plenty to do and before I knew it, two hours had passed.
When I checked the time, my stomach twisted. This was when Ford was supposed to be meeting with the board about his promotion.
Despite everything, I hoped he got it. He was a great doctor, and he deserved recognition for that.
Refocusing, I got back to work.
It was twenty minutes later when I walked past Ford’s office, only to stumble to a stop at what I saw inside.
The door was open, and Ford was inside, clearing his knickknacks off the bookshelf and into a box. I told myself to keep going, that it was none of my business. But I walked into the room instead.
He looked up as I entered, and a smile immediately spread across his face. “Hey there, Angel.”
I offered him a small grin in return and gestured to the box on his desk. “So, you’re packing up?”
He nodded as he placed the last item from the shelf into the box. “Yep. I’m done here.”
“So, I guess congratulations are in order.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“Well, you got the job, right? You’re packing up to move to a new office?”
The director of residency’s office was on the third floor. I hardly ever had reason to go up there, so I’d rarely see him at the hospital anymore.
“No, Zoey. I turned it down.”
I frowned, moving further into the room. “What do you mean?”
“They offered the job, but I didn’t take it. I quit.”
My jaw dropped. “W-What?” Why would you do that?”
“Several reasons.” He came around from behind his desk and stood in front of me. “I went into the meeting with every intention of taking the job. But as soon as they said it was mine, I realized that I didn’t want it anymore.”
“But it was so important to you.”
“Too important. And you know what I realized? I hadn’t even thought about the promotion the entire week we were on the island, other than regretting the choices I made in pursuit of it.
I realized as I sat there that I didn’t want to deal with mountains of paperwork and mentoring residents and hardly ever actually treating patients.
I wanted the job because the idea of it made me feel important when I first heard about it, but the reality of it doesn’t suit me at all.
” His eyes flared with raw emotion. “Besides, it would never be worth what it cost me. I couldn’t be happy knowing that I fucked up the best thing in my life for that job. ”
That was a lot to take in, and my mind was reeling from the news that he turned down the job. I never would have expected this, not in a million years.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
“One hundred percent.”
He seemed sure. Not only that, there was something… peaceful about him right now.
“But what will you do?” I asked.
He gave a nonchalant shrug. “I have job options. I’ll find something.”
“Ford… did you do this for me?”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I needed to know.
“Not entirely. I’m being honest when I tell you that the job isn’t right for me.
I was chasing a title when what really matters is being a doctor.
I went into this profession because I wanted to treat patients, to help people directly.
I had the mentality that that wasn’t enough, that I wasn’t good enough unless I achieved more.
But I’ve realized I was wrong about that. ”
“Of course, you were wrong about that! You don’t need to prove yourself by getting a promotion. You’re a hell of a doctor, and you should be proud of that.”
He flashed that wide smile again. “You know, I think that right there might be what helped me realize this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Screwing things up between us was the worst thing I’ve ever done, but it also made me realize that I was always good enough because you saw me as enough.
I didn’t need to prove it to anyone else, even myself.
I just didn’t see it before. One of the reasons that I love you is because of how you don’t care about things like job titles or money.
You care about who a person is. That’s what makes them worthy. ”
I stared at him a moment. “You love me?”
He laughed and stepped closer, pulling me into a hug. “Come on, Zo. That can’t be a surprise.”
No, it wasn’t. But I didn’t expect him to say it so casually like that. And now, he was hugging me in the middle of his office with the door open, where anyone could walk by and see.
“You said ‘not entirely,’” I said, my voice mumbled because my face was pressed against his chest. He moved back, but didn’t go far. “When I asked if you did this for me, you said ‘not entirely.’”
“You were a factor, yes. I know how much you care about this job, and I don’t trust that Serrano won’t try to interfere with your job if we’re together, even if I am director of residency. But I figure if I’m not employed by this hospital any longer, he has no reason to care about us dating.”
“But we’re not dating,” I said weakly. Because he just said he loved me and he quit his job and his cedar and amber scent was so damn intoxicating…
“No, we’re not, but I’m determined to get you to trust me again. When I do and I can call you mine, I’m never letting you go again. And when that time comes, I want the whole damn world to know.”
He was so earnest, and my heart split wide open for him. For the first time in two weeks, my hope was stronger than my fear.
Maybe trusting him again was a gamble. There were no guarantees that we wouldn’t hurt each other again somewhere down the road. But looking into his eyes, I knew something with absolute certainty. Ford was worth the risk.
I launched myself forward and threw my arms around him.
“I love you too,” I whispered. Then, he was kissing me, his mouth moving against mine while he let out a throaty sound that might have been relief.
I pulled away before it got too heated—this was still the place I worked, after all—and Ford looked at me with so much affection that I felt it all the way down to my bones.
“I missed you so much,” he said.
“I missed you too.”
He was still close, still holding onto me. It felt right in a way that nothing else ever could.
“I’m done being an idiot, I swear. I’m going to show you every day how important you are to me. And the next time I propose, you’ll say yes.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. “Is that so? You seem a little arrogant, Dr. Whitmore.”
“You’ve made me confident, Angel. I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it.”
His teasing tone made me laugh, and then we were kissing again. I could definitely live with that.