Chapter Six
Ethan quickened his steps as he made his way from the subway stop to the clinic. It was imperative he not be late, and not only because he genuinely enjoyed the work and believed in the clinic’s mission. He wanted to prove himself to Dr. Ortega and show that he was worth taking a chance on. Besides, they had spent the past month advertising free flu vaccines for today and a big crowd was expected. Dr. Ortega had invested in ads in Spanish newspapers and radio stations and ads in Asian newspapers and radio stations in Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. So, it was all hands on deck.
Even a block away, Ethan could see that turnout would indeed be high. He was more than ready to jab some of the most vulnerable members of the community to keep them healthy and safe.
He opened the doors to the clinic and greeted the receptionist, Gloria.
“Dr. Wu, just in time. We’ll get you set up in Exam Room Three. Oh, we got a new volunteer today who offered to help out.”
That was exciting. “Oh who?”
“Me,” an all too familiar voice replied all too cheerfully.
“What are you doing here?” he couldn’t help blurting out.
“For weeks I’ve been hearing you talk about this clinic, and I decided to check it out. I ended up talking to Dr. Ortega, who suggested I show up today, and I was more than happy to help out.”
Ethan crossed his arms and looked at her. The two engaged in a silent standoff until Bethany blinked first.
“Fine, it wasn’t totally out of the goodness of my heart. I was curious,” she admitted. “But I’m looking forward to this, truly. You guys do incredible work here.”
“That’s due to Dr. Ortega,” he said, in all sincerity. “I am but a mere servant.”
“Did I hear someone call my name?”
Naturally, Bethany stepped forward and took charge. “Dr. Ortega, thank you so much for letting me join you today. I can’t wait.”
“I wasn’t aware I had a choice,” Dr. Farrah Ortega replied, her lips twitching.
“A no is just a starting point for negotiations,” Bethany said.
He was willing to bet that was part of what she called The Bethany Way.
Dr. Ortega looked at her watch. “Time to get started. I reached out to the director of the Shady Oaks Retirement Village and we’re expecting a bunch of their residents at some point this afternoon. They’re organizing a bus to bring them all over.”
Bethany slid him a look. “Bet I vaccinate more people than you.”
“No way,” he protested.
She stuck out a hand. “Wanna bet?”
Ethan frowned. “Name your terms.”
“You do my charting for me for three weeks.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Fine.”
“What do I get when I win?” he asked.
“Up to you.” Bethany shrugged. “But really a moot point because you’re not going to win.”
That nettled him more than he cared to admit. His brain scrambled to come up with what he wanted but came up blank. In the end he went with her idea. Free charting sounded fantastic.
“Same. Charting for two weeks.”
“Deal.”
Nurse Rashida came over. “Dr. Lee? Dr. Ortega asked me to help set you up in Exam Room Two.”
“Perfect, lead the way.” Bethany beamed. But not before turning back to Ethan and mouthing, You’re going down.
It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, Bethany won by the slimmest of margins. Ethan blamed the freaked-out teenager who almost fainted at the mere sight of a needle and Mabel Stevens, the sweet seventy-year-old widow from the neighborhood who kept him chatting for ten minutes and he didn’t have the heart to cut her off.
So he had two weeks of extra charting looming over his head. He’d survive. Somehow.
He was sitting in the waiting area as Bethany came out with her last patient. Instead of gloating and smirking, as he’d expected, she was in deep conversation with a young mother and her three toddlers.
Bethany pulled a card from her scrubs. “This is my friend Jaya’s card. She works for an organization that supports low-income mothers. Call, make an appointment, tell her I sent you. They can help you with job searching, childcare subsidies, food stamps, whatever you need. Helping Hands has a food pantry attached and a discount shop where you can pick up school clothes and winter gear for the kids.”
The young mother’s lips thinned, and she thrust the card back at Bethany. “Thank you but I don’t need or accept charity.”
Ethan fully expected Dr. Lee to unload on the mother and from the look in her eyes, he could tell she was damn close. But then Bethany took a deep breath and looked around. She gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Dr. Wu, would you mind keeping an eye on these three kiddos while I have a talk with Kayleigh?”
“I don’t want or need a lecture from you,” Kayleigh spat out. Ethan was beginning to feel sorry for the young woman.
“I just wanted to go over the vaccine schedule with you to make sure all three of your kids are on track,” Bethany assured her.
In short order, Kayleigh’s kids were safely occupied in the playroom. Ethan kept an eye on them as he strained to overhear the conversation between the two women.
As expected, Bethany came out of the gate swinging. “Listen to me, I don’t know what your issue is, but you need to get over yourself.”
“I told you—” Kayleigh began.
“I don’t care what you told me. Pride has no place here. You’re a mother, act like it. This is about doing what’s best for them. I’m offering you help. And it isn’t even charity. This is literally what Helping Hands does. But if it makes you feel any better, some of the moms put in a few hours once a week volunteering. If you insist, you can ‘pay off’ your debt that way.” Bethany’s hands were on her hips, and her tone was enough to make him stand at attention.
“How am I supposed to do that when I work double shifts six days a week?”
“I said it was an option, not mandatory.”
Kayleigh’s shoulders slumped. “I’m just so tired,” she murmured. “I try my best and it never seems to be good enough. I don’t know my neighbors, my family all live in the Midwest, I’m all by myself.”
“Nobody said you have to do it alone,” Bethany replied, but there was no sting in it. “People need to take the ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ expression more seriously. It used to be meant literally. We used to be surrounded be extended family, or neighbors or communities who would step in and help fill in the gap. Grandparents two or three blocks away who can look after the kids when they come home from school until the parents come home from work, plenty of neighbors with teens eager to make babysitting money, or people who can come over in the middle of the night when you gotta take one kid to the ER. Parenthood was never supposed to be done in a vacuum; everyone needs help every once in a while. You are not a failure because you’re unable to do it all. It’s a ridiculous and unreasonable expectation. So accept the help you need. Let Jaya and Helping Hands be your village.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lee,” Kayleigh murmured.
“You’re welcome.”
In short order, Kayleigh and her children were out the door.
“Well done, Dr. Lee.”
Bethany turned, and with a cocky smirk bowed.
“Thank you. I told you I’d win.”
“Not what I meant, and you know it. I saw what you did for Kayleigh. That was very kind of you.”
At that, Bethany flushed. “Just doing my job.”
She had gone above and beyond and they both knew it. He was genuinely impressed with her. And unfortunately it made her much less annoying and harder to dislike.
“I accept my defeat and will do your charting for the next two weeks.” A gentleman always honored his bets.
“Now I’m sorry I didn’t make you go to a barre class with me instead.”
“What’s barre?”
Bethany gave a devilish grin and the glint in her eyes made him wary.
“It’s a combination of Pilates, ballet, and interval training. It would have brought you to your knees, begging for mercy.”
Ethan couldn’t help but give a bit of a scoff. “How hard can it be, really?”
“Let’s just say top-condition athletes have been known to be reduced to wincing, whimpering puddles after a class.”
She had to be messing with him. At his grimace, she raised her brow. “Or karaoke. I try to go once a month with a group of friends.”
“So, physical pain or public humiliation?”
“I’d make you sing at least ten songs. Next time.”
“One.”
Bethany rolled her eyes. “Five. And you’d actually have to try. My friends and I take our karaoke seriously. You have to bring it—no going through the motions.”
“Good enough.” Because it was never going to happen.
“I get to pick the songs.”
“No.”
Bethany just looked at him, then nodded. “Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ it is.”
“Over my dead body,” he sputtered. Had he said he no longer found her annoying and abrasive? He took back the words unreservedly.
But annoying and abrasive in a cute way, which he somehow found endearing.
A clear sign that he’d lost his mind.
There was a discreet cough behind them that made them both turn.
“Dr. Lee, on behalf of the clinic, thank you so much for your help today. We couldn’t have done it without you,” Dr. Ortega said sincerely.
“My pleasure. I’ll have to come by more often. I had a great time.”
“Anytime. I have to say,” Farrah continued, waving a hand between them, “you two make a good team.”
“Dr. Wu does his best to keep up,” Bethany replied cheekily before leaving.
“Unbelievable,” Ethan muttered as the door of the clinic closed behind Bethany.
Dr. Ortega just gave him a slow, knowing smile.
“What?” he asked, a bit defensively.
“Now I know why you’re so determined to win that fellowship and stay here in the US.”
He didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t know what she meant. “You must be joking.”
“I don’t have time for jokes. And I know what I’m talking about.”
“With all due respect, I beg to differ. Dr. Lee and I seem to bring out the worst in each other.”
“There is a thin line between love and hate,” Dr. Ortega replied with sham solemnity. “I should tell you sometime how my husband and I met.”
“I’m sorry, but this time you’re wrong.”
“All I’m saying is, I haven’t seen you smile this much the entire time we’ve worked together until she came this afternoon. Admit it, you were having fun.”
“Fun might be stretching it,” Ethan hedged.
“Then that wasn’t you grinning ear to ear as you two were talking?”
“Perhaps,” he conceded. But surely Dr. Ortega was exaggerating. He wasn’t a complete humorless dullard, after all. “An afternoon spent in her company is one thing. A little dose of Dr. Lee goes a long way. I can’t imagine a relationship with her. Complete, utter chaos. A man would get no peace.”
Dr. Ortega just gave him that look again. “Sometimes a whirlwind is just what we need. If you ask me, someone shaking things up for you could do you a world of good.”
“This whole conversation is moot. Didn’t you hear her? She considers me a co-worker, nothing more.” Besides, Bethany was so career-focused that a relationship would be the last thing on her mind, even if he was interested.
Which he wasn’t.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. And besides, I don’t think you give Dr. Lee enough credit. She isn’t just a whirlwind. She’s an excellent physician.”
“Yes, she is.”
“Just think about what I said.”
Unfortunately for Ethan, he’d taken Dr. Ortega’s words too much to heart and he kept ruminating on their conversation as he made his way back home.
He was forced to admit perhaps he’d misjudged Bethany Lee a bit. She may be overly competitive but there was no denying she was excellent at her job, and truly cared about her patients. Her interaction with Kayleigh showed that in spades.
And no doubt she would be a worthy competitor for the Raskin Fellowship, and a worthy winner.
Before, Ethan would have relished winning and the fact he’d emerged victorious over Bethany Lee would’ve been icing on the cake. Now, his winning the Raskin at her expense no longer sat as well with him.
Get a hold of yourself, Wu.
Ethan shook his head. He had too much at stake to allow silly sentiment to cloud his judgment. He and Bethany had broken the ice and were finding some common ground, which was lovely. But the Fellowship was going to be key in his plan to remain in America, and he couldn’t lose sight of that. It was his.
Sorry, Bethany.