Chapter 1 New Trauma #2
The highway collision had drained everyone.
Even Connor looked exhausted.
The older paramedic stood across the room speaking with one of the trauma nurses while sipping what was probably his fourth coffee of the day.
Mason glanced down at the screen again.
The report refused to finish itself.
Rude.
Very rude.
He typed another paragraph and immediately regretted becoming literate.
A familiar voice interrupted his suffering.
"You look like someone forced you to read tax law."
Connor appeared beside him.
Mason pointed toward the computer.
"This report is longer than my last relationship."
Connor looked unimpressed.
"That's not saying much."
"That was unnecessary."
"It was accurate."
Mason sighed dramatically.
Years of friendship had unfortunately given Connor immunity to sarcasm.
The man never appreciated his talent.
A nearby nurse laughed.
Connor smirked.
Traitor.
The betrayal would be remembered.
Eventually.
Maybe.
The automatic doors opened.
Several physicians emerged from the trauma wing.
Mason barely paid attention at first.
Then he noticed one familiar face.
Adrian Kane.
The new trauma surgeon walked through the department carrying a tablet.
His dark scrubs looked slightly wrinkled from the long shift.
The sleeves were rolled up.
His expression remained as calm and unreadable as it had been earlier.
If the man had just spent hours fighting to save lives, it certainly didn't show.
Mason found himself watching.
Entirely by accident.
Probably.
Adrian stopped near the nurses' station.
One of the residents approached him immediately.
The younger doctor looked nervous.
Anxiety practically radiated from him.
Adrian listened patiently while the resident explained something.
Then he corrected a mistake.
Not harshly.
Not aggressively.
Simply directly.
The resident nodded and hurried away.
Interesting.
Most trauma surgeons Mason knew treated residents like emotional punching bags.
Adrian didn't.
The realization earned a small amount of respect.
Not much.
A little.
The surgeon turned.
Their eyes met briefly.
Again.
Just like earlier.
For some reason, Mason's brain immediately decided speaking was a good idea.
History suggested otherwise.
Unfortunately.
"Hey, Kane."
Adrian paused.
The look he gave him remained neutral.
Professional.
Mason smiled anyway.
"Congratulations."
The surgeon frowned slightly.
"On what?"
"Saving that teenager this morning."
Adrian seemed surprised by the comment.
Only slightly.
Then the expression disappeared.
"It was a team effort."
Mason leaned back in his chair.
"That's a boring answer."
Adrian stared at him.
Apparently waiting for an explanation.
Mason provided one.
"If somebody compliments me, I usually accept it."
"Do you?"
"Absolutely."
The surgeon crossed his arms.
"That doesn't surprise me."
Connor made a choking sound nearby.
Mason narrowed his eyes.
His supposed best friend was enjoying this.
Far too much.
The betrayal count increased.
Adrian glanced toward the computer screen.
"Still working on reports?"
"Unfortunately."
"You should finish them."
Mason looked offended.
"That sounds suspiciously like responsibility."
"Because it is."
The surgeon started walking away.
Mason blinked.
That couldn't be it.
No reaction.
No banter.
Nothing.
The man was impossible.
"You're not very fun, are you?"
Adrian stopped.
Several nearby nurses immediately looked interested.
Hospital staff loved entertainment.
Especially free entertainment.
The surgeon turned slowly.
"What exactly would qualify as fun?"
Mason grinned.
The challenge energized him immediately.
"Well, for starters, not answering every question like you're testifying in court."
A nurse laughed.
Connor shook his head.
Adrian remained entirely unaffected.
Which somehow made it worse.
"Noted."
The response sounded completely sincere.
And absolutely useless.
Mason stared.
"That's it?"
"What were you expecting?"
"I don't know."
"That seems to be part of the problem."
Connor outright laughed this time.
Mason pointed accusingly.
"You are a terrible friend."
"I'm having a wonderful time."
Of course he was.
The traitor.
Adrian looked between them.
Something resembling amusement flickered briefly across his face.
So briefly Mason almost missed it.
Then the expression vanished.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The surgeon wasn't emotionless.
Just controlled.
Dangerously controlled.
Mason decided that made him a challenge.
A challenge he hadn't agreed to.
Yet somehow accepted.
A nurse approached Adrian with a chart.
The surgeon immediately shifted focus.
Business replaced whatever tiny crack had appeared in the armor.
Professional again.
Distant again.
Mason watched him review information and issue instructions.
Everything looked efficient.
Precise.
The man moved through the emergency department with the confidence of someone who belonged there.
Who trusted himself completely.
The observation should have been annoying.
Instead it was strangely attractive.
Which was definitely inconvenient.
A few minutes later, Adrian returned the chart.
The nurse walked away.
The surgeon glanced toward Mason one final time.
"Try finishing your reports."
Mason looked horrified.
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about."
"What?"
"Nobody likes people who encourage productivity."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"Then it's fortunate I'm not here to be liked."
The answer landed harder than expected.
Not because it was rude.
Because it sounded true.
The surgeon genuinely didn't seem interested in whether people liked him.
Most people cared.
At least a little.
Adrian apparently didn't.
Before Mason could think of a response, the surgeon turned and walked away.
No hesitation.
No lingering glance.
No sign that the conversation mattered at all.
Within seconds he disappeared down the hallway toward the surgical wing.
The entire interaction lasted only a few minutes.
Yet somehow Mason found himself staring after him.
Connor returned to the workstation carrying fresh coffee.
The older paramedic sat beside him.
A knowing smile already forming.
Mason hated that smile.
Usually because it meant Connor was right about something.
Again.
"Don't."
Connor sipped his coffee.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
"I absolutely was."
Mason groaned.
Connor laughed.
The sound carried years of friendship.
Years of understanding.
Enough understanding to recognize things Mason hadn't admitted yet.
Possibly even to himself.
"You like him."
Mason immediately rejected the accusation.
"That's ridiculous."
Connor raised an eyebrow.
"Mason."
"He annoys me."
"You flirt with everyone who annoys you."
"That's not true."
Connor waited.
Patiently.
The silence itself became evidence.
Mason sighed.
Unfortunately.
The man had a point.
A very irritating point.
Across the department, Adrian disappeared through another doorway without looking back.
The indifference shouldn't have mattered.
It absolutely shouldn't.
Yet as Mason turned back toward his unfinished reports, he found himself strangely irritated by it.
The surgeon hadn't seemed impressed.
Hadn't seemed interested.
Hadn't even seemed particularly affected by their conversation.
And for reasons Mason couldn't quite explain, that bothered him far more than it should have.
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