Chapter One Zoey #2
That job was important to Ford, and I knew he’d be great at it.
It was the whole reason that we’d kept our relationship a secret for so long.
Ford feared that if the hospital board knew he was sleeping with a nurse in the department where he worked, it would look unprofessional and lessen his chances of landing the promotion.
“We still have a few weeks until the board meets to make its decision,” Dr. Serrano continued. “The decision will be made by a vote among all members, but I have to say, my word carries a lot of weight with them.”
Ford smiled, and I didn’t think anyone else would notice the way it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but I did.
I knew how much he hated the politics of trying to get ahead in a hospital.
He didn’t want to kiss up to the admins and turn on the charm for the board members.
He just wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, and he knew that the best way to do that was to obtain a position of authority here.
“Excuse me, Dr. Whitmore,” I cut in before Dr. Serrano could throw his weight around a little more. “I’ve got a juvenile patient with a gaping forehead laceration waiting in room four.”
Ford was already stepping away from the chief of medicine before I even finished my sentence. He mumbled a quick apology to Dr. Serrano before falling into step beside me.
We were both focused on work, walking with a foot of space between us and talking about the patient as we headed down the hallway together, but there was a flutter in my chest that always seemed to show up when he was near.
Just being around him was intoxicating, like being filled with an electric warmth that made breathing a little easier.
When we reached the room where Grace and her mom were waiting, I introduced him and stood off to the side while he assessed the young patient and reassured the mom that there were no signs of a concussion, just as I thought.
The numbing gel had taken effect, and I stood by his side as he stitched the wound, handing him tools from the tray as needed.
His hands were steady and sure, and it didn’t take long for him to close the cut and apply a fresh bandage over it.
As he worked, I could see tension leaving the mom’s body, and she was even smiling by the time she left the room with her daughter tucked under her arm.
Another nurse came to escort them to the desk area where Grace would receive discharge papers, and I stayed behind to clean up the room so that we could bring in another patient soon.
There were always people waiting to be seen in the ER.
For that reason, I expected Ford to move along to the next patient right away.
I’d just stripped the linens off the bed and stuffed them into the soiled laundry bag when I heard the click of the door shutting, but I sensed that I wasn’t alone in the room.
Straightening, I turned and saw Ford lingering in the room.
A shiver ran down my spine as his mouth curled into a devastatingly sexy grin. He took a step closer, his eyes trailing down my body and back up again.
“You look beautiful today,” he said. His voice was different in this moment than it had been while speaking with the patient and her mother. Softer, more intimate.
“Really?” I chuckled as I gestured to my burgundy scrubs. They weren’t exactly designed for seduction.
But the heated look in Ford’s eyes suggested otherwise.
“Yeah, really. Don’t forget that I know what you look like underneath the scrubs.”
He was right in front of me now, his hand tipping my chin up as his lips pressed against mine.
As always, my body melted into him, lips parting as I lost myself in a rush of affection.
His hands came to my hips, squeezing in a way that reminded me of what we did on his couch just last night.
Naked, sweaty bodies moving against each other…
“…need to order an X-ray for the patient in room seven…”
The snippet of conversation filtered through the closed door, and I recognized the voice as belonging to another doctor. He didn’t have a reason to come into this room, but Ford broke our kiss and stepped away anyway, as if reacting to the reminder that we weren’t truly alone.
For me, the way he put distance between us was a reminder of everything that bothered me about our relationship.
When I agreed to hide it, we were just beginning to explore feelings of attraction.
It made sense to me not to let our nosy coworkers know about it until we figured out if there was more to it than physical desire.
By the time we knew that we cared deeply about each other, Ford had heard that the director of residency was planning to retire.
Again, it made sense to keep what we were doing a secret until he—hopefully—got the job.
But it had been so long now, and we never went out on dates or touched in public.
He was one of my brother’s closest friends, so we saw each other socially sometimes, and I had to act like we were nothing but co-workers.
Then, there was gossip around the hospital about him still wanting his ex…
It was all starting to get to me.
“I’d better get back to work,” Ford said, unaware of the tendril of hurt snaking around my heart. “Can you come over tonight? I want to make you dinner.”
I nodded with a small smile, burying my negative feelings. “That sounds great, actually. I’m already exhausted and I’m only halfway through my shift.”
A crease appeared between his eyebrows. “You said you were tired yesterday too.”
I shrugged. “Don’t overthink it, doctor. I’m on my feet all day here. It’s natural to feel tired.”
“Then, I’ll have to pamper you a bit. Be at my place at six, okay?”
“I can’t wait.”
As he left the room, I finished a quick clean of the exam room, my mind lingering on Ford and the cold feeling that settled into my chest when he pulled away from me. I knew that making out with him at the hospital was beyond unprofessional, but it wasn’t about that.
Even knowing the reason that we kept things secret, I couldn’t help feeling ashamed of it, like I was settling for less because I was in love with a man that needed me to hide in the dark for the sake of his career.
All I could do was hope that when the board voted on a new director of residency, things would change for the better.
If they didn’t, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on like this.