“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t call me ma’am.”
“Got it.”
Patricia pushes off her desk and grabs a stack of papers before handing them over too. “You’re going to have to fill out all of this before you meet with Dr. Mayson, and at some point today, introduce yourself to Dr. Harding. Both he and Dr. Mayson will be your assessing doctors throughout your training program, and it is best to keep in their good graces. But a word of warning, they will be hard on you. They each only accept perfection, so that is what you will strive for.”
I nod, feeling an equal mix of nerves and excitement beginning to build within me. This training program is going to be a wild, thrilling adventure, and I can’t wait to get started. This right here is the beginning of the rest of my life. I can feel it right down in my bones. “Paperwork, report, always check first, meet Dr. Harding, and strive for perfection. Did I forget anything?”
A warm smile spreads across her face, and for a brief moment, I wonder if she’s decided that she’s going to like me. “Remember to enjoy yourself. Delivering babies into this world is the biggest reward you’ll receive out of this position, so make it count.”
“I will,” I tell her.
Patricia nods and then moves back around her desk. “In that case, you better scram. You have a lot of paperwork to get through, and you don’t want to keep Dr. Mayson waiting.”
“No,” comes a deep voice from behind me, one that sends chills soaring down my spine. “You wouldn’t want to keep Dr. Mayson waiting at all.”
I spin around to find the very man in question, bearing down on me with a scraggly intern at his side. I gape up at him. I was a bumbling, foolish mess when I met him earlier. My excitement was overwhelming me, and I must have made a complete ass of myself. I couldn’t even stand still or allow him a second to get a word in, but now I’ve cooled off and calmed myself down. There’s no need to make any more of a dick out of myself than I already have. Though I’m not going to lie, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met. He must be at least 6’4” with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline. His eyes are a dreamy sky blue, matched with dark, messy hair, and a white lab coat, which has me perfectly content in heaven.
His hair isn’t actually messy. It’s combed and gelled to keep in place, very professional if you ask me, but I bet on his days off, it’s nothing but messy. The kind of messy a woman wants to run her fingers through.
Patricia grins, approving of his tone after she decided my actions needed to be punished. I resist glaring at her, realizing she’s not the kind of woman I should cross.
I look up at Dr. Mayson, meeting his dreamy eyes and resisting dropping my gaze over his strong body. At least, I’m assuming it’s strong under those clothes. He seems like the type to take care of himself, and better yet, there’s no ring.
Shit, Autumn. Pull it together. You will not be hitting on the guy. You have a boyfriend waiting for you at home.
I try to remember to be professional and smile at him, watching how he seems to be taken back for the slightest second. I give myself a mental high-five. He might be off-limits but knowing that I affect him certainly makes my ego smile. “Of course, Dr. Mayson. I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Good,” he says before indicating to his intern, who I only just realize is carrying at least four thick folders, each of them labeled ‘Policies & Procedures.’ “Then you better get started. You will not step foot into my OR until you have read every single policy and procedure this hospital has in place. Your actions this morning were less than professional, and I will not risk my patients or the quality of the hospital like that.” The intern dumps the folders into my hands. “Read them, learn them, live them, love them,” he says. “Once you’re done and can recite every single policy and procedure, then you can come and work under me. Are we clear?”
I gape at him, absolutely horrified. He’s almost a complete stranger to the man I met less than an hour ago. “Uhh, yes. Of course,” I tell him, struggling with the folders in my arms. “I’ll get it done as soon as possible.”
“See to it that you do,” he says, and just like that, turns on his heel and stalks away with his intern scurrying after him.
I can’t stop gaping, and when I finally turn back to Patricia, I find her with a smug, knowing smirk stretched wide across her face that practically screams, ‘I told you so.’ She points down the hall. “There’s a study room on the corner with snacks in the fridge. I suggest you make yourself comfortable, and next time, try not to piss off the doctors.”
I let out a heavy sigh and drag my feet, my amazing day already beginning to plummet. By the time I reach the study room, my arms ache from the big folders, and the second I get the door open, I all but race inside and drop them on the table.
Maybe Patricia was right. Okay, she was definitely right. This is punishment. I must have read Dr. Mayson wrong this morning because I could have sworn that being on his service was going to be some kind of amazing thing. I’ve never been so wrong.
He’s a dick. Dr. Dick. That’s who he’ll be from here on out.
I drop into the uncomfortable chair at the table and flip open the first folder, knowing that today is going to be as shit as it gets.
Dr. Dick may have won this round, but come tomorrow, I’ll be back with a vengeance, and there’s no way he’ll be able to bench me. I’m here for the long haul.
CHAPTER 4
AUTUMN
My feet ache as I push through the door of my shitty one-bedroom apartment. I’ve never been so exhausted in my life. After hours of studying, the protocols and policies were practically frying my brain. I was finally pulled away for some actual action when a woman with triplets came in. I wasn’t allowed to do anything but observe and take notes, but it was still huge.
It started as a natural birth, but after the second baby got stuck, it quickly turned into an emergency cesarean. Dr. Mayson handled it admirably, momentarily making me forget that he was a dick. It was simply amazing, and honestly, a little scary for a hot minute. But I can’t deny that watching Dr. Mayson in action like that was the most attractive thing I’ve ever seen.
I close the door behind me, and the first thing I hear is the sound of Brandon taking over my living room. I roll my eyes. We’ve already talked about him being here when I’m not. I’m not comfortable with it. We’ve only been together for three months, and so far, it’s turning into a bit of a punishment. I don’t think it’s going to go much further.
I was really hoping for a little peace and quiet tonight. I’ve already texted KC to let her know that I’m not coming around. I’m far too exhausted to think about entertaining him, especially when it’s going to end with him climbing in my bed. I just don't have the energy to fake it.
No, thanks. Not tonight.
“Hey,” I call over the sound of the bullshit coming from the television as I walk deeper into my apartment. “What are you doing here? I thought we talked about this.”