Chapter 15

When I return to work on Monday morning, the hospital is busy as every other Monday, snapping right back into its chaotic routine after two days of rest. Yet, without Jake, the surgical floor feels empty and lifeless despite its hectic pace. A couple of times, Kim mentions how sad she is about his unexpected transfer, and I can only listen to her ramble in silent guilt.

Around eight, Dr. Keller comes by for his rounds. I don’t have any of his patients, so he doesn’t come into my assigned rooms. But as I’m out in the hallway to get some supplies, he exits a patient’s room and begins walking in my direction. Our eyes meet, and a deep chill passes through me. He looks away, but then his gaze flashes back a second time as if he couldn’t control it, peeling away my layers and picking at my very soul. I quickly look down, suffocating under the intensity of his gaze.

Later that morning, I am assigned to one of Dr. Keller’s patients, Mr. Harold, as he gets admitted for a radical prostatectomy. When Dr. Keller arrives for rounds, I stand rigidly beside him as he gives instructions. He doesn’t address me directly, but he explains everything to Mr. Harold in a way that feels entirely meant for me, closing with, ‘The nurse will follow through with the rest.’ Just as he is leaving, his eyes lock onto mine for a fraction of a second before he vanishes down the hall without another word.

Mr. Harold is scheduled for surgery in three days; he was only admitted early because his blood pressure is high and needs to be controlled before surgery. Around noon, a frantic phone call comes through for him. It is news that his daughter-in-law has been in a terrible accident, and he insists on leaving the hospital immediately.

Panic swells in my chest. I need to call Dr. Keller right away. In that exact moment, I realize how much I miss Jake. If he were here, I wouldn’t have to worry about managing this alone. Without him, my first instinct is to ask Kim to make the call for me, but then I stop myself.

How long am I going to play this game of hide-and-seek with Dr. Keller? It is time to take a step forward and deal with him directly. At the very least, he isn’t angry or shouting at me like before.

My hands shake as I dial his number. The phone rings for so long that I am about to hang up when a soft voice fills my ear.

“Hello. Daniel here.”

Suddenly, regret hits me. The panic is paralyzing, leaving my mouth bone-dry and the words trapped in my throat. Why did I make this call? I should have let Kim do it.

“Hello,” I manage to say, my voice trembling.

An awkward silence follows, which tells me he recognizes my voice, even though this is the first time we’re talking on the phone. After a few heavy seconds, his tone shifts. “What’s up, Amelia?”

“Mr. Harold’s daughter-in-law was in an accident,” I say quickly, trying to sound professional. “He’s insisting on leaving immediately.”

“Prepare the AMA forms. I’ll be right there,” he says.

True to his word, he arrives three minutes later. He signs the discharge papers without saying a word to anyone except Mr. Harold, and then he heads for the exit. By the door, he stops. He looks back at me, a long, halting look, and I crumble inside. The moment a CNA walks into the room, the spell breaks, and he moves away.

During lunch, I isolate myself in the corner with the sandwich I’ve brought from home. Nearby, two nurses and a CNA are huddled together, dissecting Jake’s sudden transfer. Another CNA joins the table, fuelling the conversation and forcing me to listen to it all over again. Everyone is devastated that he is leaving, and the guilt eats away at me.

After my shift, I make my way down to HR. Tracy, one of the hiring managers who interviewed me, is there.

“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, looking up and warmly offering me a seat.

“Everything’s fine,” I say, sitting down. “I was just wondering… am I able to transfer to oncology, and have Jake moved back to surgical?”

Tracy hesitates. “I don’t think that’s possible. They want someone with experience in oncology, and you don’t have any, do you?”

“No,” I admit, shaking my head. “But I’m a quick learner. I’ll pick it up fast if I get the right training.”

“Still, I really don’t think it’s doable,” she says, looking doubtful.

“Why?” I push. “I can request an internal transfer if there’s an opening, right?”

“Usually, yes. But in surgery, nobody ever requests a transfer out. Staff actually compete to work in surgical because they love the environment there.”

“Well, I don’t like it much there,” I mutter. “So, can I still request the change?”

“Why don’t you like it?” Tracy asks, genuinely surprised.

“I… I think I’d prefer OB/GYN or general medical over surgical,” I lie.

Tracy sighs. “In surgery, we don’t really move anyone without consulting Dr. Keller first. And I don’t think he’ll agree, considering we only placed you in surgical because he personally recommended you in the first place.”

“He recommended me?” I stammer, my heart skipping a beat. “Dr. Keller recommended me?”

“Yeah,” Tracy smiles. “The day you came in for your first interview, right after you left, he came into HR and asked about you. He said he knew you, and he specifically requested that we put you in surgery. That’s how you ended up there. So, if we’re going to transfer you, we have to talk to him. Do you want me to call him?”

“No, no, no!” I gasp, quickly throwing my hands up and standing up. “Since I was the last one to join the surgical team and everyone is so upset about Jake leaving, I thought it made more sense for me to go instead of him. That’s all.”

“I’m sorry, dear. My hands are tied,” Tracy says kindly. “Why don’t you just talk to Dr. Keller yourself and see what he says?”

“I’ll do that,” I say quickly, making a hasty exit.

My mind is racing as I walk away. That makes no sense. Dr. Keller saw me the day I came in for the interview and recommended me to his floor. How is that even possible? Did we pass each other in the hallway or some other place, and he fell in love with me at the very first sight? I don’t remember seeing him at all until my first official day on duty. If I had seen him, I definitely would have remembered since he is the kind of man who stands out in any crowd.

Lost in thought, I walk out to the parking lot, trying to figure out my next move. That’s when I spot Dr. Keller walking toward his car.

I hurry over to catch up with him. “Hello, Dr. Keller.”

Startled, he steps back and scans me from head to toe. His eyes instantly move past my shoulder, checking the surrounding area to ensure we’re alone. ‘What do you want, Amelia?’ he demands in a low, anxious whisper.

“I want to talk to you,” I say.

“Talk to me about what?” he asks, still looking around nervously.

“Let’s sit in your car,” I suggest.

“No, that’s not necessary. Just tell me what you want to say.” He stands tall, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Suddenly, he notices two other staff members walking out into the parking lot. “Go over there,” he mutters quickly, pointing to the construction site. “I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”

I slip along the edge of the lot into the shadows of the abandoned construction site. My nerves keep me pacing back and forth as I wait. He appears a few minutes later.

“Listen,” he says, raising his hands defensively as he approaches. “Let’s just forget what happened after the party. Let’s go back to how things were before… before everything happened.”

“That’s fine with me,” I reply. “And you can help both of us do exactly that.”

He narrows his eyes. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want to move to another floor.”

His face instantly tightens. “That’s not happening.”

“Why not?” I ask, crossing my arms.

“I am not putting you anywhere. We can’t just execute that kind of transfer. All that orientation… it’s a complete waste of resources.”

“As if this is a big deal for you,” I say, rolling my eyes. “If you’re that worried about your resources…” I use finger quotes. “I can take the orientation without pay.”

“Listen, the hospital doesn’t work the way you think,” he shoots back. “We cannot legally let someone work without paying them.”

I take a breath, dropping my voice. “This is for us. It’s for both of us,” I stress.

He pauses, his gaze narrowing. “How so?” he asks.

“That way, we won’t have to see each other every day. Isn’t that what we both want?” I ask.

“No,” he says softly, stepping closer. He leans in, trapping me against the structure with one hand flat against the wall. “That is what you want, not me. I want to see you every single day. I can’t get your face out of my mind, especially…,” he pauses, taking a breath while his eyes sparkle in the dim light, “the one I carved in my heart.”

Overwhelmed by how close he was and knowing he’s referring to my naked image he saw the other day, I stammer and drop my gaze. He gently lifts my chin with his fingers, forcing me to look into his eyes. My face grows hot, and a deep blush creeps up my neck.

“I got a call from Tracy,” he murmurs.

Bitch, I think bitterly, annoyed that she ignored my panic and called him anyway. Classic corporate bureaucracy.

“I told her not to approve any transfer,” he continues. “The first day you came in for your interview, I saw you at the canteen. I fell for you right then and there. That’s why I told them to put you in surgery, and that isn’t going to change.”

“Jake shouldn’t have to suffer because of me. Everybody is so sad he moved,” I argue, trying to find my voice.

“Worry about yourself, not Jake. He will be fine; he always lands on his feet,” he snaps. He drops his gaze for a second before his fingers find my chin again, tilting my face up as his voice softens. “Did you get home safely on Saturday?”

I look into his eyes. “Thank you for arranging my ride.”

He steps back and lies. “I didn’t arrange a ride for you. Did someone give you a lift?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Someone miraculously appears out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere and drops me right at my house, even though I never gave them my address. Do you always have an escort of people following you around? Young, pretty ladies?” I ask, sarcastically.

He steps back into my space even faster this time, leaning in so close I can feel his breath. He gently strokes my cheek. “No, but I can arrange people real quick.” His face moves a little closer to my face, and we are almost touching. “Are you jealous I have young pretty ladies on my staff?” he asks.

“You wish,” I snort.

He doesn’t let me go. Instead, he leans in further, gently pressing his cheek against mine. “Call me Danny when we are alone,” he whispers in my ear.

“No,” I say, glaring right into his eyes. “You are always Dr. Keller to me.”

Standing this close to him while he’s in his scrubs, looking so breathtakingly handsome, tests the absolute limits of my restraint. Every ounce of my willpower is locked in a battle against those lips, which seem poised and waiting for the slightest green light from me. Yet my principles run deeper than attraction. I won’t shatter another woman’s life to satisfy a passing physical craving or a moment of reckless fun. I’m simply not that kind of woman.

I shove him away with everything I’ve got and sprint out of the structure, leaving him behind, only to slam directly into Dr. Brooks.

Before I can even process her being there, she raises her hand, wielding something sharp and metallic. I barely have time to react as she lunges, aiming directly for me. I twist frantically to dodge, but the weapon tears violently through the skin and muscle of my shoulder. It’s a scissor, I realize. A muffled scream escapes my lips as she rips the blade back out.

Without a pause, she brings it up a second time, aiming straight for my chest. Desperate to protect myself, I whip around to shield my vitals. The weapon strikes me squarely in the back.

“Danny!” A blood-curdling shriek escapes my lips.

White-hot pain explodes through my body, and my legs give out, sending me crashing face-first onto the dirt floor.