“Because it’s protocol.” His brows furrowed until his frown darkened impossibly.
“No it isn’t actually. Since you refuse to let me know what cases you’re working on, what patients are coming in each day, I have to read about them after the fact. In the meantime, there’s no reason I can’t see patients. Or did you expect me to rot here without learning a thing?” He opened his mouth to speak, but I spoke right over him. “Or did you think you could get rid of me so easily?”
“I don’t answer to you.”
“Did I ask you to? But as a fellow, I am supposed to be learning from you, and I’d like to. I took this fellowship because you have shown signs of being innovative in the field of heart devices and non-invasive surgeries. I could use that to treat pediatric cardiac patients, and I’d like to learn from you. Despite your crap attitude.”
“Sadie needs an experienced cardiologist and surgeon and that’s me.”
“Really?” I laughed. “You have a lot of experience with pediatric patients? You would have called me to consult anyway since your bedside manner isn’t exactly suitable for child patients.”
Drew sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, reaching for patience. “Careful, Dr. Ross, you are here at my discretion. It’s best you remember that.”
“As if I could forget. You do what you have to, Dr. Wright. It’s clearly been your goal since I got here to get rid of me. It’s just a shame that you’d deprive me and my patients of your knowledge simply because it’s too difficult to work with someone you’ve seen naked.”
“That has nothing to do with it.” He leaned in and growled, looking around for ear hustlers, because heaven forbid someone found out what had happened between us before I even got the fellowship or landed in Jackson’s Ridge.”
He was lying. “Excellent. So you’re able to work with the woman you had the best sex of your life with? Perfect. Let’s just forget it and move on with our lives. You can do that, can’t you?” It wasn’t wise to poke the bear, I knew that, but I also knew I’d get no respect from him if I let him steamroll over me. “Is that all, Dr. Wright?”
“For now,” he grunted angrily and I flashed a wide, beauty queen smile as I walked away.
I couldn’t help it, I walked away with a bounce in my step and a swing in my hips because it was always fun to best Drew in any of our encounters.
Drew
The Outpost wasn’t as busy as it usually was during Happy Hour and I was happy for it. Being out with Casey and Antonio was enough peopling for me, especially after the long day I had. A successful outcome to an emergency heart surgery overnight should have been a good sign of the day ahead. If you start the day by saving a life, that’s a good day.
At least it was a good day before Zola Ross invaded my cardio department. The woman was determined to make my life more difficult than it needed to be with her very presence, not to mention that she insisted on wearing some earthy flowery scent that short-circuited my brain. It was completely unprofessional, but did she care? No.
“And so I told Gus, sure, invite Suzie over for a threesome.” Antonio’s words filtered through my thoughts and I looked up with a frown that sent him and Casey into a fit of laughter perfectly befitting teenage girls. “Ah, there he is.”
“Sorry. I guess I’m more tired than I realized.” Getting called in at three in the morning wasn’t my ideal way to wake up, but it had to be done.
“I don’t know,” Casey pondered out loud. “Seems more like he was daydreaming than dozing off. The question is, who was the object of his daydreaming fantasy?”
“Oh, good question.” Antonio leaned into my personal space before resting his chin on his hand like a gossiping woman. “So, who is she? Do we know her? Is she from Jackson’s Ridge?”
“Is who from Jackson’s Ridge?”
Casey rolled his eyes. “The woman who’s got your wheel spinning.”
“There is no woman,” I growled a little louder than necessary, and it was just my bad luck that the woman who I was thinking of, Zola, had just walked into The Outpost with Hannah and Gus. Just the sight of her, smiling and laughing like she’d lived here forever, yanked an angry grunt from my throat.
“Ah, that’s the issue.” I didn’t have to look up at Casey to see the knowing smile on his face because I could hear it in his voice. “Cal said you two were going at it in the hallway earlier today, but I didn’t realize he meant you were going at it.”
“Holy shit, right there in the hallway?” Antonio held a hand up for a high five, a proud smile on his face. “Wow, you’re just gonna leave me hanging?”