I chuckle, but oblige, because the last thing I want to do is torture her. I’ll save that for another day. I kiss her again, this time letting my lips glide roughly against hers, the salty taste of her sweat turning me on.
“You’re an amazing woman, Laura.”
I mutter the words, as my tongue circles her earlobe. She smiles and curls up into my arms. Then she rolls over so I can spoon her. I wrap my arm around her waist and kiss her softly on the neck, pulling her against me.
“Have you heard anything about the research project?” I ask her. She shakes her head.
“Not yet. I’ve applied, probably along with every other person in the group.”
“I’m sure you’ll get it.”
She smiles at me. “I wish I was as confident as you. I really want it, but so does everyone else, and unfortunately for me, everyone else is just as qualified as I am.”
“Maybe, but they don’t have one thing that you do.”
“And what’s that?” She stares at me, waiting for my answer. “You?”
I smirk at her response.
“No. I mean passion and the drive to succeed. I see it whenever you talk about your specialty and what you want to do. I see the need and determination in your eyes, and I know you’ll achieve whatever you set your mind to.” God, I sound more like Lewin every day. “That’s what will make the difference. Trust me.”
She still doesn’t look convinced as she leans over and turns off the lamp. She kisses me, then rolls over, cuddling into my arms. I kiss the back of her head and wrap my arms around her.
She’ll get it. I know she will.
#
I’m up early the next morning for my eight a.m. start and somehow even manage to get ready without waking Laura. As much as I want to kiss those sweet lips goodbye—especially with the way she’s draped herself so sexily with that sheet—I resist because I want to let her sleep for as long as possible. She hasn’t been sleeping well. She doesn’t think I notice when she sneaks out of bed in the middle of the night, but I do, and I’m worried about her. There is something on her mind, but I don’t know how to get her to open up to me. I just wish she felt she could talk to me about it.Halfway through my shift, Lewin sends me down to the emergency room for a cardiac consult. I’m not even sure if that’s allowed, but I go with it, because I’m flattered that he trusts me that much. He’s been flat out planning the surgery for Ben’s mechanical heart, so I’m happy to do whatever is needed to take some of that pressure off him.
The ER is busier than I’ve ever seen it, thanks to a multi-car collision and being short staffed. After my consult, things get even more chaotic, so I hang around to help out until things are back under control.
Nearly two hours later, it’s returned to normal levels of chaos. I quickly scribble down my notes on my last patient so I can go back up to Lewin and find out how Ben is doing. My shift is almost over, but I want to make sure he’s okay before I leave. I walk over to the elevator, stopping when someone calls my name. I sigh, convinced I’m about to be asked to stay down here longer.
“What can I do for you?” I say to the nurse.
“There’s a lady asking for you in cubicle two.”
“Okay, sure,” I say.
I’m surprised, because in three years of residency and now this fellowship, I’ve never been requested by anyone. I walk over to cubicle two and push back the privacy curtain that is wrapped around it.
“Hello, I’m Doctor…”
I stop in my tracks and stare at the woman in front of me. She smiles, but there’s uncertainty in her eyes, like she’s scared of how I’m going to react. Holy shit.
“Abbey?”
She smiles weakly. “Hey. I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”
“Remember you? Of course, I remember you,” I murmur.
I haven’t seen Abbey in years, but I’d recognize her anywhere. There is no mistaking her because when I look in those eyes, all I see is Maya. I met Maya and her sister, Abbey, at a hostel when I was in London. The three of us hit it off and we hung out into the early hours of the morning. We stayed up all night, drinking too much and talking about my life in the states and their life in Germany. After Abbey went to bed, things between Maya and I heated up. That night, she ended up sucking me off in the bathroom, then I took her back to my bottom bunk bed of the eight-bed dorm I was in. Romantic, huh?