My Forbidden Doctor (Forbidden Medicine 7)

"I actually ordered to-go as well..." Sheepishly, Carl spoke up.

I gnawed on my inner cheek absently. He's got nice lips.

"Yeah, sure. Not a problem. Your name?" She scribbled down his reply before slipping her handful back in her apron, flashing us both a smile. "I'll be out with your food shortly."

Skipping away, the waitress left Carl and me in a light silence, and I tapped my fingers against my bare knees.

"What did you order?" His eyes met mine, and fire licked up my neck when they flashed with something undefinable. Propping his elbows on the table, Carl set his chin on laced fingers as he scanned my face.

"I wish I had gotten here a few minutes before. As terrible as it sounds, seeing your attack would've given me something to go on concerning your treatment, Mel."

Surprise raised my brows, and Carl frowned as the cogs worked between his thick lashes.

"I don't want to sound insensitive, but if I had, it wouldn't have been for nothing, at the very least."

"I'll make sure to call you next time. Assuming I'll be dumb enough to agree to go out with my dad and he pulls this again. At least I knew enough to drive myself here." Today had been a rollercoaster from 11 a.m. on, and I lowered my head once again to blow out a ragged wheeze. "I'm tired. I'm not even hungry at this point. I just want to go home and sleep."

Carl didn't have a reply to that, and I really didn't expect him to. My dad, my allergies, my asthma attack... it all sucked the life right out of me. The only reason I ordered was because I had to eat something— anything.

The idea made me kinda sick, though.Chapter 4CarlMel: I'm home. I didn't crash or anything.

Smiling at my phone, satisfaction bubbled in my veins, and I circled my thumbs over the screen. Melissa's text sagged my shoulders, the leather of the driver's seat becoming a little more comfortable.

Carl: Good. I hope you have a pl—' Grunting lowly, I backspaced rapidly. 'I hope you have an easy night

Tapping the Send arrow, I pulled my fish taco to my mouth and dropped my phone in the empty cup holder. After Melissa left my office, it was obvious that meeting up was the absolute wrong thing to do. She didn't expect to see me at this restaurant, and I had made the off-hand decision not to bother cooking tonight.

Yet, we were pushed together coincidentally. I mean, she made plans with her dad rather than keep the suggestion from earlier. That was telling in itself.

"Not that it matters but running into her was alright. If the aftermath of that asthma attack was anything to go by, Mel's got some really delicate lungs. Either that, or she's an easy crier. Or both..." Mumbling to myself around my mouthful, I swallowed roughly and rested my head back to stare at the vizor. "She's my patient."

While it wasn't exactly unethical to develop a romantic relationship with a patient, it was extremely taboo. I could lose my job, my reputation— no one would hire me, and that wasn't even considering the Ethical Conduct contract I had to sign to work for this hospital. That took it a few steps further, stating any hint of anything fishy would result in my being fired immediately.

I couldn't lose this job. I'd only been in this position for a month. I was the only pulmonologist this hospital could get their hands on, and I had a responsibility not to screw it up.

"... But man is she pretty." Those forbidden words rolled off my tongue like butter, and I tapped my feet against the floor of my car. I would never do anything unethical and risk my job over a fling. Being the only pulmonologist for this hospital only made me more important. "If only Eva weren't so pushy."

My mumble soured my bite a little before I swallowed. Eva had been waiting for me, at my car, for God knows how long, to grill me about my supposed relationship with Melissa. She was practically shouting at me by the end, shivering, her frail body unable to cope with the anger that bashed around her bones.

How a woman like Eva became a pediatrician, and a fairly successful one, was beyond me. I frowned as I stared at a stitch on the steering wheel, her red, twisted features flashing when I blinked. Real hurt saturated her blue eyes and ruffled her long, blonde hair, as if she had a reason to feel betrayed by me.

Not once had I ever expressed any interest in Eva, and I'd told her several times that I wasn't attracted to her in any way. I didn't want the HR headache, but more practically, she wasn't my type. She was tall and slim, and I preferred women shorter than me. Let's not even bring up the fact that she's crazy.