Dr. Fake It - A Possessive Doctor Romance

She chewed on her cheek. “I need a place to stay.”

I took a breath and nodded slowly. “Okay, I can help with that.”

“The assholes broke into my apartment, and I don’t have enough money to keep paying for a hotel, and I just—” She stopped herself and let out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your problem.”

“I want to help.”

She shook her head. “I don’t get it. Why would you want to get involved with someone like me?”

I spread my hands and shrugged. “I guess I care too much.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“You can stay at my place as long as you want. I doubt those guys will think to look for you there.”

She nodded, staring down at the floor. “They followed me home from here.”

I digested that for a moment. “Do you think they followed you again?”

“I don’t know. I bet they’re watching the hospital, though.”

“Okay,” I said, my brain running through scenarios. “I think I have an idea.”

“If it’s too much trouble—”

“Sit down, talk to your mother, and I’ll be right back.”

She gave me a look, but I was already moving to the door. She stepped aside to let me pass but my hand brushed against hers. I felt it again, that spark, and I wanted to linger close to her body, breathe in her smell, kiss her long, delicate neck, but instead I forced myself to keep moving. I felt her eyes on me as I marched toward the nurses’ station and found Fiona sitting alone scrolling through her phone.

“Hey, you busy?”

She looked up at me and put her phone down. “Not really. What’s up?”

“I need your help. It’s kind of… unorthodox though.”

“I’m not helping you do something that’ll get a patient killed.” She said it with hard eyes and a flat tone.

I gave her a look. “Why the hell would you think that?”

“I’m just saying.”

“No, look, remember that girl who left a couple days ago? The car accident victim?”

“Sure, her mom’s still in the coma.”

“She needs my help and I’m going to let her crash with me. There are some guys looking for her, and—”

“Whoa, hold up,” she said, raising her hands in the air. “You’re going to do what?”

“I’m letting her crash at my place. It’s not like that so quit giving me that look.”

She shook her head, disgust plain on her face. “I’m not helping you take advantage of a patient.”

“Fiona.” I said her name in the tone I used with Jamie back when she was still a teenager and I needed to get her to listen for once—to try to block out her teenage hormones and actually digest my words. “This girl is in trouble. There are men looking for her, the sort of guys that might do something bad, and I’m going to let her crash on my couch for a couple days until she figures out what to do.”

Her eyes remained narrow, but her tone softened. “The guys that visited her?”

“Them, yeah.”

“And this isn’t some kind of weird sex thing?”

“I swear, Fiona. I know you don’t like me, but have I ever done anything to endanger a patient? You watch me like a goddamn hawk, if I were some kind of psycho sex freak, you’d have noticed by now.”

“Well, that’s true,” she said and sighed, putting her hands flat on the desk. “All right, what do you need me to do?”

I grinned a little and leaned toward her. The plan was simple and straightforward: all I needed was for her to take Erica back to the nurses’ locker room and put her in some scrubs. Then they’d walk out together and meet me around the corner at this bar called Revel. From there, I’d take Erica back to my place.

Fiona digested that for a few seconds then shook her head. “Fine, but I have to come back after and finish my shift.”

“No problem.”

“And you owe me, like, a million.” She hesitated and stood up. “And I’m going to check on her to make sure she’s okay.”

“I’d like that, actually.”

She gave me a hard look then nodded. “All right, fine. Where is she?”

“Her mom’s room. I’ll head out now and I’ll see you two in a little bit, all right?”

“This better not end bad. You hear me, Gavin?”

“I swear to you, we’re helping this girl.”

She let out a breath and walked off, heading toward Erica with purpose. I smiled a little bit and watched her go.

She was a stuck-up prick and a huge pain in my ass, but she was a good nurse and a good person. I trusted her to keep this to herself, at least so long as it benefited Erica, and that was enough for me. I turned and left, stopping off to grab my stuff. I exited out into the Philly evening and felt cool air whip across my scrubs as I found Revel and walked inside. It was a local dive, lots of punks and hippies, and the drinks were all way overpriced. I ordered a beer, found a seat in the corner, and sat down to wait.