The Doctor Who Has No Closure (Soulless 10)

“What? She is. You want me to lie and say she looks like a gargoyle?”

“How can you lie when I never ask?” he countered. “I don’t ask if you think Sicily is hot. You just say it.”

“Come on. If you look at a piece of art, you comment on it. You say it’s beautiful or whatever.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying Sicily is like a piece of art?”

“Sure…if you want to put it that way.” Her fashion was definitely on point, and her eyes were bright like stars in the sky on a dark night. She had that sexy booty and those nice tits. I was her boss, but I was also a single, straight dude, and it was impossible not to notice.

“What would Dad think?” Derek asked.

My neck snapped back toward him. “You seriously going to tattle on me?”

“No,” he snapped. “But you know he would be disappointed.”

“Because I slept with an older woman?” I asked incredulously.

“Because you slept with your teacher, your mentor,” he argued. “That’s so unprofessional.”

“Yes, I know,” I said in a bored voice. “No arguments there. For the first time in my life, I did whatever the fuck I felt like doing. I did something without thinking twice about it. I’m such a terrible person.”

Emerson turned to look at her husband, giving him a look of accusation.

Derek sighed, like he knew he was being harsh, without his wife looking at him like that. “You’re right. I’m overreacting a bit. I guess I’m just surprised you would do something like that and get caught up in something that can be really messy and really awkward.”

I shrugged. “Like I said, a sexy woman wanted me, and I couldn’t say no.”

Derek finally dropped it. “So, how is it going with work?”

“No complaints.” I was operating on patients every week with no fatalities, getting back into the swing of things like that year-long break hadn’t happened in the first place. “Sicily is making me see patients in half the time, and while I was pissed at first, I realized it was necessary. It’s the same problem we’ve always had, lots of sick people and not enough providers. It sucks. And with all my positions, we’re trying to juggle everything, and it’s just impossible. I’m seeing patients on Saturdays now.”

“Really?” Derek asked in surprise.

I nodded. “Just half day. And then I cut back on research and teaching to accommodate more patients. We’re trying to shove everything into these tiny slots, so we have to keep moving the pieces to make them fit. And while they fit better, they’ll never really fit perfectly.”

“What about Doctors Without Borders?” Derek asked.

“We’re still doing that too.” When I rejected Sicily’s suggestion to get another assistant, it was selfish. I didn’t want to bother having another person when she was already perfect at her job. I knew that didn’t happen often, and if I had an assistant who just annoyed me all the time, I would never get anything done.

Derek shook his head slightly. “Dex, that’s insane.”

Emerson chuckled before she took a drink of her wine. “You’re one to talk…”

I grinned at my brother. “Have I ever told you I like your wife more than you?”

Derek looked at her, his gaze dark but slightly playful. “You may have mentioned it…”

“Man, this place is nice.” Daisy took off her coat and left it on the coatrack by the door before she came farther into my apartment, checking out the furniture on the rug shipped from Morocco and the other masculine sculptures. “Wish Mom and Dad would buy me a place.”

I glared at her for making the jab. “No, you don’t. And I’m paying them after I get my check.” I moved to the couch in front of the TV. The gas fireplace was on, the frost pressed to the windows with the view of the city.

“Got a big client?” She sat beside me and helped herself to the wine.

“Yes.”

“Who? Let me guess…” She tapped her fingers against her chin. “Politician?”

“No. A musician.”

“Ooh, anyone I would know?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t ask who because she respected her patient’s confidentiality and I respected mine. I didn’t even tell my family who I worked on, not that they would ever tell anyone else. I took my oath as a physician very seriously. Sometimes Catherine would ask, and I wouldn’t even tell her.

Daisy crossed her legs and got comfortable, sipping her wine as she looked at the TV. “Sicily did a great job.”

“She hired a decorator, so she didn’t pick out anything.”

“But still, she pulled this together. She really learned a lot from Mom, and she only worked there for a couple months.”

“Yes, she’s a smart girl.” I grabbed a handful of pretzels and leaned back as I popped them into my mouth, watching the game with my sister like she was one of the guys.