Until Autumn

He returns my smile and just when I go to walk away, his voice bounces off every wall of his office. “Just where do you think you’re going?” he questions, making my back stiffen. “There is still the matter of your relationship that needs to be discussed.”

I cringe before lowering myself back into my seat and taking in the anxious look in Thorne’s eyes. “Right …” I say slowly. “That.”

“Yes, that,” Dr. Terrace says. “It’s my understanding that the two of you have become romantically involved, and as I am sure you would know, any form of sexual relations between colleagues goes against hospital policy.”

“It’s true,” Thorne says, raising his chin in defiance. “Autumn and I are involved, however, it is so much more than just a sexual relationship. I have every intention of marrying this woman, so it’s important to me that you know it’s not my intention to shit all over your policies, but I will not be leaving this woman, not even for my job. And if I can be blunt,” he adds, almost like an afterthought, “the policy merely suggests that a relationship is frowned upon, not blatantly dismissed and disregarded.”

Dr. Terrace leans back in his desk chair, rubbing his hand over his face in consideration as I glance across at Thorne, the emotions bubbling deep inside of me. I swear he just said that he was going to marry me.

My eyes well with tears of joy and as I glance back at Dr. Terrace, I find his warm gaze already on mine. “And what are your intentions, Autumn? Do you look at this relationship as seriously as Dr. Mayson does?”

“I do,” I tell him, right from the bottom of my heart. “Dr. Mayson is my future, so you must know that if you decide that one of us needs to be dismissed from our duties at this hospital, then you need to know that your decision will not impact us as a couple.” I look back at Thorne while still addressing the Chief of Surgery. My eyes glisten with happiness. “I will still be madly in love with him no matter where I’m working.”

A smile spreads across Thorne’s face but before he can respond, Dr. Terrace finally gives us the dreaded verdict. “Okay,” he tells us. “It seems that no matter how I feel about this relationship, it is going to continue just as it always was. It’s clear that this is more than just a sexual relationship, and as long as it remains professional while inside the walls of my hospital, then I see no issue with it. However,” he says, turning his stare back on me just when I thought we could start celebrating. “You are a student, and as it is, Dr. Mayson is your assessing doctor.”

“Yes,” I confirm, my knee starting to bounce with nerves. “But please, don’t take me off his service. Dr. Mayson is the best obstetrician in the state, and in my opinion, the best in the country, and I don’t want to be just an average midwife, I want to be the best. I want to make a name for myself in this industry, and to be the best, I have to learn from the best.”

His eyes narrow as he considers me. “Do you understand exactly what it is you’re asking of me?” he questions. “This allows you an advantage over the other students.”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t believe so. Dr. Mayson has been very strict with this. He does not favor me over the other students. There is no advantage. It’s almost as though our relationship only exists outside of the hospital.”

Dr. Terrace looks to Thorne. “Is this true?”

“Yes, sir,” he says. “Autumn may be the woman of my dreams, and there’s nothing I want more than for her to succeed and see every one of her dreams come true, but handing everything to her on a silver platter is not going to help her to be better. It will cripple her and teach her that she doesn’t need to stand on her own two feet. To be the best, she needs to earn it. If anything, I’ll be harder on her than the rest of the students.”

Dr. Terrace sits back again, his thumb and forefingers rubbing along his jaw. “Okay, here’s what we are going to do,” he says, keeping his gaze locked on Thorne’s. “I’ve known you for a long time, Thorne, and it gives me great pleasure to see you happy. You’ve been married to your work for so long that I feared you would never make space in your life for love, and I feared that you would have allowed yourself to live a lonely life. I do not want to be the reason that you lose that happiness. So, with that being said, Autumn will remain on your service. You will teach her just as you’ve been doing up until this point. However, her assessments will be taken by me until we can find a replacement for Dr. Harding. If I get even a hint that favorites are being played, I will have no other choice but to take further action. Is that understood?”