The Doctor Who Has No Chance (Soulless 11)

It wasn’t my place to give him advice about his finances, so I let it be. While other surgeons were driving their fancy cars and going on big vacations, Dex was working nonstop, indifferent to the money he could be spending on himself. “Alright. I’ll talk to the accountant.”

His hand went back to his mouse, and he shifted it so the screen would light up again. He glanced at his food to take a bite, but most of his attention was on whatever he was reading.

“I have your schedule for tomorrow.” I put the papers on his desk. “You have a heart valve replacement scheduled with the residents. It’s scheduled at ten, so you can sleep in a bit. I’ll have your breakfast delivered at eight thirty, so you can get a good meal before you have to scrub in. Any requests?”

He shook his head. “Everything you pick out is good.”

“Great.” I gave a slight smile, still enjoying his positive feedback even when I should just be angry with him. It was the weirdest thing. I wasn’t really angry with him at all. I was just sad, sad that I’d lost this man, lost the best thing that had ever happened to me…even if that relationship only lasted a few weeks. It felt like a lifetime. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Good night.” He continued to look at his computer and then started to type. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but your notes have dropped my charting time by like seventy percent. It’s really helpful.”

Maybe he was just trying to smooth things over by kissing my ass, but it was still nice to get a compliment about my work anyway. “I’m glad I can be of service to you.” I grabbed my things then departed his office. “See you tomorrow.”

His voice followed me as I stepped out. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

I went to the Trinity Building on my way home to check in with Cleo. She was my unofficial boss, still helping and giving me advice because I’d only been working with Dex for three months. Her husband ran his own company, so she’d taught me so much about running the office and how to address Dex’s needs as efficiently as possible.

But when I approached her desk and took a seat, it was obvious she knew everything about what happened with Dex and me because of the look she gave me.

Our relationship was over so quickly that I hadn’t even had the chance to tell her we were together in the first place. I sat in the chair and stared at her, feeling like I was with my own mother, a woman who loved me and hurt when I hurt.

She moved her hand to my arm and gave me an affectionate squeeze. “I’m so sorry, honey…”

It hurt even more that she talked to me the way she talked to Dex, like she had the same affection for me that she did for her own children, like I was part of the family. “I’m okay…”

She moved her hand to my back and rubbed me gently. “It’s okay not to be okay, Sicily.”

“We were only together for a couple weeks… It’s stupid to be that sad about it.”

“Length of time is irrelevant when it comes to falling in love. I loved my husband within the first week, and I knew I would never stop loving him, no matter how much time had passed, no matter what he did, because it was unconditional—instantly.”

That actually made me feel worse, because that was exactly how I felt.

She continued to rub my back, looking down into my face with pain in her own eyes. “Sometimes men don’t know what’s best for them, even when it’s looking them straight in the face. Dex is better at those sorts of things than his father, but I think…I think the timing just wasn’t right.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have told him how I felt. That was stupid.”

“It’s never stupid to tell someone how you really feel. But unfortunately, Dex just isn’t in the right place. I always knew Catherine screwed him up badly, but I never really understood how deep her knife went until now. I’m so sorry that my son hurt you, and I don’t think you deserved that. But I hope you know that’s not the kind of man he is. He would never hurt you on purpose. He’s just…lost right now.”

“Yes…I do know.” I knew Dex was the most loving and caring person I’d ever met. I’d seen it firsthand. He just wasn’t ready to give more than he could, and I was the selfish one to ask him when he wasn’t ready. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

“Are you going to keep working for him?”

I nodded.

“Because no one would judge you if you stopped.”