Forbidden Prescription (Forbidden Medicine 1)

“Whoa, I thought we agreed to not talk about this for another few months.”

“What difference does that make? Something will just go wrong again.”

“Well, when every type of relationship we could possibly have is a disaster, what other choices do we have?”

“It wasn’t always a disaster,” he said quietly. “I remember one time where it was really great.”

“Are you talking about the time just before we found out we were siblings?” Isabella nearly shouted. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“We were really happy then. I was, anyway,” he said earnestly. “Those were some of the best months of my life. I really fell for you, Isabella. I still have feelings for you that just won’t go away.”

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting the most important part: we’re siblings! Sneaking around and having sex is dirty and wrong, but still weirdly exciting. Being siblings and dating is a whole other level of wrong.”

James threw up his hands in exasperation. “We’re not blood related, though. We didn’t even know our parents were married until after things were getting serious. It’s a weird coincidence, but not much more than that. It’s not immoral or disgusting, just a little … different.”

Isabella shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know if there was anything he could say to change her mind. How could she enter a relationship where she would be ashamed to tell people about the ins and outs of it? How could she face the people from her hometown after her mom inevitably tells the whole story? She would be judged and ridiculed. She didn’t know if she could handle that.

That, and she hardly felt ready for a serious relationship. The small taste she had earlier was really great, but it would be a lot of work once the honeymoon phase was over. And seeing as they had already witnessed the worst of each other, they would be starting over in a whole new place.

“The only other option,” he said, “would be to completely avoid each other forever. One of us would have to leave town, and we would have to avoid our parents for as long as they’re together.”

Isabella knew that he was saying that because it wasn’t really an option. Neither of them could leave in the middle of the year. Transfers were possible, but certainly not ideal. Besides, both of them had made a name for themselves at the hospit

al, and starting over would change the trajectory of their careers.

“Okay, okay, I see your point,” she said. “This kind of stuff doesn’t come easily for me. I can’t come up with solutions right now. Can you give me some time to think this through?”

“How much time?” he asked.

“I had initially asked you for five months. I suppose that was too long for you.”

He sighed. “Yes, I’ll give you a little more time.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “I hope you can start to see things my way.”

James gave her a soft peck on the lips, and Isabella grabbed her purse and left. She walked briskly to her car and didn’t look back.

Isabella’s mind was whirring. James made a good argument. Deep down, she knew that he was right. They weren’t actual siblings, and they had a lot of good chemistry together. She knew that he had strong feelings for her, but she didn’t know if she could reciprocate.

If she could get past the fact that they shared parents, James would be the perfect man. He was smart, sexy, and amazing in bed. He made her laugh but could also be serious when it was warranted. He had a lot of traditional ideas about what one’s life in their thirties should look like.

James wanted to live in a big house with a wife and a couple of children running around. No doubt, he would be the type to coach the soccer team or be the parent to volunteer to make cookies for the school bake sale. Once he was through with his residency, he would work a less hectic schedule and devote any free time to his family.

On the other hand, Isabella wasn’t sure if she even liked kids that much. In her experience, kids were fine only if they were returned to their parents within a few hours.

Once, Isabella was given the task to babysit her young stepsiblings. There were only two girls to watch, but it was exhausting. The younger one did nothing but cry the whole time, and the older one whined for junk food. Luckily, the kids spent most of their time with their mother, and Isabella only had to be around them once or twice a month.

Isabella also didn’t know much about being a partner. So much of her life had been spent alone. She was good at looking out for herself and her patients, but she didn’t know how to care for a boyfriend.

Would it even be fair to get his hopes up about a relationship? She was certain that she would screw it up in some way. She had no idea what she was doing.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she were his girlfriend again. She did like how she felt when she could casually show up at his place on the weekend. She liked having someone to make supper with, someone to complain about work with. They had similar taste in television and films, so he always had the best recommendations for her. When they did watch movies, they could only manage to finish about half before they got distracted.

Isabella also appreciated that she could talk about work with him. There were so few people in her life who could listen to her talk about a surgery without getting grossed out or spacing out completely. Not only could he listen, but he could make intelligent conversation and teach her a thing or two.

If she decided that she wanted to date James, it would mean that she had been wrong all along. She was too stubborn to admit error, even if it meant that she would suffer because of it. It was especially irksome that she had to be wrong while arguing with James. For once, she wanted to know better than him.

Still, he had carefully calculated the risks and rewards associated with a relationship, and he was still interested. Isabella could not ignore logic, but she could deny herself happiness in the name of preserving her independence.

That night, she tossed and turned for hours. Eventually, she sent James a text around two o’clock in the morning.

I don’t know if I can do this.

She felt a lump in her throat. She didn’t want to hurt him.

Let’s talk again this weekend. I know whatever decision you make will be the right one.

Isabella scoffed and rolled over in her bed. She knew that he was just trying to be supportive, but oh, how he was wrong.

Chapter Nineteen

Against her better instinct, Isabella called her mom the night before she agreed to meet up with James.

Isabella could count on one hand the number of times she’d called her mom for advice. This was the first time she called her about boy troubles.