The Doctor Who Has No Chance (Soulless 11)

Dex made dinner, and we sat across from each other at the table, talking about work, our number one topic of conversation. He placed the sautéed kale in his mouth and chewed for a bit before he continued to talk. “It doesn’t happen very often, when another surgeon has to go in and fix the first surgeon’s error, but it happens. Sometimes you have these smart people who make it through medical school and residency, but since they’re in it for the wrong reasons and they rely so heavily on their insurance policies, they just don’t take that extra care to make sure things are done right. It’s probably my biggest pet peeve, second to people being denied health care because they can’t afford it.”

“Is that why you’re involved in the Columbia residency program?”

He took another bite before he answered. “Yes.”

“And if you notice a student like that, is there anything you can do to prevent it?”

“I don’t have the power to eject them from the program, but I can request to have additional time with them to get them on the right track. I don’t do that very often, but it has happened. It’s my moral obligation to make sure new surgeons won’t do unnecessary harm to patients out in the world—and I take that seriously.”

It always made my heart flutter when he talked like that, when he was so selfless and righteous. He cared about people he’d never met. He cared about things that others didn’t. He was such a special person. “I was thinking… You think it’s okay if I continue to work for you? Now that we live together?”

He chewed his bite and gave me a confused look, like the question was out of line. “Then what am I going to pay you for? To sleep with me at lunchtime? I mean, I’m down with that if you are.”

“I’m serious,” I said with a laugh.

“Baby, I’m always serious when it comes to sex.” When he was home, he rocked his sweatpants and skipped the shirt, so he was always fit and sexy whenever we were together. It was like a dream come true, seeing his big arms on the table with those sexy cords everywhere.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s just that you’re with me all day and then all night—”

“I love that. I love that I get to spend so much time with you.”

Just like that, my heart fluttered again. He wasn’t a typical guy who needed his space.

“That’s what Derek and Emerson do, and they love it.”

“I know…I just wanted to make sure. I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

He shook his head as he looked down at his food. “Nothing will ever ruin what we have. You know you found the right person if you can work with them all day and then come home to them too. It just reinforces what I already know. Plus, during the rare times that I’m not with you, it’s weird. I go out for a drink with my family, and I have a great time, but it’s a little odd not having you there. I actually really like that feeling, that you can be with someone all the time, but the second they’re gone…you miss them.”

We rose in the elevator together in the morning, ready to head to the office to see patients. When we approached the floor, Dex pulled out his phone and looked through emails, absent-mindedly rubbing the sleep from his eyes even though he’d taken a shower before he left.

The doors opened, and Riley immediately tugged me inside, anxious to jump on the couch and get ready for the first patient to arrive.

“Whoa, girl.” I released her from her leash and watched her dart straight to her favorite couch so she could look out the window and see the city in the morning light. I carried the leash to the counter and my desk, and I stilled when I saw the nameplate there. It usually had my name printed on the front, so people knew who I was when they walked up. SICILY in block letters.

But now, it was different.

Mrs. Hamilton.

I stilled at the sign, recognizing his name, but not recognizing the title at the front.

It was the first time I’d even thought of it. “Dex…” I turned around and didn’t see him standing there.

Because he was down on one knee on the floor, a little box open in his hand, a ring inside. His eyes were still and focused, staring at me in a way he never had before. He wasn’t sleepy like he was just a moment ago, and that clearly had been just an act to throw me off the scent. His jaw was clenched slightly as he waited, as if there were a tiny fear in his heart that I might say no, that I might not like the ring, preposterous things. “Be my wife.”