Playing Doctor: A Standalone Office Romance

by JD Hawkins

  10

  Mia

  Maeve and I are both leaning against my car, parked in the lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts. We call it “the other emergency room,” because it’s halfway between the hospital and Maeve’s workplace. Sometimes—though rarely—when things get a little too tough, or we just really need someone to talk to, we hit the panic button, and meet here in the lot.

  I’ve got a large chai latte in my hand, Maeve’s got a small coffee in hers, and there’s an unusual silence hanging between us. The morning sun is rising, but the chill of the night still lingers in the lot, as more and more commuters come and go in a hurry. The quiet stretches on, and I start to wonder if my best friend has zoned out completely.

  “Maeve? Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you,” she answers. Turning to face me, her glamorous dress and heels combined with the Dunkin’ Donuts in the background makes me think of some glamorous fifties advertisement. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around all this… You sure this isn’t some kind of prank?”

  I frown. “Prank? How would this be a prank?”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Some kind of weird ‘doctor’ humor. Like telling a patient they’ve got six months to live when they’re actually fine.”

  “No! Doctor’s don’t do that! It’s not a prank, Maeve. It’s all true.”

  There’s another silence and I use the opportunity to take a long gulp of chai and check my watch. We’ll both have to head to our workplaces soon.

  “Mia, sweetie,” Maeve begins, emphasizing her points by gesturing with her cup of coffee, “you’ve just told me that you chased this guy out of a nightclub, let him give you his coat, walk you home and then—even after he said goodbye and was about to leave—invited him inside and asked him to take his shirt off so you could ‘inspect’ his injury… Yet you still expect me, your best friend since, like, a hundred years, to believe that at no point did you expect any of this to result in a fuckfest.”

  Sighing, I insist, “I really didn’t. It wasn’t my intention. I was just being… I was genuinely worried about his injury. It’s my job.”

  “Uh-huh…” Maeve says, trying to suppress a smirk. “Sorry, honey. I’m just trying to figure out if you’re lying.”

  “Why would I lie to you, Maeve?”

  “Not to me. To yourself. I’ve seen him now, remember? You’re lucky you bundled me into a cab before I could ruin our friendship over him.” She drops her head onto my shoulder and takes a breath. “Listen, here’s what I think: you did good. You don’t need to make up excuses, and there’s nothing to feel bad about. Quit tearing yourself up over it.”

  I let out another little sigh and smile. Those are the exact words I wanted to hear from someone else—even if I still doubt them.

  “Thanks. It’s just… I mean, we still have to work together. I’m worried it’ll be awkward. I don’t know. Speaking of which, I should probably get going.”

  Maeve steps back to check her watch, but doesn’t let me leave it at that.

  “What did I tell you about awkwardness?” Maeve scolds. “It’s only a problem if you decide it’s one. And if it is, I’m sure it’ll be fine after the next time—”

  “Oh no,” I interrupt, shaking my head vigorously. “No. We agreed it was a one-night thing. A one-night stand. We were both clear about it. There won’t be a ‘next time.’”

  Maeve laughs, and it’s a big one, throwing her head back, hand at her hair. One of those laughs that would seem mean if we weren’t so close.

  “And you believed each other? You guys are a great match if you did.”

  My cheeks are hot. “Maeve…”

  “Let me ask you something. Simple question. Be honest.”

  I take a long gulp of chai to steel myself. “Okay. Shoot.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Hmm. I feel like it’s a bit… I dunno. New for me? But that it’s not entirely weird—”

  “No no no,” Maeve interrupts. She’s pacing in front of me now. “You’re telling me what you think again. How do you feel? Physically. Emotionally.”

  It takes a moment of frowning at the ground to get what Maeve’s saying, and even then I have to kind of reflect a second to be able to give her an honest answer.

  “I feel good… Yeah. To be fair, I haven’t woken up this easily in a long time. I guess I feel kind of relaxed.”

  “More confident than usual?”

  “No. Maybe. Yeah. I suppose.”

  “More positive?”

  I take a second, then laugh gently. “Yeah. I get it.”

  “You’ve needed something like this for a long time. I’m genuinely happy for you.”

  “Well,” I say, still laughing a little, “I guess I should be happy too. I need to get to work, though. Let me know when you figure out a dinner spot for this week.”

  “You bet I will,” Maeve says, turning away to walk back to her car. “Hey! You still have to tell me what you did with those ice cubes.”

  “Ha! See you soon,” I call out before getting into my car, and I head to work feeling a little less worried about what’s going to happen now. For a few minutes, at least.

  Because I notice something’s up the second I get to the hospital and step through the front entrance. I’ve worked at Santa Teresa for so long that it’s like my second home—and like any household, I can feel in the air when something’s changed. So instead of making a beeline for the locker rooms as usual, I go to the reception desk to find out what.

  “Hey Paula. What’s going on?”

  The redheaded nurse looks up and points a pen toward a corridor.

  “The new administrator’s officially starting today. Bob’s acting like she’s the second coming.”

  I turn to where she pointed. I see Bob standing with a few people, looking even happier than he did at the bar last night.

  “The tall, blonde woman next to Bob?” I ask.

  “Yep. Saskia Long. She came straight from Dunhill.”

  I purse my lips and nod. “Impressive. I can see why Bob’s so excited.” I continue to look at her for a little longer. “She’s very attractive, isn’t she?”

  Paula looks up from her clipboard with a smirk, first at Saskia, then at me.

  “And here’s me thinking I had a chance with that new pediatrician,” she says. I laugh along with her—at a joke she didn’t even realize she’s making. She goes on, “Honestly—first him, now her. It’s like we’re recruiting from a modeling agency. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up together.”

  I have to bite my top lip to stop from smiling too much at this, and I can’t resist the temptation to crack a joke just for me. “Oh, I doubt that,” I say, struggling to keep a straight face. “That would be against the rules.”

  Paula only glances at me to roll her eyes, then returns to her clipboard. I let myself smile and head for the locker room, near where Bob and the new administrator are standing. I consider going over to introduce myself, but decide against it. I’ve got a lot of work to get done, and they look like they’re already engaged in conversation with a couple of the nurses.

  I’m almost at the locker room door when it opens and Colin steps out. We don’t quite crash into each other this time, but I still stop dead in my tracks and feel a burst of adrenaline.

  Remember what you agreed on, Mia. You won’t mention a thing. Entirely professional.

  “Morning, Doctor Pierce,” I say, trying to sound both cheery and uninterested.

  “Doctor Taylor,” he says, sounding that way naturally. “I’m glad I bumped into you. I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Oh?” I stiffen a little, my back going straight as I try to compose myself.

  “Yeah, I… Uh… T-T-The… Um…”

  He fumbles and trails off, and his eyes flick down the corridor. It’s the weirdest I’ve ever seen him. This man so typically self-assured and unfazed. So confident in everything he says and does. Yet now he’s bumbling like a schoolboy in class, bein
g asked a question he should know the answer to but doesn’t.

  “Yes?” I prompt.

  “Uh… You know what?” he says, turning his eyes back to me. “I’d better get going. Never mind.”

  It takes me a moment to take in this strange new vibe he’s giving off, and by the time I can say, “Wait, Colin,” he’s already walking away, too far to hear me.

  I head into the locker room in my own kind of daze. What the fuck was that? Here I was agonizing over how I should and would handle working with a guy I just had a one-night stand with, something I’ve never done before…. I never even considered he would be the one who couldn’t handle it.

  Did I do something wrong? We hadn’t talked after he left last night, but it seemed like we’d been on the same page about things. What could I have done that fucked it all up? Maybe he thinks I seduced him? Maeve did say that’s what it seemed like from what I told her about what happened.

  Is that it? Does he think I somehow tricked him into bed and now he doesn’t know how to deal with me? Does he think I’m going to be coming on to him all the time now? Should I say something if that’s the case?

  “I said, hello there, Doctor Taylor.”

  The loud voice draws my attention from my locker and I see Jackie standing there glaring at me with a semi-amused expression.

  “Oh… Hey Jackie. Sorry, I was a million miles away.”

  Jackie laughs as she turns back to her locker. “I could see that. If you need anything for your hangover, just let me know.”

  “Oh no. It’s not… Maybe it is.”

  We both focus on getting ready for our shifts for a minute, and then Jackie turns to me as she’s on her way out.

  “What happened to you last night?” she asks. “One minute you were there and the next you were gone. Did you head home with someone?”

  The question takes me a little by surprise and I take my time buttoning my coat and getting my things before answering.

  “Uh, no… Not really. I mean, I…” What do I say? That I just decided to walk home? It’s the truth, but then what if she knows I left the club with Colin—then she might figure out we went back to my place together. But if I say I went somewhere else… Well, everyone knows I’m no party animal. Fuck. The thing about telling the truth all the time is that you become a terrible liar when the time comes.

  “I was fine. It was fine. Yeah.”

  Jackie narrows her eyes at me as we leave the locker room and walk a little together.

  “You sure you’re all right, Doctor Taylor? Did something happen last night?”

  “What? No! Of course not. What do you think happened? Nothing happened.”

  Her worried frown deepens, and I can tell the only thing I’ve convinced her of is that something did happen. I hear my voice called from somewhere behind me and turn to see Bob there with the new administrator. He’s still smiling and showing her off like she’s a championship trophy. I stop so he can catch up with me and Jackie hurries on ahead.

  Fuck. Does Jackie know I left with Colin? Does she suspect… Is that why he was acting so weird with me? Do the staff know that we—

  “Saskia, this is Doctor Mia Taylor, our resident obstetrician-gynecologist.”

  I put on my best formal smile and offer my hand to the tall, magnetic blonde.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I say.

  She’s extremely eye-catching. The kind of attractiveness that comes from absolute confidence, and the kind of confidence that makes everyone else feel a little less so. Even if I didn’t know that she’d come from Dunhill, and even without Bob’s boyish enthusiasm, it’s clear that she’s successful—not just ambitious.

  “Wow,” she says as she grips my hand tightly, “I love your hair.”

  “Oh. Thank you,” I say, taken a little off guard. “Yours looks great, too.”

  “How long have you been working here?” she asks, ignoring my compliment.

  I glance at Bob, still feeling a little strange at the sudden praise, but he just looks pleased that his new boss is pleased.

  “Um…about seven years now.”

  “So you’re pretty much part of the furniture, then.” She laughs at her own joke so confidently it doesn’t matter that I don’t join in. She turns to Bob. “It’s a good thing she’s a gynecologist—or else every man in the county would be filling in sick forms.”

  Another hard laugh. Bob politely nods his agreement and then says, “Mia’s extremely competent. She’s played a big part in Santa Teresa’s success—not just for her department. She has the utmost respect of everyone at the hospital, and every patient she works with.”

  Saskia nods, only glancing at me now before looking over my shoulder, seeming disinterested in me after the compliment.

  “I look forward to seeing more of you,” she says, nodding graciously before stepping away, the sound of her firm gait and hard heels clicking loudly on the floor. Bob flashing me an excited shrug of the eyebrows before hurrying along after her.

  On any other day, the encounter, the new CEO, the potential future changes at the hospital, would all occupy my brain for hours—probably days. But right now, it’s just another thing spinning my thoughts into a maze. And I haven’t even started my shift yet.

  For the next few hours I throw myself into work. Taking care of appointments, checking on patients, filling out plenty of paperwork, performing a few errands needed, and even consulting on an issue for the hospital’s surgeon. As always, however difficult my job is, I find it a hell of a lot easier than the other stuff in my life.

  I see Colin a couple of times, across the NICU, pushing a wheelchair down the corridor from my department, coming out of a room with a nurse. He doesn’t seem to notice me—or if he does, he doesn’t acknowledge it. Every time I see him now I feel something niggling in my side like a thorn, or an itch. Something unresolved and frustrating. Something I want to deal with but which I’m not sure how to.

  The first chance I get to take a break is just before noon. I go to the cafeteria, grab a to-go sandwich and juice, then head outside to a small green space that employees rarely use. A place I can be alone with my thoughts and where nobody would think to find me (which is why I don’t simply hide out in my car). I take a bite, a sip, and then grab my phone.

  I feel like I’m pestering Maeve, calling her so soon after we spoke, and interrupting her at work to boot—I’d hate for someone to call me when I’m in the middle of a shift—but I feel like I might turn into a conspiracy theorist if I’m left to my own thoughts for the rest of the day.

  “Mia?”

  “Maeve, look, I’m sorry for calling you at work but—”

  Her easy laugh stops me. “Don’t apologize. I expected I’d hear from you again today.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. I know you, Mia. And I knew that whatever happened once you got to work, you’d end up analyzing every last detail like freaking forensics at the scene of a crime. Although I have to say, only,” she pauses a beat, presumably to check the time, “less than five hours after you started your shift? That’s even sooner than I imagined.”

  I let out a sigh, and then slowly begin to explain the encounter with Colin in excruciating detail—even telling her everything that happened before seeing him, and describing his facial expressions like I’m talking to a police sketch artist.

  “So what do you think it means?” I ask, not even hiding how desperate I feel.

  “Hmm,” she hums on the line, thinking about it. Suddenly I feel like I understand what every patient waiting for big results feels like. “It’s an odd one, that’s for sure, honey.”

  “Ugh.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it,” Maeve says.

  “Like what?”

  “Well, just ask him about it.”

  “No way! I can’t do that. We agreed we weren’t going to say anything about what happened. That goes against all the rules.”

  Maeve laughs. “Fuck the rules. There
are no rules when it comes to sex. You didn’t agree to act weird around each other, did you?”

  “I mean… Sure. But—”

  “No buts, honey. The thing about men is that they’re often not man enough. So we have to be. Just talk to him about it next time you get the chance. Don’t let him run off like he did this morning. But go easy on him too. You never know, he might have his reasons.”

  “Fuck,” I say through a mouthful of chicken salad, letting my shoulders slump. “Do I have to?”

  “No. You don’t have to. You could drop the whole thing, put it out of your mind, and carry on with your life like nothing’s happened. Or at least…other people could do that. But not you. So actually, yes, you do have to talk to him.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Sorry, sweetie,” Maeve says, then stops to talk to someone at work, reminding me that I’m taking her away from it—and forgetting that I should get back to mine.

  “Thanks, Maeve. I’ll let you go.”

  “Look, just try not to be impatient, okay? It was only last night that you were ravaging each other. Give it a day or two. Maybe let things play out a little before you speak with him.”

  I nod, feeling her advice so deeply that I almost sense her presence. “Okay. I will.”

  “Gotta go. Oh! Thursday at Lucky’s! Seven p.m. Wear that red dress. Mwah.”

  She hangs up before she can even hear my chuckle and I stare down at my sandwich, feeling a little better, but knowing I’ll think myself back into a mess again before too long.

  11

  Colin

  I feel like punching a wall. Or drinking myself into oblivion. Or driving a hundred miles an hour without stopping until the signs are in a different language. Instead I’m standing over a bedridden young girl trying to determine the medication that’ll give her the best chance at fighting her condition and the least amount of side effects.

  I’m alone in the room, and the kid is fast asleep, but my back is still up. A hard tension throughout my body like I’m the one in pain. Gripping my pen so hard it creaks. It’s taking effort not to walk around with a scowl on my face.