Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“I’ll get started on ordering everything and get it here as quickly as possible. Do you have a list? In terms of medical equipment, I know the basics, but if you need anything more extensive, I’ll need some help.”
“I’ll email you a list.” With his hands in his pockets, he looked into the street and watched the cars pass, mostly town cars and taxis. The weight of the stress was obviously getting to him because his personality had flipped drastically.
It made me wonder if I ever really knew Dex in the first place. “I know it’s not my place, but it really does make sense for you to move to Manhattan. You shouldn’t have a forty-five-minute commute when you have so much other stuff to worry about.”
He turned back to me, his eyes a little cold. “When I’m ready, I will.”
“Have you left your job at the lab yet?”
“No.”
“Well, I contacted Columbia University about a part-time teaching position there in the Columbia Cardiac Surgery Center, and they said they would be honored to have you as part of their faculty.”
His brown eyes weren’t kind and warm anymore, and now he seemed annoyed all the time.
“Based on the types of positions you’ve had in the past, I thought you might enjoy taking on different roles. Your office was only open two days a week, and I imagine you would do that again. There’s also a research position at Kline Clinic, where you worked before. When I contacted them and asked if they had any open positions, they said no, but they would reinstate you in a heartbeat because it would be an honor to work with you.” Every time I contacted these places, they were cold and dismissive toward me, but the second I mentioned Dex’s name, it was a complete 180. Every person was enamored of him, would move mountains to get him at their facility.
Dex’s expression didn’t change at all, his eyes shifting back and forth slightly, processing my information with no reaction at all.
“I thought you might like to do something different, so I contacted Doctors Without Borders, and they said they would be happy to include you in a quarterly rotation to bring you to underprivileged communities around the world.” Maybe I was pushing too much on him, but I wanted to give him all his options, to get him excited to return to work.
His stare lasted a long time.
I assumed I wouldn’t get a response. “Or if you just want to focus on patient care—”
“Give me some time to think about it.”
That was a win to me. “Sure. I’ll get to work on everything else and keep you updated.”
He nodded then walked off.
I stood and watched him go, surprised that I didn’t even get a goodbye. As if he had somewhere else to be, he just rushed off. I turned the other way and began the walk to the Trinity Building.
“Sicily?” His deep voice came from behind me.
I turned back around and saw him jogging toward me.
He stopped in front of me and looked down at me because he was still taller even when I wore heels. “Sorry, I’m not trying to be a dick. I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now. I haven’t felt this…unencumbered in a long time. I appreciate all the work you’re doing.”
The smile spread over my lips, seeing a glimpse of the man I’d met months ago. “I understand, Dex. This is a high-stress position, and I know it’s going to be difficult to get back into the swing of things.”
“Difficult isn’t the right word. Try impossible.”
At the end of the day, I walked to the Trinity Building and approached the residence door. After a knock, I was welcomed inside by Cleo with a warm hug while her husband cooked dinner in the kitchen. “How’d it go? Tim told me Dex took the office.”
“It went pretty well. I’d say it was a successful day.”
“That’s great.” She smiled then guided me to the dining table. “I want to hear all about it.” We sat down, and she poured two glasses of wine while Deacon set the dining table and placed dinner in front of us.
I looked at the delicious meal in front of me, chicken marsala with pasta and a side of green beans along with a salad. “Oh, you don’t have to cook for me every time I come over—”
“It’s the least I can do as a thank-you for putting up with my son.” Deacon gave a slight smile before he pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, wearing a gray t-shirt and black sweatpants.
“I don’t feel like I’m putting up with him.” There was some resistance and some coldness, but he made up for that.
Deacon cut into his food with his eyes down. “Yet.”
Cleo had her laptop and paperwork to the side, but she didn’t open it over dinner. “Tim told me you didn’t look at the apartments I had lined up for Dex?”