Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I hit the button on my phone and spoke through to her speaker. “Dr. Hamilton, could you come here for a moment?”
Her voice came back instantly. “Didn’t know you were here.”
I waited for her to walk through the door, but moments passed, and she never showed up. I hit the button again. “Dr. Hamilton?”
“Yes?”
“I asked you to come here.”
“Why don’t you come to me?”
Wonderful person…right. “I just spoke with a colleague. I think I know what’s going on with your patient.”
“Great. Come to my office.”
“No.”
“Fine.”
I dragged my hands down my face, furious with her insubordination. I hit the button again. “Get your ass here now.”
“Or what?”
“Maybe I’ll fire you.”
“Give it your best try, bitch.”
I’d never interacted with someone so infuriating. I hit the button again. “What is the problem here? I have a solution for your patient, and you don’t seem to give a damn.”
“I do give a damn. I’ve been here all night working on this.”
“Well, that was a waste of time because I found her diagnosis. Now get your ass over here.”
“I will when you apologize.”
Apologize? “For what, exactly?”
“You’re a prick. That’s what.”
Was this because of the way I left her office last night? “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re just frustrating.”
“Ooh, so close. I’m just going to stare at the wall in the dark…if you need anything.”
I ignored the phone and inhaled a slow breath, never so frustrated with a colleague. I refused to leave my office and go to hers, not when I was the one in charge and she was beneath me. She would wait for me to come to her office, but when she realized that wouldn’t happen, she would cave. She would cave because she would be too curious about my diagnosis to ignore it.
I was right.
She walked through the open door a few minutes later.
She halted and looked around, seeing the drastic changes I’d made. “Did I just walk into an Apple store?”
I clenched my jaw and kept my mouth shut so I wouldn’t say something unforgivable.
She approached my desk, in a tight pencil skirt with a short-sleeve blouse tucked into it, high pumps on her feet, her long and full hair in curls around her face. She had dark hair like her father, a deep contrast against her fair skin. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her annoyed expression said it all.
She hated herself for coming.
I turned the laptop around and played the video for her.
She took a seat and watched it.
I watched her as she watched it. What a shame someone so beautiful was so fucking annoying.
She closed the laptop when she was done then silently excused herself.
“Where’s my apology?”
She turned around at the door.
“Because I was right, and you were wrong.”
“We don’t know that yet—”
“Yes, we do. This job is about collaboration, so instead of being a pain in the ass all the time, focus on the patient—not yourself.”
She flipped me the bird then stormed off.
I joined Anthony in his office, a good physician with a lot of experience in different fields. We explored the two patients he had, looking over his results, discussing the possibilities. It was a collaboration, an exchange of ideas, exactly what it should be.
“I’ll order those labs and see what we get back,” Anthony said. “At the very least, if the results are negative, we can rule them out for good.”
I turned because Daisy passed by the window.
We made eye contact.
And she flipped me off.
This time, I did the same back to her.
She marched past.
When I turned back to Anthony, he had an uncontrollable grin on his face. “Not getting along, huh?”
“I’m tempted to fire her.”
“You can’t do that,” he said with a chuckle.
My eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“She’s the best physician here. She’s cracked more cases than any of us.”
I released a slow breath, even more frustrated now.
“You want my advice?”
I shrugged. “I don’t fucking know… Sure.”
“We’re all very close, family away from family. Daisy is really something special. But she speaks her mind, even if you don’t want to hear it. Unlike most people who are crossed or offended, she doesn’t let it go or sulk. She’ll call you out on it. So, the more you do that, the more she’s going to do it back.”
“That’s not advice.”
“Now here comes the advice. Sit down with her and have an open conversation. I guarantee you, she will respond. She’s a delightful person.”
I released a scoff.
“Give her another chance. I promise you won’t regret it.”
5
Daisy
Super Prick waltzed into my office as if he owned the place—like always.
I looked up from my desk, annoyed at the sight of him.
It didn’t matter how hot he was. He would never be hot enough.
In his sweatshirt and jeans, he approached my desk and set the results right in front of me.
I didn’t need to look to know what they said.
His smugness said it all.