Adrian frowned and said, “Are you about to-”
“Dr. Randall! Your patient is refusing to take her meds again. She says she won’t do it unless you’re there,” a colleague said from outside the door.
Adrian immediately let go of my hand and stood up.
“Got it.”
“Adrian-”
He turned to me. “Dr. Gilmore, I have to go.”
I froze for a second. Then, with a smile, I cut a slice of cake and handed it to him.
“Medicine tastes bitter. Bring Katelyn a piece of cake.”
He paused for a moment but still took the cake and walked out.
The colleague who had called him over leaned in, clearly trying to fish for gossip.
“Dr. Gilmore, is there something going on between you two? Otherwise, why would Dr. Randall care so much about you?”
I was caught off guard, but then quickly laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re just colleagues.”
The hospital director approved a few days off for me on the day I got my passport.
Celeste and I went out to celebrate at a bar. I usually wouldn’t go to places like this, as Adrian didn’t like the smell of alcohol. But now, I wasn’t putting those restrictions on myself anymore.
In the middle of drinks and laughter with Celeste, my phone rang. It was Adrian calling.
He asked, “Where are you? Why aren’t you home?”
I paused, thinking that those questions seemed familiar. They were the kinds of questions I used to send him all the time.
“I’m out with Dr. Logan. What’s up?”
Adrian sounded tired. “Wendy, Katelyn’s always been like this. She’s the type who won’t take her medicine unless someone’s watching. I’m just doing what any doctor should do. You shouldn’t-”
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Chapter 6
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“I’m not upset.” I cut him off.
He went quiet for a moment before sighing. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it. You don’t need to go out of your way to mess with me.”
“I’m not messing with you, Dr. Randall,” I said, smiling. “I know you two grew up together, and she’s also your patient. So, it’s only right that you take care of her.”
The silence on the other end stretched on.
“Hello?” I called out twice before he finally sighed again.
“When are you coming back? I’m thinking about taking some time off, too. We could go to Sylvareth. Didn’t you say you always wanted to visit there?”
I thought about my flight to Eryndorian in a week and shook my head. “I can’t. I don’t have much time.”
“Then how about the amusement park near our place?”
“Dr. Randall, what made you suddenly want to take me out for some fun? You were never like this before,” I teased.
“I’m just trying to do what a boyfriend is supposed to do.”
I tightened my grip around the phone. Then, I smiled and said, “We’ll talk about it some other time, Dr. Randall. Also, your ties are in the left drawer, and I put the books you usually read in the cubby where I keep my photo frames.
“You always rush out when you’re flustered. I had to turn off the gas for you more than once. So, remember to check the gas before you leave. From now on-”
“Wendy.” He cut me off. “Why are you telling me all this?”
I paused. “Should I not be reminding you all this?”
“No, it’s not that. I just find it odd that you’d say all of this.”
The alcohol made my face feel warm, and the words I had long wanted to say to him came rushing to the edge of my tongue.
“Dr. Randall.” I heard myself say softly, “We-”
Two short beeps abruptly cut me off. The sound of the call being disconnected echoed in my
ears.
A moment later, Adrian texted me, “Katelyn called. I’ll talk to you later.”
Seeing the familiar excuse, I smiled and shook my head. Then, I put my phone away.
The last day of my vacation happened to fall on the weekend. A few colleagues swapped their shifts and came to hang out with me.
Someone suddenly asked, “Hey, do you guys think that Dr. Randall’s into Dr. Gilmore?”
My hand froze mid–reach for a dish. Then, I laughed.
