I don't need to turn around to know it's Arjun. His voice carries that particular blend of amusement and judgment that only comes from knowing someone too long to bother with politeness.
"I have rounds," I say, not slowing down.
Arjun catches up anyway, falling into step beside me. His glasses catch the light as he tilts his head to study my expression. "So I heard there was quite the show in the lobby this morning.A redheaded doctor performing unauthorized CPR, straddling a patient on a gurney... Very dramatic."
My jaw tightens reflexively. "Hospital gossip travels at the speed of light, I see."
"Supersonic, when it involves the great Dr. Walker getting his protocols questioned by a new fellow." Arjun's smirk is audible in his voice. "You should be thanking her for saving that man's life, not biting her head off."
"I wasn't aware that proper hospital procedure was optional for incoming fellows."
"Come on, Sebastian." Arjun touches my arm, forcing me to stop walking. "Mr. Daniels would be dead right now if she hadn't stepped in. His wife called to thank the hospital already."
Something twists in my chest—irritation, maybe. Or something else I don't care to examine. I check my watch instead. "She acted without credentials, without authorization, without—"
"Without letting a man die in the lobby," Arjun cuts in. "Very inconsiderate of her."
I shoot him a glare. "You think this is funny."
"I think you're being ridiculous." He leans against the wall, studying me with that penetrating gaze that's dissected me since our first year of med school. "Tell me honestly, if you'd been in the lobby and seen someone collapse, would you have waited for paperwork?"
My fingers curl into fists. He knows the answer, which is exactly why he's asking. Bastard.
"That's not the point," I finally say.
"No, the point is you're being unnecessarily harsh on someone who did exactly what any decent doctor would do." He crosses his arms. "Including you."
I resume walking, needing to move, to put physical distance between myself and this conversation. "She created a liability issue for the hospital."
"She created a pulse for a patient who didn't have one." Arjun keeps pace, undeterred. "Since when did you start caring more about hospital bureaucracy than medicine?"
The question hits too close to home. I make a sharp turn into a quieter hallway and lower my voice. "Since I became responsible for training four new fellows who need to understand that this isn't a free-for-all. One of them gets a permanent position. The rest don't. They need to understand the expectations from day one."
"And your expectation is what? That they should let patients die rather than break protocol?"
"My expectation is that they recognize the chain of command."
Arjun's eyebrows rise over the rim of his glasses. "Ah, I see. This isn't about protocol. This is about her challenging you."
My mouth opens to deny it, then closes. I adjust my collar instead, suddenly aware of how tight it feels.
"Interesting," he murmurs, watching me like I'm a rare specimen. "She's gotten under your skin already. That's a record."
"She has not gotten under my skin." The words come out too quick, too defensive. I modulate my tone. "She's simply a complication I don't need when I'm trying to run a department and a fellowship program."
"A complication." Arjun repeats the word with a faint smile. "Is that what we're calling attractive, competent women who don't immediately defer to you these days?"
Something hot flares behind my sternum. "I didn't say she was attractive."
"You didn't have to." The fucker’s smile widens. "Your face did that for you."
"What exactly are you implying?"
He holds up his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes are still dancing with amusement. "Just that I know you, Sebastian. I know when something, or someone, gets to you. And Dr. Phillips? She's definitely gotten to you."
My expression hardens. "You're reading too much into a simple disciplinary interaction."
"Am I?" Arjun tilts his head. "Because from where I'm standing, you look like a man who's just had his carefully controlled world tilted on its axis."
