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“I’m sorry about your mom,” I said, tilting my head. I could only imagine what it would be like to lose a parent so young.
“It was a bad time,” she said, and I could tell she didn’t want to get into it.
“I know why you went with surgery, but how’d you end up in medicine to begin with?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I always wanted to be a doctor.”
“And you’re lucky to have a cousin on the board,” I said, teasing her.
“I guess so,” she said, staring down at her hand. “I don’t really know Rees all that well, honestly. He got into tech when he was like eighteen and founded this company—I think they do like cloud storage.”
“Strange that he’d go to such lengths to get you placed as my resident,” I said, frowning a bit. “If you’re really not close, I mean.”
“I agree,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t understand, and I didn’t ask him for it. We haven’t really talked since I was a kid.” She tapped her fingernail against her glass. “Can I admit something to you?”
“Of course.”
“I used to want to be a vet.”
I leaned back and studied her, then laughed. I couldn’t help myself. Picturing her working on animals, instead of people—it would’ve been such a waste of talent.
And it was right then, laughing with her in the bar, that I realized she was a very gifted surgeon. Maybe I knew it, on some level, the whole time—maybe that was why I let her close for me so quickly, or maybe that was why I agreed to train her at all. I could’ve pushed back harder and maybe even won that argument.
But she was good. I knew she was good the first moment I saw her touch those instruments. Even if she wasn’t perfect, there was still talent lurking beneath her skin, and I knew I could coax it out if given some time.
I felt proud of her. It was strange, and something I’d never experienced before, but her accomplishments felt like my own. I wanted her to succeed almost as much as I wanted to succeed.
I finished my gin. And shook my head. “I want to make a deal with you.”
“Another deal?” She grins and drinks down her beer. “I’m not sure I can handle more.”
I gave her a look and shook my head. “Hear me out, okay? You’ll like this.”
“Fine, go ahead.” She looked skeptical, but she was smiling.
“I’m going to let you off laundry duty,” I said slowly.
“Oh, really?” She leaned toward me, eyes wide. “Are you going soft, Dr. Hood?”
“Would you let me finish,” I said, glaring at her. “I’m not going soft.”
“Sounds like you are. I thought the laundry thing was a hazing ritual. Honestly, I got sort of used to doing it, and I like having all that time to read.”
“I can let you do my laundry forever if you really, really want to.”
“No, no, that’s okay. What’s the deal?”
“I’m going to let you off laundry duty if you promise to bring me coffee every morning. And not some cheap bullshit coffee from Wawa. I want the good stuff. Starbucks or better.”
She snorted in that cute way she did when she thought I was being a total dick, but still, she was smiling. “That’s not a great deal. Sounds like swapping one stupid task for another.”
“You want off laundry, this is your way out.”
“Fine,” she said, and thrust her hand toward me. “That’s a deal.”
I took it and shook. “Starbucks or better,” I repeated. “No garbage.”
“I know a good spot. How do you take it?”
“Milk, no sugar.”
“Easy.” She nodded to herself, and our hands lingered together a bit longer than necessary—before she pulled hers away and seemed to rub her palm with her other fingers absently.
“We should get back,” I said, and paid for the drinks. “Seriously, good job in there. I’m thinking about giving you more responsibility.”
That perked her up. “Really?”
“But you’d better not fuck up. If I have to fix your mistakes, you’re back to doing laundry in the hospital and getting dirty looks from the janitorial staff.”
“I won’t fuck up,” she said, tone serious. “I promise.”
I stood up and gave her a look. Strangely enough, I believed her.
We headed back to the hospital together, chatting aimlessly, and for the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed talking to someone about nothing at all.
11
Lori
Piers sipped from his coffee cup and looked pleased as we walk together down the hall. Ahead, the patient rooms stretched out along the wall, their glass sliding doors and curtain-covered windows filled with so many different lives and different worlds. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed, out on the floor, just picturing all the people that want to leave the hospital feeling better and happier than when they came in, and how much hard work it took to fix even a small number of them.
