Page 35 of Obeying

I blink. "I didn't know you cursed."

"I don't. Only when it's appropriate. And it's very appropriate right now, don't you think?"

I nod. "Agreed. See? We're already getting along so well."

"Who would've thought?"

I almost smile, but it dies before it forms. "Thank you for helping me. I mean that. But let's get one thing clear: this is my fight. You're helping, not leading."

"Understood." He adjusts his glasses. "But you should know I've already been thinking about this. The complaint is designed to isolate you. To make you feel alone, make you panic, make you quit before the hearing even happens. That's what he wants. He wants you to run again."

I look at him. "I'm not running."

"Good. Because we have a case to build and a hearing to prepare for, and I'm going to need you sharp, not hiding behind a tablet."

I wave the air. "That was weeks ago. I'm fighting back."

He smiles, satisfied with my answer. I am, too. I feel like my old self again.

We sit there for another minute, side by side on a cold stairwell step. Then he stands up and holds his hand out to me.

"Should we get this party started?"

I look at his hand and I think about how strange this is, that the person I trust most in this hospital is the same person I spent four years of med school trying to destroy. Logan Maxwell. The last person I ever imagined trusting with my life, my career, everything I have left. But right now, there's no one else I'd rather have next to me for this fight. Because I've seen what his mind can do when it's working against me. And if that same mind is working with me, pointed at Miguel instead of at each other, Miguel doesn't stand a chance.

I take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet.

"Let's go."

12

LOGAN

The board members didn't warn me; they offered me an exit.

The chief medical officer, Dr. Yap, and Dr. Harmon sat me down yesterday, before they spoke to Kristen, and laid it out plainly. The complaint against Dr. Portland is serious enough to warrant a full review. The complaint against me, the alleged threat toward a visitor, is secondary, and given the circumstances, they're inclined to let it go. But the 'inappropriate relationship' allegation complicates things. It ties us together, and tied together means investigated together.

"Dr. Maxwell," Dr. Yap said, hands folded on the table. "We want to be transparent with you about your options here."

Options. I knew what that word meant before he finished the sentence.

"You can distance yourself from Dr. Portland professionally. Reassign her to a different service, limit direct supervision, create a clear separation that demonstrates this allegation has no basis." He paused. "Or you can remain involved, in which case you'll be formally included in the investigation alongside Dr. Portland."

Dr. Harmon leaned forward. "Logan, we know you. We know this allegation about an inappropriate relationship is baseless. We can dismiss the complaint against you entirely. Your record here speaks for itself." She glanced at Dr. Yap. "As for Dr. Portland, if it would help resolve the situation cleanly, we could suspend her clinical duties until the hearing. That way, there's no overlap, no perception of impropriety. It protects you and the department."

Suspend her. They were offering to pull her off the floor, away from her patients, away from her work, to protect me. Strip away the one thing she fought to get back, the one thing keeping her standing, and hand it to me wrapped up as a favor.

They reminded me, carefully, politely, that my family's reputation carries weight in this institution. That my parents' names are on the wall in the main lobby, and it would be a shame to compromise all of that over a resident's personal situation.

"She stays," I said. "She stays on my service, she keeps her duties, and the allegation against me stands with hers. I'll cooperate fully with the review. Both of us will. We have nothing to hide, after all. I'd rather go through this case fairly, as I know justice will come through."

Dr. Harmon nodded. Dr. Yap looked at me like I'd made a decision I'd regret. He said something about being available if I changed my mind. I thanked them both and left.

I won't regret it. Because suspending Kristen Portland to save my name is something I would never do. Agreeing to something like that would make me exactly the kind of man Miguel Cruz is, and I'd rather lose the title than become that.

I spend the rest of the morning in surgery, and the routine of it clears my head. But it isn't enough, and by the time I head to the attendings' lounge, I'm hoping for thirty minutes of quiet before rounds.

I don't get it.