Page 196 of The Doctors Will See You Now

“Are you already out of money for the clinic?” I teased Will Cummings’s sweet girlfriend Melody as I gave her a hello hug at the Benefit for Bab(i)es.

She’d been the brain trust behind this charity event with the goal of raising money for the Women’s Clinic of St. Luke’s Hospital—a clinic that had her name in the title as it were—which just so happened to be Melody’s passion and purpose.

I thought the name of the event was cute, Babes and Babies combined, and tonight was the reason I’d been growing a beard for the last two months.

Apparently, at some point during the festivities, they were going to take me up in front of the room and shave it. There was some kind of system where people would bid money on something about it too, but I didn’t have a fucking clue what. I guessed I’d find out while it was happening.

Melody and I had seen each other in the hospital a handful of times, but we were really only acquaintances. Still, I was very impressed with her drive to help the underserved women in New York, and I commended both her and Will for making the Melody Marco Women’s Clinic of St. Luke’s happen.

It hadn’t been an easy feat, and they’d both worked tirelessly until her dream and passion had turned into reality. And because of that, they’d achieved something amazing for the community.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Will knew people with insane wells of money to tap into, but still, the thought was there. I could be impressed with the thought even if he didn’t have to be quite as resourceful as someone without a billionaire brother-in-law.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, as Will pulled her back to his front, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and answered me. “It’s a free clinic, Scott. The costs are constant. Benefits like this are standard practice to keep them running.”

Will hadn’t quite lost his antagonism toward me since I’d made a few jabs at him while he was suffering in the spotlight as Dr. Obscene. But, at this point, I’d done such a good job of pulling the attention from him, putting it on myself, and altogether basking in it, I thought he’d be thanking me by now.

“Easy, Cummings. I was just teasing.”

“Yeah, Will. Lighten up,” Melody encouraged, and I smiled—which, incidentally, didn’t make Will like me more. Go figure.

“Ah, that’s all right, Mel,” I said, figuring it was better to bridge the gap of our differences rather than let them erode even more. “He’s right to be a little aggravated with me. I’ve done a pretty good job of being an asshole these last few months.”

“These last few months?” Will questioned disbelievingly. But a genuine smile replaced his grinding jaw.

“Okay,” I admitted. “I’m always a little bit of an asshole. But particularly while The Doctor Is In has been on.”

“Ah,” Melanie breathed. “Yeah, the show’s a little bit of a sore spot. For both of us, honestly.”

I nodded in understanding, apologizing again. At the end of Will’s run on the show, he’d been caught fucking a nurse named Emily in the on-call room. Secretly, I’d been impressed by his ability to seal the deal with no more than a look and few quiet laughs—at least, as it appeared on camera—but I could see how it maybe hadn’t earned him any points with his girlfriend. “Really, I’m sorry.”

She smiled then. “It seems to be working out pretty well for you, though, huh?”

Will groaned. “Can you even fucking believe it? This guy gets into more trouble on his best day than I do on my worst, and he looks like a god on the show.”

A few chuckles left my lips. “Wow, Will. Glad to hear you approve.”

“Shut up, dude. You know you lucked out.”

I nodded again, knowing I definitely had. But also knowing some of my moves had been calculated. “I also paid attention to the cameras,” I said good-naturedly. But I really had. I’d been perfectly well-behaved for the first time in my life to make sure nothing horrible showed up on national television. My parents were completely open and supportive, but they didn’t need me out there throwing that in their face. My flirty, sarcastic nature on the ER floor was enough.

“Yeah, that was good thinking—”

“Baby brother!” Georgia Brooks, Will’s sister, shouted as she practically jumped on his back like a monkey.

Melody stumbled as Will fell back with Georgia’s unexpected weight, so I reached out and caught her by the arms. She smiled gratefully while Will pulled off his kin accessory.

“I’m your older brother, Gigi,” Will said with a laugh, steadying her on her feet. “How much have you already had to drink?”

“You’re not my mother!” she snapped softly, just as her husband, a now harried-looking Kline, came skidding to a stop behind her.

“It’s her first adult night out since Evie was born,” Kline explained with a roll of his eyes. “She’s, and I quote, living it up.”

“Where’d Winnie go, Big Dick?” she asked, and I choked on my saliva. Big Dick?

Kline chuckled and pulled Georgia close to whisper in her ear. Unfortunately, I was just close enough to hear him anyway. “This is your final warning, baby. Call me Big Dick in public again, and we’re going to go fuck in the bathroom.”

Her eyes glazed over and her cheeks pinked, but she licked her lips like she was considering saying it again right then.