Page 24 of The Golden Hour

Mason cringes and looks around the chaotic space, doctors running from one direction to the other, barking orders at nurses, who bark orders right back. No one’s paying attention.

“That I am happily married and would never cheat on my wife,” Mason tells Ellen.

She peers at him over her glasses. “And would you?”

Mason feels sick at the thought.

“No! I just said⁠⁠—”

“And I’ve heard a lot of doctors say a lot of bullshit,” Ellen hisses.

“Ellen, I love Honey,” Mason says firmly. “I would never cheat on her.”

Ellen stares at him again before nodding.

“If Lewis keeps up with propositioning you, go to HR.”

“I don’t want to snitch,” he mutters.

“What would you say if Lowell came to you and said Lewis propositioned him repeatedly? Or Mahoney?” She gestures to the first-year intern who resembles a startled deer on the floor. “Or me?”

Mason deflates. “I would tell you to report her.”

“You’re senior leadership, Carpenter,” Ellen says seriously. “And from a certain angle, things can look bad.”

“I understand. I think I made it clear, she’s just…” he grimaces. “Flirty.”

“Have you told Honey about it?”

“No. I didn't want to stress her out. She’s my wife. She knows my feelings,” Mason nods confidently. “She trusts me.”

He doesn’t know why the words are like acid in his mouth, and again, he doesn’t want to take a closer look at it. It might reveal something he’s not ready to face.

Mason feels like an exposed nerve right now as he wilts under Ellen’s sharp gaze.

“Alright, let’s cut the shit since that blanket is still in the back of your car,” Ellen snaps.

Mason freezes, his eyes going wide.

“I’m so goddamn sick of biting my tongue,” Ellen says. “You’re not my kid, I have three of my own to worry about, but what the fuck is going on with you? Your wife is pregnant, Mason. Do you even understand how vulnerable women are when⁠⁠—”

“I’m a doctor,” he points out, and her glare only sharpens.

“You’re a doctor, but you don’t understand. She's risking her life to bring your baby into this world. How are you supporting her when you're practically living here?"

Mason’s throat feels tight.

“…Honey understands⁠⁠—”

“Does she?”

“Yes,” he insists, but his voice is weak. “She knew that the last year of residency was going to be hell.”

“I’m not a doctor, kid, so I don’t have the same experience, but I think you’re making it hell on yourself, and your wife,” Ellen says, before adding, “and your unborn daughter.”

Mason flinches.

“You’re spending so much time here, and when you’re here, you’re so work focused, that it’s like nothing else exists. You forget to eat. You forget to drink anything but energy drinks or coffee. You don’t talk about anything but work—not unusual, but come on,” Ellen says, and Mason can feel himself shrinking. “You wear your ring, but are you actually honoring your wife?”