Page 73 of The Golden Hour

“Okay, okay,” Kelly says, raising her hands. “I’m asking because HR needs to establish whether this is a workplace harassment complaint, a personal conflict, or both.”

Mason grits his teeth until his jaw hurts.

“I am married,” Mason says, each word clipped. “She is fully aware of this and has propositioned me for sex before. In the locker room. Completely inappropriate, unwanted, and I felt very uncomfortable. I would consider it a potentially hostile work environment.”

Kelly frowns now.

That seems to be the phrase that makes something shift.

“Did you report this?”

Mason deflates.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I did not think it would turn into this,” Mason sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The lack of sleep is catching up to him fast. He’s been catching minutes of sleep the last few days in a cot in the on-call room, on an uncomfortable mattress.

“Because I thought that my rejection would be enough for her to stop and take a hint,” Mason says. “It should have been.”

Kelly nods, agreeing with his words, but the nod is too practiced to actually feel like comfort.

“In a perfect world, yes. But this career is different,” Kelly says. “It’s higher stakes. It can be incredibly mentally draining. People seek outlets wherever they can.”

Mason stares at her and feels something akin to when kids discover Santa Claus doesn’t exist, and you feel kind of foolish for believing in the first place.

“Did she touch your wife?” Kelly asks.

“No.”

“Did she threaten harm to your wife?”

“No.”

Kelly hums, fingers tapping against her laptop's keyboard.

“Dr. Carpenter, your wife has been through an incredibly traumatic event,” Kelly says gently. “And it’s possible that some of Dr. Lewis’s comments could be misrepresented through that lens. She’s just delivered a baby, her hormones are all out of whack—trust me, as a mom of two, I didn’t feel normal until my baby was three months.”

Mason’s entire body tenses and he sits up in his chair, leaning forward and glaring right at Kelly. All the sleepiness, the grogginess, the fatigue washes away from his body in an instant.

All that’s left is a furious husband and father.

“My wife was dismissed as emotional before, and it almost killed her,” Mason growls. “Choose your next words carefully.”

Kelly’s eyes widen, and she holds both hands out in front of her to calm him down.

“Dr. Carpenter⁠⁠—”

“And she’s not just my wife. She’s a patient that this hospital failed—numerous times now,” Mason says. “Dr. Lewis was not part of her care team. She had no medical reason to enter that room. She used her hospital access to approach a vulnerable postpartum patient and imply a sexual relationship with that patient’s husband after I rejected her advances.”

Kelly's throat works as she swallows, opening her mouth to do what HR does best—protect their business. Mason doesn’t give her the opportunity.

“My wife and daughter are not going to be collateral damage for this place anymore.”

Kelly takes a few moments and gathers herself, tapping away at the computer and pointedly avoiding his eyes.