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“But your residency is coming to an end, so you’re not obligated to remain at Travis County Hospital, right?”
“No, but it feels as if I’m abandoning them.”
“Exactly,” Taylor said. “Stop pushing her to leave.”
“Stop pushing her to stay just because you don’t want to lose your friend. I’m here,” Samiah said sympathetically. She directed her attention back to London. “This isnotyou. You are more practical than this. If this job in Chicago is the best move for your career, you have to do it.”
“Okay, so maybe itisthat simple,” London said.
She’d wrestled with this decision for months now. But at the heart of every argument she’d made and every pros and cons list she’d concocted was this one truth that Samiah had laid out so succinctly. This was the best move for her career.
She thought about her patients, many of whom she’d seen multiple times in the past five years. She thought about the MSE room she’d fought for, and how much it would hurt to leave just as it was finally being created.
She thought about Nina, and how much her little sister needed her. Koko and Miles too. She remembered visiting April in the hospital the day Miles was born, and they’d just celebrated his ninth birthday. She’d already missed so many moments of their childhoods; if she moved to Chicago, she would miss so much more.
“I still have some time before I have to give them an answer,” London said.
She had a week. One week.
Today’s impromptu Zoom meeting was basically a shit-or-get-off-the-pot warning. This was the thick of “match season,” that time of the year when residents either were matched with fellowships for further training in their specialties or moved on to full-time positions in hospitals and clinics around the country. The hospital in Chicago couldn’t hold her spot forever. She wasn’tthatdamn special.
They deserved an answer from her.
It was time for her to figure out what it would be.
33
Drew clicked through the half-dozen stock market apps on his phone as he sat on a bench along the greenbelt that lined Waller Creek, waiting for London to arrive. Even the cars whizzing past on nearby I-35 couldn’t detract from the tranquility provided by this little oasis in the heart of the city.
After learning about the marathon heart surgery London had today, Drew decided a little decompression time was in order. He’d asked Larissa to order a picnic lunch to be delivered to this small park near the hospital. Fortunately for him, his assistant never did anything half-assed.
When he arrived at the meeting spot, he found a trio of women setting up a tent made out of gold-painted bamboo and gossamer drapes. Inside were mountains of pillows and plush cushions along with a four-foot-long table that sat about ten inches off the ground. In addition to the china place settings on the table, there were several vases of fresh flowers, scented candles, and sparkling white grape juice chilling in a silver champagne bucket. Drew had no idea when luxury picnics had become a thing, but count on Larissa to be on top of it.
A chef stood next to a portable cooking table a few yards away, waiting to prepare lobster crepes to go along with the salad and chilled lobster bisque that already awaited them inside the tent.
“What’s all this?”
He whipped around to find London walking up to the bench. Drew stood so he could greet her.
“Your lunch.”
Her mouth hung open in utter astonishment as she stared at the picnic setup. A speechless London was a rare sight.
“This is…breathtaking,” she said. She held up a brown paper bag. “But am I supposed to just ditch the PB&J I brought from home?”
“Definitely.” He laughed, taking the bag from her. “Save it for later. For now, we feast on lobster,” he said as he kissed her.
Just a few weeks ago she would have shied away from that tiny public display of affection. Now, she welcomed his PDAs—sometimes she even initiated them.
Drew still alternated between disbelief and outright euphoria when he thought about how far they’d come since he approached her at their class reunion. Whoever said lust couldn’t turn into love didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.
He guided London to the tent, holding her hand as she lowered herself onto one of the cushions. Her awed smile as she took in the furnishings and flowers made Drew mentally tack on an extra five thousand dollars to Larissa’s already sizable yearly bonus.
London lifted a carnation from the bouquet at the center of the table and brought it to her nose. Even dressed in surgical scrubs and her white lab coat, she looked as if she were posing for a portrait by one of the world’s most renowned artists.
Shewas fucking art.
She was everything. The energy and power she exuded captivated him. Her dedication and drive compelled him to want to do better. Her sensuality and that way she had of unabashedly stating what she wanted in no uncertain terms made him want to give her everything she demanded and more.
