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It had taken everything within him not to take an Uber to her house. His plan had been to give her these two days in Chicago and then make his case when she returned. But he couldn’t wait. He’d caught the first flight he could get on following his meeting with Travis County Hospital’s board of directors.
Now, as he met her underneath the massive crystal chandelier that hung above the center of the Drake Hotel’s opulent lobby, Drew couldn’t believe he’d lasted this long without seeing her.
He wasn’t sure how she would greet him, but when her arms went around him in a strong, swift hug, it felt as if every single thing in his world was right. She immediately pulled back and asked again, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to apologize,” Drew said. “And I couldn’t do that over the phone. I needed to see you in person.”
She shook her head. “Drew, you don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, I do. I—”
“None of this is your fault,” she said, cutting him off. She looked around and said, “We can’t do this here.” Then she took him by the hand and went straight for the elevators.
It looked as if they would have a car to themselves, but at the last minute a couple carrying Bloomingdale’s shopping bags boarded, traveling all the way up to the same floor where London’s room was located. He and London got off the elevator and walked just a few doors down before they arrived at her room. Drew stood to the side as she opened the door, then he followed her into her suite.
“Wow,” was all he could say. He’d visited the Drake before, but only for evening drinks at the Palm Court. Some would consider the heavy, rich wood furnishings and dark carpeting to be out of style, but he liked the old-school grandeur. “They must really want you at this hospital if they went to the expense of putting you up in a suite like this,” Drew surmised.
“Yes, they really, really do want me,” London said. She set her purse on an intricately carved sofa table and folded her arms over her chest. “I have to admit, today did absolutely amazing things for my ego. One of the most renowned surgeons in the world—a woman I’ve admired for years—sat down for coffee with me so that she could personally petition me. She wants me on her team.”
Drew’s steps slowed as he approached her. “What doyouwant?” he asked in a quiet voice.
London pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and shook her head.
“I still don’t know.” Blowing out an irritated breath, she shoved her hands in her hair—something he realized she did when her frustration was at its highest level. “This isn’t like me. This dithering back and forth, not being able to make up my mind? It’s the most uncomfortable feeling in the world.” She pounded her open palm with her fist. “When I have a decision to make, I sit down and I make the damn decision. I figure out what’s most practical and that’s what I go with.”
“So, what’s holding you up? Or, maybe I should ask, what’s keeping you in Austin? Is this about your siblings, and you not wanting to disappoint them?”
She huffed out a tired laugh. “You can read me like a book, Drew Sullivan. I’m not sure if I like that.”
He shrugged. “You’ve made it clear how important it is for you to keep the promise you made to them, especially to Nina.” Drew knew that they couldn’t dance around the reason he’d flown up here. “Speaking of promises, I am sorry for breaking mine, London.”
“Drew,” she said with a sigh. “I told you, you have no reason to apologize. It is not your fault that County got hit with a malpractice lawsuit. Am I disappointed we’re not getting the sensory room? Of course I am. But I don’t blame you.”
“I can’t help feeling as if I let you down,” Drew said. “And after hearing about all the times your dad let you down in the past—”
She walked up to him and captured his cheeks between her palms. “Don’t even finish that statement. Kenneth Kelley’s lifetime of broken promises has absolutely nothing to do with you. Now that I know therealyou, I would never put you in the same category as my dad, Drew.”
“I’m going to fix this,” he said. “I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’m going to find a way to get you that sensory room.” He stared into her eyes. “But will that be enough to keep you in Austin?”
“Is thatyourgoal?” London asked. “Keeping me in Austin?”
“I already told you, I can be wherever you want me to be. You have to decide where that is, London. But just promise me this,” Drew said. “Promise me that you’re making the decision for the right reason. Now that you’ve been here and seen what they have to offer, does Chicago feel right?”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again. After several moments passed, she said, “No.”
Drew’s head snapped back. “No?”
“No,” she said. She looked at him in amazement, as if she didn’t quite believe that she’d said that word either.
“If you asked any pediatric surgeon in this country what they would give to work with Dr. Eveline Mayberry, the majority would say everything. That’s just how badass this woman is. She’s a living legend. If I were to accept this two-year fellowship, when I’m done, I would be able to demand a salary that matched a surgeon with twenty years of experience. When it comes to deciding where I want to practice medicine, the choice of hospitals vying for me would be endless.”
Drew put voice to the word that lingered in the air, unsaid.
“But?” he asked.
“But I don’t want to do the work they would expect me to do here in Chicago.” She shrugged. “It really is that simple. The research Dr. Mayberry and her team are conducting, it’s groundbreaking. It’s the type of research that gets you on the short list for the Nobel Prize.”
“Whoa,” Drew said. “And you’re willing to pass that up?”
