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Arthur laughs, and the booming sound echoes in my small office. “You’ve known her long enough to know that’s going to be a long and bloody battle, my friend. But if anyone can make Marcy see the value in marriage, it’s you.”
“I love her. I’ll wait as long as it takes, do whatever it takes.”
He pulls me into a brief hug and shakes his head. “If you need backup, let me know. Kate and I are rooting for you.”
“Thanks.”
With a final goodbye, Arthur heads down the hall toward the exit. As I watch him walk away, my heart aches. I really need to talk to Marcy. Now more than ever. She has to know how much I love her.
But I’ve never said the words before. Ever. No woman has ever earned them. Marcy has. She has all my love. I would die for her.
“Dr. Thompson,” Summer’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Five is still waiting for you.”
“Yes, of course, my apologies.” I take the chart she offers and skim through the notes.
It takes every ounce of effort to push thoughts of Marcy to the back of my mind while I work. Summer catches me daydreaming a few times and directs my attention back to the task at hand. I don’t know what I’d do without the stellar nursing staff.
After ten years working here, I’m loath to leave them. We’ve become such a great team and have earned the recognition of the city three years in a row as the best emergency center in Manhattan. I don’t know how I would function without them.
But weeks like this one wear on me. I’m exhausted, and now that I have Marcy, there’s hope for something more than just emergencies and adrenaline-fueled shifts.
If I can get Marcy to say yes, maybe, just maybe, I can start my own practice and take some time to enjoy life with the woman I love. At least, it’s worth considering now.
By four o’clock, I’m dragging. I’ve pulled eighteen-hour shifts, but ten is still exhausting. Especially after a week of back-to-back double shifts. One hour left, then I can go home and get some rest.
“Oh, my! I didn’t even know he was dating anyone.” Summer’s voice drifts up from the nurse’s station. She snaps to attention along with three other nurses when I round the corner.
“Who’s dating again?” I ask, wondering if they’re gossiping about me and just got caught red-handed.
“Oh, it’s, uh...just this actor,” Anne, the receptionist, says with a dreamy smile. “He’s Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, but I guess he’s off the market now.” Her smile fades with a sigh.
“We don’t have anything better to do than gossip about celebrities?” I chuckle.
“Yes, sir.” The nurses return to work, but Summer lingers.
“Did you think we were talking about you?” She jabs me in the side with her elbow.
“Maybe. I don’t know. You all seem to like talking about my personal life.”
“Oh, you have one of those now?”
I scoff with mock indignance. “I’ll have you know, I just found a wonderful woman who doesn’t take advantage of my sensitive nature.”
“Are you sure you’re not just making her up?”
“She’s real.” I grin. “And she’s amazing.”
“Hmm, that’s why you were glowing when you came in on Monday, huh? Finally got some action, Doc?” Summer laughs as we make our way down the hall to the last room where a patient waits for evaluation.
“I can’t help it if you’re jealous.” I quickly sober when we reach the room.
The young woman looks up from the magazine she’s reading. “Sorry.” She tosses it onto the chair beside her.
My attention follows the colorful paper, but the moment it settles on the plastic seat, I freeze.
No, that can’t be right. I snatch up the magazine and inspect the cover.
Vic Simmons Spied at Romantic Dinner with Mystery Woman is splayed across the front, over a photograph of a couple at an intimate meal.
