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Amy rolled her eyes at me. “I saw how he was hitting on you. And since I know you have a ‘no dating coworkers’ rule,’” she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers, “I thought I’d come to your rescue with that little story about Dr. Ambrose.”
“Oh. Thanks?” Amy wasn’t normally this friendly to her female coworkers.
“Don’t mention it,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t mind having Dr. Judd for myself,” she mused, her gaze distant. “Though, he is more of a backup plan.”
If she wanted Judd, she could have him. “I see.” I busied myself with charting, hoping Amy would just go away.
Oblivious to my cues, Amy leaned closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “The guy I really want is Dr. Donaldson from Infectious Disease.”
As soon as Amy said the name, my mind took an unauthorized detour, and I was flooded with thoughts of his tall, lean figure, the obvious intelligence that reverberated out of him in waves, and the disheveled, tawny hair that always inspired me to wonder if it was as soft as it looked.
Not that I’d ever find out. We’d never had more than brief interactions at work. And he was off limits, just like every other man who worked here.
Amy seemed to be waiting for a response.
“Dr. Donaldson, huh? He’s, uh, very... competent.” That was the understatement of the century. Some of his residents had a bet going on when they’d catch him making a mistake—ten dollars for a misdiagnosis, five for a procedural error, twenty-five cents for incomplete record keeping, ten cents per typo. So far, no one had managed to make a dime off Dr. Donaldson’s mistakes. Because there simply weren’t any.
Amy brushed off my comment with an airy laugh. “Yeah, it seems like his patients tend to get better, and he’s won like, a ton of awards. Plus, he’s definitely got that hot nerd in a lab coat thing going on, even if he doesn’t get enough time in the sun. But honestly? I just want to date a doctor, and someone like him should be no problem for me.” She laughed like she was telling a joke that she’d thought I’d be in on.
“Ha, ha,” I managed. Inside, I recoiled in disgust. I knew better than anyone that being a doctor didn’t make a man an especially good person or partner. And her shallow targeting hardly seemed fair to Dr. Donaldson.
My lukewarm response didn’t appear to bother her. “I think he’s still here, actually. I’m going to stop by his office and offer him dinner in a little while.” She tossed her long blonde hair. “Fastest way to a man’s heart, right?”
“That’s what they say. Well, better finish.” I increased the speed of my typing until Amy left the room.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text from Ellie.Limo will be there in ten!! Xoxo! Can’t wait to see you!
I checked the clock on my phone. It was already 7:40, and the pre-party cocktail hour started at eight. If I made it out of the hospital in the next twenty minutes, I could get the limo to drop me at home, change into the dress Ellie got me to coordinate with the theme——Maximalist Modern English Garden—and arrive at the official start of the party at nine.
I turned back to my computer and continued charting as quickly as my fingers could fly across the keyboard. No matter how awful Dr. Judd was or how Amy’s plan to target Dr. Donaldson irked me, I couldn’t let anything slow me down.
Eight p.m. on a Friday night, and I was still in my office at the hospital, hunched over my laptop. I’d been halfway out the door before remembering I’d treated another patient withsalmonella typhimuriumonly a week before. It wasn’t exactly an uncommon serotype, but I needed to make sure the hospital hadn’t misdiagnosed any other cases. My diligence might be the only thing standing between the greater Philadelphia area and an outbreak from contaminated animal products or a sick pet hedgehog.
If therewasan outbreak, I’d document my findings. Potentially, it could lead to publication, and perhaps even a bit of media coverage. If I was featured onPhilly’s Finest, Cassidy might even see it. Would she be as surprised as I’d been to see her on the show a few days ago?
I gave my head a firm shake, trying to dispel my silly daydreams. It was unlikely Cassidy would see local news media coverage of me, let alone be interested in it. I didn’t know if she’d started her new job with the NIH in Baltimore or stayed in Philadelphia for her new boyfriend, Davis Hardcastle. The only thing I could be certain of was that she’d moved on, and I needed to focus on my own work, not on catching her attention.
In any event, it wasn’t as if a three-minute television spot could do more to attract her than three years of working closely had.
With a sigh, I returned to my work. Two hours into reading through recent hospital records, and I was only a third of the way through my search. I scoured each file with a vigilant eye, driven by a nagging fear that someone neglected to call me in on a case for which they should have consulted Infectious Disease.
My concentration was broken by a rap at my office door. “Yes?”
One of the ICU nurses poked her head into my office. I stared back in alarm, wondering if I’d missed a page about a patient in distress.
“Hi, Dr. Donaldson! Saw your light on. Working late?”
I frowned as I processed what the mystery knocker was saying. Wait, was her name Amy? I couldn’t see her badge to confirm, though I really should’ve known the names of the people I worked with on a regular basis.
I gestured to my computer. “Just checking on something.”
She stepped inside, bringing her badge into full view.Amy Rogers, RN. “Oh, have you had dinner? I have an extra sandwich if you want it.” Her bright red lipstick was perfectly applied, and her blonde hair perfectly styled, a stark contrast to my disheveled appearance after a long day at the hospital.
“I appreciate the offer, but I really need to focus and get this done. Then I’ll eat at home.” Hoping the conversation was over, I turned back to the screen.
“You won’t believe what I just walked in on.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Sparks were definitely flying between a certain doctor and nurse. You’d never believe who!”
I didn’t look up. “There are likely many relationships that form between people who work here.” And I had absolutely no interest in involving myself in office gossip.
