Page 31 of Dr. Brandt

I smiled, imagining how Cameron was with his patients and enjoying this little peek into what previous patients thought about him.

“We were faced with no other option but to have spinal surgery for our daughter. Dr. Brandt was a positive, guiding light throughout the process. He went out of his way to treat us like dear friends, taking time out of his day (or day off, in our case) to make sure we were okay to move forward with the surgery. He listens and is considerate of his patients and their family’s needs. If it weren’t for his constant reassurances (and trust me, we needed the reassurance), we would’ve had difficulty deciding whether to go through with the surgery.”

Another one…

“Dr. Cameron Brandt is an angel on this earth. We couldn’t be more grateful for him, being there every step of the way since our lives changed with our daughter’s unexpected diagnosis. He had a way of connecting to her that put all of us effortlessly at ease. He treats his patients as if they were family. We will forever appreciate you, Dr. Brandt. God Bless you!”

All the testimonies read like this, and by the time I finished reading them, I had a larger-than-life smile. I was so proud of Cameron for pursuing his dreams. Reading success stories of the lives he’d changed filled my heart with happiness.

Now, all I needed to do was to allow him to help my son.

That night, I lay flat on my back in bed, Warren sound asleep on the other side after his head hit the pillow. When he climbed into bed, the look on my face must’ve been a clear signal that I was not in the mood for him to try anything sexy. Of course, I couldn’t have been colder all day if I were an iceberg, so I wasn’t surprised when he lay on his side, snoring almost immediately.

I lay there, thinking about Jackson, knowing that with these significant changes came fresh starts. Jacks would inevitably have a lot of work to do if he decided to have surgery—a ton of recovery and different therapies—and, more than anything, I wanted to be in a good place mentally for him when he did. I wanted to be in a good mental place no matter what. Jacks deserved that with or without surgery.

I looked over at Warren, realizing that, as much as I loved him as a person, I was not in love with him anymore. I loved the safety and security that he provided, being the anchor to keep me grounded or the partner to reassure me that things would be okay, but were those things enough to overcome the other feelings—the jealousy, the condescension, overall sense of going through the motions, or being prioritized beneath work? Could I be my happiest self while feeling those things? Because Jacks deserved the best of me, and I hadn’t been my best in a long time.

Maybe I’d wake up tomorrow and feel differently, but I didn’t think so. It had been over for Warren and me for quite some time. I just don’t think he and I could admit that. It was undoubtedly the logical explanation for how he ditched us in California. People who love each other don’t do shit like that.

Strange as it may seem, I wasn’t upset about it. It was time to put my attention where it was necessary. I didn’t want to lose Warren’s support at this crucial time, but I couldn’t be my best with him. Jacks deserved the best of me, and I deserved it too.

Chapter Fifteen

Cam

“Great, and I’ll expect to see you in surgery bright and early tomorrow morning,” I teased the new resident on my floor, watching her flushed cheeks turn another shade of red.

“Are you just saying that so I don’t go out with the girls tonight, Dr. Brandt?” Kelly bashfully played back.

I stopped and turned to face her. Her soft green eyes shied away from staring up into mine. As beautiful as this young woman was and as insane as my hormones were these days, I was thankful that I viewed her as a little sister type. Fortunately, I wasn’t the type who was easily tempted to fuck around at work. I knew myself well enough to know that the ease at which I was able to move on from casual relationships would be a problem in the workplace, and I didn’t need HR breathing down my neck.

Something about Kelly reminded me of what my little sister might’ve been like if she’d had the chance to grow up, and I appreciated our strictly platonic friendship.

“Well, Dr. Palmer, if that keeps you out of Mark’s bed, then yes. Surgery starts at four in the morning.” I folded my arms and watched her face turn beet red. “Ah, ha,” I said with a laugh.

“What! How would you know anything about that?” she whispered as if he were standing on the other side of me.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s the fifteen different shades of red your cheeks turn while talking about him every single day.” I turned to walk toward the office I used when I was on call. I desperately needed to brush my teeth after the coffee I’d been downing the entire night started to leave a disgusting aftertaste in my mouth.

“No,” she said, feistier. “How did you know that I was planning on…you know. Bed.”

She paused, and I smiled, punching the lever to open the automatic doors, admitting us into the lounge area.

“You give yourself away completely, you know? Your facial expressions, and then having these moments where you’re so defensive that you easily forget how schedules work and so forth.”

Her face scrunched up in this adorable expression. “That’s ridiculous. You guessed. And then you just were being you by trying to get me back here at four in the morning.”

I smirked, “Who else is going to buy me breakfast after a long four days on call?”

“Cameron,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You know I’ll be here if you need me. So, what is it?”

“You know I’m messing with you. Enjoy your night out with your friends. I’m going to catch a nap before the next call comes through.”

Before Kelly could respond, my phone rang. I picked it up when I noticed it was my secretary calling.

“Janice,” I answered. “How’d the past few days go? I’m impressed you haven’t called me over the past few days since I’ve been on call.”

“You know the drill, Dr. Cam. Emergencies only, right?” Janice responded with a half laugh.

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