Page 35 of Dr. Intern

My eyes widen with alarm. I don’t know these people and definitely don’t want to get yelled at for saying, or doing, the wrong thing. “I did not!”

“Did too,” he replies, sticking his tongue out at me.

I mirror his gesture and he giggles. His mom, slightly exasperated, but grateful, thanks me for assisting him.

“No problem at all,” I reply with a smile. “I’m just here to drop something off for my sister-in-law, so I’ve got plenty of time.”

The woman in front of us moves aside, and I gesture for the woman and her son to go ahead of me so they can check-in. I don’t have anything going on for the rest of the day, so I’m fine waiting. Plus, it’s kind of interesting to people watch.

The massive room is packed to the brim, with every single chair full, and multiple people standing. It’s actually kind of beautiful when I think about it. People of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds gathered in one place. Their stories all probably differ so much, but here they are with the same goal—to heal.

“Are you Claire?” a petite brunette in light blue scrubs squeals, appearing out of nowhere. Her short ponytail is coming undone and she looks slightly disheveled, like she just ran miles through the hospital to meet me.

“Uh, yeah,” I answer, caught off guard. “Sorry, do I know you?”

Her green eyes light up as she leans in and pulls me into a hug, tiny arms somehow circling my whole frame as her head crashes into my chest. I can’t help but let out a laugh, because this is exactly how I would act all the time if it wasn’t ingrained in me to hold back in public. It’s endearing and I can instantly sense a potential friendship despite never having met her before.

“Oops! I’m Morgan. I work with Cass, though I’m sure you gathered that by the scrubs and chaos.” She quickly steps back, a sheepish grin on her face.“Sorry. I have zero self-control, and my friends say I struggle with boundaries.”

I can’t help but smile. “People say that about me too.”

“I know.” She takes my hand, pulling me through the crowds of people. “Cass has told me everything about you.”

“Hopefully only good things.”

“Are you kidding me?” Morgan giggles, her eyes giddy with amusement. “Anyone who puts Dr. Winters in his place as often as you do is automatically my hero. I still crack up at the thought of the St. Patrick’s Day prank you pulled on him this year.”

She’s talking about the family vacation we took to Savannah where Parker claimed that he could outdrink me. Little did he know that I switched to non-alcoholic beer halfway through the day, and I was practically sober by the end of the night. He was so confused and wouldn’t stop grumbling about how he only lost because he hardly ever drinks. To this day I’m not sure if he knows the truth about what I did.

I roll my eyes at the memory. “He’s such an idiot.”

“Can’t argue with you on that,” Morgan agrees, pausing in a more secluded section of the hallway. “Grady is on diversion, so it’s a bit of a shit show today. I’ve been at the triage desk, so Cass told me to look out for you.”

Looking back down the corridor, I see the overflowing patient area. “Is it always this crazy around here?”

“Depends on the day, but that’s part of the fun,” she answers, swinging her arm out like she’s showing off something she’s proud of. “You never know what you’re gonna get.”

I can tell working in the ER is something she truly enjoys by the light that shines in her eyes as she describes everything she’s seen come through the door today. Shockingly, I find myself hanging on her words and asking a million questions.

I’ve never really wondered what Cassidy’s days were like because I just assumed they were the same as my brothers. He always made medicine sound so regimented and boring, kind of like how he lives his life, but Morgan’s perspective portrays things more like a game with multiple ways to win. It almost sounds fun.

“Sorry, I don’t want to eat up your day, I know you’re busy,” I offer once she finishes her explanation on the differences between sedatives. Apparently, some new resident only ordered a small dose of Ativan for her patient yesterday, and she was pissed. I have no idea what it means, but I nod along like I do.

“You’re totally fine,” she assures me. “I have our charge nurse covering for me and honestly am in no rush to go back. Triage is the most boring assignment ever.”

I smile, appreciating her candor. “Well, tell Cass I said hi and that I miss her.”

I haven’t seen my future sister-in-law very much recently. She’s been giving me space to work through everything. Plus, I know she’s been busy with wedding planning and the move, so I haven’t wanted to bother her either.

“For sure,” Morgan replies as we start to walk back toward the entrance of the hospital. “And hey, we’re grabbing dinner and drinks on Friday if you want to come along. I literally just convinced Cass to ditch your brother for margaritas. She’s a hard sell now that she’s practically wifed up.”

“Tequila is definitely the trick with her. But, count me in. Just have Cass send me the details, and I’ll be there.”

Chapter 14

Beau

“Get your ass in here, Buffington,” Walker calls from the operating room as I finish scrubbing my hands with antiseptic soap. “This guy doesn’t have all day.”

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