Page 78 of Dr. Intern

“Oh my god, Beau, I’m so sorry,” she responds, trying to stifle her grin. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just got an email, and couldn’t believe it.”

Relief washes over me, though it’s quickly replaced by mild annoyance. “You screamed like that over an email? You’re fucking kidding me right?” I say, my adrenaline slowly subsiding. “I thought you were in trouble.”

“Nope, not kidding,” she squeals, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Come look.”

As I approach the other side of the island, Claire eagerly turns her laptop towards me. On the screen, there’s an email with bold words that immediately catch my attention. It’s an acceptance letter to the nursing school at Elmridge University, which just so happens to be the best in the southeast.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Claire whispers, her voice trembling slightly as she re-reads the email with me. “I wasn’t supposed to find out until next week.”

After a moment, she looks up from the computer, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh god, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t even know for sure if I would get in, and I only decided that I was going to apply over Thanksgiving . . .”

Instead of letting Claire continue the ridiculous apology, I pull her into a hug and squeeze her body close to mine. “Don’t be sorry, pretty girl,” I murmur against the top of her head. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. Claire Winters was made to be a nurse. Not only is she passionate and outgoing, but she’s stubborn as hell and knows exactly how to stand up to know-it-all doctors like me.

Claire’s body relaxes in my arms. “I did it for her,” she sniffles, her voice muffled against my chest.

Wrapping my arms around her more tightly, I let her feel whatever she’s feeling. I don’t have to ask to know that she’s thinking about her mom. Claire is one of the most resilient people I’ve ever met, and the fact that she’s been able to move forward from the most traumatic event of her life and shape it into something meaningful is beautiful. She’s beautiful.

“I think you did it for you too,” I reply, resting my chin on top of her dark curls.

We stand like that for several minutes before she pulls away, wiping her damp eyes with her hands. I’ve never seen her look so vulnerable, not even when she was speaking at her own mother’s funeral.I love that she finally let me in and allowed me to see this side of her.I want her to know that anytime she needs to let go, I’ll be there.She has me.

“Thanks,” Claire swallows, peering up at me through wet lashes.

I smile, feeling a surge of emotion run through me that I’m not entirely sure how to place. “Give me a second to change and dry off. I’m taking you out to celebrate.”

Chapter 32

Claire

After my mom died, I felt completely lost. I used to go to her for every important decision I made in life, not because I didn’t trust myself, but because I simply trusted her more. She was my best friend. And when she wasn’t there anymore, I felt like I was in a state of limbo, incapable of making a choice without her.

I sat around the condo for weeks, paralyzed with indecision as I considered how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Should I go back to Virginia? Should I return to advertising? Or should I take a chance and change everything? How could I decide without her there to guide me?

But as time has gone on, I’ve realized that my mom never once told me what to do. She listened to my opinions and encouraged me along the way, but every decision I made was inherently my own. Even when she probably should have guided me in one direction, she never did. She let me make mistakes and come to my own conclusions, never once forcing me to take a path that wasn’t my own.

I didn’t appreciate it until this moment, because I know that I was meant to be a nurse, just like her. And the reason I know that, without a doubt, is because of the conviction in my decision-making that she silently instilled in me over the years.

To celebrate my acceptance, Beau took me to his favorite diner in Buckhead, a little place by the highway that I’m sure I’ve driven past lots of times but never noticed. I ordered us milkshakes and the most unhealthy meal imaginable, which I loved, and I’m sure he hated. Even though he told me that I was going to send him into a diabetic coma, he sat beside me and happily chowed down on the best country-fried steak I’ve ever had.

All I want to do when we make it home from dinner is curl up in his arms and go to sleep, but Beau said he has a surprise for me once I feed the cat. Eager to see what he’s got planned, I quickly get Frosty sorted with kibble and fresh water before I return to the kitchen.

“Okay, Frosty’s all set,” I say as I hop onto the bar stool. “What’s this surprise you have for me, big boy?”

Beau’s brown eyes flick up from his phone screen, sparkling as they meet mine. “Just give me a sec to set it up.” He grins, quickly jogging up the stairs to his loft.

“Why didn’t you grab it while I was feeding the cat?” I call after him.

Beau’s loft is open to the condo below, so I hear him yell down, “Nobody ever said I was brainy Beau.”

A few minutes later, he returns with a brown canvas bag and instructs me to cover my eyes. I’m a horrible cheater when it comes to peeking, so he forces me to also face the opposite direction. I hear something that sounds like glass hit the counter.“Alright, turn around.”

I open my eyes to find Beau perched on top of the kitchen island. Though his dark jeans and boots are still on, his broad chest is now completely bare, covered only slightly by his crossed arms.

“Dinner and a show?” I joke, taking a few steps toward him.

He laughs and shakes his head. “Damn, I should have thought of that. No, I just figured that since I desperately need insulin after that meal, I would teach you how to give it. What better time to start learning how to be a nurse than right now?”

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