Page 1 of Dr. Fellow

Chapter 1

Walker

Iwipe a few excess drops of Sweetwater 420 from my stubble-covered chin as the lively neighborhood bar hums around us. We opted to sit on the patio tonight because the January air is unseasonably warm—and by warm, I mean it’s in the low fifties and we’re huddled beneath a space heater.

“You might be slower at chugging beer than you are at throwing stitches,” I comment, unable to help myself from making the dig.

Beau’s gaze narrows on mine as he slowly glugs down the rest of his beer, his overly friendly brown eyes shining with mirth despite the shitty day that we had.

One of our easiest cases was riddled with complications, and instead of using it as a teaching opportunity, I took my frustrations—both personally and professionally—out on him.

But what did the big lunatic do afterward?

He found me in the hallway, clapped me on the back, and reminded me of our plan to get drinks tonight. Sometimes I genuinely wonder if he has a screw loose in his head considering the rest of my interns know better than to even look in my direction when I get like this.

“I’m still faster than the others though.” He shoots me a megawatt grin and signals our waiter for another round. “And much better looking too.”

I shake my head, concealing a smile—the guy really is talented, even if he’s arrogant as hell. Out of the four orthopedic surgery interns who have been following me around since July, Beau is easily my favorite. Not just because he’s a goon, but because he’s taken the time to get to know me when I didn’t deserve it.

Spending upwards of a hundred hours a week with someone for six months forces you to learn a thing or two about each other. I usually try to stick to surface-level pleasantries, but he’s taken our professional relationship and thrown it out the window. And as much as I enjoy giving him shit, I really am thankful for his friendship.

“You sure you’re down for another round?” I ask, glancing at my phone to check the time. At this point, we’ve already been here for several hours, and while I have nowhere to be, I’m sure he’s sick of my grumpy ass at this point.

“Fuck yeah I’m down,” Beau drawls, his southern accent becoming more pronounced as the night wears on. Two frosty glasses and a full pitcher are placed in front of us, and he pours us both fresh beers before taking his and holding it up in a toast. “We’re celebrating tonight, dude.”

I arch my brow at him because it sure as shit doesn’t feel like we should be celebrating anything after my atrocious fuckup in the OR this morning. Sure, everything worked out in the end, but at this point I should be delivering consistent results, not missing something even an intern would have caught. And considering my board exams are only six months away, my mistake doesn’t exactly put me in a celebratory mood.

Beau answers my unspoken question, oblivious to my inner turmoil, “I heard you accepted the sports fellowship at University Hospital. Do you have any idea how fucking cool that is?”

My beer starts to turn sour in my stomach as shame floods through me. The University Hospital fellowship would be cool—impressive even—if it hadn’t come at such a huge cost.

“Sure do,” I comment dryly, letting out a long exhale as I try to rid myself of the emotion lodged in my throat.

“What made you finally give in? You love me so much that you couldn’t fathom leaving Atlanta yet?” He runs his fingers through his light-brown waves, clearly amused with himself as he strokes his oversized ego.

“Something like that,” I reply, keeping my tone cool and controlled with the hope that he’ll drop it.

I close my eyes, savoring the hoppy taste of my beer as the bar buzzes around us. When I open them, Beau is lounging back against his worn, wooden chair, attention glued to the naked ring finger of my left hand.

We both know that he won’t say anything about it—he’ll happily sit in silence until I bridge the gap and come clean. This isn’t our first rodeo, and he’s about as stubborn as a prize-winning bull.

I lean forward, resting my forearms on the sticky table between us. “Got anything you want to ask me?” I ask, trying my hardest to make him uncomfortable.

His gaze flicks up to meet mine as he takes a deliberate sip of his beer, allowing the silence to stretch between us just long enough for the question to hang heavy in the air.

He finally shrugs.

“Don’t ask. Don’t tell. That’s the motto I live by these days.” His lips curl into a thin line like he’s trying to hide a smirk. “Just ask Parker.”

I can’t help the slight chuckle that escapes me.

While Beau was in med school, he spent a year shadowing Parker, which forced them to become close from sheer proximity. At this point though, Parker might say that they’re a little too close, considering Beau is now both living with, and dating, his sister.

“You’re such a little shit.”

“You calling me small?” he challenges, purposely flexing his massive bicep as he picks up his glass again. “I may be two inches shorter than you, but trust me, I’m big where it counts.” He winks at me and tips back his beer to chug it down.

I follow suit, releasing a long, satisfied exhale when I finish. It’s a damn good thing neither one of us has to work tomorrow, because at this rate we’ll be staggering out of this bar completely wasted.

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