Page 93 of Dr. Fellow

“I’d make it up to her later,” he finally replies with a lewd wink.

His answer doesn’t surprise me—we see it all of the time with physicians, particularly residents. Surgery is this bright, shiny, Disneyland full of possibilities. We all succumb to its allure at first, drawn in by our egos and drive to succeed. But the number of us who end up bitter and alone is astounding, and the last thing that I want is for Beau to fall into the same trap I did.

“You love Claire, and you’re planning to marry her one day,” I state, knowing the answer but trying to provide context for the point I want to make.

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as a bashful splash of color forms on his tan cheeks. “Yeah, assuming Parker doesn’t kill me before I can make it happen.”

“Then you need to understand something,” I say solemnly. “Marriage is a constant race to the back of the line.”

He looks at me like I’m speaking a different language.

“Inherently, humans are selfish. We put our needs and our desires first, always striving for more, even after we achieve our goals. But what you have to understand, is that in a marriage you can’t do that. Well . . . you can, but it won’t end well.”

I suck in a heavy breath, letting it out slowly.

“Your spouse should automatically become the most important thing in your life—more important than any surgery, case, or career achievement. They’re not going to ask you to choose, and you’re not always going to have a choice. But when you do, choose them.”

“Look at you, Walker-boo-boo,” Beau coos, goofily grinning at me. “You’ve turned into a big-ass mush. Morgan did this to you, didn’t she?”

I fight a smile but eventually give in to his charm and try one on. “She did.”

When the reality of what happened in Vegas set in, I made a vow to myself that I would do everything I could to be a better husband than I was the first time around. The most important way that I could think of to do that was to put my wife first. And while a career in medicine is inherently going to require personal sacrifice, you can set boundaries and still reach the peak.

I knew Morgan wouldn’t ask me to skip the case, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to miss our plans. I was going to honor my commitment to her, regardless of the professional repercussions. And I’m so glad that I did because it was worth every ounce of the sacrifice.

“Well, speaking of marriage,” Beau says casually. “You ready for Parker’s wedding this weekend? I bought cigars for the rooftop reception—we’re gonna look bougie as fuck.”

“Actually, I need to talk to you about that . . .”

***

Isling my backpack over my shoulder, leaving Beau to sulk in the lounge because he’s on call tonight. As I’m starting down the hallway, I spot a familiar face headed in the opposite direction.

“Wes,” I call out, grabbing his attention.

Weston stops, his look of surprise quickly shifting to a fake half-smile. “Hey, bud. Long time, no see. How’s ortho?”

The last time I ran into him, I got the sense that something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Today, it’s even more evident—he looks defeated.

“People break bones, we fix them,” I say with a chuckle, trying to lighten his mood. “You’re full time now, I hear?”

“Yeah, I initially had to take care of a few things, but officially transitioned to full time last month,” he answers with a shrug, his tone flat.

I don’t press him on the details because he clearly isn’t interested in sharing. But I also understand the importance of having people in your corner, and right now he looks like he needs a friend.

“Hey, want to grab a drink sometime?”

Truthfully, I don’t have a ton of time given everything on my plate at the moment, but for some reason, I’m worried about him.

Weston used to be this larger-than-life guy who everyone in the department wanted to be around. He didn’t take anything too seriously and in a specialty of people who are nothing but serious, he was a breath of fresh air. But now he looks just like the rest of us—dejected, jaded, and exhausted.

His hazel eyes flicker with interest. “Tonight? I’ve, uh, got something I need to take care of but I could probably meet you around nine?”

“Tonight works,” I reply, surprised that he took me up on the offer since we’ve never been close. “Let me just send a quick text to Morgan to let her know the plan.”

He nods and leans against the wall as I start to type. “I heard about what happened in Vegas.”

I pause, looking up at him curiously. “Did you?”

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