Page 16 of Doctor One Night

The diner is bustling with the lunchtime crowd, the clatter of dishes and hum of conversation creating a comforting background noise. Carly and I sit in our usual booth by the window, finishing up our meal.

She’s been talking non-stop about the latest drama at the hospital, and I’ve been happily letting her fill the silence while I pick at the last of my salad. “So, what do you think?” Carly asks, suddenly shifting gears.

“About what?” I look up, realizing I’ve zoned out a bit.

“Dress shopping, duh!” she exclaims as if I should have been following along. “You have to come with me this afternoon. I need a second opinion.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Isn’t the gala still a month away?”

Carly rolls her eyes dramatically. “Frankie, you knucklehead. It’s just shy of three weeks away. May 25th. That’s not a lot of time, and it's coming up fast. I need to find something soon. So do you! What if we need alterations? Or, what if we find the perfect dress but no shoes to match?”

I can’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. “You fuss way too much about that kind of stuff. I’m just going to wear the same dress I wore last year. It fits, it got lots of compliments, and I don’t have time to shop.”

Carly looks at me like I’ve just suggested wearing a burlap sack. “You can’t wear the same dress as last year! I don’t care how fabulous it is. You need something new, something that makes you feel amazing.”

I wave off her concern. “Carly, that’s not really my style. I’m not going to stress over a dress. It’s just one night. And, like I said, it's a lifetime away.”

Carly crosses her arms, giving me a pointed look. “You’ll never get a man with that attitude, you know.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Good thing I’m not interested in finding a man, then. God, you're something else. Do you think of anything else?”

She sighs, clearly exasperated with me. “Frankie, you’re hopeless. But I love you anyway.”

“Love you too,” I reply with a grin. “But seriously, I can’t go shopping with you, crazy person. Some of us have to work during the day, remember? And I have that big meeting this afternoon.”

Carly pouts, but there’s a twinkle in her eye. “Fine, but don’t think you’re getting out of this so easily. I’ll find you the perfect dress, even if I have to drag you into a store kicking and screaming.”

“Why don't you do that,” I say dryly, standing up as we get ready to leave. “Find me the dress, buy it, and I'll Venmo you for the cost. You can be my personal shopper.”

“Not a chance.” Carly hands over her credit card for the tab, and I stuff a twenty in her bag. “Good luck with your meeting,” she says, giving me a quick hug. “And don’t let Dr. Hot Stuff distract you.”

I roll my eyes again but smile. “I’ll try not to.”

We part ways, Carly heading off to whatever adventure she has planned for the afternoon while I head back to my office, mentally gearing up for the meeting ahead. I smile to myself. No matter how different we are, Carly always knows how to lighten my mood.

UAB Hospital

5:14 pm

As I walk through the hospital's sliding doors, the familiar scent of antiseptic and the hum of activity hit me like a wave. Normally, it’s comforting, a reminder that I’m in my element, where I belong. But today, there’s an undercurrent of nerves that I can’t quite shake.

My minds racing as I make my way to the elevator, my heels clicking softly against the hard, slick hospital floor. What is my problem? It’s just a meeting, he’s just a colleague.

I’ve had a thousand meetings before, and I’ve handled them all just fine. But this one is different. And this is exactly why you should never sleep with someone you work with.

I punch the button for the fifth floor, where our lab conference room is, watching the numbers light up as the elevator ascends. Maybe it’s because I'm afraid Theo will be able to read all over my face that Hunter had his dick inside of me in the room next door.

The night I’ve tried so hard to push out of my mind still has its claws in me. But it’s not like I have feelings for him. We’re both adults, and it was just one night. A momentary lapse in judgment, nothing more. Get it together, Frankie Renna. For fuck’s sake.

My nervousness isn’t about him—it’s about the project. The pacemaker trial is something I’ve poured my heart and soul into for the last two and a half years. It’s consumed me and driven me to push harder than I ever thought I could. That’s all this is.

Hunter is a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, and his input could be the key to bringing everything together and seeing all my hard work come to fruition. This is a good thing. His expertise could be the missing piece we need to get FDA approval and make this trial a reality.

Protectiveness over the project! My apprehension isn’t about the whole sex-with-Hunter thing at all. It’s about his opinion—about whether he’ll think my work is good enough, whether he’ll see the potential I’ve been fighting so hard to bring to light.

I step out into the hallway, my stomach twisting into knots. What if he doesn’t? What if he finds flaws I hadn’t noticed, gaps I haven’t filled? This project is everything to me, and the thought of it not being good enough, of me not being good enough, is terrifying.

Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that I’ve prepared for this. I know this project inside and out. I’ve put in the hours and done the research, and this is just another step in the process. I can’t let my nerves get the best of me now.

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