Page 4 of Baby for Dr. Damaged

“At least you don’t have Kurt,” Carter chimes in.

“Kurt?”

“He’s more interested in chasing tail than he is actually telling me anything,” complains Carter. Today, his stud is neon green.

Cara says, “Sure, but he’s not a second year.”

Carter counters, “Even a second year is going to have more to teach you than a book.” He perches on the little coffee table in front of the couch, tilting his can of soda toward us. “Also, she looks pretty miserable. Maybe the guy’s a dick.”

I’m quick to wave my hands and shake my head in the negative. “No, no, it’s nothing like that! Jackson’s a sweetheart.”

“Jackson, huh?” Cara sounds interested. “Already on a first-name basis with him? That’s something?”

A little dryly, and maybe a little confused, Carter asks, “Is it?”

“It is,” says Cara.

“It’s not,” I tell them both. “We’re just… Not strangers. I’ve known Jackson—outside of the hospital—for years.”

Carter says, “Okay, then I’m lost about what the problem might be. He’s not a stranger, he’s a good guy, and apparently, he’s some kind of legend. I don’t see why you aren’t jumping for joy. Did someone flatline on you?”

Cara is silent, staring at me with her eyes narrowed.

“No, we didn’t lose anyone.” I lean forward and rap my knuckles on the table. “Knock on wood to that.”

Carter shakes his head. “Then I don’t have anything.”

“I think I know what the problem is,” says Cara. She leans forward suddenly, her hand settling on my knee again, bracing herself there. She has this smile on her face that makes me think she actually does know. And that’s… A concern.

If she hits the nail on the head, then things could slide either way. Either she’s going to be totally cool about it, or she’ll try and use it to make my life here living hell.

I try to brush it off. “Yeah, you don’t.”

“I totally do,” says Cara. Her voice goes sing song. “You’ve got a thing for him!”

Carter laughs so hard, he nearly chokes on his soda. A hand flies up to cover his mouth and he jerks to his feet, rushing to the nearby sink before he makes a huge mess. It sends both Cara and I into laughing fits.

Between giggles at Carter’s expense, she says, “I’m right, huh? You like him?”

“You can’t say anything about it,” I tell her.

Cara manages to swallow down her laughter. She holds up two fingers, crossed over top of each other. “Oh yeah, pinky swear on that. I won’t say anything to anyone. Not in a place like this. If someone like Betty catches wind of it…” She trails off and gives a low whistle through her teeth.

I don’t know who Betty is, but I nod along anyway, glad that we’re at least on the same page.

“So, is this an old crush then?” she continues.

“I mean, yeah,” I admit, after a moment. There’s no point in hiding. Cara already knows about it, and I don’t think she’s going to tell anyone. And I don’t think that she’s going to laugh me out of the doctors’ lounge, either. Carter certainly isn’t. The guy’s a bit of a walking disaster. Sweet, but a real mess. “My dad’s known him for a long time now, so I’ve pretty much always known him.”

“So what, is this like a childhood crush gone viral?” Cara asks.

That’s totally not the right way to use viral but I let it slide. “You’d think that I would have outgrown it, right? But instead, it’s worse. And now we’re here, and I’ve got to shadow him, and he’s—”

“A super impressive doctor that totally knows what he’s doing,” Cara says, nodding. “And you’ve just realized you still have a crush on the guy.”

I stare at her.

Cara shrugs. “I like Hallmark movies, what can I say?”

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