Page 53 of Auctioned to Dr. Daddy

Waving him off, I go to meet up with Demi, catching hold of her wrist. “Hey there, gorgeous. What’s got a storm cloud hanging over your head?”

Demi gives me a smile, but I can tell that her heart isn’t actually in it. “Nate.” She rocks forward like she wants to kiss me but pauses. “Do you have a long shift?”

We’re dating. We’ve gone over that. Made it a big, whole thing. Cemented and solid. And while I don’t want to be out kissing in the halls lest people start talking about a lack of work ethics, I’ve got no problems pulling her close in the doctors’ lounge and giving her a kiss.

Kurt’s the only other person around, and it’s not like he’s going to say anything. He’s married to Lori, after all, and she’s a doctor in her own right. He does give a sharp wolf whistle, clearly trying to get back at me for not sharing the dirty details about the hospital’s financial state.

I ignore him, not even deeming the whistle worthy of rolling my eyes. “You looked like you needed that.”

“I did,” says Demi. Her eyes are wet with unshed tears. I hate that. I’ve never seen her cry before, and I don’t like the thought of seeing it now. “Sorry. It was just a long day yesterday.”

“Come on.” I wrap an arm around her shoulders and usher her out of the room. “Let’s go take a fresh air break. You need one, clearly.”

“I’ve just gotten here,” protests Demi. “Like, it’s barely been twenty minutes.”

“And you won’t get any work done feeling shitty like that. Come on, you’re going to be more productive once you’re feeling better.” I guide her through the hallway and to the stairwell. We start up it, occasionally passing one of the other doctors that are heading down.

Near the top, I catch sight of Tyler and Nurse Maddie, crowded up near one of the doors leading to a main hallway. It’s impossible not to roll my eyes at the sight. He’s got one hand on her hip and the other tucking her hair behind her ear.

He’s a player. Always has been, and I get the feeling that he always will be. But it’s not worth stopping and fussing at him over this. Instead, I opt to focus on my girlfriend. We go all the way up to the top, and then step out onto the roof.

It’s mid-day and the Seattle sun shines down on us. The storm is long gone, and the city is well on its way to being fully dried out. East wing of the hospital excluded, of course.

Technically no one is allowed up on the roof. That doesn’t stop anyone on staff though. People are always coming up here to try and clear their heads, especially when the shifts end up running long.

I’ve been known to come up after losing a patient, just to try and feel like I’m not in the hospital for a while, and I know that Kurt and Lori often use it as a place to meet up when they’re both working slow days.

The city is visible but not audible. A strong wind blows. We walk over to the large cement guard rail that wraps around the edge of the roof. Bracing one hand on it, I ask her, “What’s going on?”

She sniffs and wipes at her eyes with the side of one hand, trying not to smear her mascara. “Sorry. I’m just a mess today. Everything’s really hard anyway, but…”

“Hey, come on. You can tell me. I’m here for you, Demi.” I put a hand on her arm, running it down toward the crook of her elbow. The touch is lingering and warm.

The corners of her lips turn up into the start of a watery smile, but the expression only lingers for a moment. Then Demi abruptly turns away from me and plants both palms against the stone guard rail. “I have to find somewhere else to stay.”

“What?” I frown. “What’s wrong with the house you’ve been renting? You didn’t say anything about the storm damaging it.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that.” Her voice cracks, heavy with emotion. “It’s that Mindy’s selling it. And the horses, too.”

The mood seems to shift, taking a sharp downward turn. The sun doesn’t seem quite so bright in the wake of Demi’s sorrow. I step closer to her, curling my arm around her. I don’t know what to say so I just pull her close and hold her, humming slightly.

She buries her head in my neck and lets out a soft, wretched sound in the back of her throat. It’s like she’s struggling to stop herself from really crying. The sound is paired with a heavy exhale. Fingers tug at the front of my shirt.

“I don’t know what to do with myself,” she admits. “I’ve never lived somewhere that wasn’t there or with—”

With her mom.

“I know this has to be hard,” I say. And then, “I don’t. I’ve never had anything like this happen. I can’t imagine how gutted you’ve got to be though.”

“I thought about buying it myself,” says Demi. “I spent all morning on the phone with the bank, trying to get a loan for it. They turned me down.” She lets out a wet huff of laughter. “I’m still paying back my college tuition for med school.”

She pulls away from me, wiping at her face again. I caress her cheek, pushing her hand away and using one thumb to do it for her. “It’s alright. You’re smart and resourceful. I’m sure that we’ll figure this out.”

“I don’t want to figure it out,” Demi admits. “I want to be childish and dig my feet in and refuse to move. That farm means I can still be close to my mom.” Her voice cracks. “And I love those horses, Nate. Some of them… I was there when they were born.”

“I know. I promise everything will be alright,” I reassure her, already trying to figure out what I can do to help. “Come on, Demi. Please don’t cry anymore. I hate the sight of it.”

“I’m sorry. It was just an awful day yesterday. Emma was here, and then I got back, and Mindy hit me with that, and when the bank said that I couldn’t get the loan—”

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