Page 40 of Dr. Grump's Surprise Baby

Everything he learned about her felt special and magical. She told him about her sister, Ruth, with whom she had been so close before the tragedy that had claimed Ruth’s life. Dominic found that hearing Ruth’s story made him look at patients differently. Every person who came through the doors of his hospital was somebody’s Ruth. Everyone had people whose lives would be forever changed if they were lost.

He had always given his patients the absolute highest standard of care, of course. But he had done it because it was his job. Now he felt as if he was seeing Emily’s face on every frightened mother or sister who brought a loved one in for care. He was saving them from the heartbreak Emily had endured — and it felt like the least he could do, since he hadn’t been able to protect Emily herself from that pain.

He knew that what had happened to Ruth hadn’t been his fault. Even so, it was empowering to think that his work might help some other family escape what Emily’s had gone through.

He couldn’t judge her anymore for wanting to treat her patients with such a personal touch. He was beginning to feel the same way.

Maybe he was learning just as much from her in the course of this mentorship as she was learning from him.

“You were so great with that little boy this morning,” Emily enthused one day as they ate the soups and salads that had become their go-to lunch. The soup of the day here was nothing special, but getting it together felt like sharing an inside joke, and Dominic wouldn’t be giving that up anytime soon. “That poor family was so freaked out, but you settled them right down.”

“They were just getting the kid that much more upset with all their hysterics,” Dominic said. “If the parents had calmed down, he would have sailed through the procedure.”

She giggled. “Never change, Dominic.”

She kept doing that — slipping and calling him by his first name while they were at work. So far, he hadn’t corrected her. If he was being honest with himself, he would have to admit that he sort of liked it.

“Never change?” he asked her.

“No matter what happens, you stay the same old irritable doctor,” she said. “When we’re in our seventies, you’re probably going to be stalking the halls of this hospital and grumbling at the walls.”

“When I’m in my seventies I’d like to be retired,” he said.

“You, retire? I can’t see it. You’ll be in that OR as long as your hands are steady enough to hold a scalpel,” she said. “They’ll have to drag you out kicking and screaming.”

She was probably right. Honestly, it was something he’d thought about before — what would have to happen to compel him to finally take his retirement? Right now, he couldn’t imagine actually doing it. Walking away from medicine for good seemed like too much to ask.

He looked at his phone.

“What time is it?” Emily asked.

“Twelve thirty-two.”

“Do we need to get back on the floor?” Technically, Dominic’s lunch break ended at twelve-thirty. Emily’s was more flexible — as an intern, she could go anytime as long as she had the approval of her attending physician.

Dominic looked at her. There was a time when he wouldn’t have permitted himself to overstay his lunch break by ten seconds. But today, two minutes didn’t seem like such a big deal. Hell, five minutes didn’t seem like such a big deal. Not when it bought him a little more time with Emily.

“We can finish our salads,” he decided. “Don’t worry about it.”

She grinned. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Well, they’d page me if they needed me,” he said. “No reason we shouldn’t enjoy our meal, right?”

“I mean, yeah, I agree with that,” she said. “I didn’t think you would, though. This is a landmark day. Dominic Berger chooses fun over work.”

Another explicit acknowledgement of the fact that what they were doing together was fun, not work. Both of them kept doing that. Dominic felt a pinch of nerves every time it came up, knowing that the time they were spending together relied on self-deception. The truth was that each of these lunches felt more like a date than anything else. It certainly didn’t feel like a professional mentorship.

Hewashelping her. He was committed to making sure she became the best doctor she could be.

But that wasn’t his only reason for being here, and it certainly wasn’t the reason he was taking this prolonged lunch break right now.Dominic Berger chooses fun over work.She really couldn’t have said it any better.

“It’s not healthy to try to eat too fast,” he said. “And I know that because I’m a doctor.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. “I mean, when you’re right, you’re right, doctor.” She raised a spoonful of soup slowly to her lips, her eyes fixed on his, a small smile on her face.

He wanted to call her out, to tell her that he knew she was flirting with him, but what could he say? He was sure she knew it too. The point was that neither one of them could acknowledge it. If they did, they would have to stop, and he didn’t want to stop. He had a feeling she didn’t either — at least, he hoped she didn’t.

“I wanted to thank you,” she said.

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