Page 88 of Aching for His Discretion

“It’s nothing I haven’t experienced before.” I shrugged and he hummed.

“Would you like to have a seat in my office? I’m sure we’d be more comfortable to talk a bit more. Maybe we’ll even discuss why you were crying a few days ago while you were leaving the hospital as well.”

A blush coated my face as I shook my head. Crying in front of him was bad enough. Knowing he saw me do it before for a reason I know he will think is silly is even worse.

“It’s nothing. It’s stupid. I’ll be fine.”

“First off, don’t invalidate your feelings, and second… I’ll ask again. Why were you crying when you left the hospital? I asked your preceptor if you had rough day and she told me it wasgreat,” he asked, and my heart raced slightly as I felt surprised he would go through such lengths to make sure I was okay.

My bottom lip pouted slightly as I responded truthfully, happy that he wasn’t forcing me to think how to bring up the topic of my “boyfriend” shooting my brother to him.

“Recently, I got a bad score on one of our clinical exams.”

Dr. Wyatt didn’t say anything for a moment as he analyzed me. Eventually, he responded. “Bad as in every other student’s idea of bad, or bad as in Teegan’s idea of what a bad grade is?”

“It was a 78%,” I whispered sadly, and he tilted his head.

“So, essentially, Teegan’s idea of bad then, hmmm?”

Reluctantly, I found myself nodding, and Dr. Wyatt sighed.

“Do you want to know why I was so hard on you during your emergency medicine rotation? Or as the kids would say, why I was such a dick to you?”

My eyes widened slightly, and as a few memories popped up from my time rotating in the ER, I lightly shrugged in response.

“It’s because you needed to be stronger. You were and still are one of the best students I probably will ever have. You learned everything on the first day with ease, had perfect patient interactions and amazing recognition. Hell, I was even able to take a few hours or even a day to myself because you were so amazing. But I also noticed on day one that not only were you a perfectionist, but how doubtful of yourself and beaten down you were when faced with a blow to your perfect streak... You follow me?” he asked, and I nodded. “So I was arrogant, pushy, and mean to make you stronger. Granted, I could’ve done a few things a bit better, but I noticed I probably couldn’t teach you anything you didn’t already know. Despite that fact, I still, however, could teach you responsibility, resilience, strength... so what better way to do so than by making you the head doctor on the floor handling all the patients every now and then?” he saidwith a slight joke; however, I could tell by the look in his eyes he meant every word… He looked almost…proud of me?

He continued, “And look at you now. You’re breezing by your classmates, gaining all of the respect from hospital staff and patients... all because I knew you could do it on your own if you just had someone to push you and not coddle you for what a great job we already know you’re doing, hmm?” he reasoned.

I bit my lip as I played with the end of my sleeve.

“You were so mean sometimes,” I whispered.

He replied swiftly. “Like I said, I would’ve done a few things differently. By HIPAA standards, too.” I laughed softly at his witty response, and he shrugged. “Your classmates will be even more jealous when they find out you’ve been accepted into an amazing residency program.”

I sighed softly. “I haven’t even decided where I want to go,” I said as it was entirely true. I was still debating where I wanted to work for the next four years of my life. I didn’t know who I wanted to make happy—my brothers, my parents, Levi, the guys... myself.

“Well, there’s Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, UPenn... all of which you will definitely be looking into and applying to, by the way,” he said, and I smiled.

“Dr. Wyatt. I appreciate the enthusiasm and flattery, but I just thought about staying here or moving close to home with my parents. Besides, those hospital programs will be way out of my league.”

“On the contrary, Dr. Monroe: you’re out of the league of this hospital—hell, any hospital in the near hundred-mile range... And if you think I’m going to let you go home to be pressured to do anything other than what you want to do by your brothers, then I might have to start being mean again.”

I shook my head. “I’m not a doctor...” I muttered, and he sighed.

“Yet. One ‘bad’ or rather simply ‘satisfactory’ grade isn’t going to stop you, neither are your brothers… and neither willhe.”

Silence. I couldn’t say a word. The look in his eyes was all-knowing and I had no clue what to say in response. How he’d known, I was entirely unsure... but—

“I know Mr. Amante is the one potentially holding you back... Don’t let him,” he said.

I whispered, tears threatening to return to my eyes, “But I love him.”

“And if he loves you, he will understand,” he reasoned.

“How did you know?” I asked, and he shrugged.

“He threatened to kill me.And working in a hospital emergency room with unjust lawsuits left and right along with death threats…you’ll have to tell him to get in line,” he muttered.

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