Page 101 of Aching for His Discretion

The door opened, and Jacob entered as he walked over to his desk. I didn’t feel too awkward about the situation yesterday but we hadn’t really spoken about it… and I didn’t feel ready to initiate that conversation with him.

“I got a few more C-sections this afternoon. Gonna grab something to eat now. I’ll see you girls later,” he said, fillingthe silence, and he locked eyes with me for a moment before stepping out of the room.

“You saw that, right?” Emma asked Abbie.

Abbie nodded quickly and looked over at me. “What happened between you two?” she asked with wide eyes, and I blushed heavily.

“Nothing!” I exclaimed, and Emma shook her head.

“No, something happened. He always tries to touch something by your desk when he comes into the office or attempts to make a joke to get you to laugh. Neither happened,” she deduced like Sherlock Holmes.

Abbie nodded. “And! And he made minimal eye contact but was breathing heavily the second he saw you!”

“Starting to think you guys should’ve gone to Psychiatry instead of OB/GYN,” I said, looking between them. Their eyes never let up as they egged me on. Sighing, I decided to spit it now to get it over with, as they didn’t seem like they were going to go away.

“…Jacob kinda asked me out last night, and I turned him down. I told him we were just friends, and he was a bit upset,” I said softly, and they both looked at me in shock. With my experience with other friends, I half expected them to push me to be with him… kinda like how Beverly did with Alec.

“Wow, he really liked you, though…” Abbie began, and my eyes widened as she continued angrily, “But he is such an ass!”

Emma nodded in agreement.

“Wait a minute… you guys were rooting for us, though,” I uttered, confused, and Emma scoffed.

“Only if you were into him. He’s being a total dick with the way he’s handling rejection. He shouldn’t ignore you or be mean just because you want to stay friends.”

I smiled softly as Abbie grabbed my hand.

“Listen, chief.No means no. And if he has an issue with that, it’s his problem. Not yours,comprende?” she asked, and I rolled my eyes and pushed her away playfully again.

“You don’t even speak Spanish,” I laughed.

Emma stood as she grabbed her phone. “In honor of Teegan rejecting Jacob, I’m ordering us some Chinese. No need to wallow over a boy getting his heart broken. AGREED, LADIES?!” she screamed, and we agreed as we tried to get her to sit down.

Not only did I have brothers, but these girls were like my best friends… sisters even. I loved them from day one, and as crazy as they are, I would have never made it this far without them.

A few hours passed, and I got a call from the attending regarding a patient coming in for an emergency. She didn’t say exactly what it was about or anything regarding the patient and their current state, so I made my way over as fast as I could.

Upon approaching the ER, I caught a glimpse of a man in a suit walking back and forth as he held a young girl in his arms while she slept on his shoulder. He was on a call, and as I put the gloves on beside him, he dropped his phone from his ear and stared at me.

“Dr. Monroe,” he said, and I nodded my head.

“Yes, hi, Mr.?” I said, trailing off.

He placed his phone in his pocket. “Russel. My wife is not feeling well and is seven months pregnant with our son. She insisted the pain was nothing, but I didn’t want to take any chances.” He spoke firmly, and I nodded as I approached the curtain.

“Well, let’s look at her condition and see how the baby is doing,” I said, trying to calm him down as he seemed extremely tense. Pulling the curtain slightly, I entered the room to see a woman who was the opposite of him—slightly bubbly, smiling through pain, and a bit timid as well.

“Hi, Mrs. Russel. I am Dr. Monroe, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. What brings you in today?” I asked, approaching the bedside, and she sighed.

“I am having a bit of mild discomfort, and my husband deemed it necessary to bring me into the hospital… and you can call me Brielle.”

I nodded as I assessed her chart momentarily before I prepped the ultrasound.

“Are you taking your prenatal vitamins?” I asked, and she nodded. “Eating relatively healthy if you are able to and staying away from the big no-nos of pregnancy?” I asked, smiling, and she nodded once again.

As I began performing the ultrasound, Mr. Russel spoke once again.

“Aren’t you conducting research on preterm labor signs and prevalence?” he asked, and I smiled as Brielle glared at him.

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