Page 37 of The Doctor's Simple Life

This is just a harmless kiss, anyway. I don’t think even Reece would be so impulsive as to do anything more at work.

Then again, nothing feels harmless about this kiss. I can’t help the way it grows deeper, more frantic, and the thrillingly illicit fantasy of taking him here and now does cross my mind, like some awful sitcom. I get why people succumb to that kind of temptation now.

Resisting him is almost impossible.

But I do, because I’m a professional and don’t want to tarnish my reputation. “Reece,” I whisper. “Stop.”

He groans but pulls away. “Does it have to be Monday?”

“Unfortunately, yes, it does. And that means we have a job to do,” I reply. He pouts at me, his big blue eyes all wide, and I giggle. “Stop it! We’re busy today. We always are on a Monday.”

“Define busy,” he winks, and I punch him gently on the arm.

“We’re busy forus.”

“I can think of a whole bunch of things we could be busy doing.” He grins cheekily and swoops in for another kiss.

I give him five seconds before I pull away. Not that I want to. I can also think of a bunch of other things we could be doing right now.

But unfortunately for us, we are at work.

What we do later is our business.

Eventually we pull ourselves together and head out to do some work. I force my face into a neutral smile and deliberately leave at least a foot between us at all times. We’ve been ice cold to each other for as long as he’s been here. If something changes now, it’ll be beyond suspicious.

The last thing I need is for people to start gossiping about my personal life.

I’m on medication duty today, going round to the patients in their rooms and checking that they’re getting what they need in the appropriate amount. Nobody ever gave Reece his own job to do, so he’s still following me around like a puppy. It’s not like too many people need cosmetic surgery around here.

He did help in the case of a woman who came in after an accident with some bad burns, and he did a great job. But for the most part, he’s been kind of bored.

And now he’s bothering me in a way I can’t even be mad about.

“Hello, Mr. Whitney,” Reece says, greeting the patient with what could almost pass as a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Not so great, Dr. Westbrook, if I’m honest. I’m dizzy and too cold.” Mr. Whitney has been with us for a few days now, recovering from a hip replacement.

This is usually the point where I step in and deal with the caring side of patient care, but I’m interested to see what Reece will do today. He’s in an unusually good mood, and I want to see if that will translate to patients. I’ll step in for an intervention if I need to, but for now, I let him proceed.

He picks up Mr. Whitney’s chart and doesn’t even complain about the paper. Instead, he flicks the sheet over with a flourish, absorbing the information. He throws me a smirk, and I resist the eye roll. “Are you in any pain at all, or is it just the dizziness?”

Mr. Whitney frowns. This guy is usually difficult, stubborn, and argues with everything you say, but I guess his meds are still making him dopey. That, and maybe Reece’s charming disposition is winning him over.

“It’s my head. And it’s cold in here. Won’t you get them to fix it right?”

Reece smiles that dazzling smile, and I have to force myself not to react. I can’t go swooning in the middle of the hospital. I am a professional. I can ignore the devastatingly handsome man next to me.

“I’ll see what I can do,” says Reece, “And while I’m at it, I’ll get them to alter your meds to see what we can do about that head, okay?”

“Thank you, young man,” Mr. Whitney says, and though he doesn’t smile, he’s as close to happy as he ever gets.

“Don’t forget,” I add. “The PT will be coming around later today to talk to you about your exercise program.”

Mr. Whitney groans. “I’ve got to do it, huh? You can’t get me out of it, Sienna?”

I smile and pat his shoulder comfortingly. “If I could, I would, but exercise is an important part of your rehabilitation.”

“Sienna is very good at exercise,” says Reece, and I shoot him a glare.

---