Page 14 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

“And have you been drinking caffeine since you got sick?”

“No,” she answered. “I’ve called in. I need sleep, not caffeine.”

Charlie nodded. “Rest is a good idea, but…” He turned back to the others and did his best not to smile. “Can we hold off on the lumbar puncture for now? I think I have a solution that will cost significantly less.”

When he got the go-ahead, Charlie jogged to the cafeteria and ordered one coffee to go. He grabbed a fistful of creamer packs, and headed back to the exam room. It was caffeine withdrawal. He was all but certain. It wasn’t meningitis, and he was certain the patient would be more than pleased with his diagnosis.

He gave her the coffee and they let her sit in the waiting room drinking it. Thirty minutes later, Charlie and Dr. Ralter went to check on her. Her headache was completely gone.

“I didn’t know you could have withdrawal from caffeine,” the woman said.

“You can indeed,” Dr. Ralter answered. “Charlie here has just saved you from having to have a lumbar puncture, which should make you very, very happy. Lumbar punctures are no fun at all.”

The woman smiled at Charlie and thanked him. Then she asked for his number. He declined. It wasn’t just the ethical implications of such an exchange. More that for now, all Charlie could think about was Megan Bright. Whether he hated her or wanted her didn’t seem to matter in the end. His obsession was undeniable, and it wouldn’t make him the greatest date for anyone, no matter how attractive they were.

He told himself he was too busy with his residency to be starting any kind of relationship anyway. The contentious one he had with Megan was the only relationship that might help to further his training rather than hinder it. He’d never wanted to win against anyone as badly as he wanted to win against her. She was a worthy adversary, and she motivated him to be the best he could be. Yes, right now, she was the one relationship he would allow himself, and that decision was final.

CHAPTER 7

MEGAN

It was the end of her first month of residency. As Megan gathered her things in the locker room, she heard the other residents talking about what they were all going to do that evening. Amy and Keith were determined to go out, and they were talking Kayla into joining them.

“Come on,” Amy was saying. “You’ve gotta blow off some steam. If you don’t, it will all come out at the wrong time. You’ll be working on some poor patient and blow your top at him. It’s true! Just ask Keith.”

Keith nodded vigorously. “It’s true.”

Kayla wrung her hands and chewed her lower lip. “It’s just… what about sleep?”

“What about it?” Amy nudged her with an elbow. “If you wanted to get sleep on a regular basis, you shouldn’t have gone into medicine.”

“She’s right,” Keith said.

After another minute of deliberation, Kayla turned to Megan. “I’ll go if she’s going.”

“Oh, no no no no no.” Megan slammed her locker shut. “You’re not dragging me into this.”

“Please!” Kayla begged. “I’m too shy to go alone.”

“You won’t be alone. Keith and Amy will be with you.”

“Charlie’s coming, too,” Amy added.

Every muscle in Megan’s body tensed. “If he’s coming, then I’m definitely not.”

“Don’t be boring,” Amy said. “We need to be entertained. You and Charlie are the best entertainment we’ve got.”

“Absolutely,” Keith agreed. “We’ve been enjoying the show so far. Now we need a climax.”

Amy giggled at that. “Right? Aclimax.”

“Stop, oh my God.” Megan shook her head and gave in, acting like it wasn’t a sure bet, even though it definitely was. “I’ll go with you.”

“Yay!” Kayla jumped up and down and hugged Megan tight. “My human security blanket. We’re going to have the best night ever.”

Megan changed into her street clothes and packed the books she had intended to take home and study back into her locker. Looked like it was going to be a less productive night than she’d hoped for. Well, at least Charlie would be in the same boat. She wondered briefly how they’d managed to get him to go along. No chance in hell he could be peer pressured into anything.He struck Megan as the type who couldn’t be pressured to do anything at all, let alone go to a little after-hours party.

They took public transportation to a bar across the neighborhood. It was, apparently, a favorite of Keith’s. Charlie had taken his own car with his own driver because he could. Had he been a gentleman, Megan thought, he would have offered all of them a ride. But of course he hadn’t because he was a grade-A asshole.

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