Page 44 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

She bowed her head and their server came to take their order. “I don’t even know what I want,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting a fancy dinner tonight.”

“Will you allow me to order for you?”

She shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

“Is there anything in particular you can’t eat?”

She shook her head, so Charlie ordered for both of them. He’d been to this restaurant before and knew the menu like the back of his hand. He had also watched Megan eat her lunches for months and felt he had a good idea of which way her tastes leaned. She was a little adventurous, so he was confident he could find something she would love.

“Wine?” he asked.

“Are we going back to the conference?”

“I wasn’t planning to, but I’ll take you back if you want to go. Maybe my father will be happy to introduce you to his friends. For me, it’s just more unpleasantness I’m trying to get away from.”

When the server brought their wine, Megan thanked her and picked up her glass. “So… did you like the fellowship at least? Surely, you got something out of it. Is there anything you learned that you could pass on to me?”

“If you’re anxious to learn to play golf, then yes.” He chuckled under his breath. “That’s all they ever talk about. It’s like the patients mean nothing to them. I hated it,” he admitted. “I don’t want to learn from my father’s friends, Bright. I’d much rather learn from someone like you. And Dr. Ralter, obviously. But God, I can’t even begin to describe how much I missed you there, how much I missed your genuine care for your patients.” He closed his eyes and massaged the back of his neck. “I can’t begin to describe how much I admire you.”

Megan allowed the server to set her plate in front of her, all the while suppressing the biggest smile he had ever seen her wear. “Does this mean I win?” she said.

“Eat your ravioli, Bright.”

He smiled at her, and she glared back at him. And somehow, that adorable expression told him everything was going to be all right.

EPILOGUE

THREE YEARS LATER: MEGAN

Throughout the entire graduation ceremony, Megan clung to Charlie’s hand. Their fingers were tightly intertwined, and hers were turning white from lack of blood flow. She didn’t mind, though. She could feel the strength of his grip and the steadiness of his hand. He made her feel so comfortable and safe despite the pressure of the event they were attending.

The resident graduation was held at yet another hotel conference room. This one looked much fancier than the last. It was all white and gold with huge, crystal chandeliers. Megan felt completely out of place, and she was pretty sure Amy and Keith shared her sentiments. But Charlie seemed more than comfortable in this kind of environment. Anyone might assume he owned the place by the way he carried himself here, and Megan had so much respect for him now that she knew his wasn’t an easy position to be in.

She squeezed his hand again, and he squeezed back. She barely heard the speakers and only knew it was her turn to go up on stage when Amy, who was sitting behind her, nudged her. Everything felt automatic, like being in a dream. She heard thespeaker mention her intention to go into private practice in addition to research and development. Her research would focus on her mother’s illness, which was in desperate need of more study.

When they called Charlie to the stage, they spoke about his intention to go into pediatric surgery and his passion for looking after patients first. Megan couldn’t agree more. He had quit his fellowship just like he’d said he would and returned to Grand View Hospital to finish his residency. His energy picked up immediately on his first day back. He and Megan had continued their romance, but they took it home far more frequently. They quizzed each other, ribbed each other, and never ever stopped laughing.

Ever since Charlie had gotten the courage to step out from under the Sullivan family shadow, he had begun prioritizing his patients over everything else. He was no longer too proud to make random conversation with children, no longer too proud to ask them about dinosaurs. When Megan was feeling extra generous, she admitted that he seemed to be even better at it than she was.

After the ceremony, Megan and Charlie mingled in the lobby and got separated in the process. Megan found her way to the buffet and filled her plate. She’d been hungry all day because she’d been too nervous about the graduation ceremony to eat breakfast or lunch. Once her plate was full, she sat down at one of the tables to eat. Someone sat across from her, and she assumed it was Charlie.

“All mingled out?” she said before looking up. “Do you want to go waste some valuable time with me at home? It would really piss your father off, so win-win, you know?” She laughed, lookedup, and nearly passed out when she saw that it wasn’t Charlie sitting across from her at the table. It was Jon Sullivan himself.

Megan immediately tried to undo the damage she had likely done. “Dr. Sullivan. Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. That was just a joke meant for Charlie. You know how he tries to be all rebellious. Not that I think rebellion is a good thing or anything. I think you probably have some really great advice for him, and you surely want what’s best for him. I mean, he should probably listen to you a little more than he does. Not that he should just do everything you say or anything because he should totally be his own man. I just, you know… I just didn’t mean it like you probably thought I did.”

Dr. Sullivan sat through Megan’s rambling speech with all the dignity she lacked. He didn’t have to say anything. The look he was giving her spoke so much louder than words, and with it, he managed to shut Megan up without uttering a single phrase.

“I was hoping you and I would get a chance to talk,” he said, and Megan froze in her seat. “Rightly, I blamed you for Charlie giving up the fellowship. I’m still not happy about it. Let’s make sure we’re clear on that. But I saw how motivated he became when he was back working alongside you. I must admit, it was more motivation than I have ever seen the boy have.”

He took a sip of champagne and Megan waited for the surprise scolding she knew was coming next. It didn’t happen, though, and Megan found herself reevaluating all the things she’d ever wanted to say to Charlie Sullivan’s father. About all she could manage was a tentative, “Um… thank you?” She cleared her throat and added, “Where is Charlie, by the way? I seem to have lost track of him.”

“He’s talking to your mother,” Dr. Sullivan said. “At her request.”

Megan’s jaw dropped. “What?” Something weird was definitely going on here, but she was too scared to start flinging accusations around. “I mean why?”

“I imagine for the same reason I wanted to talk to you. Both of you seem to be more serious than I suspected. Initially, I was under the impression that my son was just sowing his wild oats while he could.”

Sowing his wild oats?Megan rolled her eyes, but at the same time… “I mean for a while he kind of was. But then we got to talking and found out we had more in common than we realized. He’s been really good for me, too, you know? He’s helped to motivate me to be a better doctor, to work harder and study more. I guess being as good as Charlie is a goal I sort of made for myself, and truly, I think he’s the reason I made it through. He’s good… really, really good. I would be so proud to be half as good as he is.”

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