Page 23 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

There was no point in arguing with the man, even though Charlie knew, without a shadow of doubt, that he was wrong. Well, maybe there was a shadow of doubt, but it was a sliver of a shadow really. Barely even a shadow. Dappled sunlight, maybe. Partial shade. Barely enough to help in a heat wave.

Charlie cleared his throat and said goodbye to his patient with a quick thanks for the life advice. The man had to be wrong. Because falling in love with his competition would seriously hinder Charlie’s performance. War was war. It necessitated ruthlessness. He couldn’t be ruthless to someone he loved. Could he?

CHAPTER 11

MEGAN

Today was a pediatrics rotation, and Megan could not have been more excited. She loved working with kids, and more than that, she loved watching Charlie work with kids. He was so hilariously bad at it, and watching him flounder still gave her such a thrill. Maybe it was immature of her, but she didn’t care. She was determined to get Charlie to stop taking himself so seriously. Anyway, she figured today, of all days, was the best day to be immature.

Pediatrics was on the third floor, which was decorated accordingly with checkered tiles and bright colors throughout. There were corkboards with little paper gifts tacked up — handmade cards to the doctors, stick figure artwork, and pictures with bright yellow suns that had smiling faces. These were the gifts of sick children to their caretakers, and Megan found it inspirational. These poor kids were often feeling about the lowest they’d ever felt in their short lives, but they still had room for smiling yellow suns, red brick houses, and families all holding hands.

If Charlie had his way, Megan would become as cynical as he was, but what good would that do for anyone? Even in high school, Megan had been one of those nerds who cared about things, had hobbies, and weren’t too cool for everything. It felt a bit like that was what Charlie was going for — being too cool for friendliness, as though being friendly was some kind of weakness. She never understood people like that.

Their first patient was a five-year-old boy who presented with cold symptoms, fever, watery eyes, lack of appetite, and lethargy. He looked a bit like how Megan imagined Charlie would have looked as a kid — light blond hair, blue eyes, and a very serious expression. In addition to his other symptoms, he had broken out in a blotchy rash across his neck and partway down his back.

“How are we feeling today?” Megan asked him.

“Not so good,” the boy answered.

His mother spoke up. “He’s been sick for a few days now. I can’t get him to eat, and he doesn’t sleep through the night. I mean, he’s been sick before, but I’ve never seen him this bad. I just thought I really should bring him in, you know?”

Charlie was already starting his questions, and the first one he asked had Megan fuming. “Say, kid, do you happen to know anything about dinosaurs? My partner here is justobsessedwith them.” He turned to Megan with a wry smile. “Absolutely obsessed, aren’t you Bright? As in, convinced one conversation about dinosaurs will fix just about anything.”

Megan glared hard at him. His insult was not subtle. He was demonstrating how little a conversation about dinosaurs would do to diagnose and treat this boy. But Megan stood her ground. She still believed treating kids like real people would reducestress, get them comfortable with doctors, and do a world of good for their overall future health. “I like hearing about lots of different things,” she said to the boy. “Not just dinosaurs.”

She was hoping the boy would pluck up his childish energy and really start talking. But the kid just shook his head and sighed. He was completely exhausted. Seconds before Charlie voiced his question, Megan thought of it herself.

“Has he been vaccinated for measles?” he asked.

The kid’s mother balked. “Oh, no. I didn’t think it was necessary.”

Charlie stood abruptly. “Get him a throat swab.” He turned his icy gaze onto the child’s mother. “You’re lucky we caught this quickly. Get the kid vaccinated.”

Megan watched as the mother’s shoulders dropped, and she curled in on herself. She looked close to tears.

Megan went to her side. “Don’t worry,” she said gently. “We’re going to take good care of him.”

“What happens now?” the woman asked Megan, who was apparently the only one in the room she now trusted, despite Charlie having been the one to provide a diagnosis. Megan shot him a meaningful look, hoping he could read it well. This was one of those cases where diagnosis was meaningless without trust.

“Well, we’ll have him drink plenty of liquids, get lots of rest, and stay home from school. He’ll also likely get a couple doses of vitamin A just to be safe.”

The woman stood and shook Megan’s hand. “Thank you, doctor. Thank you for understanding.”

Megan just smiled and squeezed her hand. “Take good care of your boy, now. Make sure he gets plenty of ice cream.” She winked down at the kid. “Doctor’s orders.”

The boy grinned at his mother. “See! I told you it was good for me, Mom. I told you!” Apparently that was the key to his stores of energy — promised ice cream.

“It’s been wonderful meeting you both,” Megan said, and she walked out of the exam room to inform the nurses with Charlie hot on her heels.

She knew she was getting to him when he said, “Don’t look so smug, Bright.”

She couldn’t help needling him a little. “Don’t take it personally just because patients like me better than they like you. It takes a special kind of natural talent to win the trust of difficult patients.”

“I am not concerned that I’m not liked by patients, as you know.”

“You should be,” she said walking quickly in front of him. “Especially when whether or not they like you will dictate whether or not they’re willing to follow your advice.”

“I think you want my concern to be whether or not I’m liked byyou, Bright,” he said. Without even turning around, Megan could hear the smile in his voice. She wanted so badly to see it, but her pride wouldn’t let her. Despite how crazy he drove her, Megan had to admit that Charlie Sullivan probably had the most charming smile she had ever seen on a man. She was quickly becoming addicted to it. Why didn’t he smile more often? But maybe the fact that his smile was rare was part of what made it so appealing.

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