Page 37 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

“I probably haven’t,” Megan said. She sat up and stretched. The probably brief table-nap she’d allowed herself hadn’t made a dent in her exhaustion. “Do me a favor, Kayla. Don’t ever apply for a fellowship before your personal life is in order. This shit is real. I don’t know how I’m going to survive this.”

“You mean without Charlie,” Kayla added. Megan’s jaw dropped, but Kayla didn’t seem at all flustered. “Listen.” She sat down across the table from Megan. “You were the first person to be nice to me here, and I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. I was so nervous coming in, and you really put my mind at ease. I want to return the favor, okay? So, here’s the deal. You and Charlie are not a secret. Amy and Keith are making cracks about it on a regular basis. Even Dr. Ralter will joke about it from time to time. You guys were just so cute, nobody wanted to say anything. Well, and Charlie’s mood improved about twenty percent, so we didn’t want to put a stop to our good fortune.”

“Only twenty?” Megan was slightly offended.

“Maybe thirty,” Kayla said, clearly placating her. “But it’s been pretty obvious lately that something isn’t right between you two. He’s moping around even more than he did his first week here. We can’t take it anymore.” She smiled a little. “He’s unbearable.”

“No lies there.” Megan sighed. “Whatever it is, he won’t even talk to me about it. He just keeps saying it’s the fellowship application process, but there’s no way that’s all it is. I was so convinced we were going somewhere with the relationship. It was perfect. We had the same crazy schedule, understood how busy each other was going to be. We just got each other, you know? But now, something huge is eating at him, and I can’t figure out what it is.”

“It’s not your job to figure out what it is,” Kayla said. “But don’t tell the others I said so. They were all, ‘Go talk to Megan. Make her do something about him.’ But Charlie Sullivan is not your responsibility, and it’s not your job to keep him happy. I mean it’s nice that you did for a while. The truth is, I’ve never seen you look this down. You, of all people. I thought no one could bring you down. So just forget about him, huh? You fight for that fellowship, win it, and then you’re out of here. I’m gonna miss you, but you have my number. At this point in your life, what matters is your future. You’re building it right now. If he doesn’t want to be part of it, that’s his loss.”

Kayla was right. Megan didn’t want to admit it, but she was. There would be no forcing Charlie to be communicative. She had to focus on her own education and future. “Thank you, Kayla.”

Her friend got up and walked around the table to give her a hug. “No problem. Just remember me when you get your fellowship. I do want to be part of your future, and you have my number. So call sometime. We’ll go out.”

Megan swallowed her tears before they fell. She was exhausted and touched, and she had no idea what to say in response. “Hey, Kayla. You want to go out right now? I’ve been needing a little break from all this.”

“Sure.” Kayla grinned and patted Megan on the head. “Let’s get some grub.”

CHAPTER 18

CHARLIE

Charlie saw more patients alone and with his attending than he did with the other residents. If he was honest with himself, the reason was to make it easier to avoid Megan. Every time he saw her now, he felt a pinch in his gut, nausea, and a throbbing headache. Anxiety could do a real number on the body and the brain, Charlie knew. And one thing he couldn’t afford right now was to lose any cognitive function. In order to not hate himself for taking the fellowship from Megan, he had to believe, beyond a shadow of doubt, that he would have won it regardless.

“That rash appears to be hives,” he said to the mother of his most recent patient. “Your daughter has had a bad allergic reaction. We’re going to put her on IV diphenhydramine to relieve her symptoms quickly, before her respiratory symptoms worsen.”

“Doesn’t she need one of those pen things?” the mother asked. “My friend’s son is allergic to peanuts, and he always carries one.”

“Epinephrine isn’t right for this type of allergic reaction.” He took a page from Megan’s book, and reassured the mother.“She’s going to be okay, Mrs. Payne. She’s still breathing easy. But you may want to consider allergy testing in the future to prevent another attack.”

“Can I still go hiking?” the young girl asked.

“Of course you can.” Charlie smiled down at her. “Just don’t go rolling around in any plants until you know what you’re allergic to.”

He left the room feeling pretty good about his patient leaving happy and calm. Then he thought about Megan teaching him as much as she did about how to talk to children in distress, and he felt a rush of guilt all over again.

Dr. Ralter accosted him in the hall. “Dr. Sullivan. Can I take you to lunch? I have some excellent news to share.”

Charlie groaned. He already knew what the excellent news was, and to him it was far from excellent. “Sure. Let me get changed first.”

“Not a problem. Meet me at the bistro across the street.”

“Farina’s?”

“That’s the one.” Dr. Ralter was already on his way out when he added, “Best meatball sandwiches this side of Heaven.”

When Charlie passed Megan on his way to the locker room, she gave him the nastiest look she’d probably ever given anyone in her life. All he could do was look away and keep walking. He couldn’t begin to relax until he was outside the hospital and halfway to the bistro. He quickly found Dr. Ralter, already enjoying his meatball sandwich, and sat across from him.

“Didn’t know what you wanted or I would have ordered for you,” Dr. Ralter said, his mouth still half full. He dabbed at his lips with a napkin and sipped at what looked like a tall glass of iced tea.

“That’s okay,” Charlie said. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Well, hopefully the news I have for you today will ease your stress a little.” Dr. Ralter grinned and lifted his glass. “I was going to wait until you had something to eat to toast you, but if you won’t even order until you know…” He paused for dramatic effect. “I got a call from Our Lady of Mercy this morning. Apparently, your application was so impressive, they don’t even need to interview the other candidates. You’ve got the fellowship.” He lifted his glass and drank to that.

Charlie frowned across the table at him.

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Ralter said. “It’s only tea.”

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