Page 42 of The Doctor's No-Strings Deal

Megan made her way around the room, introducing herself to people and shaking a lot of hands. Most people there were friendly and smiling, happy to be present at such an event. She was certain she caught sight of a few other residents accompanying their attendings. They were all just as fresh-faced and energetic as she was.

Well, all but one.

At the other end of the room, she saw him rising just above the rest of the crowd — that almost white-haired, straight-postured guy with a permanent scowl on his face. Somehow, she’d had the bad luck to end up at the same conference as Charlie Sullivan — the man she’d hated and then fallen for, and now hated again. He stood across the room chatting grumpily with some men and women in fancy suits. He looked amazing in his own formal wear. It was probably bespoke, she thought, tailored to fit him perfectly. He made her feel like she was somehow uncivilized.

He also made her feel like brushing past him, squeezing his arm, and pulling him into the nearest dark and unused room so she could finally remove that fancy suit of his and have her way with him. She imagined him pressing her back against a wall, slipping his hand further and further up her thigh. And she realized, without meaning to, she had just turned back into a girl with a crush rather than a resident at possibly the most important conference of her early career. She had to get some air before she humiliated herself in front of someone important.

Outside, the sky was gray and drizzly, and everything was damp. Megan was glad it wasn’t a hot day. What she needed right now was to cool off more than anything. She leaned against the side of the building and watched cars come and go from the parking lot. “Just breathe,” she told herself.

But she wasn’t alone for long. She heard voices, one of which was deeply familiar, and she peeked around the corner to see Charlie and his father walking toward her. She did not want to talk to either one of them right now. It was bad enough just seeing Charlie here. The last thing she wanted to do was rehash the last several months with him. It wouldn’t change anything, and she was too exhausted to deal with it right now.

To her left was a hedge, evergreen and full enough that she could kneel behind it and not be seen. She darted behind the hedge and crouched down. When she could hear their voices getting closer, she panicked and sat even lower. Now she was on her ass in the grass and probably staining her new skirt. She wanted to chide herself, but it wouldn’t do any good. Her probably bad decision was already made, and going back now would only compound the issue.

As the conversation Charlie was having with his father moved closer to where she was hiding, Megan started to get the gistof it. The conversation was not a pleasant one, and she realized they had probably moved outside to avoid making a scene at the conference.

“Your performance is subpar,” Charlie’s father was saying. “That’s what I’m hearing. I don’t care what the reason is. You’re having a bad day? Fine. We all have bad days. But you’re a Sullivan, boy. You don’t let it get to you. We have a reputation to uphold. We don’t have the luxury of screwing up, and lately, it seems like all you’re doing is screwing up.”

Through the branches of the bush, Megan could see that Charlie’s head was down. It hurt her to see him that way. She was so used to seeing him proud and tall. The way his own father could cut him down made her angry.

“I’m doing my best, Dad,” Charlie said in a low voice.

“Then your best isn’t good enough.” His father’s tone was cool and authoritative. “But you know I don’t believe this is your best for a second. You’re making excuses, and that is unacceptable. I worked hard to get you this fellowship?—”

“And maybe that’s the problem.” Charlie cut in. “I didn’t want you to work to get me anything.Iwanted to work for it. I wanted to win it. You’ve taken that away from me. Now I have this opportunity that I don’t even deserve. Someone else should have gotten it, Dad.”

“Ungrateful!” His father’s tone darkened. “Do you know how many lives have been saved because of our family? That’s a legacy you are privileged to continue. That’s a legacy you don’t just throw away.”

“I’m not throwing it away. I just think nepotism is wrong.”

“So families looking out for each other is wrong now? All the people our family has helped should just give that help back because it was unfair, I suppose.”

“You’re acting like our family are the only people who can help patients. There are other people, other students every bit as good as me. Haven’t you considered that? What help might they have given that isn’t there now because their chance was stolen from them.”

“Nothing was stolen,” Charlie’s father snapped. “Your great-grandfather worked hard for our reputation, the same reputation that got you this opportunity. Then your grandfather added his work to it, and I added mine. Now it’s your turn and your brother’s. This isn’t just about you. Don’t you get it? It’s about your nieces and nephews. It’s about your own future children. Stop thinking so small. You know you’re the best man for the job. I know you’re the best man for the job. My peers trust my judgment because they know I would never throw my weight behind a loser. Don’t prove them wrong there. You’ll be screwing over more of your family than just yourself. And family is everything.”

Charlie sighed deeply and shook his head. “You’re right. Family is everything. I’m sorry to have let you down, Dad. I’ll work harder going forward.” He sounded completely defeated.

His father nodded once. “Good. I knew you’d come around eventually. You always were such a stubborn boy.” He smiled and squeezed Charlie’s shoulder. “You know I only say these things because I love you, Son. Right? I want you to succeed, and I know you can. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so hard on you.”

“I know,” Charlie muttered. “I’m sorry.”

Megan could hardly believe her eyes when she saw how completely beat down Charlie had become in so short a conversation. He looked like a little boy, chided for eating his dessert before he finished his vegetables, rather than the hardworking medical student he was. He had absolutely given his all and outcompeted every other resident he worked with. Megan had seen it with her own eyes. She wanted to stand up and shout at his father for suggesting he wasn’t good enough. If Charlie Sullivan wasn’t good enough, then no one was and no one ever would be.

But she also realized her standing up for him now would rob him of his dignity. If Charlie believed this verbal lashing he’d received from his father was private, she didn’t want to take that small comfort away from him. All the rage she’d been suppressing since he accepted the fellowship position seemed to be melting away. Now that she had seen the pressure he was under — twice — she could no longer pretend she wouldn’t have made the same choices if she’d found herself in his position.

She decided to sneak off and give him the privacy she now felt he needed. She backed away in a crouch, making sure not to let her head rise above the hedges. But she really should have looked where she was going.

Something bumped her back — or she bumped something stationary — and she heard a loud crash behind her. She stood as a reflex and swiveled her head to see what had made all that racket. It was signage for the conference that had been displayed on a metal stand, which now lay strewn across the pavement. Megan froze and slowly turned back to where Charlie and his father had been standing. They were both still there, and now, they were both staring right at her.

Megan imagined the phrasedeer in the headlightswould most accurately describe the way she felt. She was frozen, unsure what to do or how to react to the situation she suddenly found herself in. So, like an idiot, she just stood there and waved at them.

CHAPTER 22

CHARLIE

Charlie could hardly believe his eyes. He had told himself in no uncertain terms that he would never see Megan Bright again, that she was no longer going to be part of his life moving forward. All the fun, the joy, the energy he associated with her was gone from him. This was what growing up looked like, he had told himself. This was true maturation, knowing when to accept that your life was going to be miserable. Yes, he had finally put childish things behind him. And childish things apparently included having passion for his job, a romantic relationship, a sense of self and purpose.

But here Megan stood in front of him, her beige dress crumpled and grass-stained, twigs sticking out of her messy bun and her glasses sitting crooked on her face. Charlie pinched his lips together for as long as he could before he finally burst out laughing. It was like magic. The heavy feeling his father had managed to hand him, the hopelessness, the feeling of vital sacrifice — it was all gone in a matter of seconds. He felt… lifted.

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