Page 31 of You Loved Me Once
I walk through the doors of the hospital with purpose. I’ll get through Lindsay’s surgery, and explain to Bryce that he’s to stay away from me if he wants me to treat his wife at all.
It’s the only option I have if I want to keep my trial. My heart doesn’t matter in this, only medicine does.
“Ren?” Bryce’s throaty voice calls me.
I can’t avoid him even when I’m trying.
He extends a cup of coffee and his lips tilt up in a tentative smile. I don’t want a peace offering. I want him gone so I can go back to pretending I don’t have a heart. It was easier that way. My life was clear and concise, not muddled with feelings that make me vulnerable.
“I’m fine,” I say, rejecting his offer of coffee.
“Right. I’m not trying to bribe you,” he explains.
I shake my head with a grin. “If that was your idea of a bribe, you’ve got a lot to learn.”
He chuckles once. “Yeah, I just...”
“Thank you,” I say and extend my hand. If he’s going to be nice, there’s no reason for me to be rude. I’m sure it took a lot for him to come to me like this. It’s not easy when one person holds the keys to your happiness. I know this all too well.
I remember when my mother’s doctor was abrupt and unwilling to offer us even a little hope.
“I’m not sure how you take your coffee anymore, but I went with memory.”
“I appreciate it.” I take a sip and hold my reaction.
Bryce remembered exactly how I take my coffee. Time may have passed, but this one moment shows that I wasn’t a blip on his screen. Although it changes nothing for either of us.
“So did you think about what I said?”
It’s all I’ve thought about. There are so many variables and I don’t know what the right thing is anymore.
I release a low sigh, feeling the anxiety boiling inside me. “I have a patient who was removed from the trial and I need to operate. I really wanted to think through this before I made my decision, because you and I know this is messy.”
He scratches the stubble on his face. “It doesn’t have to be. We’re not the same people anymore, Ren. It isn’t like we’re having an affair. I’m asking you to be her doctor. To save someone who hasn’t done a damn thing wrong in this situation.” He steps closer and I move back. “I’m not...”
Being this close to him stirs the pain I’ve tried so hard to bury. “Please step back,” I request. “If you want me to pretend we don’t know each other, you have to do the same. Your wife being my patient is a complication, and we both—”
“Dr. Adams,” Westin’s voice stops me from speaking.
Jesus Christ.
My stomach drops as he approaches. “Pretend you don’t know me other than as Allison’s doctor,” I whisper to Bryce.
Westin comes to the side of me and extends his hand. “I’m Dr. Grant, nice to meet you.”
Bryce looks at me and then back at Wes. “Bryce Peyton,” he says as he shakes Westin’s hand.
“Bryce’s wife is one of my trial patients,” I explain. “We were discussing the process.”
“Well, you’re in great hands, Dr. Adams is the best.” Westin gives me a grin. “There’s no one like her.”
Bryce clears his throat. “Good to know.”
The contrast between the two men is striking.
Westin is tall, lean, with green eyes that you can get lost in. He’s got lighter hair and keeps a constant short scruff that I love. There is no doubt about his confidence. Each smile is effortless and real.
Whereas Bryce is more muscular and darker. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and I can see how tired he is. The energy around him is different, harsher. But when those blue eyes are on me, I can’t breathe.
