Page 15 of Doctor Mile High
WINSTON
I feelridiculous talking into a phone. Nothing has felt more unnatural in my entire life. Medical school was easier than this.
“You sound so robotic, Dr. Warrick. Loosen up a little. Relax. Enjoy the attention,” Olivia says from behind the camera.
“That’s easy for you to say.” I wipe the sweat off my forehead, exhausted from surgery, and I’m still in my scrubs. “You aren’t the one making a life-changing announcement to the world. And you don’t look like you were just in a seven-hour surgery.” A burning sensation begins to tingle my eyes from being awake for so long. My back aches.
Everything aches.
I’m not as young as I used to be. I’ve been thinking about scaling back on surgeries and only taking the high-profile cases. I’ll focus on research, running the department, and training the next generation of surgeons. I still have a few good years left in me, but I’m not cocky enough to believe this is something I can do forever. Everything and everyone has a time limit.
Olivia drops the camera and sighs. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself. You’re a doctor. You just got out of surgery. You look natural. You don’t want it to feel forced. And don’t think you’re talking to everyone, act like you’re speaking to her.”
She’s in front of me in two strides, dabbing the sweat off my forehead with a tissue. “You’re one of the best surgeons in the world and you’re going to sit here and tell me that you can talk to a room full of a thousand people but you can’t talk to a camera? She might be on the other end of this video. And honestly, if this were any other video, you wouldn’t even have to say anything. I could take a five-second video of you looking out the window and let the sun capture that jawline and you’d go viral.” Olivia rolls her eyes at me, something she does multiple times a day.
“Fine,” I grumble, disliking the rate at which my heartbeat increases due to nerves.
I picture Dove’s face, her smile, and her laugh. I close my eyes, letting my memories take me back to that warm Costa Rican night. The phantom touch of her fingers drifts down my shoulders, her gasps a ghost breezing against my ear.
I relax.
My shoulders ease as I blow out a breath.
“Okay. I’m ready. This will be the one.”
Olivia brightens and runs to her position, lifting up my cell phone to aim it at my face. “That’s the spirit. You’re going to be so famous after this.”
“Stop smiling so much. This is a one-time thing,” I tell her. “I don’t want fame. I only want Dove. Even if she’s moved on or has found someone else. I need to know.”
Olivia lowers the phone a bit, a sad smile playing on her lips. “You really care about this woman, don’t you? You really fell in love with her.”
“I’m crazy about her. She’s taken a toll on me. I need to know where she is, if she’s okay, if she needs help, or I don’t know—” I run my fingers through my hair, knowing I’m messing the strands up more than they were before. “I just need to find her, Olivia. That’s all. That’s the point.”
She nods. “And we will, but it might take more than one video. We can do ‘Day One of Looking For The Love Of My Life’ or something like that. People will follow and might connect you to her. We have to try, okay? Whatever it takes.”
I sit on the windowsill, blowing out a large breath, and I nod. “Whatever it takes.”
Olivia lifts the camera up again, lifts three fingers in the air, and counts down.
Three.
Two.
One.
“Hi, everyone. Doctor Silver Fox here.”I flash a smile.“I want to add I did not make that username. You can thank my assistant for that. I’m not here to give any medical advice. That’s not what this account will be for. I’m looking for someone. Her name is Dove, and I met her in Costa Rica. She has long black hair, blue eyes, and has this voice that’s as soft and delicate as silk. The way she smiles lights up a room and I’ve never laughed so much as I did that night. I’ve been searching for Dove for eight months.I’ve pretty much used all my resources, which is why I’m here. Asking you. The internet. To help me.”
I scratch the side of my cheek, wondering if I’m doing the right thing. What if she thinks I’m obsessive and this is all too much? One night. That’s all it was supposed to be. That’s what she wanted. Am I going against what we agreed upon?
I don’t care. I want to show her I want more and that I don’t care about the age gap. I’m not a complete idiot. I know I’m older by at least fifteen years. As long as she isn’t bothered by it, then it doesn’t matter.
“She’s one of kind, and I’d hate for us to miss our opportunity for more. Dove, if you’re listening, message this account please. Let’s talk, and if you want nothing to do with me, then I’ll leave you alone. Thanks everyone, and Dove, I really hope I hear from you soon.”
Olivia drops the phone and smiles so wide, I can nearly see all of her teeth. “That was perfect, Dr. Warrick. I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but I’m sure so many people are going to claim to be Dove in comments and messages. You’ll need to be careful.”
“I’m forty-five, Olivia. I’m not a complete idiot. I do remember what she looks like.”
“A lot of people don’t use an image of themselves on their profile. I don’t want you to get tricked. We need to stay vigilant.”
