Page 16 of Doctor Mile High
I give Olivia a lazy two-finger salute. “You got it.” I yawn, stretching my arms above my head. “Is there anything else on the calendar today? I have to go meet my family for dinner.”
“You’re in the clear. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Warrick. Do you want me to manage the social media account?”
I pluck my phone from her sneaky fingers, not trusting her not to go rogue. “No. I’m good. I’m a big boy, Olivia. I can handle this app.”
She blinks a little too fast for my liking.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“What? No. What? Nothing. Not a thing. I’m going to go return a few calls before calling it a day.” She spins around on her heel and takes one step before my hand is on her shoulders.
“Olivia.” I deepen her name in the type of way that forces her to stop. “Talk to me.”
She exhales heavily. “Just don’t scroll, okay? You’re going to see a lot of misinformation. It can consume you. If you let it.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll be fine. I don’t have time to scroll social media like that. I’m exhausted and I have to be here early tomorrow for another surgery. After the dinner with my family tonight, I won’t have the energy to scroll.”
“Mm-hmm.” She clearly doesn’t believe me. “That’s what they all say and then suddenly, bam!” Olivia smashes her fist on my desk, and my pen holder falls over, scattering the pens everywhere.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, wanting this conversation to end so I can leave.
“And then, you’re doomscrolling, watching videos that you would never watch. You’d probably get hooked on the medical ones where people spew false medical information. Mine are animal videos. So. Many. Animal. Videos.” Olivia zones out, unblinking.
I snap my fingers. “Olivia. Focus. Hey.”
She blinks away from her thoughts and grins at me. “Just be careful.”
“You are so weird.” I chuckle. “The office would be boring without you. I’m going to shower. If you don’t mind.” I open the door, gesturing for her to leave.
Since I’m the chief of surgery, I have my own personal bathroom attached to my office. It’s simple. There’s a walk-in shower, sink, and toilet. The sofa in my office also pulls out to a full-size bed. When double shifts happen and they need every doctor here, this office becomes a safe haven for me. A quick shower and nap helps me get through those shifts that never seem to end.
“Right. Of course. Sorry, Dr. Warrick. I didn’t mean to keep you.” She gathers her belongings, keeping her eyes shifted down.
“Olivia. I’m not upset with you at all, okay? I only need some privacy so I can go to dinner without my mother giving me grief about how awful I stink because I didn’t take the time to shower.”
Finally, a grin replaces Olivia’s frown. “I understand. I’ll see you later.” She closes the door behind her and I rub my temples as the pounding of a headache begins.
I close the blinds, the room darkening from the lack of light, and I lock the door. Tugging my scrubs off, I toss them in the small linen hamper I have to take home to wash. Opening the bathroom door, I kick the scrub bottoms off along with my briefs, then flip on the shower. It always takes a few minutes to warm up. I’ve made the mistake of getting in the shower right as I turn it on too many times. Typically, it happens on the daysthat blur together, when I don’t remember that I’ll freeze if I don’t wait a few minutes.
I grip the sink’s edges, hanging my head as I let the day roll off me. I take a few deep breaths, replaying every move I made in the surgery. I always do. I obsess over every cut before, during, and after. If I think for one moment that I made a mistake, I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. The tension in my neck and shoulders drains the longer I stretch the muscles, breathing in and out to calm myself.
I know if I had one touch from Dove, my soul would be at peace. I don’t know what power this woman holds over me, but she has made the biggest impact. I can’t stop thinking about her. I have to find her.
I have to.
When the steam begins to fog the mirror, I step into the shower and let the hot water roll over my tight muscles. I lean one hand against the wall, dropping my head to allow the water to beat down on my back. Closing my eyes, I think back to the night I met Dove.
I was standing in the back of the large canopy tent, waiting for the live music to start. I’d had an amazing day scuba diving and was exhausted, but I didn’t want the day to end just yet. I knew I wanted a night to remember, but I didn’t know how to achieve that.
Not until Dove walked into the room.
I don’t think she understands how beautiful she is. The moment she walked into the room, every gaze fell upon her, male and female alike. Every single head turned, watching her walk to her table and sit down.
The moment I saw her, I knew I had to have her for myself. Too many male gazes lingered on her, and I knew my time to stake my claim was narrowing by the second the longer I took to go to her.
The dress she was wearing clung to her body, showing every curve. Her bright blue eyes and long eyelashes drew me in. They called to me. Beaconed me like a siren does a sailor.
Our chemistry was instant. My body burned for her.
