Page 92 of Dr. Off Limits

Jacob

I could almost pretend I was in Norfolk if I blocked out the distant sounds of the traffic, laughter, chatter, and occasional shouting from the bank of the Serpentine. Lying in a rowing boat in Hyde Park didn’t exactly recreate the anti-stress chamber of the old, abandoned rowing boat I’d discovered in the marshes just off the north Norfolk coastal path, but it was as good as I was going to get in central London.

I was trying to figure out my next steps. What did I want out of life, my career, my legacy? Where did I see myself?

The only image I could see was Sutton. I wanted her. I didn’t want to just date her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. The more I thought about it, the more it became clear.

I just wasn’t sure how I could make it happen.

After I solved that mystery, I needed to figure out what I wanted in my career. I knew in my gut that I loved teaching med students and foundation doctors, but I could do that and not head up the foundation program. I did it at the moment and it was the best part of my job. Heading up the foundation program would just mean a bunch of additional administration I wouldn’t enjoy. Like my mum had said, I needed to focus on enjoying what I did and staying open to possibilities and opportunities.

I tucked my hands behind my head, enjoying the sensation of floating without a tether or destination. I loved my job. And I enjoyed the conversations I had with Nathan about business. Just like Mum said, maybe there were other opportunities I’d been blind to because I had such a fixed goal in my mind.

Maybe I didn’t need a plan.

I stared up at the sky and tried to not think about anything, but Sutton’s face kept coming into focus.

There was officially nothing stopping me from dating Sutton anymore. I didn’t know if that was better or worse given we still couldn’t be together because of her desire not to be sleeping with her boss. One problem down, one to go.

Maybe if Istayed in this boat long enough, I’d figure out how to create a future with Sutton by my side. All I knew was I was going to lie in rowing boats as many times as it took to find a way forward.

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