Page 1 of Doctor I Do

Chapter 1

Alex

“Come back to bed,” my one-night stand rasps out.

My head turns, following her voice. I smile when I spot the sultry redhead leaning up on her elbow, staring sleepily up at me. Her brown eyes are trying to pull me in. When my eyes drop to the blanket that’s barely covering her breasts, I resist the temptation to lean over and pull it all the way down to expose her. Memories of the sex and fun we shared last night are enough, though.

“I gotta get to work,” I say, shaking my head.

As soon as she leaves, I’ll never call or see her again. It’s just what I do. Even at the ripe age of thirty-two, I haven’t been able to settle down. Nobody seems to hold my interest or has made me fall in love. On top of never growing attached to a woman, I’m too busy with work. Most women I meet at my age want to settle down and get married and have kids. And I’m not where I want to be in my career for that...well, not yet.

I spent so long in school to become a doctor that I’ve only been out a couple of years as a neurologist. I want to spend a couple more years developing my skills and traveling for conferences and courses. If I was married with kids, I’d feel guilty for leaving them. Being carefree and just having fun with no strings attached suits me.

“Work is so overrated,” she mumbles cutely.

I chuckle. “Looks like you haven’t found your dream job.”

“But I found my dream man,” she purrs and flutters her lashes, trying to tempt me to crawl back into bed.

I shake my head. “I’m not him, trust me.” And I don’t give her a chance to argue because it would be pointless. Instead, I walk to my bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

Afterwards, I step back into the bedroom to find her sitting on the edge of my unmade bed, bent over and putting on her shoes. I know I should feel guilty, because I’m practically kicking her out, but I don’t…I feel numb.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave,” she whispers on my doorstep.

I peer down, wishing my heart or body would react, but the same empty feeling stays. I don’t answer.

“Call me later,” she says, waving as she walks off.

I remain silent, knowing I won’t. I don’t want to lead her on.

As she climbs into her car, I wonder if I’m broken. Will my future only consist of unfulfilling hook-ups? I thought there was meant to be a person for everyone.

I’m thinking that's not in the cards for me.

Flashing the light between the patient's eyes, I watch her pupils dilate under the brightness. I nod when I see everything’s as it should be, turning off the light and putting it away. Once I leave the bedside, I order a range of tests and write up her notes and a new treatment plan.

As I sit at the nurse's desk, my phone rings. When I see my brother Mike's name, I answer immediately, as I’ve been waiting for the call that he and his wife had their baby. “Bro.”

“Hey, Alex. Ah.” He sounds out of breath, and it causes me to frown and sit up, closing the file.

“Yeah,” I push.

“Alice and I had the baby,” he says in a monotone voice.

“Congrats!” I bellow with a grin. But why the fuck does my brother not sound excited? A wave of worry hits me. “Are you okay?”

“I…uh…don’t know. It was hectic.”

“Is Alice, okay?” I ask.

“Yes. But me? Not so much. I’m traumatized.”

I chuckle. My older brother has always been a drama queen. “I’m assuming birth was more intense than you thought.”

“Yeah, watching your wife in pain fucking sucks,” he chokes out.

I swallow hard, because I can’t imagine having someone you feel so strongly about that you choke on your words. Staring down at the closed file, I say, “Let me finish up here, and I’ll come right up. Did you need anything?”

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