Page 3 of Grumpy Bossy Doctor

"Please. There are three Dr. Sullivans," I said. "Just call me Ian."

***

With Ethan gone to chase his love interest in Glen Allen, Ben and I took turns checking on Ethan's hospital. I didn't mind going. It gave me a certain peace.

"Ethan? Or clean hair, it's Ian."

"Welcome back, Ian."

"Ethan's still not back?"

His staff, aside from the first comment, knew the difference between us. But whenever I was there, they treated me like they would treat him. His office had a relaxed laid-back atmosphere that still maintained an air of seriousness about his drive to save human lives. It was the same air that I wanted to have at my own place. Mine had a more focused atmosphere with everyone working diligently at the job at hand.

I didn't blame them. They were only representing my conduct. It was usually…stressful. Like Hannah had mentioned, I was difficult to read and that seemed to make my staff steer away from me if it concerned conversations unrelated to work.

At Ethan's, it was different. They automatically treated me like they would him and included me in their conversations even if I hardly did anything other than listen. For the first time in a while, I came to the conclusion that I envied my brother. Everything I desired was easy access for him, despite his being a klutz. As I made my way to his office and sat on a chair, I thought about a lot of things.

If I was born before him, would I have ever enjoyed the life he had?

I thought about switching positions with him. Even moments when I had to act like him in meetings or whatever he needed a cover for, I felt different. But I couldn't act like him if I wanted to all the time. However, it would be abandoning my own sense of identity.

Whatever that is.

As I looked around his office, I spotted awards and certificates all over the walls and photos of himself with his staff, smiling happily. It made me realize just how far apart we were when it came to relationships with other people.

The door opened and he made his way in. Ethan was surprised to see me. "You're back," I said spontaneously.

"You're still here?" he asked.

"Just like the rest of our places, the members of your staff are competent, so I basically come here to relax," I replied. My tone was cold.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I am," I affirmed and got up to leave.

"You sure? I just got back we could have tea and catch up or something," he suggested.

"It's fine," I said as I made my way past him.

"It doesn't seem so," he said quietly.

As I walked past him, I couldn't help asking, almost in a whisper, "Why is it always you?"

"Huh?"

The envy had started to strangle me, and I sought a place to clear my head.

***

Glen Allen.

A year had passed since I had joined my family for a barbecue at Crump Park. We had divided our respective roles. Ben would provide the meat, I was to bring the entertainment, and Ethan was in charge of the drinks. Ethan didn't have to do it, but we didn't want him to feel left out, so we assigned it to him.

"I'm still going to bring the drinks," I said to Ben when Ethan was out of hearing distance.

"I think you should leave it to him," he replied. "He's a father now. I trust he's more responsible and will be able to handle things on his own without being careless."

There was paused silence between us. We watched our brother try to look for his car keys while they were in his hands. He eventually found out before trying to look around to make sure no one saw it.

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