Page 11 of Doctor's Bossy Match
He hands me the tablet.“Room 12.Eight-year-old female.History of recent unexplained seizures.I want your initial impressions before I give you mine.”
I nod as I click on the file on the tablet.We move quickly down the hall, my footsteps in sync with his.“No family history.No prior symptoms until a week ago… first seizure was at home?”
“Correct.”He glances over at me, then shifts his gaze back down the hallway.“Her mom thought she was zoning out until she dropped.Frequency and severity have both escalated.”
I flip a few more pages, absorbing the details.“Medications?”
“We’ve tried levetiracetam, valproate, and lamotrigine.No effect.EEGs are unclear.MRI clean.Your turn.”He doesn’t break his pace, but there’s a subtle intensity in the way he speaks.Like he’s testing me.This is it, my first real chance to prove myself I belong here and wasn’t just handed this position because of my dad.I need to get this right.
I flick my eyes up briefly, scanning the hallway ahead as we approach the room.“Vitals stable.Reflexes slightly delayed on the left side,” I report after reading the notes.“I’d order another EEG, longer this time.Twenty-four hours.And a full blood panel.”
He gives me a quick, almost imperceptible nod, his fingers brushing against his stethoscope as he adjusts it.The shift in his demeanor is subtle, something like approval.Relief washes through me.I can do this.“Good start.Add genetics consult too.”
Damn.I should’ve thought of that.Of course he’d think of something I missed.Still, “good start” is better than nothing, so I’ll take it.
He steps toward the girl’s mom and explains everything with a calm, assured tone that immediately settles the room.She listens intently, blinking hard, her hand never leaving her daughter’s.The image in front of me has me reflecting on my mom’s text this morning.It makes me miss her so much more.
Once we’re out in the hall again, he glances over at me.His eyes narrow slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching.He leans in closer, his voice low in my ear, as if keeping the moment between us.“Not bad… for a creamer thief.”
I smirk, stepping back.“Technically, it wasn’t theft.”
He doesn’t know what I did during earlier, and I have no intention of telling him.Something shifts in his expression, not quite a smile but close enough.I’ll take it.After the tension with Dad and my nerves this morning, having someone look at me like I might actually know what I’m doing?It feels like a win.
“How was your first day?”Liz asks.I can hear the city sounds in the background.She’s walking to work.She’s about to start her residency at New York Hospital, where she’s doing an oncology fellowship.
“It was good.”
“You sound surprised.”
I hesitate, tapping the steering wheel.“I was, honestly.But it was a good first day.”I’d love to tell her about Shaina, the eight-year-old with seizures, about how Brant let me take the lead and actually seemed impressed.But explaining the whole dynamic feels too complicated right now.
“See?You’ve got this.And then, before you know it, you’ll be back here with me.”
“I know.Are you excited for your first shift?”I ask, wanting to know how she’s feeling.
“Yeah, of course.I’m nervous about being the new kid, but I’m sure it’ll fade fast.It’s too big and busy for people to focus on me.”She pauses.“Oh, but there’s this guy in my Pilates class who is ridiculously hot.Like, I-nearly-fell-off-my-reformer hot.”
I laugh.“Classic Liz.”
“Hey, I’m just appreciating the scenery.Anyway, how’s yours treating you?”
“That’s the big difference here.Towns know your business, which means the whole hospital watches you all the time.There’s already gossip about me, and I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours.”
“What kind of gossip?”
I wave my hand, even though she can’t see me.“Oh, just speculation about me being secretly married or me getting the job because of Dad.You know the works.”
“Yikes.Is the guy you're married to at least—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence.”
She laughs, and I hear the sound change.“I’ve gotta go.I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know if I have any gossip.”
“Please do.I need to live vicariously through your drama-free workplace.”
“Drama-free?Have you met doctors?”she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.“Talk soon.I love you.”
“Love you too.”
