Her computer was old, and she had complained to James the previous week about how slow it was. She had the money to buy a new one, but she just hadn’t gotten around to picking out a new computer.
It was a lovely gesture, but it was too much. Any guy who had enough money to buy her expensive gifts made her uneasy. It reminded her too much of her mother’s lovers.
She slammed the locker shut and went looking for James. He was in the cafeteria, speaking with another doctor.
“Dr. Johnson,” she said. “When you have a moment, I’d like to discuss a diagnosis I made yesterday.”
He excused himself, putting his arm on her shoulder to lead her to a more private place.
“Did you get the surprise?” he asked eagerly.
“I was surprised, that’s for sure. What are you playing at?”
He blinked. “I’m sorry. I thought you said you needed a new laptop.”
“I do, but I don’t need you to get it for me. We aren’t together. Don’t you have a girlfriend you should be spending your money on instead?”
He was stunned by her reaction. It was not what he expected. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be fooling around with you, would I?”
“How would I know that?”
“If you don’t want the computer, I’ll return it. It’s not a big deal,” he said calmly. “If there’s something else bothering you, we can talk about it.”
“Nothing,” she said.
He raised his eyebrows at her.
“Are you seeing someone? Someone else, I mean.”
He laughed. It annoyed her that he took her accusation so lightly.
“What makes you think that?”
“I heard a rumor you had a girlfriend. I’m not one to be a home wrecker.”
He leaned in closer. “You’re new here, so you haven’t learned this yet, but people come up with ridiculous rumors all the time. You can’t believe half of what you hear.”
She felt a little relieved.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded. “But that doesn’t mean that I want your expensive gifts.”
“Noted.”
“Anyway, don’t you have some student loans to pay off?”
“Nope,” he said, looking for a change of subject. “You know,” he said, looking at his watch, “I’ve got a few more minutes until rounds start. Do you want to find a nice deserted closet?”
She turned and went to the lab without saying another word to him. She’d make him suffer for just a little while longer.
The lab was a safe place for Isabella to hide from James. He rarely went in there, and when he did, it was for a quick word with Dr. Jensen. They only needed her extra help for a few more days, and then she’d be back on the floor with the other interns.
Away from James, she could actually focus on her work. She was enjoying her afternoon, interviewing patients and analyzing data sets, when she got a page to immediately report to OR 2. She ran to the operating room, curious as to what she would find.
Much to her dismay, when she arrived, it was just James, standing by a body covered with a sheet.
“That was quick,” he said, looking at his watch. “Wish the other interns moved as quickly as you.”
She eyed the dead body. “Don’t tell me you called me here to look at a cadaver with you. I’ve seen plenty of them.”
“Oh, this guy?” he asked as if he didn’t see it before she mentioned it. “Don’t worry about him. He won’t start any rumors about us. Besides, it was the only empty room I could find.”
“Find for what?” she asked with a good idea of what he was after.
“I haven’t touched you in four days,” he cooed. “I want you, Isabella.”
Her heart rate increased. She hated how her body betrayed her when she wanted to carry on with her work.
“Not in here,” she said. “There’s one too many dead bodies around for my comfort.”
“Fine,” he countered. “Let’s meet up outside of work.”
“Like in a cheap hotel?”
“No. Dinner or a movie, then back to my place.”
“Are you asking me on a date?”
“What would you say if I were?”
She gave a short laugh. “I’d say that wasn’t what we agreed to. If you’ll excuse me, I have some work I need to do.”
She left the room as he massaged his temple with one hand. She may have won that round, but James was not one to give up when he wanted something.
Chapter Eight
It took a few hours, but eventually, Isabella’s annoyance with James dissipated. She was a little surprised that he wanted to take their relationship outside the hospital. Also, did he actually mean to ask her out on a date?
She tried to imaging going on an actual date with James. Would she let him pay, or would they split the bill? Would they go somewhere casual, like a pizza joint, or an expensive restaurant? Would they go back to his place afterward for sex?
That was a silly thought. Of course they would.
Isabella hadn’t had a lot of dating experience. At the age of twenty-seven, she had only been on a handful of dates. She was told that she was intimidating and that it didn’t help her chances of finding a man. She didn’t have the time to care, though. School took over, and she reasoned that she could date once she was established in her career. Besides, if a guy wasn’t secure enough to date a strong, intelligent career woman, she wasn’t interested.
She pushed the idea of dating from her mind. She basically already turned James down. He wouldn’t ask her again.
Isabella looked at her calendar. In another ten months or so, there would be a new group of interns in the hospital. Maybe he’d give up on her and prey on one of the newbies then.
The next morning, she arrived at the hospital a little later again. Talking to James was always an experience, but she wasn’t in the mood for it this time.
She opened her locker to find a steaming cup of coffee and a note.
I promised you that I would stop with the expensive gifts. I attached the receipt for your drink as proof. I’d like to talk to you later, in private. I won’t try any funny business, I swear. –J
She took a sip of the latte. It was sweet and strong. He seemed to know what she liked. She didn’t want a gift from him, but she was appreciative anyway because she wouldn’t have to drink the lukewarm stuff from the giant carafe in the cafeteria.
She crumpled the note and threw it into the trash can. She had finished up her research and was back with the interns. When she met up with them for rounds, they didn’t look too thrilled to see her.
“Ah, yes,” Martin muttered to another intern. “The prodigal surgeon has returned.”
“Ignore him,” Jordan whispered to her. “He’s just mad that he won’t have a chance to get the good surgeries anymore.”
James, on the other hand, looked pleased to have her back in the group. He was acting strange, though, not meeting Isabella’s eye with his characteristic grin.
“He looks stressed out,” Jordan pointed out, always the first to pick up on those things.
“I can’t imagine why,” Isabella added. “He’s got an extra minion to do his bid
ding now.”
“I’m glad you’re back, too,” Jordan said. “These fools were driving me nuts. They can’t do anything on their own.”
Things were changing around the hospital. Enough time had passed since starting the internship that most of the fear had worn off and was replaced by pure competitive spirit. Any morsel of camaraderie that was present at the beginning was now gone. Besides Jordan, the other interns were cold toward Isabella.
This hardly mattered to her. If there were a good opportunity for her, she’d do anything in her power to get it. She would stab a fellow intern in the back and not feel the slightest bit of remorse. Except for Jordan. She’d feel a little remorse for her.
The doctors around the hospital were starting to take notice of Isabella. While she wasn’t always a pleasure to be around because she was super intense, it was evident that she was highly skilled as a surgeon. Her time in the research lab gave her the opportunity to make a good name for herself. She worked with different doctors, and her hard work was paying off.
Outside of work, her social life suffered. When she had the energy to stay awake after work, she only studied. There was little time for socializing with anyone, let alone a man who would take up lots of her precious free time.
Isabella tried to steal a quick glimpse at James while he was looking at his charts. Despite his lack of sleep, he always looked so well put together. He dressed in designer clothes, while many of the other doctors did their consultations in scrubs. If he decided to leave medicine behind, he could easily model.
He did look a little different, though. He usually looked Isabella right in the eye, and it always made her feel uncomfortable. Today, his eyes were all over the place. He’d look around at the group of interns, but look toward the floor or ceiling when he got to Isabella.
When it was time to send the interns on their assignments, James sent Martin and Justin to scrub in on a surgery, and he sent the others to the urgent care clinic to help out. Isabella was annoyed. She clearly knew more about the surgery than the other two interns, yet she was being passed over. Instead, she’d listen to hypochondriacs give their grocery list of symptoms and suggest fluids and rest for the common cold.