Page 29 of Dr. Aster

“Get in line,” I said. “I’d like to know who she is too, but she won’t give me more than a medical conversation, and now she’s trying to dig into my personal life.”

“Medical conversation?” Collin said before Sam could. “Oh, you’re so fucked.”

“You already know I won’t go there with anyone that I work with,” I said, hoping I could cover up my slip-up.

“Seems you already have,” Sam said.

“No,” I answered, desperate to escape this conversation. “I met her at a medical conference.”

“When?” Collin interrogated.

“Two months ago,” I lied.

“The one in Vegas?” Sam asked.

I watched both men’s eyes shift to the other, then back to me.

“It doesn’t matter when I met her. It’s just irritating me that she’s—” I paused. I was heading down a rabbit hole of lies, which wasn’t my style. I was confused enough that I felt this way about Mickie and her constant rejection of my advances, and I knew if I didn’t shut my mouth, I would spin a web of bullshit that wouldn’t make sense to even me.

“Yeah, if both of us were stupid fucks, we’d believe you met some doctor at a medical conference,” Sam said.

“Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?” I said, trying to blow it off. “The worst part is that I said anything because you two are the last fuckers on the planet I would go to for relationship advice.”

“I’m wildly offended by that,” Collin said. “In fact, I’m more than offended.”

“Why, because you’re living your fairytale romance?” I teased.

“Yeah,” he said, eyes wide as if I’d finally gotten a point he was trying to make. “I busted my ass to learn the whole soulmate love can suck but is worth it in the end shit. When your relationship repeatedly kicks you in the balls, and you don’t know which way is up or down, I’m the guy to come to for advice.”

Before Collin married his wife, they went down a very bumpy road, so I knew he was being earnest. Elena was also a doctor, and they fell head-over-heels for each other, but she was in a terrible accident that took it all away in a blink, and it took a long time for them to come back together. If anyone knew how to overcome the trials and tribulations of relationships, it was Collin.

“Okay, you’re right,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. I looked up and saw Jake Mitchell—Chief of Cardiology and my patient Ashley’s husband—approaching our table.

“Jesus Christ,” Collin said to his friend as Jake sat beside him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go out in public in your scrubs. You promised me that if you started falling off the edge with what’s going on with Ash, I’d be the first person you’d come to, and we’d get you back on track.”

Jake subtly smiled, and I could tell he probably hadn’t been making that gesture a lot lately. “Fuck,” he said, looking down at his clothes. “I didn’t even think to change after leaving the hospital. It was a long fucking day, and I was ready to leave.”

“How is Ash?” Collin asked Jake before he eyed me, knowing she was under my care and scheduled for surgery in two days.

“Scared,” Jake said as he looked at me. “Thank God for you, though, man.”

My brain switched gears after seeing the expression in his eyes, “We’re going to take care of her, and she’ll be yet another success story.”

“What am I missing?” Sam asked, looking at us like we’d started speaking another language.

“Life in the ER doesn’t allow you to stand around and gossip like it does for us on the fancy upper floors, eh?” Jake teased. It was nice to see him lighten up a bit, although I was confident that downing the glass of scotch that was waiting for him helped in that area.

“Is your wife okay?” Sam said, his seriousness not wavering.

“She was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer,” Jake offered. “Thank God that John was a magician with his words, though, and she’s chosen the path of surgery and chemo as opposed to her natural healthcare method.”

“I don’t think it was all me,” I said truthfully.

“No,” Collin said as his lobster was placed before him. “I know it was all you, and I wasn’t even there. Ash is not the type to put chemicals in her body. Even if it is to save her life.”

“That’s true,” Jake agreed, spinning the plate Collin had ordered for him to get to his vegetables before the lamb. He looked at me. “Thank you for reminding her that she was going through this for me and the kids,” he said, his eyes pooling with tears.

“Man,” Sam said in a hushed voice. “I’m so sorry, Jake.”

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