Page 48 of Dr. Intern

“I’ve got you,” I soothe as we make it to the toilet just in time for her to throw up again.

“I’ve got you,” I repeat, gently pulling her hair back. I hold it away from her face as she continues to wretch.

“Sorry,” Claire whispers between breaths, clearly embarrassed.

“Don’t be,” I reply softly, rubbing my free hand along her back. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Once she steadies herself, I wet a washcloth with cool and crouch down to her level, gently rubbing it over her forehead.

“You don’t have to do that,” she says, sitting back on her heels as she flushes the toilet.

“I know. But I want to.”

Claire takes the washcloth from my hands and starts wiping the makeup off her face as she watches me. I know she’s drunk and probably won’t remember any of this in the morning, but for some reason, it feels like she’s staring into my soul. Like she knows that I’m trying my hardest not to cross a line right now, yet she’s daring me to cross it anyway.

“I could have gone home with a guy tonight you know,” she admits after a moment.

“I’m glad you didn’t.” I offer a tight smile, trying to control the thoughts that come to my mind when I consider what could have happened if she had. They wouldn’t have taken care of her—they would have taken advantage of her.

“Our waiter gave me his number and wanted me to come over once he was done with his shift.” Her slightly reddened eyes narrow, watching for my reaction.

I shake my head, getting up to grab her some water. “I don’t think that’s the kind of guy you want, Claire.”

“Oh, isn’t it?” she says, taking the full glass from me and sipping. “And how would you know?”

Before I can respond, she laughs into the water and says to herself, “Duh, he’s a doctor. He knows everything.”

I can’t help but chuckle at that comment. We come from similar backgrounds, with families full of medical professionals. You have to fight tooth and nail to get your way, because usually the answer to an argument is, “I know more than you.”

“I just want someone to want me,” Claire says quietly, looking down at the floor.

I can tell this side of her, vulnerable and raw, is something she doesn’t let people see very often. She’s normally so confident and witty, always ready with a comeback. I’d do anything to get that version of her back. To get her to understand just how wanted she is.

“Surely you have higher standards than a one-night stand with a waiter who allowed you to get this drunk,” I reply, a bit more sharply than I intend.

They should have stopped her several drinks ago, and I need to remember to text Cass in the morning and thank her for making sure Claire got home safely. Cassidy gave me a heads up that they were out together and that Claire was leaving around midnight, though if I had known she was in this bad of shape, I would have walked over to get her myself.

“Not anymore,” Claire huffs, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, crouching down again to tuck the hair behind her ear.

She sighs dramatically and closes her eyes. “The last guy I wanted didn’t want me, so now I’ve gotta take what I can get.”

Her words spark a fierce protectiveness in me. The idea of someone rejecting her is infuriating. Claire is every man’s ideal woman, and any douche who fails to see that isn’t worthy of her. Whenever I find out who it was, I’ll kick their ass.

“Well, he was a damn fool to not want you,” I offer, trying to boost her confidence.

“At least you finally admit it,” she says with a small laugh as her eyes meet mine. There’s a vulnerability in her gaze, a shimmer of unshed tears that makes my heart break.

“What?” I ask, confused by her comment.

She lets out an exasperated exhale as her pretty eyes roll to the back of her head. “For someone so smart, you really are very stupid.”

I search her face, trying to understand what she’s talking about. When I don’t say anything, she quietly adds, “I’m talking about you, idiot. You never called me.”

Shit—I’ve gotta kick my own ass.

Does Claire really think I never called her? That I didn’t want her?

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