Page 69 of Ellie 1

Alan snorted. “You never even told her that’s what you wanted. You—I can’t talk about her with you. I want to kill you.” He was quiet as he looked over what I’d printed out. “So you think going to Asia and helping to teach baby trauma surgeons will just fix this?”

“I told him to come up with an idea of penance and how to fix this,” Uncle Justin cut in, his tone a bit cold. “He’s asking for help, offering an idea like that to bring good publicity to ASH, and for therapy. If you have something else in mind that uses his skills instead of wasting them in jail—now is the time.”

I felt easier knowing that Uncle Justin would at least advocate for me even when I was in deep shit.

“No sex. Not with anyone in Asia or—you are going to become a reformed slut or so help me I will bash in your head myself,” Alan said after a few minutes.

I nodded. “Realizing I became my father cooled—”

“Enough with that bullshit,” Alan snapped.

“Hey, that’s enough,” Uncle Justin threw right back. “He’s really trying here, but you donotknow the home he camefrom and the fucked example he grew up with. I’m not excusing his behavior, but you’re a doctor and supposed to understand situations are complicated. If you had jumped in sooner and tried to help—he’s taking responsibility.”

Alan snorted. “So he says. We’ll see.”

We talked for a bit more, and Alan said he’d make this or something like it work just to get me out of the hospital. He wasn’t going to give me a therapy referral though. He said I didn’t deserve his top-tier people, but maybe if I could stay celibate for a month he’d reconsider.

But he didn’t have faith I could last that long.

Uncle Justin waited until we were outside and in the parking lot. “That man is not your friend. He will never be your friend. I’m sorry, but it’s clear where his loyalty lies, and he cares so much for that woman, he will never be objective. Are they related? What is her family like?”

“I have no idea,” I admitted, sighing when he frowned like I was an asshole. “She doesn’t know about mine either. We bonded over our families being fucked and appreciating the other left it alone.”

“Okay, fair, fair.” He patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know you saw Dr. Carpenter as a mentor and wanted to take over for him one day. That won’t happen no matter what you do now, Tommy.” He nodded when I sighed again. “Fix what you broke but maybe start checking out other hospitals to find what you need to. And I’m not saying that to get you out of Atlanta.”

No, he was saying it as my uncle and to help me which I appreciated.

I still had one favor to ask of him which I was grateful he accepted.

“Fine, but someone in the coven needs a place to live, so you’re going to sublet your place to him cheap. And sell yourdamn car. You don’t deserve that beauty after how you’ve treated too many people.”

Painful but fair. I agreed and then went home to try and focus on my future and put my life back together.

Somehow.

17

Ha-Joon

“Dr. Fitz is out,” my office manager told me as she sat down across from me in the cafeteria. She nodded when I did a double take. “Word is he came in with his coven leader this morning and sat down with Dr. Carpenter. No one knows the details yet and you can only imagine the rumors, but a memo went out to the emergency department, trauma teams,andthe surgical department.”

“Saying what? He’s fired?” I asked.

“No, sabbatical,” she answered, nodding when I growled. “But it said at least six months. This isn’t some quickie out of sight punishment. Word is he’s going to Asia to train trauma surgeons after the earthquake showed they weren’t prepared. That he’s going to brush up on his teaching skills to give back and help the program here.”

That sounded great in theory but only if Fitz took it seriously and didn’t just go through the process half-heartedly to get it done.

And if he actually left Ellie alone or not.

I needed to know and check in on her which was why I practically shoveled my food in. I could get more later or I had a freezer loaded with dumplings.

Ellie was more important, and this had to be huge on her.

I arrived at her office as the door opened and the coven leader, Justin Shields, stepped out first.

He did a double take when he saw me and snorted. “Rumors do fly around here as fast as I’ve heard.”

I wasn’t going to lie and try to play it off. “I’m glad to hear you are taking the situation seriously and personally handling it.”

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