Page 20 of Egotistical Jerk
"Don't just stand there," Cheryl's voice sounded. "There's room on the bed with us and there's a big 'ole couch right there." The look she was giving me had me wondering if she knew what was going on in my mind.
"Actually," Mia said carefully, turning her gaze to the old woman next to her. "I'm going to go." She twisted and gave Cheryl a small hug. "I'll stop by again tomorrow, okay?"
She slipped off the bed and tugged at the hem of her shirt; righting the garment.
That concern I'd felt when I'd first found out she'd been visiting Cheryl on her days off nipped at my spine again. And not for the reasons she believed. I'd gone through this countless times before and it never got easier. In my own stupid way, I was trying to spare her the pain of losing a friend.
During my first year of residency, I'd met a resilient little girl named Belinda. She had just been diagnosed with a debilitating immune disease we didn't know much about. Something like that would have been scary for anyone at any age, but this girl, she was more concerned for the other kids in the ward.
I'd started spending most of my free time with her; playing games, watching movies, whatever she wanted to do. When I arrived one afternoon to find her bed empty, and the room turned back into an empty sterile space, it broke me.
It ate away at some part of me that still hadn't recovered.
"Dr. Ryker." By the time I pulled myself away from that dreadful memory, Mia was slipping past me. A flicker of green caught my eye before she looked away. The sweet smell of citrus tickling my nose for a brief moment. Unable to stop it, my gaze followed her as she made her way down the hallway toward the elevator.
The only explanation I had for doing what I did next was that I'd completely lost my mind. Shooting an apologetic gaze to Cheryl who was still watching me with that knowing look on her face, I said, "I'll be right back."
Without giving it a second thought, I pivoted and hurried in the direction Mia had gone.
"Phillips!"
At the sound of her name, she stopped walking and slowly spun around. The instant she saw me rushing toward her, she spread her feet and pulled her shoulders back. Arms tucked tightly beneath her breasts, she tilted her chin in that defiant manner and waited.
The fire I saw flashing in her eyes when I came to a standstill in front of her burned hot and angry.
"Yes, Dr. Ryker?" her voice was clipped, her irritation with me evident in her ticking jaw.
Again, my mind conjured up that word I shouldn't be thinking around her: beautiful. She was so damn beautiful it made my chest ache. And that right there pissed me off. No woman, ever, had invaded my mind in such a way.
"If you're just gonna stand there."
She let her words hang between us for a beat before she took a step back and dropped her arms to her side. She was in the process of turning around when my arm shot out, my fingers banding around her wrist.
"I told you not to get involved."
The words fell from my lips, low and harsh. It wasn't what I'd planned on saying, but for whatever reason, my thoughts left my mouth all jumbled and twisted.
Of course, she didn't know that. A warning flashed in her eyes. With one hard tug, she pulled her arm from my grip and gave me a look that hit me straight in the balls.
"Excuse me?" With her hands balled up into tight fists, she surged forward. Tilting her head back, Mia glared at me, nostrils flaring. "When I am not here in an official capacity, you are not my boss. You don't have a say in how I spend my free time."
She was standing so close, if I bent down slightly, I'd be able to touch my mouth to hers. Shit, I'd never wanted to do anything in my life as much as I wanted to do just that. However, this wasn't the time or place. In fact, I wasn't sure there'd ever be a right time or place.
Swallowing hard, I dipped my chin to my chest. "She needs a doctor more than she needs a friend."
She made a noise; an angry, exasperated noise. "Ugh!" Mia's arms flew into the air. "You're so full of shit! What the hell areyoudoing here?" Those green eyes of hers narrowed dangerously. "It's your day off, too."
"It's none of—"
"My business?" she finished for me. "Yeah, right back at you."
Grinding my teeth, I gritted out, "You don't understand."
"No, Dr. Ryker. You're the one who doesn't understand. I'm not you. People matter to me. I can't switch off my emotions with a flick of a wrist."
"You've got me all wrong."
"I don't think so," she countered. With her brow arched high, she went on. "Actions speak louder than words."
