Page 43 of Egotistical Jerk
Pulling it out, I frowned when I recognized Newlife hospital's number flashing on the screen. I hadn't spoken to anyone from there since my clinical rotations. With a shrug, I swiped the green button and pressed the device against my ear.
"Hello."
"Good day. I'm looking for a Dr. Mia Phillips," said the crisp feminine voice at the other end of the line.
"This is she."
Another thought struck. The hospital closest to aunt Vera was Newlife. What if something had happened to her? She was all by herself in that house. She could've fallen or worse, her heart could've given out. My blood ran cold while my own heart tried to break out of my chest. Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed the panic away.
"You're speaking to Dr. Victoria Shaw," she started. "I was wondering if you could come in for an interview."
What?"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Did you say an interview?"
Dr. Shaw let out a small laugh. "Yes, I did."
The lines on my forehead deepened. Lifting my hand, I touched my finger to my eyebrow, rubbing furiously along the hairline.
"But I didn't apply for a position at your hospital."
"Oh, I know. We're expanding and that means adding a diagnostics department to our hospital. We would prefer to bring someone on board who is familiar with our facility. It was mentioned that we look into some doctors who'd done their clinical rotations with us. Your name kept coming up which led to this phone call."
My ears were hearing the words, but my brain was having trouble understanding them. Feeling a little dizzy, I fell back against the wall. Dr. Shaw must've understood what my silence meant, when she spoke again, her voice was soft.
"This must be a lot to take in. Why don't you take some time to think about it, and I'll call you back in a couple of days?"
I licked my lips. "I'd appreciate that."
"Very well. We'll talk soon. Goodbye, Dr. Phillips." The line went dead, and I finally remembered how to breathe. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and dropped my hands to my knees, focusing on the floor beneath my feet.
"Are you okay?"
Lifting my gaze from the floor, I met Bridget's concerned one. I straightened slowly and tugged on the hem of my shirt. "I don't know."
"Oh no, what happened?" She was next to me in an instant, eyes furiously scanning my face.
Shaking my head, I told her about the phone call. Even saying the words out loud didn't help them sink in.
"Mia!" she exclaimed. "That's wonderful."
"I guess." I shrugged. "I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain around it."
Bridget smiled one of those smiles that said everything would be fine. "Of course you are, and that's okay."
"Please don't tell Simon. He'll accidentally tell Sebastian, and I prefer he hears it from me."
Laughing, she nudged my shoulder. "Speaking of Sebastian, there's a rumor going around that the two of you were holding hands in the cafeteria yesterday."
With a groan, I closed my eyes and turned my face toward the ceiling. What was this? High school?
"Are you serious?"
So much for keeping things on the down-low for now.
"Don't worry, Rose has a reputation of embellishing the truth." Leaning in close, she whispered, "But it's true, right? Are you and Sebastian… you know?"
No use in denying it. "We are."
I didn't miss the little flutter in my belly at the thought of Sebastian and I being an 'us'.
