ent. Then months to get him or her properly trained.”
My gut tightens. Getting fired would make it very difficult to find another position at a good hospital.
He puts his pen down and sighs. “I expected more from you, Ben. In three years, I’ve never once seen you do anything against hospital policy. Not once, which is why I’m willing to let you explain what happened the other night.”
“I was kissing a patient. We went out to eat after my shift was over and talked all night, then when we left, well, you saw what happened. She’s been staying at my place ever since.”
His jaw drops. “Well, I wasn’t expecting you to be quite so forthcoming.”
I shrug. “No point in lying to you. You know what you saw.”
Dr. Harper stares for a moment, no expression on his face, so I go on.
“It won’t happen again. I can assure you of that.”
“Why would I believe that?”
“Because we’re completely in love. We’re going to get married as soon as we can sort out the details.”
He bursts out laughing and shakes his head.
A wave of relief floods through me while I wait for him to explain what’s so funny.
“That’s exactly what happened with my wife and me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She came in with a broken wrist. Let’s just say roller-skating wasn’t exactly her forte. After my shift, we talked all night and I knew she was it for me.”
“So, I’m not fired?”
“No, of course not. I was talking about Peter. He’s definitely on the way out, which means I’ll need you to pull extra shifts until I find a new doctor.”
“Of course. Won’t be a problem.” My shoulders relax now that my job is safe. Part of me feels bad for Peter, but with the number of times he’s let us all down, he definitely deserves it.
“What? Twenty-four hours?” Lila says. “That means I won’t see you again before I leave.”
I told her to call me on my lunch break so I could let her know what happened with my boss. Once I got through the story, I filled her in on the bad news. “I know. I’m really sorry. If I could change it, I would.”
“I know you would. I don’t mean to be a big baby about it. I just miss you so much already and it’s only been a few hours.”
I sigh, feeling the full weight of her leaving. “Me, too.”
“Why don’t I come by and meet you on your next break?” she asks, sounding sad.
“I’d love that. Can you be here around nine tonight? I’ll have an hour.”
“We’ll just have to make the most of that, won’t we?”
The rest of the day drags even though we’re much busier than usual. I find myself checking the clock every ten minutes or so, waiting for my supper break, waiting for Lila to come walking through the doors again. Finally, we get a lull and the waiting room is empty. The nurses all go to the back to have a quick break while I stand in front of the reception desk, filling in some charts.
Then I hear her voice behind me. “Is there a doctor around? I need to be examined right away.”
I turn and smile, wrapping my arms around her even though I know I shouldn’t. I grin down at her. “Yes, Miss, I’m a doctor. What seems to be the trouble?”
“It’s a little embarrassing, really.”
“Oh, you don’t have to be embarrassed with me. Believe me, I’ve heard it all.”