The less I thought about that, the better. I still had his pen in my pocket, but in my defense, it was a really nice pen. I’d smuggled his jacket out of here last night like I’d started trading in blood diamonds, glancing over my shoulder every few steps and clutching my bag to my side the whole time. I figured it wassafer at my place than in my office, even while I rationalized thatno onewould care about a stray jacket, much less demand an accounting of how it came to be in there.
As I approached the group, the third-year cohort peeled off, leaving behind the first-years. Residents didn’t rotate to transplant surgery after the first year unless they chose it. I had Jenelle because she’d chosen transplant as an elective. I was hoping I could convince the residency director to trim down some of her other rotations and let me keep her a little longer.
“I have to say,” I started, “I’m impressed to see that you’re all still standing after getting called in at three in the morning and a nonstop day of surgery.” I dropped a hand to Jenelle’s shoulder. “How many kidneys did we transplant today?”
She held up a hand, wiggling her fingers. “Five. It was raining kidneys around here.” She motioned to the first-years. “Everyone here scrubbed in at least once.”
“Yeah, I saw Dr. Ansari when I assisted Dr. Hirano this afternoon. Nicely done.”
He nodded in acknowledgment. I had a soft spot for the quiet ones.
“It was insane.” Tori ran her hands through her short cropped hair. “Can we do it again tomorrow?”
“I’ll page you at three a.m.,” Jenelle said. “See if you’re still interested.”
Tori bounced from foot to foot. “I already know I’ll be down for it.”
Cami stepped forward, saying, “We were just talking about going out to celebrate the end of our first week in transplant surgery. It’s a little tradition we started during our first rotation and it would be great if you’d join us.” When I didn’t respond immediately, she added, “Copeland is in and the pediatric surgery group is going to be there too.”
“I heard from a few people that Dr. Acevedo will be there,” Tori said. “Rumor has it he’s buying the first round. Can we put you down for the second?” When she saw me biting back a laugh, she added, “Game recognizes game.”
I had to respect how hard Tori went with everything, even if I’d sooner donate my own kidney to avoid this shindig. “I appreciate the offer though I’ll have to pass tonight. Be sure to ask Dr. Acevedo about his time with Doctors Without Borders. He has some amazing stories.”
“Is there anything we can do to convince you to come along?” Cami asked. “Help me out here, Hazlette.” She gave him a conspiratorial grin. “You’re the one who always gets everyone together.”
I met Henry’s gaze and instantly knew it was a bad idea. Part of the problem was that he looked at me like he knew me, like he could read my thoughts the same as words on a page. The other part, perhaps the most dangerous of all, was that I wanted—secretly, desperately, loudly—to be known.
After a pause, he said, “You should stop by.”
Meri and Brie and everyone else would say I was strong and fearless, but that wasn’t always how it sounded in my head, and right now I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to hold off a man who seemed determined to know me.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I needyou to come to a bar tonight and physically restrain me,” I said into my phone as I climbed the stairs of my Temple Street brownstone. I lived on the third floor, which made for a lot of time on these stairs.
“Who is this?” Meri teased. “I’m sorry, but you have the wrong number unless you’re paying fifteen hundred an hour for my services.”
I laughed. “Is that all?”
“Yes, darling, I’m giving you my friends and family rate.”
“Because you’re a gem,” I said. “So, listen. The best man and my first-year residents kind of cornered me into showing up at their happy hour tonight. That would be fine if I didn’t keep making supremely bad decisions every time I get within ten feet of him so I need you to be theoh hell nofriend. Can you meet me there? Please?”
She blew out a long breath. “I wish I could, but I have a thing.”
“What’s the thing? How is it that I didn’t know about a thing?”
I stepped into my apartment and found Brie sitting on the floor in the living room, her laptop on the coffee table and a giant to-go cup of iced coffee in her hand. I glanced between her and the coffee withare you seriously drinking that?eyes. She pursed her lips and turned back to her screen as if the flare-up all that caffeine would cause didn’t bother her.
Today Brie was never concerned with Tomorrow Brie’s problems. I was the only one concerned with all the problems, all the time.
“It’s nothing,” Meri said in my ear. “It’s just a thing.”
“It’s a thing you don’t want to tell me about?”
“It’s really not a big deal and it’s been such a crazy week that I didn’t even remember to mention it,” she said, and her glib tone made it clear that she knew none of this made sense. “But maybe I can swing by this happy hour thing on my way home? Text me the location. Hey, should I call you at a certain time with some kind of fake emergency so you can leave? Anything to keep your virtue intact, young lady.”
“My virtue is long gone, but I’d love to keep some of my sanity and all of my job.” I headed toward my bedroom and closed the door behind me. I didn’t know what was going on with Meri and why she was so oddly evasive, but I’d get to the bottom of that some other time. “Should I change? I’m wearing those gray pants, the ones with the superfine windowpane print and that barely pink button-down that you always threaten to steal.”
