“Do it, Skylar.”
“I have to get this to my patient. She’s in pain.”
“Fine. I’m going with you. Then I’ll stand over you while you unblock me. I need a way to be able to talk to you, so the choice is yours on how I do that.”
I push against him, but it’s useless. He’s holding one arm, and the other has a basin with a syringe in it. “No. I said no. We’re broken up, and I want you to leave me alone.”
His voice turns deathly cold and still, while his grip on my arm is bruising. “And I just told you, that’s never going to happen.”
“Dr. Wesley,” a sharp voice comes from behind him. “Get your hand off Skylar immediately.”
Josh’s face hardens, his eyes narrowing, but he releases me and turns around to face Aston.
“This doesn’t concern you, Dr. Hughes. It’s a private conversation between me and Skylar.”
“Not in the middle of the hospital, it’s not, and not while you’re on my service. You’ve already been paged twice. Now I had to come down here to find you because you ignored them. Wrong thing to do. You’re on scut all weekend along with your intern. If I have to have a conversation with you like this again, you won’t see the inside of an OR for a month. Am I understood?”
Josh is breathing fire, but he’s got nothing on Aston right now. I’ve never seen more controlled rage in my life. But he’s calm whereas Josh is anything but.
Josh turns back to me. “This conversation isn’t over.”
Without a word to Aston, he storms off, and I release the breath I was holding, working to fight back tears. As it is, I’m trembling.
Aston glances left and right to make sure we’re alone and then steps into me without touching me. “Are you okay?”
“Just dandy.”
Aston studies me, though his expression doesn’t soften. “By five o’clock, you’ll be married and safe.”
“I don’t know if it’ll stop him.” And what do I do about the baby? I don’t want him to know about it. Maybe not ever.
“Hey. It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out. We will.”
I nod slowly. It’s not his problem, married or not. It’s mine to figure out, and I will. “Michaela wants to ask you out.”
His lips thin at the topic change, and he folds his arms over his chest. “Did you tell her?”
“Do you want to date her and see where it can go?”
“No. I’m not interested in her. Answer my question.”
“I didn’t have a chance to because Josh showed up. But it’s going to complicate things when I do.”
He shrugs. “Or maybe she’ll be happy for you.”
“That I’m pregnant with one guy’s baby and marrying another because of it?” I smart.
“Not quite sure that’s how you should phrase it. Maybe try telling her you’ve secretly been obsessed with me for two years but were too afraid to say anything.”
“Ha!” bursts out of me as a loud laugh. My nerves are making me a disaster. “Or maybe you’re the one who’s obsessed.”
His lips twitch. “Maybe. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Dr. Hughes. I’m tougher than I look.”
“I believe that.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Go take care of your patient, and I’ll see you later. But if you need me, page me. I’ll keep Dr. Wesley off the floor.”
With that, he walks off to get back to work, and I do the same. But if I were having doubts about marrying Aston, now those are gone.
