Page 115 of Sweet Heart

So fucking sexy!

08:05 a.m. – The Sixers - Isa

What can we bring?

08:06 a.m. – The Sixers - Mary

So, we’re doing this?

08:09 a.m. – The Sixers - Celeste

[Reply to Riley] I have to work, babe.

I shake my head. The girls haven’t been quiet since yesterday except for a four-hour window when most of us finally caught up on some sleep. I type out a quick response that I’m on call before slipping the phone into my pocket and stepping out of my office.

Within two steps, Honda slides up next to me. His posture is still rigid, but he has softened significantly over the past few days. We are not what we used to be, and that is okay. I can’t expect him to change his viewpoints for a dynamic he is not even part of. I can expect him to be a decent and fair human being, though, and right now he is.

“Are you ready for rotations?”

“Might as well get it over with.”

“Hm,” he hums. “I hate how they always come at exactly the wrong time.”

“Just got your puppies to do what you want, huh?”

He scoffs, but there is a smile tugging on his lips. We’ll be okay. Eventually.

“Hola y buenos días.”

Carmen slides up to my other side with a big smile on her face, her skin dark from the sun. She hands me the schedule, and I glance quickly at it.

“They are in the bay.”

“We really need a better place for this.”

“We could take them to the staff room,” she says with a shrug, and Honda and I both look at her. “Yeah, yeah, I heard it as soon as I said it,” she murmurs as she waves us off.

We walk through the doors toward a small group. I look at the roster again. Five residents, three fellows, and one attending. I silently curse how this day will absolutely get away from me.

“Good morning, everyone,” I say in a loud, crisp tone while glancing over the names of the senior staff they will meet with first. “Welcome to the trauma bay. Most of you will be here for one month, so let’s make it count.”

I lift my head to see all the faces turned to me. My stomach leaps when I am met with hazel-green eyes that pierce right through my soul, and even though my feet keep moving, my breath hitches.

“Joder,” Carmen mutters under her breath, somehow making me feel a little better.

“My name is Doctor Catherine Durand. I am Head of Trauma.” I drone on, speaking on autopilot, but my pulse is racing. “These are Doctor James Honda, second-in-command, and Head Nurse Carmen Rodrigues.”

I glance in her direction and see the same struggle to keep a straight face that must be apparent on mine. I silently curse myself.

“You will all be assigned a senior staff member, but if at any point you have questions about your rotation, tasks, or any ethical dilemmas, you can address Doctor Honda or me. Is that clear?”

The group nods. Everyone except for her. Her lips just curve up into a sly, lopsided grin, and I already hate her for it. It tugs at my core, and my body responds instantly to the way she drags her gaze over me.

“Good.” I power on. “Then let’s go over the names. Lilly Shaker?”

“Yes,” a plump blonde answers, and I nod.

“James Jones?”