He’s late.
I should have his balls for making me sit here alone in this awkward silence.
My fingers continue drumming.
“Coffee?” Dr. Terrace asks.
I raise my chin and give a polite smile. “No,” I say, way too quickly. “Thank you.”
He nods and leans back in his chair, the silence so damn loud that I can all but hear the hundreds of heart monitors beeping away throughout the hospital. The awkwardness builds and judging by the look on his face, he feels it too.
I give the guy a tight smile and am just about to offer to go and wait outside when his office door barges open and Thorne comes rushing in. A subtle, “Oh, thank fuck,” is heard from Dr. Terrance as Thorne comes hurrying into the room.
“I’m sorry,” he rushes out, grabbing the chair beside mine and dropping into it so fast that I fear it might crumble beneath him. “I had a little mishap with my parking spot this morning. Some dick in an Aston Martin stole my space. I nearly crashed right into the thing, but I would have been doing the guy a favor. I find dicks who drive Aston Martins are usually arrogant assholes.”
Thorne turns his gaze on me, clearly realizing that I’ve been sitting through torture here without him. ‘Sorry,’ he mouths with a grin, his eyes sparkling with mirth and making me wonder if he’s even sorry at all.
Dr. Terrace clears his throat and looks at my boyfriend. “So, I trust you’ve seen my brand new Aston Martin,” he says, clearly not impressed.
I press my lips into a tight line, trying my hardest to avoid bursting into laughter at my boyfriend’s expense as his face drops in horror. “I, uhh … shit. It’s a beautiful car, sir. Feel free to park it there anytime you need.”
“Hmmm, I will,” he says, narrowing his gaze on Thorne before flicking his eyes between us as a couple. “Let’s not waste time discussing vehicles. There’s a much more pressing topic that needs to be sorted out.”
I nod as Thorne agrees. “Yes, there certainly is,” he says, his eyes darkening with disdain. “How is Dr. Harding doing this morning? I trust he is recovering well.”
Dr. Terrace narrows his eyes and watches Thorne in suspicion before slowly nodding. “Yes, he is recovering just fine,” he says, his tone low and dismissive. “However, your judgment on the matter and your need to bring violence into my hospital is a completely different situation, one which will be dealt with in due time.”
Thorne cringes. “Yes, sir.”
“As for yesterday’s incident, I would very much like to say that I am appalled by Dr. Harding’s actions,” he says, slowly dragging his gaze to mine. “I regret that this has happened in my hospital, and therefore tarnished our name. The board has reviewed the statements made by yourselves and the staff and have also reviewed the security footage.”
“Security footage?” I question, mentally going over the break room and not being able to recall a security camera.
“Yes,” Dr. Terrace says. “In the hallway outside the break room, there is a security camera which captured Dr. Harding’s heinous behavior in the reflection of the glass. I can assure you that we will be taking immediate action to have Dr. Harding removed from our hospital and his license suspended pending an investigation. The board will be having a thorough look into his past employment and finding out the real reasons for his prior dismissals. My hospital is a place for healing. There is already enough loss within these walls and I will not accommodate a man who has such blatant disrespect for my staff.”
I glance over at Thorne who reaches his hand across to mine. I take it eagerly and he quickly squeezes it, giving me all his support. “So, I’m not going to lose my job?”
Dr. Terrace’s eyes widen in surprise. “Good heavens, no. What would ever give you that impression?”
“I …” I shrug my shoulders. “To be honest, it probably has something to do with no sleep, overthinking, and the four coffees I’ve had before 9 a.m.”
“That would do it,” Thorne says under his breath with an amused scoff.
Dr. Terrace ignores Thorne’s comment and turns his heavy stare back to mine. “There is nothing for you to worry about here. The situation has been handled. I wish for all of my staff to feel safe walking my halls. However, I know attacks such as these can leave a scar, so feel free to speak with one of our doctors upstairs,” he says, referring to our many therapists. “Though, I do understand that speaking with a therapist isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea.”
“So, that’s it?” I ask.
“That’s it,” he confirms. “I’ve done everything that I can do. Now, if you would like to take the situation further by filing a police report, that is completely your decision, and if that is the road you would like to take, then know that you have the full support of this hospital.”
My eyes begin to water. “Thank you,” I say, feeling the relief begin to wash over me. “I haven’t decided if I want to talk with the police yet, but the more I think about it, the more I think that I should.”
Thorne squeezes my hand once again as Dr. Terrace nods. “In my opinion, men like Dr. Harding will continue this disgusting behavior because they get away with it. You have an opportunity here to save another woman from suffering what you’ve been through, and perhaps she won’t be as lucky as you to have people nearby to help.”
I nod and look over at Thorne. “What do you think?”
“I’m with Dr. Terrace on this one,” he tells me. “He needs to be stopped, and you have the power to do that. He’s right, you could be saving a woman just like you from something so much worse.”
“Okay,” I tell them both. “I’ll head down to the police station after my shift today and formally file a report.”
“Excellent,” Dr. Terrace says. “Do let me know how it goes.”
I give him a tight smile before standing. “I just want to say thank you for your time and for taking this matter so seriously. Hospitals that I have worked at in the past would have turned a blind eye.”
He returns my smile and just when I go to walk away, his voice bounces off every wall of his office. “Just where do you think you’re going?” he questions, making my back stiffen. “There is still the matter of your relationship that needs to be discussed.”
I cringe before lowering myself back into my seat and taking in the anxious look in Thorne’s eyes. “Right …” I say slowly. “That.”
“Yes, that,” Dr. Terrace says. “It’s my understanding that the two of you have become romantically involved, and as I am sure you would know, any form of sexual relations between colleagues goes against hospital policy.”
“It’s true,” Thorne says, raising his chin in defiance. “Autumn and I are involved, however, it is so much more than just a sexual relationship. I have every intention of marrying this woman, so it’s important to me that you know it’s not my intention to shit all over your policies, but I will not be leaving this woman, not even for my job. And if I can be blunt,” he adds, almost like an afterthought, “the policy merely suggests that a relationship is frowned upon, not blatantly dismissed and disregarded.”