Doctor Hero by Madison Faye
Chapter Twelve
Natalie
The door slammed behind me,and I was plunged into darkness.
The tears poured down my cheeks, and the feeling of something breaking in my chest had me gasping for air as I staggered forward. I blindly reached out for the shelves of the storage room I’d stumbled into, holding them and following them around to the far side of the room. My blurry, tear-stained eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I ducked behind a metal shelf full of paper towels and plunked down on a box full of rubber gloves.
I knew I shouldn’t be in there, but I’d known there was no way I was making it out of the building before I became a wreck. So, I’d stepped into the first private place I’d been able to find — the storage closet.
I dropped my face to my hands, sobbing as I shook my head.
You’re such an idiot.
And I knew I was. I’d been an idiot to fall for any of it — his seductive words, the way he’d looked at me, the way he’d touched me. God, he’d probably known I was a patient before I walked into that bar. He’d probably followed me there to play out a sick game of seduction.
I thought of Naomi’s words, and of the other girl he’d had — the one he’d knocked up. My stomach heaved, and my heart sank as the reality of it sunk in: I’d fallen for bullshit, hook, line, and sinker.
I was still crying when I heard the doorknob turn, and the door yanked open. I gasped, slipping off the box and crouching down in the dark shadows behind the shelf full of paper towels as a dim over-head light flicked on and footsteps entered the storage closet. The door shut with a click.
“So, this is really happening?”
The man’s voice was whiny sounding and nasally. But it’s when the other person responded that my jaw dropped.
“Oh, it’s happening. He’s gone.”
My eyes went wide. The second voice was her — the bitch who’d just ruined my world in the hallway. Naomi.
“You’re really ready to go through with this, huh?”
“To help my little brother with a job that should have been his?” Naomi scoffed. “Absolutely. Plus, Doctor Owenson is an arrogant prick anyways.”
The man — Naomi’s brother, apparently, laughed. “So, it’s personal?”
She snorted. “Maybe?”
Oh my God.
My hand went to my purse, and as quietly as I could, I slid my phone out. I knew I couldn’t see much without exposing myself, but that didn’t stop me. I flicked onto my camera, switched to video, and hit “record.”
“What’s your deal with him? I mean, Naomi, don’t get me wrong, I’m psyched you’re hooking this up for me, but what’s the deal there?”
“It’s nothing, he’s just an asshole.”
The man snorted. “He turn you down or something?”
There was silence, and then the man laughed. “Holy shit is that it? He turned you down!”
“Shut up, Kevin!”
The man chuckled. “Sorry, sorry. Hey, whatever it is, if you say he’s a dick, he’s a dick.”
“When this is over, trust me, he’s gone,” Naomi hissed. I felt my blood run hot, and for a minute, I almost stormed right out to confront her. But, I waited, my phone still recording.
“Those charges you’ve got on him. I mean, they’re not going to hold up in court or anything.”
Naomi snorted. “Of course they won’t. But it's the accusation that will stick no matter what, and once he resigns, it’s yours. I’ll make sure the board sees how good a candidate you are.”
“Perfect. I owe you huge for this, sis.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The man — Kevin — cleared his throat. “And the girl?”
“Who, Deliah?” Naomi laughed, gleefully. “She’s my fucking housekeeper’s daughter. She knows this isn’t going to court, so she was willing to do it for a few hundred bucks. College kids are cheap, Kevin.”
I saw red. My blood turned to fire in my veins, and my hands balled into fists. This woman was awful. Forget the fact that she’d obviously only stopped me to make me feel terrible, she was actively plotting on destroying Aiden’s life.
I kept on recording as she laughed about tearing down a man’s life just so she could hook her brother up with a job, until the two of them turned and walked out of the room. The light turned off, and I finally let the breath out that I’d been holding.
No. Fucking. Way.
My cheeks were still stained with tears, but I wasn’t upset anymore.
I was mad.
I was furious. That bitch thought she could mess with Aiden’s life. She thought she could ruin him. She thought she could hurt the man I loved.
…I was going to show her how fucking wrong she was. And then I was going to make her pay.
Chapter 13
Aiden
“And don’t forget, call Doctor Brody tomorrow. Jackson is a friend, I’ll let him know to expect you.” I smiled at Mrs. Watkins, turning to shake her husband’s hand.
“Hey, you guys are young, you’re healthy, you just started trying, and Doctor Brody is the best there is at what he does. Trust me, you’re not going to have any problems conceiving.”
The young couple beamed at me, thanking me profusely before they headed out.
I grinned as I collected my things. Yeah, this was what I loved about my job. But now that the day was over, it was time to go find the thing I loved more than anything in this world, and hold her like I’d never let her go.
Natalie.
I’d been too busy to call or text her since she’d left an hour before, but I could imagine her waiting for me at my place. I growled, hoping that I’d find her how I hoped I’d find her: naked and in my bed. Or maybe, naked and sitting on my kitchen counter. Or maybe naked in my bathtub on all fours.
My cock throbbed in my pants, and I groaned.
You know what? Naked in or on anything, and in any room, would work just fine for me.
I grinned, packing up my stuff and grabbing my jacket before I headed out of my office. I was fucking grinning this big dopey-ass smile, but I didn’t care. Somehow, when I least expected it, I’d found the girl of my damn dreams. And I was never going to let her slip away from me.
I was headed to the elevators, when her door opened, and she stepped right out in front of me.
Naomi.
I growled, my mood souring as she sneered at me.
“What is it now, Naomi?” I spat.
She smiled, clicking her tongue as she shook her head.
“Oh Aiden, always with the temper.”
“I’m late for something, Naomi, so whatever it is—”
“Oh, are you late to meet your little slut?”
My temper flared to red rage, and I snarled as I took a menacing step towards her.
“Excuse me?!”
“You know who I’m talking about!” she snapped. “That girl you spent the whole damn afternoon with!”
“She’s a patient—”
“Spare me, Aiden! Or are you going to try and tell me that you take all your patients into your private office and that apartment you keep back there for hours?”
I froze, my jaw clenched tight and my eyes narrowing at her.
“I’m leaving.” I strode past her, my blood roaring in my ears. “Goodnight. Nao—”
“If it’s her you’re off to see, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
I froze, muscles tensing.
“What?”
“I mean, if you made plans with her, I’d go ahead and assume she’s canceled them.”
I snarled, turning to face her, rage on my face. “The fuck are you talking about, Naomi?”
“I mean,” she sighed dramatically. “I know I’d cancel if the man I thought cared about me was really just a manwhore who’d knocked up another patient of his.”
The floor fell out from under me, and my heart stopped.
“No,” I said quietly, shaking my head.
Naomi smiled evilly. “Yes, actually. Aiden, how could I not tell her? I mean she had every right to know that the wildly inappropriate doctor who we’re going to be getting rid of soon anyways had already gotten some other poor girl pregnant.”
“You bitch!” I roared. “You had no right to—”
“I should fire you right now!” she threw back, her face red as she stepped back from me. “You can’t speak to me like that!”
“The board is in charge of my position here, Naomi,” I snarled.
“So it’s them that’ll be firing you. Probably by the end of today, actually.”
I started to open my mouth, but she stopped me.
“Oh, Aiden, the lawyers say this is a done deal. The child is yours, the girl is pressing charges, and—”
“I never touched her!”
“You did so, you pig!” she hissed. “We have Deliah’s statement and irrefutable DNA testing to prove it!”
“That’s impossible,” I hissed.
“Tell it to the board,” Naomi shot back. “You’re finished here, Owenson.”
Somehow,in a daze, I stumbled down to the parking garage. It felt like my entire world was crashing around me, but there was only one thing I cared about. Forget the job, forget the career. It didn’t matter the work I’d put into building it, not when there was something bigger for me to care about.
Natalie.
Fuck the rest of it. All that mattered was finding her, and making her see the truth. I lurched out of the elevator and stumbled for my car, my mind whirling, my heart sinking in my chest, and my vision blurring. All that mattered was Natalie. All that mattered—
“Aiden.”
My head jerked up, and my jaw dropped as my eyes locked onto her — onto my Natalie.
“Natalie—”
And suddenly she was in my arms. Suddenly, she’d thrown herself into me, wrapping her arms tight around me. I groaned, hugging her tight and burying my face in her hair.
“I have to tell you something,” I said quietly. “There’s a lot to explain, but—”
“I know you didn’t,” she said quietly, looking up into my eyes. “Aiden, I love you, and I know you didn’t.”
I scooped her into me, kissing her with everything I had as my heart melted for her.
“I love you too, angel,” I groaned into her lips. “I’m so sorry you had to find out from her like that.”
“She’s a real bitch,” Natalie hissed.
My jaw clenched as I nodded.
“Look, a lot of bad shit is about to happen, but—”
I stopped, seeing Natalie’s face break into a wide, toothy grin.
“Oh, a lot of bad shit is about to happen,” she said, grinning as her eyes sparkled. “Just not to you.”
My brow raised, and I started to open my mouth, when she slowly reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
“You need to hear this.”
I listened, my rage boiling up inside of me as I shook my head. When it was done, Natalie slowly turned it off and slipped the phone back into her bag.
“You…how?” I gaped at her, sliding my arms around her and shaking my head.
“Because I love you,” she whispered, looking at me fiercely. “And no one is going to take that away from me.”
“I love you too,” I groaned, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her slowly.
And then fiercer.
And really, I didn’t stop kissing her until I don’t even know how much time went by.
“Want to go home?”
“Well, that depends,” she said with a sly grin on her face.
I grinned back, raising a brow. “On?”
“Well, I’m going through treatment for this thing, you see. And I really think I need to refill my prescription.” She bit her lip, looking so fucking sweet and tempting as she looked up into my eyes and batted hers.
“Can you refill my prescription, doctor?”
My cock lurched in my pants, and my hands tightened on her possessively.
“Always.”
