Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt
Chapter 14
Ashley walked into the hospital early the next morning, dark chocolate and caramel brownies in hand. She stifled a yawn. She should have picked something more complicated to bake. Something that would have kept her too focused to think about Michael’s naked torso.
It didn’t work. Once she finally fell asleep, she dreamed of a half-naked Michael making brownies.
She dropped off the brownies in the empty break room, then went to her locker.
A folded piece of paper was taped to the front of her locker. What was this, high school? Whoever left the note obviously never heard of texts or messaging.
She ignored the note and opened the locker as Gwen walked in. “Morning, Gwen.”
“Ashley.” Gwen’s face twisted into something almost resembling a smile.
“Umm, can I do something for you?” Ashley stood up straight and tried to return the smile.
“I’m giving you the chance to redeem yourself for your bad work performance. You can cover Kelly’s evening shift today. She’s sick with the flu. No overtime, just do your shift and hers. If you actually do the work, I might end your probation earlier than next month.”
Ashley stared at her. Extra hours and no overtime pay? Wasn’t that against hospital policy or something? Plus, why did Gwen assume she had no life outside of work?
Gwen made an exaggerated motion of looking at her watch, then back to Ashley, frown intact. Gwen probably couldn’t keep a smile on her face for more than a few seconds without her face threatening to crack.
Ashley did some quick mental math. Kelly’s extra shift would give her a little extra money this month. Not enough to make up for the increase in rent, but it could help get the deposit ready for another apartment. Assuming she could find one.
“Yes, I can do it.”
“Fine. Shouldn’t you be on the floor, cleaning, by now? You are late.”
Ashley looked at the clock. She was supposed to be in the pediatric clinic one minute ago. She sighed.
“Gwen, I’m only running late because you stopped to ask me to cover Kelly’s shift.”
“Doesn’t matter why you are late, Ashley. No excuses, just do your job.”
Ashley clenched her teeth and turned to her locker. Gwen needed to relax. Any other person would thank her for covering the extra shift.
Ashley threw her purse in the locker and closed it firmly. The note on the outside of the locker fluttered in the movement, catching her attention again. She grabbed the note and shoved it in her pocket.
* * *
That evening, Ashley vacuumed a deserted office in the cardiology hall, backing out of the room as she went. She turned off the loud machine once she reached the abandoned hallway and held her breath while she placed it on the cart. She waited until the cart stopped wobbling to breathe again.
She hesitated before entering the next office. Michael’s office. She could skip over it and come back at the end of the night, when he’d definitely be gone. Unless he planned on sleeping in his office again. She chewed her lip. She couldn’t clean his office while he slept on the couch. And she couldn’t skip his office.
She reached out and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again, louder, and placed her ear against the smooth wood door. No sound came from the other side.
She grabbed a disinfectant wipe from her cart and lowered to the ground. She wiped the floor in front of the door with the wipe, then laid down, her cheek pressed against the cold, slightly cleaner floor. She squinted to look through the gap under the door. The lights were off.
She stood up and tossed the used wipe on her cart.
She studied the door for a minute, then closed her eyes and reached for the door handle.
The door was locked.
Ashley sighed and grabbed the master key from her cart.
“Hello? Anyone here? I’m just here to clean.” Her voice disappeared into the dark room. She crept into the office and flipped the light switch. No sign of anyone in the room. She tiptoed to the door of the private bathroom, muscles tense and ready to flee. Her heart was beating a hundred beats a second, ready to explode.
A deep breath to try to calm down helped a little. She had every right to be here. She had a job to finish. It wasn’t like she was trying to break into his office. Besides, anyone within ten feet could hear her heartbeat. She’d make a terrible spy. And she definitely didn’t hope for another glimpse of him wrapped up in a small towel.
The bathroom was empty.
Good. She didn’t have to see his naked chest again and waste another night lying in bed, haunted by the memory.
Ashley put on her earbuds. She needed to hear something loud, angry, energizing tonight.
She grabbed her cleaning supplies and left the cart in the hallway. She needed to get off probation before the messed-up wheel fell off. Moving to the beat of the music, she started cleaning the office. She walked around the room, performing her meticulous routine. Empty recycling and garbage bins, dust the shelves. She paused at the display case on the far end of the room. Over twenty models of the human heart sat on the shelves, perfectly spaced apart. She glanced around at the other bookshelf, which contained books that were also neatly arranged.
This doctor liked things to be organized neatly and precisely.
She grinned and dropped her dust rag. She picked up one heart model, then another, placing them in a pile on the floor. She wiped the dust from the shelves.
Her skin prickled when she picked up the first model from the floor. She placed it carefully on the shelf. Backward. She grabbed another model, much larger than the first, and placed it so that it nearly touched the first model. She picked up another model and set it farther away. She balanced the next model upside down in its stand.
After a few minutes, she took a step back and admired her handiwork. It looked like a kindergartener arranged the models back on the shelves. Or maybe a toddler.
She made a final adjustment to one heart that looked a little too straight. Too bad she couldn’t be a fly on the wall in his office tomorrow morning when he saw his precious heart models all over the place.
A hand tapped her shoulder.
“Ahhh!” Ashley jumped. She grabbed the closest heart model and turned around, ready to attack. She threw the heart at his midsection and put her hands up to fight.
A tall man wearing a white medical jacket over a fitted blue dress shirt stood in front of her. Smirking.