Secret Love: The 4Ever Series, #2

By Isabella White

Guarding a secret and playing with fire has never been a good combination

Four years ago, Holly Scallenger embarked on the most difficult journey of her life. As if being a single parent isn't already stressful enough, Holly also attended med-school, in hopes of helping other pregnant women in a way she wasn't helped. But things don't look so good as she has to embark on a new journey—a journey that would take her back to Boston, back to the man who broke her heart and discarded her and her babies.

Sworn to never fall for him again, Holly is put to the test once more when a chance encounter reunites them.

Secret Love is the second novel in the 4Ever series by Isabella White

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
• Release date: Jun 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998471488

Book preview

One

ALMOST FIVE YEARS LATER

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The suitcase sat open on the bed. The past five years hadn’t been easy for twenty-eight-year-old Holly Scallanger. She’d lost one child and raised another on whatever she could get her hands on.

If it hadn’t been for Jane, her mother, she had no clue where she’d be today. Her decision to become a doctor hadn’t made life any easier, either.

Not a day went by that she didn’t thank the Lord for creating her with a good head on her shoulders—and for placing people in her path who recognized talent.

Deep down, she knew it was a huge part of why she had been awarded a scholarship.

If it hadn’t been for all the good that had stumbled her way, she wouldn’t be standing in front of the very suitcase that sat open on the bed.

How many sleepies, Mommy? A curly black head popped up and asked.

Her ice-green eyes made Holly’s heart skip a beat every time.

Jamie was the spitting image of her father, and even though it was hard to be reminded of him whenever she looked at her daughter’s face, Holly thanked the Lord every night that Jamie had come into her life.

The almost-five-year-old had been nothing but a blessing, and she couldn’t imagine life without her.

Did you find the calendar? Jamie hopped off the bed.

She really needs a haircut, Holly thought. The girl’s black curls almost reached her bottom. Just a trim, though.

If there was one thing Holly loved, it was Jamie’s curls. She had them too, but because of all the pulling and tugging she’d endured when Jamie was a baby, she’d cut it all off, so short she could barely put it into a ponytail.

Jamie returned with a calendar almost as big as she was. She flopped with it onto the bed, out of breath. Here you go, Mommy. It’s heavy.

Holly laughed and went to the drawer next to her bed. Retrieving a black marker, she paged through the four months, until she got to November.

That’s your birthday, and I promise I will be here, okay?

Jamie’s eyes continued to stare at the round circle her mother had drawn, her tiny lips pulled down in a frown.

What is it, peanut?

That’s a lot of sleepies. Jamie looked into Holly’s eyes, her bottom lip now trembling.

I know, Holly said, picking Jamie up and setting her on her lap. She gave her daughter a big hug. Remember what we spoke about?

Jamie nodded.

I need you to be a brave little girl, and to be good for Nanna.

You won’t go into the rainbow, too, will you? Jamie asked with a squeak in her voice.

I promise. I’m staying as far away as I can from any rainbows, except when I’m chasing one. But I would be very careful, okay? Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever take me away from you. Holly’s heart turned into a knot as she thought about the rainbow.

Jamie was smart, too smart for an almost five-year-old, but it was to be expected. Her father was a genius, and Holly thought she had a pretty good head on her own shoulders, too. She’d gotten it from both sides.

Ever since she was two, Jamie had asked the daddy question. Holly couldn’t bring herself to tell a two-year-old the truth; not that she would’ve understood. Instead of telling Jamie that her daddy hadn’t wanted her, she did the opposite. She told Jamie that he loved her but was stuck in a rainbow. The story evolved as she got older and Amelia, Robin, Grandpa Gus, and all the others had made their way into the rainbow as well. Every single one of them lived in a rainbow.

She was grateful that the Peterses were easy to Google, so she ended up printing their photos. She’d stuck them in a book with their names above each respective picture. It was the only thing she’d been able to do as Jamie’s questions kept on coming. Her daughter wanted to know everything.

In the beginning, it had been extremely hard. Holly cried every night before going to bed. Angry tears would eventually turn into tears of sorrow. Sadness where Jake was concerned, because he was missing out on the most beautiful little girl— both inside and out.

At the time, she hadn’t thought too much about her story, or even contemplated introducing her to Jake and his family. But Jamie had wanted to know where her father was and what he looked like, and Holly had relented. Now, it seemed to be biting her in the ass.

She had been planning to complete her first year as a resident at Seattle Memorial, but it had lost its status as a teaching hospital a few months ago, so there would be no program available.

Holly and Rodney, her best friend—who was gay but would never say so—had to take whatever was available. That day, she’d almost told him who Jamie’s father was, but she was thankful she hadn’t.

As for the rainbow stories, she’d managed to keep those from him as well; at least the true meaning of them. Although he knew about them through Jamie.

Rodney wanted to be a neurologist, and the best one around was Jake. It came as no surprise that Jake had quickly made a name for himself, and become known as the doctor who’d take risks with tumors nobody else would touch.

It all began with that first operation her mother had told her about, the one where he’d scrubbed in with a doctor from China, Dr. Huyo—who’d sort of become Jake’s mentor.

Jake had even spent a year in China. Holly had silently wished he’d never return, but he did. Since then, he’d taken on patients who were close to death, giving them another twenty-five years of life.

It was by no means easy with all the studying one had to do to become a doctor—a field in which the Peterses received awards for practically everything—as well as attending lectures where their names popped up constantly. And it wasn’t just Jake. They were all masters in their chosen fields. It was depressing at times.

Robin had also accomplished a huge goal. She’d become an oncologist, inventing some kind of synthetic colon. She’d also found a more effective treatment for pancreatic cancer, winning the Gillespie Award, too, just like her brother had.

If Rodney ever found out that the Peterses were the ones who’d left her in her time of need, and that Jake was Jamie’s father, he wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He would always be second best, and Rodney needed to be the best. He deserved to be trained by the best, and he’d wanted to meet Jake for the longest time.

So, Rodney went to P&E, and Holly chose Downsend. The distance between the hospitals was approximately fifteen minutes, but she would find a way to steer clear of P&E as much as she could.

That had been one of the reasons why she wouldn’t take Jamie with her. She now knew what her father looked like—what his whole family looked like—and Holly was scared that Jamie would accidentally run into one of them.

Holly breathed deeply just thinking about it all. Jake would be livid with her for having kept Jamie, but if he’d had a chance to meet her, she knew he’d have fallen deeply in love with the little girl who had the tendency to crawl into one’s heart, dirty feet and all. He could never find out, because if he did, he’d surely take her away.

Holly didn’t have the money to fight Jake in court, and she doubted very much that her father, Charles, would hand it over to fight him, even though he hated Jake’s guts.

Charles had figured out that his granddaughter’s father was a doctor the minute Holly told him about her great plan to become one herself.

That was the day everything stopped.

He’d gone on to tell Holly that she needed to start paying him back the money he had already given her. Her dreams were something Charles Scallanger just didn’t understand.

He didn’t want that for her, and the only way he could keep her from her goal was to overpower her with bills. Bills she’d somehow found a way to repay by working nights as a cleaning lady at an upmarket hotel.

She’d almost paid a tenth off but was convinced that once she became a doctor, it would be easier to pay her father in full. And then she could finally tell him to stuff it.

Jake would definitely win should she ever find herself at that crossroad. Even if his case was weak, he would always find a way to win.

Though Holly had made up the rainbow story, she would eventually tell Jamie the truth. For now, her little girl lived in a dream where her father was some sort of hero, saving lives in a rainbow world.

Jamie’s arms released her mother’s neck, bringing Holly back to the present. The two looked at one another, their noses touching each other’s softly.

Don’t cry, Holly, she begged herself.

Where are my kisses?

Jamie giggled and started kissing Holly all over her face. She gave her one long kiss on the mouth. That one counts for ten sleepies.

Holly laughed. Okay, but I think you should give me about ten of those and you’ll be that much closer.

By the seventh kiss, Holly could tell Jamie was really getting bored.

Two more long kisses and they count for twenty.

Okay, Jamie said, giving Holly the requested quota.

A knock on the bedroom door made both of them look up.

And where are my kisses? Rodney asked, walking into the room.

Uncle Roddy! Jamie yelled, jumping off Holly’s lap and into his arms.

Jamie could never pronounce the ‘n’ in his name, and Holly laughed every time she called him Roddy. He was the father she’d never had.

To Holly, he was the brother she’d never had. He loved kids. She was sure that had he not been gay, she would have married him. His mom was African American, and his dad Caucasian, which left Rodney with soft brown skin and beautiful blue eyes.

He was handsome. Still, the guy who one day captured Rodney’s heart would be the luckiest man ever.

Jamie, having become bored all over again, squirmed out of Rodney’s hands, and half-skipped, half-ran to her room.

How are we holding up today?

Holly looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

Come here, sweetheart.

When she complied, he wrapped his arms around her. You are leaving her for a good reason. To give her the best future any child could have.

I know, but it’s so hard.

Of course, it is. But think of the end result. It’s only for a year, and the following year we’ll be back, somewhere close to Seattle. Hopefully the pay will be better and we can finally get a house where she can have a damn puppy. Holly giggled through tears.

It is going to be fucking hard, though, he admitted.

Holly slapped him. Watch your language.

Ow! Sorry. He rubbed his chest. Okay, it’s going to be fudging hard, but she’s going to love you tons when you get back.

Holly couldn’t help but burst out laughing, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. News flash: she already loves me. She loves me more. He winked.

Only because you can’t say no to her."

His face scrunched up. You’re the only one who can say that to her.

Holly laughed again.

Just then, Jamie ran back into her room. Look what I made you.

Rodney crouched in front of her and looked at the picture.

It’s you and Mommy, saving lives, she explained.

And what is that?

That is a kidney, and a heart, and those are brains.

Okay… Rodney gave her a playful, raised-eyebrow look and then gave Holly an insane look, which made her giggle. He looked back at the picture. And that?

It’s blood.

Rodney laughed. "You are watching way too much Grey’s Anatomy with your mother."

"Are you insane? She’s not watching Grey’s Anatomy until she’s twenty-one! There is way too much…painting on that show."

Jamie’s body bent over as she laughed uncontrollably at what Holly said, having no idea what it was really about.

Well, maybe Mommy should paint again.

Oh, shut up. My painting days are so over.

Are not! You painted with me last night, Jamie spoke up, still having no clue what they’d been talking about.

Cheater, Rodney teased.

Holly chuckled. Fine, I cheated. So what?

Just then, Jane, Holly’s mother, entered the room. It’s time you guys hit the road. Otherwise you’re not going to be on time your first day. You still need to hunt for an apartment.

Rodney dangled a set of keys on the end of his finger. I’m way too organized for you, Scallanger. He shook his head in a taunting motion, earning him a slap on the chest from Jane.

What is it with you women and slapping? He rubbed his chest.

Those new keys thanks to your daddy? Holly snorted.

Whatever. You are going to live like a queen because of my daddy. Rodney wiggled his eyebrows.

Jane laughed. At least your daddy pays for things like that. Holly rolled her eyes.

I don’t get your father. He still wants you to pay him back? Rodney queried.

Every month.

He sucks.

Both women laughed.

Grandpa Charles doesn’t suck.

"Okay, missy, he doesn’t suck that much," Rodney teased again.

Jamie loved her grandfather, but then she got away with murder every other weekend when she visited him.

Holly blew out a breath and her lips quivered as she tried to push back tears. To defuse the situation, Rodney grabbed her suitcase, and Jamie helped by taking hold of the smaller bag. Smiling thankfully at him, Holly picked up her handbag and slung it over her shoulder, tucking a pillow under her armpit for the long trip.

Both Jane and Jamie walked down to the ground floor where Rodney’s Toyota was parked. It was a typical ‘doctor starting out’ type of car; it huffed and puffed when starting it, but it got you where you needed to go.

He placed Holly’s suitcase on the backseat with the rest of her stuff.

Holly couldn’t help but snort when she thought back to when she’d left Boston.

The situation was practically identical, and now she was going back in a similar fashion. Turning to Jamie, she crouched to her level.

Her baby had tears in her eyes, so she pulled her in for a tighter-than-tight hug. To keep her voice from breaking, she cleared her throat. Remember what Mommy told you?

Jamie nodded, still in Holly’s arms.

I’m going to miss you so much, but I promise to speak to you every day over the phone, and to chase down every rainbow I can find, okay?

Jamie smiled and Holly smiled back. How she was going to break the truth to her one day was a conundrum she’d have to figure out. She just hoped that when the time came, Jamie would understand why she’d lied.

Love you, Mommy. Be good.

Holly snorted. You be good, and no ice cream after eight. What we do is none of your business, Jane butted in.

Jamie giggled. Yes, it’s our little secret, Nanna.

Jane covered Jamie’s mouth playfully, making everyone laugh.

I’ll know. Holly climbed into the car, closed the door, and rolled the window down.

Love you, Mommy.

Love you more.

Love you more than more, Rodney said, picking Jamie up.

I’ll see you on your birthday, okay?

Promise? she asked.

I’ll try my damn best.

Rodney! both Holly and Jane yelled.

Oops! Sorry. He glared at Holly. I’ll try my damn best, he whispered in Jamie’s ear, but it was loud enough for Holly to hear.

She merely shook her head.

Big kiss, and a biiiiig hug. He made a grunting sound.

Jamie flung her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly.

Jane winked at Holly.

Holly winked back. Love you, she mouthed.

Love you more, her mother answered softly.

Rodney put Jamie down and got into the driver’s seat.

Drive safe, and don’t forget to call me the second you get there.

We will, Holly promised.

Last touch. Jamie snapped her hand out, grazing Holly’s elbow just before the car pulled slowly away.

Holly tried to touch her back, but Jamie had squirmed away, Holly tried to touch her back, but Jamie had squirmed away, giggling loudly.

I love you, Jamie! Holly shouted, halfway down the road.

Love you more, Mommy.

Holly watched her little girl until Rodney turned a corner. When the coast was clear, she finally broke down and bawled her eyes out.

Two

The drive back to Boston was a long one. Four days to be exact, but Rodney and Holly took turns driving, trying to cut the time down to three days.

She tried to sleep but her stomach twisted into knots every time she thought about who’d she’d left behind in Boston.

Forgetting about Jake Peters was impossible. She lived with his mini-me and every time she looked at Jamie, his eyes and his face in the photo of him as a four-year-old boy stared back at her.

He was in every little detail that made her daughter who she was. No one could say that Jake Peters wasn’t her father.

She dreaded the day Rodney put two and two together, because the day he found out that the man he idolized was the same man who had left Jamie and Romalia almost five years ago…it would seriously be her last.

He would never forgive her for lying to him.

She thought back.

The first year of Jamie Bernice’s life was just a ball of worries. Not that it had gotten better, but that first year had been the hardest.

Jamie used to get asthma attacks because her little lungs weren’t strong. Dr. Frank Edwards, Jamie’s pediatrician, was the absolute best. He was more like a second grandfather and had taken Gus’ place.

Jane had even dated him for a year, but it was because of her mistrust in men that she had broken it off, or that was what she said. To her mother, Frank was just too good to be true.

Holly thought other wise as Frank would often stare at Jamie from time to time, scrunching his eyebrows in thought.

Holly worried and always wondered if Frank had known the Peters family, but she never asked him, fearing he had, and the outcome would be a huge nightmare.

So, she kept her doubts to herself. She had a feeling that it was one of the reasons why Jane ended the relationship. She didn’t think that her mother knew about her thoughts regarding Frank, but Jane never told anyone the identity of Jamie’s father either.

It would just lead to too many damn questions. Questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

Her thoughts turned to her father again. Their relationship had improved, yet at times, all she wanted was to continue being upset with him for what he’d done to her and her twin when they were children.

But she couldn’t. He’d been there when she’d needed him the most, when no one else was. He’d taken care of her when she didn’t know if she was going to live to see another day. He’d paid for everything. He’d shown his support then. But once he found out she wanted to become a doctor, he was livid.

He had no interest in her reasons for wanting to follow that path, and he refused to listen once she tried to explain.

In his mind, Holly was doing it for one thing and for one thing only: so she would one day cross paths with his granddaughter’s father again.

He still had no idea of Jake’s true identity, but he’d had his suspicions when his face was plastered on the front cover of a medical magazine.

Jake had received an award for removing a life-threatening tumor, using a technique he and Dr. Huyo had developed.

Rodney once made a joke about the resemblance, but Holly joked back, told him she wouldn’t know what to do with that lying beside her, and that Jamie’s father was named Steve.

Such a stupid lie, but Rodney always believed her, no matter what.

She’d met Rodney in medical school and they’d clicked from day one. He’d gotten drunk with Holly on all her ladies’ nights, which they always ended up spending together. He was her best friend.

She missed her former best friend, Bernice, a lot. Even though Rodney was present in more ways than one, Bernice was the one she needed when life became too much—she understood motherhood, and she understood Holly.

Holly couldn’t bring herself to reach out to her and hadn’t done so in almost five years. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep her little girl safe.

Although, knowing Bernie, she probably would’ve helped her keep her much-guarded secret. But it wouldn’t have been fair to ask Leo, Bernie’s husband, to do the same.

Leo and Jake were just as close as Holly and Bernice, and one of them had needed to make the choice. It fell on Holly to break the tie that bound them all together.

Her thoughts jumped to her mother. When her father’s generous pockets had closed the day she decided to go to medical school, she had been doing it the hard way—studying like crazy to get good grades that could potentially lead to a scholarship.

She’d gotten one in her second year, but during her first year, she’d had to borrow money and work to survive. Her mother was a huge help, a pillar for Holly to lean on.

Jane had taken on a nursing job at Seattle Memorial, and had worked her way up to becoming one of the head nurses.

The pay was better and the hours fewer, which meant Holly could take on a couple of extra shifts. She’d hated every moment of it, as it was time away from her daughter.

Jamie’s first birthday was the hardest. Holly couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like if Romy had made it.

She’d imagine everything in twos, and it’d gotten the better of her. She’d cried for a good solid night, missing her little girl awfully. Nine days after, the day that marked Romy’s death, was ten times worse.

Holly had thought that maybe, with all the crying she’d done, the following year would be easier, but it wasn’t. Something about their birthday and the anniversary of her death made it harder to cope with.

She snapped out of her reverie when Rodney, who could no longer keep his eyes open, stopped at a gas station to refuel. While there, they got some food into their systems then hit the road again.

Holly drove until the sun came up, and then Rodney took over again. They stopped at a Motel 6 for some much-needed sleep, and hit the road again early the next morning for the last stretch to Boston.

They were both dead tired, but Holly made a quick phone call to speak to her mother and Jamie. By the time she decided on a shower, Rod began to snore.

A smile spread over her face when she emerged from the bathroom, towel drying her hair. Rodney’s mouth was wide open, and drool dripped from his lip.

Shaking her head, she crawled into her own bed and switched off the lights. She was exhausted, but her mind was wide awake.

She didn’t normally take medication to help her sleep, but lately it seemed to be the only way she could get some shuteye. There was always something to worry about.

A horrible ache filled her heart. Holly swallowed hard. She missed Jamie. To say she worried about her was an understatement.

She constantly second-guessed herself about the choice to move to Boston for a year to complete her residentship at Downsend. And although Rod kept telling her that it was the best move she could have made, Holly wasn’t so sure.

She sighed. It was funny how everything had worked out.

She’d started out wanting to help women going through what she’d experienced.

She’d wanted to become a gynecologist, like Jake’s father. But a year later, Gus Peters had discovered a booster that eliminated all the symptoms she had suffered from while pregnant.

It was different from the shake, which was what she’d been on at the time, yet she still wondered what had been wrong with it. Why had he pulled it off the market back then?

What the booster did, however, was lower a pregnant woman’s blood pressure instantly, slowing down the process of preeclampsia.

The drug was a medical miracle, since the exact causes of preeclampsia weren’t known.

It was no wonder that after that breakthrough, Holly didn’t feel needed in the gynecological department anymore. But she found a new passion—cardiology.

Both she and Rodney worked their third and fourth year during medical school at a free clinic in downtown Seattle, where Dr. Somers had taken Holly on and tutored her in the art of cardiac surgery.

Dr. Somers was old, one of the ancients in the medical world and he had Parkinson’s disease, which was terribly sad. It was the main reason he couldn’t practice as a specialist anymore and opened his free clinic in Seattle when he was forced to retire due to his Parkinson’s; it was the only way he could carry on doing what he loved the most.

He needed Holly as much as she needed him and Holly became his hands. She’d helped him with so many procedures that she was sure she would be able to save a heart when the time came for her to do it alone.

She loved everything about hearts—the way they worked, the reasons they stopped working, how she could fix them, and the most amazing part, how gifted she was with hearts. She could force them to start beating again when they didn’t want to beat anymore. All because of one man.

Dr. Somers ranked among the best cardiovascular specialists the world had ever seen. He’d started training under the watchful eye of the legendary Dr. Chris Barnard, and he had learned everything from him.

Holly was honored that he had taken her in, showing her procedures that one only learns through time.

He was in his eighties, the sweetest old man Holly had ever met. She owed a lot to Dr. Somers.

Even though she hadn’t been close to surgical level when she’d trained under him, he showed her how to do an open-chest cardiac massage by hand without the help of defibrillation paddles.

He’d formulated a technique that no doctor would ever attempt to perform. Essentially, if there was a huge amount of blood being lost and not enough time for a transfusion, the patient’s own blood would be pumped back into the body.

Massaging the heart by hand would allow the blood to flow through it and thus keep the heart pumping. Few people knew how to do the technique, and Holly was one of the lucky ones he’d chosen to impart his wisdom to.

As she reflected on her past, sleep finally consumed her, but the horrible dream about Mara telling her to go and get an abortion surfaced.

And it was always followed by Jake spitting in her face, with his sister, Amelia, standing behind him, not uttering one single word in her defense. This was when she’d wake up. The last two events never happened, but her mind kept envisioning it would’ve probably gone that way if she’d stayed. She’d imagined it over and over until it infected her dreams.

Opening one eye, she looked at the digital clock on the nightstand—it read 5:00 a.m. She was thankful she managed to get a few hours of sleep.

She rubbed her face, hard, and then remembered her dream. She hadn’t had it for the longest time, but it had recently reared its ugly head once more, right after they’d learned that the only hospitals with open spots were P&E and Downsend.

Jumping out of bed, she woke Rod. As it was imperative they get on the road as soon as possible, they grabbed a quick breakfast from McDonald’s and started the last leg of their journey.

As Rod drove, Holly’s thoughts turned to Jake again. She was dreading every minute she was going to spend being so close to Jake and the rest of his wretched family.

It went without saying that she could never trust him again—she would never trust him again. What she should’ve done was run her legs off the first time she saw him.

She should’ve known that he would end up being ten times worse than Brandon. She should’ve remembered that the devil was God’s most beautiful angel. She should’ve known…then again, she wouldn’t have Jamie if she had known. Her life would’ve been empty and for that, she would always be grateful that she’d met Jake.

Smiling, she thought back to the day Bernice had teased her about what her and Jake’s kid would look like, and she’d been right.

Sadly, Jamie couldn’t participate in those baby beauty competitions mothers loved, for fear that Jake would see her and know Holly hadn’t done as he’d asked.

Jamie would be taken from her, of that she had no doubt. And no way in hell was she prepared to let her daughter go. She didn’t have the money to fight Jake, anyway. And come to think of it, she didn’t even think her father had enough money to fight the Peterses.

Hearing Rod say her name, she snapped to attention, not wanting him to question where her thoughts had been. Smiling, she asked, Is this it?

Sure is. Home sweet home. He grinned.

They’d arrived at an old fire station that had been renovated into an apartment complex.

Rodney’s father had scored it for next to nothing, saying it was so huge he could even rent a couple of rooms out to other residents.

The rent was minimal, which would allow Holly to save something to pay off some of her debts. And hopefully, she’d have a bit of extra money left to pay for ballet lessons for Jamie.

Jamie loved ballet, but there was never enough cash. Holly knew if she asked her father to pay for his granddaughter to take up ballet, it would just be another thing he would throw back in her face one day.

It angered her to think that the Peterses had all the money in the world, but she was forced to tell a little girl no for most of the things she wanted.

It broke her heart. But the day would come— one day Jake would find out about Jamie, and by then it would be too late. Jamie would know the truth, and Jake would finally learn that money couldn’t buy everything.

The fire station was spacious. One of the rooms had a view of the ocean.

Jamie would’ve loved it here, but bringing her along was out of the question. It was too risky.

There were five bedrooms, all of them with closets.

Two of the bedrooms had bathrooms, and Holly took the one Rodney didn’t want.

An ample kitchen was situated in the middle of the apartment. There was a big area around the kitchen that they could use as a lounge, and a small dining room—or a second living room.

So, what do you think?

It’s perfect. Holly smiled. I wish Jamie was here.

Me, too. Rodney wrapped his one arm around her, pulling her closer to his chest. She would’ve had a ball twirling on these wooden floors.

Holly giggled. Yes, she most certainly would have, as the floor was made up of soft, worn wooden planks. She sighed deeply. Should I go and get some food?

I’ll come with you. We need loads of stuff, he replied, grabbing the car keys and his wallet. Besides, we need to stop at the printers. I want to draw up an ad for the extra rooms and pin it up at the hospital. Maybe we can make a few extra bucks renting out the other three rooms.

I had a funny feeling you were going to do that.

You don’t mind, do you?

Nope, it’s just going to be different having roommates again.

It’s only for a year, Holls.

You don’t have to come back with me. P&E is a good place for you, Rod.

Then why won’t you be there with me?

I told you, one can’t thrive when dealing with doctors that keep on inventing shit.

He laughed. You can learn a shitload from those doctors.

I had Dr. Somers.

The guy was an old fart, Holly. He did everything oldschool. Technology has taken over.

Technology isn’t going to make you a better, more caring doctor, Rodney. He taught me that. She smiled. And one day when technology crashes, everyone will come to me to teach them the old ways.

Rodney just gazed at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Whatever.

Holly bumped into him playfully on the way out of the apartment, then ran down the stairs.

Tomorrow was going to be their first day at work respectively. She couldn’t wait for her residentship to finally start.

Slowly opening her eyes the next morning, her digital clock practically yelled that it was five. She shot up, heart pounding. Late! How could she have overslept?

Jumping out of bed, she hightailed to Rodney’s room, adrenaline pumping, and banged on his door, twice. It’s five. Wake up!

She heard his feet hit the floor. Running back to her room, she got in the shower, then gulped for air as cold water splashed onto her back.

They still hadn’t switched on the electricity in the basement; therefore it was cold water for the next couple of days until one of them could find the time to sort it out.

At a quarter to six, Rodney stopped his car right in front of Downsend. Nervously, Holly blew him a kiss, then watched him leave.

She looked up at Downsend’s entrance. Day one of her residentship. She sighed. One more day keeping her from Jamie, and the sad part was that there were still shitloads more to go.

Rolling her shoulders to ease the tension, she ran up the stairs two at a time. It wasn’t P&E, but it was just as big, and Downsend resembled a hospital—not a hotel.

Slowing down, she got her breathing under control and strolled through the doors that opened as she approached.

She continued on toward reception. Holly had done the first eight weeks of her residentship in Seattle, right before the hospital lost the status of a teaching hospital.

She had needed to apply that much quicker than other residents.

A blond girl about her age, with a beautiful smile and equally beautiful hair, looked up. "Welcome to Downsend.

How may I assist you?"

I’m the new resident…from Seattle, Holly Scallanger.

The receptionist looked down at her appointment book, then back up again. Please, take a seat. One of the attending doctors will be with you shortly.

Thank you.

Holly plopped down on a couch and waited for what felt like forever. To pass the time, she paged through several glossy magazines.

Hi, she heard someone say right next to her.

Smiling, Holly placed the magazines back on the coffee table. The woman was tall, blond, with really big eyes that sat too far away from one another, and frizzy hair that stood on end.

Her eyes made her look like an alien, and her wide jawline did nothing for her, either. Still, she was kind of pretty, in her own way.

I’m Dr. Smith. I’ll be your tour guide. My apologies in advance for not being able to give you the entire tour, but if you need anything, everyone here is extremely helpful. She smiled. Welcome to Downsend.

Nice to meet you. I’m Holly. Holly Scallanger. She held out her hand and shook Dr. Smith’s. No first name yet.

Leading the way, Dr. Smith led them up a set of stairs while she spoke about the structure of the building—which was boring as heck and had absolutely nothing to do with becoming a doctor.

We have five hundred staff working here. Two hundred doctors, two hundred and sixty-five nurses, and the rest…well, someone has to do the dirty work others don’t want to do.

Changing course, Dr. Smith took Holly down a hall and then down another flight of stairs that led straight through to the OR.

This is where everyone wants to be. First year residents do not get a lot of ‘scrub in time’, she said, using finger quotes. You will start where every single one of us started: right at the bottom. You will learn how the filing system works, how the inventory is completed, and that counting is the best way of controlling stock. Also, you’ll be admitting patients. All very boring, but everyone has to do it.

Holly smiled and glanced at the operating table again. She’d seen many, but this was truly where she wanted to be, fixing hearts.

Making their way back up the stairs, they went through a door on the right, then back to the ground floor.

And here is Dr. Green, Dr. Smith said, with a slight flirt in her tone.

Dr. Green was standing at the reception desk. He was tall, with dark hair, a skinny build, and dark eyes. Not a Jake, but the guy was definitely something to look at. Dr. Smith liked him, that much Holly could tell. Meet our new resident from Seattle, Holly Scallanger.

Welcome to Downsend. Dr. Green held out a hand to her.

Holly shook it.

And please, call me Oliver.

Oliver is the head of neurology, Dr. Smith added.

Brains are my thing, he joked, which had Holly thinking about Jake again.

She hated that. Still, she managed to give him a small laugh.

I hope you don’t take everything Desire says literally. You will get to scrub in a couple times; otherwise, how are you going to learn? He smiled, showing his dimples.

Desire. Finally she had a first name for Dr. Smith. Giving Dr. Green a wide grin, they continued with the tour.

They rode the elevator up to level three, where the cardiology ward was situated. It was the unit Holly wanted to work in.

There, they met Dr. Embers. He was in his fifties, and had bags under his eyes. Holly didn’t know if it was from too little sleep, or the bottle.

Her mother had bags under her eyes too, not as bad as his, but similar.

Dr. Embers, Desire spoke. This is the resident from Seattle, Holly Sca—

Dr. Scallanger, Dr. Embers interrupted.

Holly could tell from Desire’s body language that that was something she absolutely hated. You’re on the internal medicine program, wanting to become a cardiovascular surgeon.

That’s correct, Holly said, reaching her hand out for his to shake, which he did.

I’ll take it from here. He smiled, dismissing Desire. She left without giving Holly a chance to thank her properly.

Dr. Embers began to tell Holly about certain cases, to find out what she had already learned in medical school. She answered diligently.

Her answers impressed him, of that she was certain. She’d always known that she knew more than other residents.

I forgot, you are one of Dr. Somers’ students.

Holly laughed. I did my third and fourth year as a medical student at his free clinic.

It’s a shame he got Parkinson’s. He loved being a doctor.

He still is, just not the way he wants to be.

Do you know how fortunate you are, to have been guided by him?

I do.

I bet he showed you all his secrets.

Holly simply chuckled, which was her way of letting people know they were right.

Just then, a girl appeared. She had the most awful reddishpink hair Holly had ever seen. It was obvious that it was a color experiment gone horribly wrong.

The girl rushed up to Dr. Embers with lab reports in her hands.

Tanya, this is Holly. She’s here to learn how to become a cardiovascular surgeon, too, something the two of you have in common. Holly, Tanya Niagelli.

Niagelli? Holly pondered over the girl’s last name. Why did it sound so familiar?

Busted. Tanya smiled.

Dr. Embers smiled, too. The Niagellis are just as famous as the Peterses. He winked at Tanya, whose lips formed a cheeky smile.

Okay, Holly thought to herself, pretending to not have seen the wink.

And now, they are finally merging together, creating a new kind of special breed. Tanya laughed.

Merging together? Holly asked, dumbfounded.

Kate, my cousin, is going to marry Jake Peters. You know… merging together. She elaborated, using her hands.

Holly knew Jake had someone in his life, but she’d never thought that he would actually marry her.

Still, she smiled and pretended that she was an idiot for not understanding. But if she were honest, it had completely bowled her over.

She’d heard about Kate. The woman had won the Edinger award a couple years ago.

The Edinger wasn’t the Gillespie, but it was still an honor. However, she still didn’t believe they would actually get married.

She should be happy, but a part of her struggled over the news of Jake really having moved on. It was so unfair.

She’d seen his profile picture on Facebook. She’d never opened another account after having closed it, but she’d needed to find pictures of him when Jamie began all her questioning. And what popped up was his Facebook profile picture, which happened to be of him and a blonde hair woman.

One who had a beautiful face, blue eyes, and the most gorgeous lips. Holly hated that picture on sight.

You must be starving, Dr. Embers said, breaking into her thoughts.

A little bit. She smiled.

Tanya, could you show Holly to the cafeteria?

Sure, she replied, nodding for Holly to follow her.

They walked down the hallway in silence.

Rounding a corner, Tanya suddenly turned on Holly and practically seethed, If you, in any way, take what little time I have for scrubbing in, your ass is gone. You hear? Tanya’s attack came from nowhere.

Excuse me?

No need to excuse yourself, just as long as we understand one another. Scrub in times are mine! I’ve worked my ass off these past few years to get noticed, and no bimbo with fake, strawberry blond hair is going to steal that from me. You can find the cafeteria yourself. She turned, mumbling something about not being anybody’s guide dog.

Holly knew there and then that she had done her third and fourth medical year at Downsend. She wouldn’t have had this if Seattle Memorial didn’t lose their teaching status.

Okay, then. Holly took a huge breath and continued to stare at Tanya’s retreating back.

One of the other doctors, who happened to be standing nearby, laughed. He was tall with scruffy blond hair and glasses.

Rev Van der Beeck, he said, walking up to Holly, chuckling again when she just looked at him, still dumbfounded. That is Tanya, sweet as hell in front of all the doctors, but a bitch behind everyone’s back.

Holly laughed, shaking her head. Sorry, Holly Scallanger, from Seattle.

Ah, now I know why she feels so threatened. We’ve heard a couple of things from Seattle. Please don’t say that.

Come, I’ll take you to the cafeteria. She has more bark than bite. You don’t need to be scared of her.

I’m not, Holly assured him, chuckling again. I just wasn’t expecting that. Suddenly, she remembered his last name. Wait, you said your surname was Van der Beeck?

James Van der Beeck is my grandfather. The doctor, not the actor.

She giggled. Nice to meet you, Rev Van der Beeck with a famous grandfather. He laughed.

The cafeteria was located right where they’d started, at the entrance.

Rev grabbed something to eat as well, and sat with Holly at a table.

Just as she was about to take her first bite, her phone buzzed with a message.

I met him! He freakin’ took me on a tour.

There was a dancing yellow smiley face next to Rodney’s message.

She couldn’t help but smile, but the fact that Jake was getting married had sort of ruined her day. And that he’d taken Rodney on a tour? That didn’t make any sense.

She’d gotten an attending for a short while, followed by a very bad first year resident, like herself, to take her on her tour. Not a specialist.

Awesome. Have you made any friends yet?

---

What! We’re supposed to make friends? I thought that only happened in first grade.

---

Hahahaha

---

What are you eating?

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Decided on a club, you?

---

They have awesome foot-longs. Got to go, The Brain God just walked in.

She sighed.

Play nice

She put the phone face-up on the table.

Rev caught the picture of Jamie on her phone. Good looking kid. Who is she?

Mine, Holly said, placing the phone back in her pocket before he looked any closer and recognized the Peters DNA in Jamie’s sweet face.

You have a kid?

Sexy, huh?

I don’t know, it’s kind of sexy. Holly laughed.

Who is the father? They always asked that.

"Some ass who