CHAPTER 6: CHANCE MEETINGS

Maya's POV

I quickly clutched onto a nearby chair when I felt another fainting fit coming. They had started frequenting ever since I started doing the night shift too.

“I forbid you to do another shift, Dr Veneto. You already had a critical and tense emergency surgery today. You need to go back home and come back for your next shift after 36 hours of rest.”

‘No. Can’t do, amigo. I have debts to settle and expenses to take care of,’ I thought and wished that I could express the same, aloud. I quickly tipped the back of my head to gulp down my coffee. I ignored the burn on my tongue for the soothing warmth sloshing down my throat. 

“Tsk,” Dr. Carl clicked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval, understanding my stand on this issue. Blowing over his steaming hot coffee cup, he looked at me over the rim and slid a card across the table.

I raised a questioning brow, ‘What is this?’

Answering my unspoken question, the human doctor who saved me and got me a job in Lenox Hill Hospital itself, replied, “Use the card to pay the hospital bill. In fact, use it to pay for your rent and for groceries too, even though I have repeatedly told you that you can live in my spare room for free.”

A frown immediately etched on my face and my lips curled down in distaste.

I pulled out my notebook, in favour of writing my angry thoughts, instead of using sign language.

I was awful at it at best. I am pretty sure that I had signed to my deaf patient ‘you are a pig’ instead of ‘get well soon,' the other day.

Carl gently shoved away my notebook and said, “I know how you feel about this issue…” Of course, he knew how I felt about this issue. I had refused him end number of times in the last four months. I might have as well saved the slip that said ‘No,’ a hundred times along with my bullshit explanation of having my pride. However, the truth was that I had no pride left whatsoever and I couldn’t stay with any human to keep my identity a secret. Also, it didn’t help matters that Carl was … well, looking for something more than colleagues-cum-friends. I did not want to lead him on.

Carl was the perfect amalgamation of male beauty and brains, but even his strong physique or charming personality could not make my heart sway. I was the poster girl of heartbroken. Leo had done a fine job of getting the biggest hammer possible and hammering my heart into a zillion pieces. The damage was irreparable.

However, if he had made my life hell, I was going to make doubly sure that his was worse. Misery loved company, after all.

“Why are you working so hard?” Carl persisted.

I sighed and inwardly thought, ‘Because I need to pay off my hospital expenses and save some money. After giving birth, how was I going to provide for my baby and myself if I couldn’t work?’

I was already living in the forest in an abandoned hut at the back of the hospital. New York real estate prices were sky-high and I didn’t have the proper documents of identification to get a house on rent. The last thing I needed was a string of eviction notices and prison time.

I shook my head and scribbled on my notepad. ‘Because it’s my job. The extra pay doesn’t hurt and I am not a charity case. I appreciate your gesture, but I can’t accept your help. You have already done a lot for me by saving my life and getting me a job here. I am indebted to you. Please don’t add to the burden.’

Carl’s eyebrows knitted together but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t have any time. We had an emergency case on our hands as our beepers angrily went off.

“It’s a bloodbath out there, doctor,” a nurse suddenly appeared like a genie out of a bottle. “Car accident,” she tersely explained.

‘How many patients? Do you have their medical records?’ I wrote on my scratch pad and showed it to her.

 “Doctor Carl, we need you urgently. Please come with me,” she quickly brushed me off. She almost sent me knocking down on the floor with her quick strides towards Carl, blatantly ignoring my presence and choosing to speak to him over me.

I should have been immune to this behaviour of the clique of rude nurses by now, but it still stung to be treated like scum. It seemed like everyone was kind to everyone except me. What had I done to them?

My eyes landed on the nurse’s manicured, possessive hand resting on Carl’s arm and it suddenly dawned on me. Oh! They had gotten it all wrong. I was no competition. They could keep him for all they wanted. I was not interested. Not at all.

Carl’s eyes looked at the nurse questioningly when she refused to budge her hand.

“Nurse Valerie?”

“Hmm?” She couldn’t stop shooting heart eyes at him, completely entranced in his presence. Surely, also because he remembered her name. This was so high school－ childish and painful to watch.

“Your hand?”

“Oh,” Nurse Valerie startled when she traced Carl’s line of vision. Embarrassed, she quickly mumbled an apology and ran away from the spot after glaring at me.

Cool it there, girl. It was not my fault that she acted like a crazy, old bat in front of her crush.

“I will hurry to the operating theatre. You get the pa－…”

Before Carl could finish, I was already hurrying down the hall to get the patient’s records. We were a great team, like peanut butter and jelly. We always seemed to know what the other person needed without actually telling.

“Be careful, Dr Veneto!” Carl shouted after me when I nearly tripped over my own feet. These fainting fits were sucking balls big time. “Our Chairman, Mr Lenox-Hill is on his way to assess the situation! We don’t need another patient, that too, our best doctor,” he yelled.

Honestly, I had stopped listening to him after ‘Be careful.’

I know, I know. Those were like the first two words of his big speech, but it was not my fault that I was a bad listener! We had a grave situation in our hands and I honestly wanted to get away from Carl and his constant need to mother me! He was sending the wrong message to his admirers. I didn’t want Valerie and her notorious gang sending my corpse to the mortuary yet.

However, in hindsight, I realized that I should have listened to him because, soon enough, I went crashing into a hard wall just around the corner. Ouch, my nose!

“My my, who do we have here? Did I hurt the precious cargo of our firm in any way?” The man behind this successful corporation worriedly asked this unimportant, small, insignificant employee, before steadying me back to my feet with respect.

He was a true gentleman in black and if I didn’t know better, he could have easily passed off as a supermodel in a GQ magazine.

My eyes scanned him from head to toe in a mere second and I had to admit that I was impressed by the final results.

The slacks molded to his ass with perfection and his shirt fit snugly around his broad shoulders, tapering into his taut waist. His hair was gelled and perfectly placed. His look screamed city man, single, rich and promises of nights filled with satisfying screams and multiple orgasms.

His smirk deepened when he noticed my quick x-ray eye scan and he returned the gesture in kind as his gaze flowed up and down my body as well. For an unknown reason, I didn’t mind it. It didn't seem sexual or creepy in nature. On the other hand, he seemed friendly and harmless. It felt as if we had an instant connection and our souls deep down knew each other.

The only thing that sent a red flag ringing in my head was the whispered riddle that made me think that I had imagined the whole thing.

“I finally found you, Luna! You are under my protection now. Only mine. I promise on my life.”

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