that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t call me ma’am.”
“Got it.”
Patricia pushes off her desk and grabs a stack of papers before handing them over too. “You’re going to have to fill out all of this before you meet with Dr. Mayson, and at some point today, introduce yourself to Dr. Harding. Both he and Dr. Mayson will be your assessing doctors throughout your training program, and it is best to keep in their good graces. But a word of warning, they will be hard on you. They each only accept perfection, so that is what you will strive for.”
I nod, feeling an equal mix of nerves and excitement beginning to build within me. This training program is going to be a wild, thrilling adventure, and I can’t wait to get started. This right here is the beginning of the rest of my life. I can feel it right down in my bones. “Paperwork, report, always check first, meet Dr. Harding, and strive for perfection. Did I forget anything?”
A warm smile spreads across her face, and for a brief moment, I wonder if she’s decided that she’s going to like me. “Remember to enjoy yourself. Delivering babies into this world is the biggest reward you’ll receive out of this position, so make it count.”
“I will,” I tell her.
Patricia nods and then moves back around her desk. “In that case, you better scram. You have a lot of paperwork to get through, and you don’t want to keep Dr. Mayson waiting.”
“No,” comes a deep voice from behind me, one that sends chills soaring down my spine. “You wouldn’t want to keep Dr. Mayson waiting at all.”
I spin around to find the very man in question, bearing down on me with a scraggly intern at his side. I gape up at him. I was a bumbling, foolish mess when I met him earlier. My excitement was overwhelming me, and I must have made a complete ass of myself. I couldn’t even stand still or allow him a second to get a word in, but now I’ve cooled off and calmed myself down. There’s no need to make any more of a dick out of myself than I already have. Though I’m not going to lie, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met. He must be at least 6’4” with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline. His eyes are a dreamy sky blue, matched with dark, messy hair, and a white lab coat, which has me perfectly content in heaven.
His hair isn’t actually messy. It’s combed and gelled to keep in place, very professional if you ask me, but I bet on his days off, it’s nothing but messy. The kind of messy a woman wants to run her fingers through.
Patricia grins, approving of his tone after she decided my actions needed to be punished. I resist glaring at her, realizing she’s not the kind of woman I should cross.
I look up at Dr. Mayson, meeting his dreamy eyes and resisting dropping my gaze over his strong body. At least, I’m assuming it’s strong under those clothes. He seems like the type to take care of himself, and better yet, there’s no ring.
Shit, Autumn. Pull it together. You will not be hitting on the guy. You have a boyfriend waiting for you at home.
I try to remember to be professional and smile at him, watching how he seems to be taken back for the slightest second. I give myself a mental high-five. He might be off-limits but knowing that I affect him certainly makes my ego smile. “Of course, Dr. Mayson. I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Good,” he says before indicating to his intern, who I only just realize is carrying at least four thick folders, each of them labeled ‘Policies & Procedures.’ “Then you better get started. You will not step foot into my OR until you have read every single policy and procedure this hospital has in place. Your actions this morning were less than professional, and I will not risk my patients or the quality of the hospital like that.” The intern dumps the folders into my hands. “Read them, learn them, live them, love them,” he says. “Once you’re done and can recite every single policy and procedure, then you can come and work under me. Are we clear?”
I gape at him, absolutely horrified. He’s almost a complete stranger to the man I met less than an hour ago. “Uhh, yes. Of course,” I tell him, struggling with the folders in my