Choices

Chapter 3: Owe You One

It's safe to say that come Monday morning when I am sitting across the board of St Patricks Hospital, explaining the mistake I made on my twelve hour shift, both Jamie Black and Lucas Parker will both be killed in my head. I sat for seven hours with Chief Saxton and the cops while they questioned me and he threw disappointed glares in my direction. Over half my shift was wasted on the cops questioning me about Lucas Parker. When I finally got out of questioning Chief Saxton saw it fit that I go home for the rest of my shift. I managed to waste a twelve hour shift, where I could be learning or watching a surgeon perform surgery, on an asshole who woke up and decided that today is the day he is going to run from the cops.

According to the nurses in the hallway, who all know me by name now because I managed to lose a patient, claim that the hospital went into lockdown for an entire hour when the police finally realised that Lucas Parker was missing. The hospital was searched thoroughly before people could move freely throughout the hospital. Little do the police know that Lucas Parker was long gone, it takes a few minutes to ascend those stairs and be out through the clinic. By the time the two of them even realised that I had been lying about Lucas going up to C.T. and took the elevator back down to his room, Lucas and Jamie were probably halfway down the street.

I couldn't keep up with the lie and the female officer could see it in my eyes. I ended up telling them that when I arrived to his room he was not there and when I saw the police I panicked and lied about Lucas being up in C.T. I played the damsel in distress who was too scared of getting in trouble with the hospital and losing her job. I may have overplayed it but Jamie and Lucas left me with no other option. I didn't get into much trouble with the law because technically I did nothing wrong. I arrived to my shift and when I went to do my rounds Lucas was gone. However, when I slammed my locker door shut after Chief Saxton asked me to go home, I received an email from H.R. telling me that I need to report to the board of St Patricks Hospital on Monday morning for a meeting. Technically, I am still in massive trouble for losing a patient at the hospital.

When I arrive home at seven in the afternoon on Saturday, I expected things to be much quieter. Drake is set to be on a seven o'clock flight to Italy tomorrow morning, so I was surprised to find Drake, Nicolas, Daniel and Zak lounging on the couch watching soccer. All four pairs of eyes are on me as I shut the door behind me and throw my keys onto the small table by the door. "Aren't you supposed to be working a twelve hour shift?" Drake lowers down the volume of the television before turning his gaze back to me.

"Don't patronize me Harper, you know what's going on." I feel terrible for snapping at him like that and I begin to worry when he rises to his feet and all three pairs of eyes are on us like we are a drama on television about to unfold.

"What are you talking about?" There is concern laced in his tone when the words leave his lips and I roll my eyes. Is he really going to play this game with me right now? I know that what happened today isn't his fault but Jamie and Lucas are not here right now. "What's going on?" His voice is much softer this time around.

"Your friend Lucas Parker." I spit the words out like it's venom in my mouth and I make a point of throwing a dirty look in Zak's direction. "He ran away from the cops today and now I might be in a whole lot of trouble with the cops and H.R. at the hospital." A shocked look crosses Drake's face and this makes me wonder if he really didn't know about his friend's plans of going against hospital protocols.

"I thought Christopher was fetching him tomorrow?" Nicolas interjects and both Daniel and Drake, along with me, shoot Zak a look.

"That's what he said he was going to do." Zak nonchalantly answers with a shrug before turning to the television again and giving it his full attention. Something at the back of my head tells me that he knows something and he isn't going to be confiding in us anytime soon.

"I'm going to bed." I announce, as I spin around and begin to walk down the hall. It feels like there is something pounding against my skull with a sledgehammer.

"Madison." Drake pleads but I ignore him because I really don't feel like talking after the afternoon that I had. I shut the door behind me and make a point of locking it, just in case Drake didn't get the hint earlier about me not wanting to talk.

I did not manage to get a wink of sleep, I found myself laying in bed and thinking about Monday. It was pure torture because my body was physically tired but my mind was not ready to sleep. I watched the sun rise and the light bounce against the plush carpets in my room, I guess it's going to be a warm day. It's only on a rare occasion that I have a day off and the weather is actually great. Usually, I just stay in bed all day because it's freezing outside. On my way to the kitchen I notice that Drake is nowhere to be seen, but Brooke's shirtless boyfriend is drinking our orange juice straight out of the bottle in front of our fridge.

"That's unhygienic and it's also new, so ease up on those gulps." I have never seen Brooke's boyfriend before but I did see Daniel showing Nicolas pictures off him off i********: and it's safe to say that he is undeniably gorgeous. He has raven black hair and dull blue eyes, a charming smile with pearly white teeth and a surprisingly sharp jaw. He looks like he fell out of a magazine.

"You must be the doctor. I am Ethan, I've heard so much about you from Brooke." He puts the juice back and walks over to me before thrusting out his hand.

"And yet we haven't heard a single thing about you." Just as I am about to shake his hand Drake slips into the kitchen. Clearly he heard my little encounter with Ethan. He walks over to is and throws his arm around my shoulder before scanning Ethan from head to toe.

"He's kidding. Nice to meet you." I shake his hand and brush Drake's arm off me with a smile. Something tells me that Drake didn't wake up in a good mood and he is not going to pretend to be nice to his sister's boyfriend.

"Likewise." He throws Drake and I an awkward wave and smile before rushing out the kitchen, I swear it was almost like the kitchen was on fire.

Drake walks over to the refrigerator and pulls it open before reaching for the bottle of orange juice that Ethan had his mouth on. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I cross my arms against my chest and he gives me a bewildered look. "Your sister's boyfriend had his mouth on that bottle and we don't know where exactly on Brooke his mouth has been." He screws the cap back onto the bottle and tosses the whole thing into the bin and this causes me to shriek with laughter.

"You're disgusting." He screws his face up in disgust and I roll my eyes while trying to suppress my giggle. "Go shower. Let's go to breakfast. My treat." There is no way in hell that I will ever reject and offer like that. "Don't be long, I have to be at the airport by one." He calls after me but I am already bouncing down the hallway with the thought of free food on my mind.

When I arrived back home with Drake after the best breakfast I've had in three months, I expected the apartment to be empty. To my surprise I see Lucas Parker lounging on our couch, with his feet on our coffee table and his hands behind his head. He is dressed in a pair of black jeans and a grey sweater, better than the last time I saw him in a hospital gown. His bruises are still evident on his face and his hair is pulled back into a pint slick ponytail, which falls just above his neck. He looks relaxed and at home for someone who doesn't live here. His piercing hazel brown eyes find mine and for a split second it looks like he is looking right through me.

"Luke, my man. Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" Drake questions as e closed the door behind him and I quickly look away from Lucas.

"Brooke let me in before she left. I'm here to see Doctor Evans." His eyes are still on me when my head snaps back into his direction and he offers me a charming smile. I don't return his smile because I am still angry at him and Jamie and suddenly his face reminds me of the fact that I have a meeting with the board tomorrow to discuss my importance in the residency program. I've been at the hospital for three months, I barely talk to the other residents and I doubt most of the surgeons even know I exist.

It's safe to say that my importance in the residency program is not worth a scandal in the daily news when the headlines read 'St Patricks Hospital's first year resident loses a patient.'

I manage to look away from him but not before giving him my best glare. I slip into my room and make a point of shutting the door behind me. When I decide to finally leave my room fifteen minutes later, Drake's door is shut and Lucas Parker is still on our couch. He must really need another favour if he was willing to wait for fifteen minutes. Sorry Lucas Parker, there are no escape routes in this apartment.

"What do you want?" His back is to me but I know he heard me, I don't bother waiting for his response as I push open the kitchen door and step in.

"To talk to you." He steps in after me, as I am grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and I try not to let out a groan. "I need a favour." My head snaps in his direction and when I take in the serious look on his face I can't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"Another favour? What more do you want from me Lucas? A kidney perhaps?" I scoff and he gives me a wounded look. "I was interrogated for seven hours by the police because of you and Jamie and neither one of you have apologized as yet. I am done doing favours for you." I stand my ground and judging by the look on his face, it tells me that Lucas Parker has zero experience in women saying no to him. "So what ever the favour is, the answer is no." I offer him my sweetest smile before taking a huge gulp of my water.

He doesn't say another word, instead he just picks up the side of his sweater before turning around and giving me a view of the wound on his back. The bandage on his lower back has traces of blood on it and it doesn't take a medical degree for me to know that the wound is infected. Yeah, you should have just stayed at the hospital instead of running away from the law Lucas Parker. I reach for my phone and find James Lawson's number before grabbing an old electricity bill and scribbling down the number.

"His name is James Lawson, just tell him that it's a favour for me. I don't have anything here to help you and I can't go back to the hospital today." I slide the paper across the counter as he adjusts his sweater.

"Thanks, I-" He begins to say but I cut him off abruptly.

"You owe me one, I know." Without another word, he grabs the piece of paper and walks out of the kitchen as if it's the most normal thing in the world. I message James and ask him if he can please help Lucas as a favour for me and just like that I am doing the one thing I promised myself I won't do. I help Lucas Parker.

That Sunday evening I go to sleep with worry bubbling inside of me. An uneasy feeling settles in when I think about what is to come tomorrow when I arrive to the hospital. My residency just kicked off and to know that I could lose my place in the program before I can see what could possibly come of it is terrifying. I did not come to London to make friends or enemies, I came here to escape my life back in California. I can here for a fresh start. However, here I am falling back into the same toxic cycle and unhealthy behaviour. I eventually fall into a deep slumber with hazel brown eyes dancing in my dreams.

On Monday morning when I step into the conference room all five members of the board are sitting around a large table. I begin to feel anxious but when Peterson's electric blue eyes meet mine a feeling of comfort settles in.

However, I can still feel the disappointment radiating off him and suddenly it feels like all of the air has been sucked out of the room.

The interview starts off with questions I know the answers to but for some reason the words fail to leave my lips. I am read the protocol of a missing patient from the handbook and suddenly the ache in my stomach turns into a hole. A three day suspension is given to me and at the exact moment the words leave the Chief's lips, Lucas and Jamie's face pops into my head. I give the three women and two men in front of me my best smile before thanking them and leaving the room. I manage to find myself in the residents locker room and for some reason I am unable to leave just yet.

I am in the middle of packing my duffel bag when Jamie walks into the room and immediately the reason I am searching for is visible. She walks past me with a frown and it occurs to me that I have not seen her smile before. "So you're back at work then?" She scoffs as she places her leg onto the bench in front of her and begins to untie her laces. "I see that you have been given a slap on the wrist because you are family." She sneers and what I do next surprises both Jamie and myself.

It's been a hectic morning and the day hasn't even properly started as yet. I slam my locker door shut and her eyes meet mine, it's almost like she is waiting for a reaction from me. If that's what you want Jamie Black, then that's what you are going to get. I am in front of her in seconds, I grab a hold of the collar of her scrubs and slam her against the row of lockers behind her. Her dull grey eyes are the size of saucers and I pull her forward before slamming her body against the locker one last time. "I can easily drag your ass to H.R. and inform them that it was you who helped Lucas Parker slip out of this hospital like a criminal but I have a feeling that if you go down, you won't be as wise as me and go down as easily. I don't know about you but I am not ready to leave the program." I spit out and I can feel her heart hammering against my arm. I give her my best glare before letting go of her and walking back over to my locker.

I grab my duffel bag and and spin around to meet her wide eyed expression.

"I have informed Peterson that on my three day suspension you will be taking over my patients. Have fun on your seventy two hour shift." With that said I walk out of the locker room and she is left behind, still pressed to the lockers with a terrified look on her face.