Chapter 1
A year later, I crossed paths with Roland Green again.
Crownwell Medical Center, Men's Health Clinic.
I was finishing up the previous patient's chart, fingers flying over the keyboard as I called out in a dry, practiced tone, "Next."
The door swung open, and a tall man stepped inside before taking the chair across from me.
I didn't bother looking up. "What seems to be the problem? How long have you had these symptoms?"
Silence stretched between us before a familiar, raspy voice finally broke it. "Associate Chief Physician Alina Bellamy?"
A year ago, my name had been the last word he ever spoke to me before sending me away with a merciless, “Get out.”
Now, hearing that voice again left me completely unmoved. If anything, I found the whole thing almost funny.
I raised my eyes at an unhurried pace, my gaze cool and detached. "Mr. Green, you're in a hospital. It's Dr. Bellamy here. If you're not here to see a doctor, don't block the line."
He probably never pictured the woman who had once sobbed and begged him to stay, trembling in his arms like she had nothing left to lose, becoming one of the country's top specialists in men's health.
"I..." Roland swallowed hard, his humiliation making his hands curl into fists.
I continued tapping away at the keyboard, not even blinking. "What's the problem?"
Roland closed his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I can't get it up."
"Duration."
Roland went quiet, his eyes locked on the bottle of disinfectant sitting on the desk.
"What? Is Mr. Green really so busy that a simple checkup requires this much thought?"
I shut the medical chart and drummed my fingers against the desk. "The elevator is right outside. Have a nice day."
His hands clamped around his knees, the veins on the backs of them standing out.
"Mr. Green, I don't have all day." I stopped what I was doing and raised my eyes to him.
"Six months."
"What happened six months ago?" I asked professionally, my gaze turning sharp. "Were you under unusual stress? Or were things not exactly smooth between you and your partner?"
The moment I mentioned his "partner," Roland's eyes snapped open, fixing on me. Six months ago was his engagement party with Yolanda Scott. It was also the night he realized that even seeing Yolanda's face couldn't stir the slightest response in him.
"That's none of your concern," he said coldly, desperately clinging to the last scraps of his pride.
"Mr. Green, I'm your doctor, and you're my patient. In this room, your body is nothing but anatomy to me." My voice stayed even. "If you refuse to cooperate, I can't diagnose you. Or would you prefer to deal with erectile dysfunction for the rest of your life?"
Roland drew a deep breath, forcing down his humiliation. "There was no trigger. It just stopped working all of a sudden."
I looked him over. "Too much pressure? Or did you do something you regret, and now it's keeping you awake at night?"
Roland's heart jolted. Before he could answer, the exam room door was suddenly thrown open.
"Roland, I knew you were here!"
A woman in a Chanel suit and perfectly done makeup swept into the room. It was Yolanda. She spotted Roland across from me, then turned her eyes on me. After a brief pause, a mocking smile curled across her lips.
"Well, well. If it isn't the discarded wife." Yolanda crossed her arms, looking me over from head to toe. "How did you go from getting thrown out to working as a nurse here? What luck! Get my husband something for his energy. He's always complaining about work, and it has been forever since he and I..."
"Yolanda, shut your mouth!" Roland barked, his face burning with embarrassment.
Yolanda blinked, then noticed the computer screen on the desk. The words of Initial Consultation for Erectile Dysfunction were impossible to miss.
She stared for a second before suddenly shrieking, "Erectile dysfunction? Roland, y-you can't get it up?"
Her scream blasted through the exam room door, and the entire waiting area fell dead silent.
Whatever was left of Roland's pride as a man was crushed on the spot.
"Get out!" Roland sprang up and shoved Yolanda aside.
She stumbled backward into the medical tray beside her, sending instruments crashing to the floor. She stared at Roland in disbelief, then whipped around to look at me, as if she had suddenly put two and two together.
"Alina, was this you? Are you trying to get revenge on Roland? I knew you were a vindictive little..."
"Security!" I calmly pressed the call button, my voice quiet but firm. "This is a medical exam room. Keep causing trouble, and I'll call the police."
Yolanda snapped, "Who do you think you are..."
"I'm his attending physician." I rose to my feet, my gaze cold and cutting. "Ms. Scott, if you don't want your husband's condition to become permanent, you should leave now."
My warning clearly shook Yolanda. For once, she had nothing to say.
"Test order." I dropped the form onto the desk. "Pay the fee, then wait in the exam room next door."
Roland gripped the payment slip and stood motionless in the hallway for a full five minutes. In the end, he clenched his jaw and walked back into my exam room.
