The ride home was far more treacherous than the ride into hospital had been. Judging from the weather, it might've been January rather than late early April. He drove slowly down the lane that led to his house, and was relieved to see the lights of home come into view. Even though he'd been driving in this city since he first got his license, he wouldn't have normally chosen to be out on a night like this but he had no choice nowadays.

He walked into the house, stamping the mud off his boots.

Melinda, his sister and his friend, Darius were in the kitchen, downing the last of the pizza along with one of Matt's beers. "What took so long? I was starting to worry about you."

"I was working, Mel."

Dr. Darius Brandon, his best friend gave him a shit-eating grin. "Maybe you wanted to be alone with your new chief of surgery."

"You're a jackass. She's here to work." Maybe if he said that often enough, he'd begin to believe it himself.

"Maybe but you can't ignore her beauty. She really is a hot one."

Matt went to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He didn't like the way Darius talked about Gray but he didn't say anything back. "She's a nice person. She's good at what she does, Henry Maxwell was right as always," Matt said after a long moment of silence.

"So you're for it now?" Melinda asked, seeming stunned by Matt's change of heart.

"I'm not sure yet. She was amazing today, not even once she panicked or let her anger take charge. I think we should give her a chance. Who knows? Maybe she could be a good chief of surgery."

"Tell me this," Melinda said. "If she wasn't young and pretty and you weren't bowled over by her, would you want to 'give her a chance' or would you feel the same way the rest of us do?"

"Screw you guys. It's got nothing to do with that."

"Ah," Darius said with a knowing grin that made Matt want to punch his best friend the way he would've back in the day. "Anyone else notice he doesn't deny that she's young and pretty and he's bowled over by her?"

That set off the Melinda into laughter that made Matt's face heat with embarrassment.

"Darius, stop it. She really did a fantastic job. The whole day she was in command. She helped out because we're short on staff.  Especially the accident cases. She was damn quick. If I didn't already know that she was a cardio-thoracic surgeon, I would have assumed her to be a trauma surgeon. She looked very experienced. "

Melinda's eyes softened. "I know how difficult accident cases are for you."

Matt nodded. "I'm okay, Mel. It's just once in a while I think about how we lost our dad because some bastard choose to drunk drive." Matt lost his father in an accident when he was fourteen years old and it still hurt him to see a drunk and drive case.

"She looks like she had a fair share of experience in her life," Darius commented, going back to Gray.

"I don't like her," Melinda commented.

"Why?" Matt asked, intrigued.

Darius laughed. "Because Dr. Zach Maxwell talks greatly about Dr. Gray."

Matt smiled despite his irritation about Zach's interest in Gray. His baby sister have a crush on Zach which nobody but Darius and Matt knew about. "He did visit the ER today and assisted Dr. Gray in a surgery."

Melinda's eyes widened. "Why did he assist her? I mean, isn't he senior than her."

Matt shrugs. "No. Zach is younger than her and he started as a attending last year while Dr. Gray has been one for almost seven years."

Melinda gritted her teeth. "He smiles a lot when he speaks about her. I heard Danielle telling how much happy Zach would be that Dr. Gray is back town."

Dr. Danielle Maxwell is a pretty blonde and obstetrician who is Zach's sister and the second child of Benjamin Maxwell. Matt raised his brow. "Is that before you met her?"

"I heard it during the meeting."

"I understand, Mel but you can't dislike her just because Zach likes her. He doesn't even know about your crush and he can date whoever he wants."

Melinda's face paled. "I know but I still don't like her. I think she's screwing Henry Maxwell."

Matt's eyes widened while Darius gasped. "Melinda," he called out in shock. "He's our chairman and you know Henry would never do that. Jesus! How can you even think about it? We've know him since years."

"Yeah," she agrees, smiling sheepishly. "I know but the way he hugged her today was not normal. He always went with handshakes."

"No, he hugged me when I visited his home," Matt pointed out.

"Yes but that was home and this is hospital. He hugged in an unusual way...like he likes her in a way more than boss likes their staffs. He kept looking at her throughout the whole meeting."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Stop it, Mel. We know that's impossible. He would never do that and mom would kill us if she heard this conversation. Maxwell family is like her own family."

"Okay."

Matt sighed. His sister liked Zach from the first day of her intern year and he was always concerned how that might end. He has more reasons now to worry.

Matt said good night to his his sister and friend before moving towards his room. He took a shower and got into bed but lay awake for a long time trying to decide if he had the fortitude to make this situation with Gray into something more than a professional relationship. He knew nothing about her but something about her makes him feel all tingly. He puzzled over the pros and cons-and there were far more cons than pros-for a long time before he finally drifted off. His last conscious thought was that he couldn't wait to see her in the morning.

-----------------------

"Dr. Gray, what's your first name?" Hannah asked, her hands shaking slightly.

Matt furrowed his brows at the question. Hannah seems to grow some balls around Gray. Still he did want to know her name. What could be her name?

"My first name is Gray," she muttered as she checked the reports of a patient in treatment room 4. Matt frowned. Gray wasn't her surname? 

"You have a middle name?"

"Audrey."

Matt smiled. Gray Audrey. What's her surmane?

"What's your surna-" Hannah started but stopped when Gray cut her off.

"Hannah, you can do anything other than assaulting the lab attending but I need the report within fifteen minutes."

Hannah nodded confidently before rushing out of the room. Both general and cardio-thoracic surgery had the same room as the department which was huge but still caused clashes. He didn't expect to find Gray in the department this morning. Gray gestured at him to follow her and they entered her office.

"Why are we in here when I have patients to check out?" Matt asked, pointing at her office.

"We need to make a list of doctors required."

"We're hiring?"

Gray shook her head. "Not exactly. The chairman and the president are going to take care of it. But we need to give them a list. And since we don't have a head of GS yet, I need you to tell me the problems in GS. We also need to appoint a new GS head."

Matt stood up, his eyes turning hard. "You called me up in your office to tell me you're going to appoint a new GS head."

Gray stared at him without changing her plain expression. "Not exactly but yes."

"Fuck you," he snapped, walking out of the room. He stopped in his tracks when he heard Code Blue and then rushed towards the treatment room 4 with Gray right behind him.

Dr. Emma Graham was doing CPR on the girl. Gray and Matt pushed inside the room.

"Dr. Graham, you're not compressing the heart. Go harder," Dr. Gray said as she moved towards Emma

"Bu-"

"Go harder, Emma. Right now."

Emma nodded lightly before she went harder. Her heart squeezed tight when she felt the ribs crack, tears welled up her eyes but she didn't stop.

"Hold," Gray said and Emma waited. "She's back."

"Hand me a drill," Matt ordered.  "Call Dr. McCain, get her up to PICU." Dr. McCain was the pediatrician on call.

The nurses rolled out the child and Matt went along with them. Gray turned towards Emma who looked like she was in shock.

"She was okay. I was talking to her..and then..she suddenly..is she going to be alright?"

Gray stared at the girl who refused her orders yesterday and looks so broken today. Matt was right, last few days were hard for them, Gray thought as she stepped towards Emma.

"What do you think Dr. Graham? Is she going to be alright?"

Emma took a deep breathe, blinked away the tears and nodded her head. "Yes. She's going to be okay."

"I'll give you two minutes to handle this and then go to treatment 6, a patient is waiting for you. Do not waste time."

Gray gave her a stern look before walking out of the treatment room. Few hours later, a handsome man approached Gray.

"Um, hi. I'm Michelle's father, Patrick Hillary." Gray moved her gaze from the iPad to the man standing in front of her.

"Hello, Mr. Hillary. I'm Dr. Gray and Dr. McCain is treating your daughter. Would like to know the details?"

"Actually no, they explained to me everything. I..I..just need to..um."

"A football player who's always damn confident getting tensed in front of me is not a good sign."

"You know?"

"Not exactly a fan but yes, I know that you're a football player."

"It's just that..I..I.. wasn't there when my baby got.."

"Mr. Hillary, your daughter is fine. You have nothing to feel guilty because you're here now and you love her. That pretty much covers it. You had a job to do and I'm sure your daughter understands."

"She does, actually. I feel sick knowing that I was miles away from my daughter when she needed me. There are no complications right?"

"No, there aren't."

"I'm always in the tour and I can't.."

"You don't have to explain anything. I'm not going to judge you for going away for your games because that's what you are and your daughter gets that. She's proud of you."

"That, she is."

"Says she's lucky to get you."

He chuckled. "Can we have dinner sometime?"

Gray smiled. She got that question most of the time but coming from a professional soccer player is a little bit different.

"I can't. Patient and doctor getting involved is against rules."

"But after I get out of here we can, right?" Patrick looked at her with a charming smile that might melt most of the girls but not Gray Maxwell.

"Yes, we can but the answer is still no."

"Because I'm a player?"

"You think I'd turn you down because you're a player?"

"No bu-" Gray placed her iPad on the counter as she faced him properly.

"There are number of reasons why I said no but you being a player is not in them. I'm damn busy, I don't want something complicated now when there are people trying to kick me out of here. "

"I can get you in my bed easily," he teased.

"Oh, I have no doubt in your talent but I'm pretty strong in that area. When I say no, I mean it."

He smiled brightly. "You're right. You're hot and had to give it a try despite the circumstances. Thanks, Dr. Gray."

Gray nodded her head before they went separate ways.

Matt furrowed his brows after listening to the conversation of Patrick and Gray. It didn't seem like she was interested in a relationship, he mused.

"She just turned down Patrick Hillary," Melinda stated with wide eyes. "Arrogant. She's arrogant."

"I disagree," Savannah muttered. "She just didn't want any complications when she just started her job. Understandable and she can get any man she wants. She's smoking hot even in that dress that covers her whole body."

"I don't like her and she's not hot," Melinda replied.

Matt shook his head. "Mel, you don't like her but don't deny truth. She's hot. You can't change that and she's an amazing surgeon. I don't like her either but that will not affect my professional opinion about her. She has some experience."

"Dr. Matt is right. She's amazing and tired too." Savannah stared at Gray who was checking out her next patient.

"She can't handle a day of work?" Melinda asking, raising her eyebrows and her lips forming a smirk.

"More like two days work. She didn't go home. Started her work yesterday morning and now it's almost evening today. I didn't see her taking a nap or drinking anything other than coffee," Savannah explained as she checked the test results of her patients in the iPad.

"You could have called me," Matt said.

"She said not to call you because you're damn cranky," Savannah replied after muttering some instructions to the nurse.

Matt glowered. "She's going to appoint someone new as the head of GS."

"I told you," Melinda replies.

"She'll change her mind once she knows you. She's really nice. C'mon, she might have been rude but I really think she wanted you to rest. Adrian told her how much you were working in the last few days and I know that's why she didn't want to  call you," Savannah explained, smiling brightly.

Matt couldn't help but be surprised. Since the last few days he has seen Savannah, he rarely saw a joyful look on her face. Whatever Gray did was definitely helping the residents and that's wonderful.

"Give me a minute."

Matt found Gray in her office, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed.

As she stood before him in her scrubs, she looked both beautiful and fragile, and he couldn't remember ever meeting a woman so full of contradictions. He didn't want to like her, but it was getting increasingly difficult not to.

He came to stand beside her, a coffee mug cupped in his palms, and leaned against her side. He curled his arm around her shoulders and she took comfort from his mere presence. It wasn't until after he'd done it he realized maybe it wasn't the right thing to do.

"If you remove that arm, I'm going to cut it off and beat you over the head with it," Gray said mildly before grabbing his coffee mug and taking a sip of his coffee.

Matt's fingers twitched with the desire to wrap the long rope around his fist, to unwind it and see how long her hair would be if it hung loose down her back. Matt's lips curved and he tightened his hold. Gray drew in a sharp, quiet breath, and smiled. His heart skipped another beat.

Gray took another sip of his coffee, still focused on the winter sky out the window, an almost tangible sadness coming off her. Work exhausted her but she felt a kind of relief she didn't feel since months. Each and everyday she's realizing how much she missed home and herself. She forgot to live for the past few months and in those days she almost lost herself.

Her lips curved when she thought about the smiles she received when her family saw her. She had everything right now, all she need to do is relax and she is already in that process.

"Do you still not want my help when you can barely stand?"

Clearing her throat, she meet that vivid blue glare of his. And just like last night, it feels like she is being pulled right in, which doesn't make any sense since he insulted her. "Me, standing or sitting is none of your goddamn business."

Dear Lord, this man's brow is probably permanently furrowed, Gray thought.

"Why are you here?" Matt asked, without releasing her from his hold.

"You know the reason."

"No, I don't," Matt answered truthfully. "You're too young to be a chief of surgery. Why will you join here to become one out of nowhere when everything is a mess? Generally there are two reasons : money or fame. But I don't think it's either. What else?"

Gray leans against him, placing her hand on his chest involuntarily. "They needed my help and I didn't see any harm in it."

"That's it?"

"That's the actual reason but I won't deny that my interest spiked up when there was so much rejection. I'm always up for a challenge," Gray said, smirking.

"Why don't you want me in the ER? You feel that I'm good enough?" His question held no emotion but Gray could hear a hint of vulnerability in it. 

"Your job is not in the ER, Dr. Evans. I know you were asked to help but that's not required anymore. Tomorrow, we're two ER doctors are getting appointed. You have previously scheduled surgeries. I'm trying my best to pull you out of the ER so you can concentrate on your actual job. I don't think that you're not good enough because you're one of the best."

"Are you going to appoint a new head of GS?"

"Yes."

Matt sighed, pulling himself away from Gray.

"You need to talk to a psychologist."

Matt groaned in annoyance. "I don't need to see a shrink."

Gray rolled her eyes. "Okay but I don't want to hear complaints about you. I don't care what you did before but no more arguments with anyone anymore."

"Fine," he bite out.

Gray moved to stand in front of Matt and smiled at him. "You look better than yesterday. All fresh and cute."

He gave a snort of laughter. "Damn, Gray, I wish we liked each other better, 'cause if we did, we could have ourselves a real good time."

As he gazed into her eyes, her body felt as if it were shedding years of musty cobwebs to become moist and dewy. The sensation was so strange, she wanted to run from it, but at the same time, she wanted to stay here forever. She was overwhelmed by the temptation to lean forward and touch his lips with her own. And why not? He didn't have any way of knowing how out of character such a gesture from her would be. Just this once, why didn't she take a chance?

"There you are, Gray."

Both their heads snapped around as Danielle emerged through a break in the hedges. She took a quick, unsteady breath.

"I'm here to pull you out of your duty. You started your work at yesterday noon and now it's almost 8 in the evening. You've been working straight for almost 35 hours which includes two major surgeries. You have already finished half of your working hours of this week within two days. You als-"

"Stop," Gray said, narrowing her eyes. "You don't need to explain this to me."

"Yes, I have to," Danielle replied. "Otherwise you wouldn't stop working. Orders from Uncle Mark is to drag you out of the hospital by using any means which will inc-"

"I'm coming," Gray said, shaking her head. "Let me just change and grab my things."

Matt smiled seeing the exchange between them. They obviously know each other well which explains Zach's reaction of seeing Gray yesterday.

"See you later, Matt," Danielle chirped, pulling Gray out of the room.

Gray smiled at Matt for the last time before letting Danielle drag her out of the room.

He's never met a woman like Gray—so self-assured and secure about who she was. She was confident without being arrogant. She was smart and capable but willing to give credit to others when it was due—something that mattered to Matt because he'd worked with so many people who were utterly unwilling to acknowledge other people's help.

Gray was different. And the more time he spent with her, the more she intrigued him.

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