Cleo.
Surgical Ward.
12:21

"No way you performed a cholecystectomy with him? Seems like you had a hell of an adventure while I've been here signing pre-op orders," Rose explains as the two of us walk down the hallway.

I smile to myself as I played with my small Rubik's cube. I didn't want her to think Dr. Jackson was neglecting his other students for me. My hands constantly twisted and switch up the colors of the rows and columns as I injected,

"If it makes you feel any better, Dr. Jackson probably will assign you to assist him on a surgery. Many of his old students said it's something he does a lot."

Our clogs scuffled against the floors as Rose sighs, "Was he nice? I don't have the strength to deal with another bitchy nurse or attending." My eyes looked up to the rubix's cube and towards her direction, "There's a reason he's the best. He's impatient and stubborn at times, but I think...it's just because he takes it so seriously. As long as you put in the effort, you should be fine. He seemed alright with my progress so far. Unfortunately, I will say he asked a lot of questions."

Instantly, she stopped walking before asking nervously, "Q-questions?"

I shrugged while smiling, "Intrusive ones. Like 'should he have angularity when making a particular incision? How he should pack off a particular organ?' I think he wants to test our confidence as well as clinical judgment. He's trying to understand our mindset."

She stretches her arms into the air before yawning, "I guess so. I can't believe we have about thirty hours left on call." I roll my eyes, slightly irritated at the thought, before scoffing,

"Don't remind me. I have charts to complete."

Michael.
Ambulance Bay.
12:34

My teeth instantly sunk into the sweet ruby red apple as I sat on the iron bench in front of the ambulance bay opening.

Unexpectedly, today was a slow day, minus the mass casualty incident this morning. I had a couple of brief procedures to attend to, but overall, my interns should have the little things covered.

"You're a doctor, and you're trying to keep yourself away for a while?" a familiar mellow-toned voice asked.

I turn around to notice Lisa with a bowl filled with salad in her hand as I roll my eyes before answer her sarcastically, "Haha, very funny." She sits on the bench beside me as I wrap my arm around her shoulders, which allowed her to scoot closer to me.

"I'm happy you remembered our little lunch date, mister. It surprised me to see you sitting out here."

"Slow day in the OR," I answered before pecking her cheek as I watch her stab the plastic fork into the layers of lettuce. She eats the lettuce from the fork quietly as I already sensed some tension between us. "How's that preemie going for you?" I asked.

"He's still alive. It's a miracle. He was supposed to be gone hours ago because he refuses to stop breathing...Michael, you sure we can't intubate him or something?" she asks in uncertainty.

I shake my head disappointedly before sighing, "He's just too small, my love." Our tension subsided as she rests her head rest against my shoulder. However, I look down at her salad, noticing the slices of strawberries. "You put strawberries in there?" I blurt out, trying to shift the conversation to something more positive.

Her head gradually popped up as she stabs the strawberry with the fork and lifts the forkhead to my lips, so I could eat the strawberry. Its blissful sweet-tasting savored in my mouth before Lisa asked, "Where's your little friend?"

"Who?"

"Cleo?"

As I expected, that same sense of tension was coming back. I shrug my shoulders as I continue to eat my apple, "She's not my "little friend," and doing charts, I think. I don't keep up with my interns like that, baby. We had a good cholecystectomy today, but she's still bummed out about this patient we had earlier. 10 year ago, suffered from heavy thickness burns. Died from septic shock. She's been taking the loss hard." Lisa looks over at me before muttering, "You're getting close to her, you know?"

Immediately, my eyes met up with her as I shot back, "What that's supposed to mean? Lisa, please don't you come with that bullshit."

I just didn't understand my wife's sudden jealousy of an intern. Don't she know I love her? What does she think I would be doing? Fucking Cleo in the OR?

Her eyes averted eye contact from mine, "The hospital talks...Michael, I have just been hearing things..."

I could sense a heavy sense of doubt that came upon Lisa's tongue as we both knew how the hospital feeds off of anything to be perceived as drama.

My hand rested on top of hers, causing her to turn back to me, "She's only been here for a couple of hours, and yeah, maybe we work well together. She's smart and yes, I can't lie when I say this, but I like working with her. Look, I love you. You're my wife. Please don't get jealous, how can you forget you're the one I want babies with..."

She chuckles lightly as I lean my head over to her neck and place a small peck against her skin. "Don't you remember how good our sex was last night? Don't you remember how good you made me feel?" I whisper seductively as my lips graze against her neck. That same sense of tension was replaced with heavy breaths being exchanged from the two of us.

God knew if I could fuck her right then and now I would. Right on this damn bench.

"God, Michael...stop it...I hate knowing that girl is...with you a lot. I don't trust her, remember, Rebecca?" Lisa whispers.

I chuckle lightly, "Oh, that was different with Rebecca. We weren't even officially dating. So what you want me to do with Cleo? Cut her from the program because you don't like her? She hasn't even done anything!" Lisa's eyebrows furrow at me before yelling out boisterously,

"Tuh, I wish you could, but I know you wouldn't. She hasn't done anything, yet you're DEFENDING her?! How don't you know she's trying to get on your good side to become your teacher's pet. She's trying to be a kiss ass!"

Before I could answer, a loud smack hits against the concrete as I turn around and see Cleo staring at me and Lisa. My eyes widen as her eyes stared into mine before looking back at Lisa. She dropped a stack of charts from her hand while staring at Lisa. I couldn't imagine how she was feeling. I assume she overheard Lisa's quarrel as she reaches down to grab the charts and ran back in.

I yell out, "Cleo, wait!"

Unfortunately, she continues to run without looking back. I snarl before turning back to Lisa, "Now look what you did!" Lisa bolts up from the bench, "I didn't do shit! Try waking up and smell the roses, you idiot!" I shook my head before pointing my finger at her, "I don't want to see you right now. That was so uncalled for and humiliating!"

Lisa screams back, "Just go to hell, Michael!"

Stubbornly, she looked away disgruntled as I ran inside of the hospital to the elevators as the doors were closing with Cleo in it. Luckily, my skinny body squeezed in before the doors shut close. Cleo's eyes refused to look up at me and stared down at the charts as I sat beside her quietly.

"I'm sorry...about my wife. She's not normally like that at all. She's just protective of me," I whisper embarrassingly.

I watched as her grasp tightens against the stack of charts that she held close to her chest. She didn't respond for a while as I gather she was looking for the right words to respond to this crazy dilemma. Eventually, she whispers back while looking at the stack of charts, "I didn't mean...to start confusion between you two, but Dr. Jackson, please don't ever feel the need to defend me. Look, I understand, but at the same time, I don't. I'm a big girl, okay? You're lucky to have a wife who cares." Her innocent doe eyes finally mustered the courage to look up into mine as I found myself more than upset at my wife.

I could tell at any moment Cleo was going to just let loose in tears and it was partially my fault for it.

"Look, Lisa, she blows up about everything, but it's no excuse to say those things about you. I'm going to talk to her, okay? At the end of the day, we surgeons have to stick together. I'm sorry, okay? How about we have dinner together? My treat for my wife embarrassing you like that?"

I smile at her reassuringly which in response, caused her lips to gradually molded into a small smile as she answers back, "Well, how can I say no to dinner? Look, Dr. Jackson, I don't want to be a 'teacher's pet.' I want to be a good surgeon. I want to help people like the way you..."

I frown in confusion as her voice mellows out, causing me to ask, "The way I what, Cleo?" She seemed hesitant on continuing the sentence, and before I could ask for the rest, the elevator's doors opened.

Once the doors opened fully, she walked out of the elevators, ending our conversation.

Dante.
ER Lounge Room.
13:10

"No way, she heard the whole thing?"

Michael nods his head as the two of us enjoyed a cup of coffee together while sitting on the sofa.

"And I felt horrible you know? Like absolute shit because she's a good person, and with the rumors fueling Lisa up, I can't get a grip on her. She wants me to drop Cleo from the program. What I'm afraid of is that Lisa is going to say something to her to quit the program. You wouldn't believe how great she was during our surgery together," he explained.

I take another sip of my coffee before admitting, "Dude, I told you not to marry her. She's this intimidated by an intern as if you tapped that ass. I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you did. You should see yourself beaming when you talk about her." He rolls his eyes, "You are such a dick. Cleo, I mean, I haven't had a good intern like this in a long time. Lisa is great, I mean, I wanted to tell her that I want to start...you know, try to start settling."

"Settling as in like, family?" I clarified.

He nods before sipping his coffee, "Maybe we got married too soon, or maybe we just don't know one another as we thought we did. I hate that she doesn't trust me because I'm working with a female. There's just...no need to be this jealous. Doesn't she know she has my heart? My everything? Besides, Cleo isn't the only female intern I've had before. I've had many of them and never slept with them."

"You want to know the answer to this solution? Get the hell out of it," I explained.

He takes another sip of his coffee, "Maybe, I should just leave and start a private practice. I mean Lisa has been trying to talk me into it for years. That way, Cleo can still be in the program, and I'll just be somewhere else." I shake my head, "No, you are the best surgeon here. You need to lay down the law and tell Lisa to just chill out."

He frowns before looking down at his empty mug, "I wish it was that easy."

The lounge door opens as Cleo walks in and looks at the two of us, "Hi!" I smile back at her as she walks over to the coffee station to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Hey, Cleo. How would you feel about having a bite to eat later today?" I asked. Her head turns towards me before smiling, "Well, I'm having dinner with Dr. Jackson, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind you joining us?"

My smile grew immensely as I turn to Michael, who was looking away. I can't believe he hid these little details from me.

"Oh reallyyyyy? Well, I'm sorry. I realize I have to go babysit my niece after the shift. Sorry, guys."

Cleo sighs while she opens a pack of sugar and dumps the grains into the brown liquid, "Aw, maybe some other time. Anyways, I have some charts left to complete, bye." Michael and I watched as she walks out with her cup of coffee before I blurt out, "You sick bastard."

"Before you start, we are only going to dinner together because of what Lisa did to her."

I reach over to the coffee table and grab a magazine, "You might as well give her dinner and some nice...hospitality." He sighs, "Why does everyone expect me to sleep with her? I haven't even known the girl for a week nevertheless a whole day."

I frown before answering sarcastically, "Well, one, she's a babe. Two, she seems nice and got all of the nurses, including your wife, bitter and jealous. Three, everyone knows the interns want their perfect little feathers to be rustled by an attending. See, you can either accept it and just claim your prize or you can send her down here for surgical consults, and I will do it for you."

"I'm not going to sleep with her, Dante. You can forget it. I love Lisa," he answers defensively.

I laugh out, "Dude, we know you love Lisa, but c'mon there could be something more with Cleo. You said it yourself. She's smart and you like working with her." He looks away for a moment before admitting,

"Would it...would it make me a bad man, if I said I did look at her ass a couple of times and just imagined the most indescribable things I would like to do to her if we did....you know."

My eyes look over to him, "I think you would be a lying son of a bitch if you didn't think those things."

Cleo.
Pathology Lab.
17:34

I slowly slide the sample of infectious bacteria under the microscope before gazing at its appearance.

"Mmm, I knew a snake such as yourself would be hiding out before striking again," a voice boomed, instantly startling me.

Quickly, I turn around to be confronted by Dr. Jackson's wife, Lisa. My eyes blink for a second before asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same when you get in the middle of my marriage," she answers. She got close to me, which caused me to frown, "Look here, I'm getting tired of you. Your husband has been nothing but nice to me. He's a great man, and he hasn't done anything flirtatious towards me, nor myself. How about you try to get to know me before jumping to conclusions like a middle school brat!"

Her expression was stricken for a moment before answering coldly, "My husband may not see it, but I know a dirty, repulsive slut when I see it. Stay away from my husband, or you won't be here for long. I know things, and you play with me, and I will make your life a living hell."

I smile before answering, "Oh please. Empty threats? You see, I'm here now, Lisa. And now, you just going to learn how to live with me being here." Her eyes widen for a moment before stomping away.

Once she left, I took a deep breath before slumping into the chair.

Thank God, no one was here in the pathology lab.

I rearranged the slide into the microscope before looking at the microscopic organism again.

"Hey, Lisa said you would be here," a softer voice emitted.

I look from the microscope to see Dr. Jackson looking at me. He smiles widely, "She told me she came here to apologize for her behavior. That's good." I faked a smile before playing along, "Yeah, it was really sweet of her. Uh, can you help me with this?"

He looks at me confused before walking closer to the microscope and looking into it, "What? Studying some bacterial organisms?" I nod my head as I watch him grab another slide and insert it into the placeholder of the microscope.

"Okay, this one has spiral bacteria."

He lifts his head, so I'm able to see the microscopic structure. "Looks like a nematode," I answered before looking up at him. My answer caused him to laugh for a moment, "Don't ask me, I don't even know. How did you get so smart? I was always horrible when it came to microscopic stuff back in medical school."

I laugh, "I'm not as smart as you make me out to sound. Uh, I was never good at suturing for a while." He shakes his head while continuing to laugh, "You are lying!" I shake my head excitedly, "I'm not!"

Eventually, our laughs subsided as he was just looking at me for a while before confessing, "Cleo, as ashamed of myself to admit this, I do like you." My lips gape open in surprise for a second. I couldn't believe I was hearing that the one and only Dr. Jackson likes me out of all people. I couldn't help but admit, "I like you, too, Dr. Jackson."

"Michael, please."

I nod my head at his request before he interjects, "But, I love my wife immensely. I just can't throw away what we worked so hard for...." His voice trailed off as I whisper, "It's okay. I don't expect you to." He smiles softly at my reassurance, "I don't think I can be your mentor anymore after doing this..."

"Wait wha-"

Before I could finish, his head slowly leans against mine as his soft, warm lips pressed against mine. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long as I answer after the kiss,

"Let's...let's go get dinner. I have to be on call all night."

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A/N: Thank you guys for +150 reads, you guys are awesome and I really hope you are enjoying the story and please continue to support with comments and likes. Thank you!