Page 40

Ha-joon

My lover was the founder of ASH.

Just thinking it sounded insane… But I knew it was true. I knew it in my soul more than the clues I’d gotten from Da. He said he thought that the founder’s last name was Miller.

Fine, Ellie was Reed-Miller, but she didn’t go by that, and I would bet anything that Da wasn’t the only one who might remember the name of the founder. They’d probably doubt it was Ellie, but too many people were stupid.

And I wasn’t.

Then when she told me the heartbreaking story she lived—I knew. It was the story Da had said about how ASH came about. It was more than that though. It was the haunted and disappointed look Ellie had as she finished and talked about other things.

Like she wasn’t living up to being the founder.

I’m in love with my idol. How about that turn of events to fuck with a man’s mind?

“Can I make a recommendation?” I checked when we were done with breakfast and I was heading out to get ready for work.

“Of course,” she said with a smile and looked up from her tablet. “You’ve been a huge help already.”

That was good to hear because I felt useless as she seemed to need some sort of life cleansing yesterday. All I’d done was drag bags to the garbage chute or load some up in my SUV to donate. Or fetch what she needed.

I hadn’t felt like that was much help.

I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “Get new bedding. I always feel like that’s the start of a reset. I did every time I moved onto a new stage or switched hospitals. The next chapter of me because our tastes change.”

Her eyes sparkled. “I love it. Yes, that’s—thank you.” She gave me a much deeper kiss. “Thanks for supporting this. I don’t feel so silly or all over hearing that this is okay—healthy even.”

“I envy you because I have boxes that I don’t have the energy to sort through or handle. I think if anyone says it’s a waste of your time or silly, they’re just jealous you have the energy for this that most of us lack.”

She beamed at me and everything was right in the world when those bright golden eyes shined at me. “You’ll come over after work?”

“I’ve got a light day, so I’m going to hit the gym if you want to join me?” I hedged.

She seemed to consider that and nodded. “I could use a swim. I need to get back to that and stop running myself into the ground.”

Perfect.

What wasn’t perfect?

The rumors all over the hospital. By lunch, I’d heard everything from Ellie being out because the owner was embarrassed by another blowup with her to her being in prison for breaking a mating contract.

“People really are fucking stupid and I’m getting tired of it,” Dr. Joyce Tai grumbled.

“I’m handling as much of the guys as I can if you could smack around the women,” I offered.

“As much as I would love that, I’m not sure if it would help or make things worse,” she admitted.

Fair enough.

It got better when Ellie video conferenced into an afternoon meeting and that flew around the hospital. Also, the email from Dr. James saying that he was over the gossip and for people to grow up. That Ellie wasn’t out, and people had family issues because we were people.

As the head of the hospital, Ellie was doing the wise thing to take a step back and some time for herself.

That he could easily name a dozen of our department who had done the same.

And for people in such a compassionate field, he was disappointed at the lack of compassion for one of our own who went through something upsetting.

Also, that it wouldn’t be forgotten because he was tired of feeling like a vice principal handling little kids instead of a department head managing adults.

Damn. Like... Wow!

But good. Seriously, it was perfect.

He also wasn’t the only one. I had a feeling that the department heads got together or at least talked about how to handle things because I heard every department received a similar email.

I hoped they’d let it go on that long because they were taking names and paying attention to the problems, not just because things fell through the cracks or they didn’t care about Ellie.

And I came home to an excited Ellie. Technically, it was her condo to pick her up to go to the gym… But yeah, it was coming home to her.

“Do you have any idea how awesome Amazon is?” she asked me with a bright smile, waving something in front of her. “I got to the deep cleaning part and—it’s like the best forty bucks I’ve ever spent.”

“What is it?” I chuckled, taking it from her. “A mini vacuum?”

“Yes, but super powerful,” she said dragging me along to the kitchen.

She pulled a bunch of everything out of the drawer and then used it to easily vacuum out the drawer.

“I tried to clean out the drawers in my closet with my Dyson and hated life.

Do you know there are whole social media pages for cleaning?

Organizing? It was so helpful when I got overwhelmed.

“I mean some of them were overwhelming and obviously just trying to sell product, but a lot were helpful. I used the affiliate links so they got credit and Amazon had it delivered a few hours after lunch. I have more coming later and…” She let out a heavy breath. “I really needed this.”

“Not the vacuum?” I checked.

“No, decluttering and seriously just handling my home,” she answered, gesturing around.

“I think a few days getting my room and office together was smart. Everything is out of the master bathroom now—I had creams that expired ten years ago. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve gone through the shit in my bathroom. Even I feel like a monster.”

“I have no idea what my stuff all is,” I admitted, taking the little vacuum back and checking it out. “Oh, this does air blowing too. Yeah, I want this. Just to clean my electronics in my study. The compressed air cans—I feel like a duffer using them.”

“Yeah, that—I’ll have to read the instructions for that part when I get there.

” She stood on her toes for a kiss, smiling when I gave it to her.

“Do you mind taking some boxes of files to Alan tomorrow? He knows how to properly dispose of them. I have patient files and insurance claims that we had to go to court over from—it’s ridiculous. ”

I slid my arm around her waist and gave her another kiss. “As long as you promise me you’re really this good and not just diving into a project to hide.”

She was a brat and kissed my nose. “It’s a bit of that, but it’s really helped.

I talked to Gerald a bit and I have to go into the police station tomorrow and sign the reports against Kenneth and that family.

I’m sure they’ll get off with a fine—I don’t know, but I want it over.

I don’t care if he gets prison as long as he understands this was the last time he contacts me. ”

Which meant having a private chat with Kenneth Reed was just added to my calendar.

We had fun at the gym. I ended up swimming with her and she did some machines for lifting while I did free weights. The tension between us was so intense that it was good nothing too flammable was around us.

The sex we had after was all I wanted for fire and then we had fun eating.

Everything was more fun with Ellie. Even opening her damn packages full of bins and organization stuff. Honestly, I got some really good ideas for my own condo and asked for her to send me a few links which tickled her.

She cleared her throat when we were finished with her closet. There was a small hanging section above two drawers and a few shelves. “I hoped this was enough along with a shelf and drawer in the new bathroom.”

I beamed at her. “It’s perfect. Your bed is much nicer than mine, so I like staying here.”

She frowned. “I like your bed better. Mine’s like fifteen years old. I was going to ask where you got yours.”

“Yes, mine’s newer and more comfortable, but yours has you in it, and that’s most important and makes it better.”

She blinked at me for a full minute “You are too fucking smooth. Seriously, it’s—you need to come with a warning for the hearts of women.”

I laughed so hard my side hurt. She was just too perfect.

Her master suite looked like a completely different room after her time off.

Her home office was pristine and organized in a way I was jealous of.

How had she seriously managed that in a handful of days?

We’d been to the gym a few times, gone shopping for some new clothes for her, and I knew she’d been to the police station.

Plus, she’d been on several video calls for work. She really was on a level we mere mortals couldn’t catch.

She seemed extra determined Sunday but also a bit nervous.

I didn’t pry, but I told her that she’d made it as far in life as she had by trusting her gut.

That I trusted her and her decisions, so I knew she would make the right ones.

It seemed to really help, and I was relieved because I wanted to be the one she turned to when she needed help.

Just like she always helped me even when I didn’t ask for it.

When I didn’t even know I needed it.

“Can you believe she went on TV and actually said that?” one of my staff whispered when I was between patients to update a chart.

“Good for her. I’m glad Ms. Reed is drawing a line in the sand.

Too many think this will blow over and it will be back to the bullshit it was before,” one of the nurses replied as she typed in something.

“I agree with her that it needs to go further. I like working for a doctor who doesn’t see me as a conquest.

“I like that we have fun but work hard. Hell, I’m thrilled HR isn’t a bunch of petty children anymore and will protect the hospital and help us .

I had to talk about my leave and changing some things around for my kid’s break after getting reassigned here and the new team is awesome.

I want to do my job and then live my life. ”