12

12

Morgan's POV

We stared at each other for seconds, wild thoughts running through my head. The man I had been avoiding, the one I had used at the fundraiser was Winston Valentine, a doctor. What in the history of coincidences is this? My heart started to race in my chest. Why?! Why?! I had done a very good job at avoiding him so far! And now he's my doctor?

Finally, he cleared his throat, making us break eye contact. I looked down at my hands, speechless. I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

"So...you are Miss Morgan Rosewood." He said with emphasis on the Rosewood.

"Yes, I am." I said quietly. Thank goodness he didn't start off with something from the fundraiser. Was he acting like we never met or was he in his doctor self or did he not remember me? I think I would go with either he first or the second.

"So let's hear the reason you are here."

I raised my head and stared at him. "I've been feeling weak, tired and dizzy. Sometimes, my stomach seems to be in pain and then today, I nearly passed out at work." I narrated with a shrug.

"We would have to run tests on you to find out what the problem is."

"Okay." I replied, nodding. He pushed the files in front of him away, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table.

"Now, how about we talk about you avoiding me."

I began to cough. "What?" I asked with shock registered in my face. "Why would I avoid you?"

"I gave you my card after we played pretend soon to be couple, and you left me in the dark. How long has it been since then? Three weeks?"

"Um..." Was all I could say. Was he aware that each time I saw him I hid? Did he happen to see me just before I hid?

"You haven't called since then and we haven't bumped into each other,"

Thank God! He didn't know that I had been hiding from him ever since.

"Which means either you don't have my card with you anymore or you just decided not to talk to me, ever again."

I gave an awkward laugh, cleaning my hands in my skirt. "Busted." I finally said. "I don't have your card with me anymore, and yes, I have been avoiding you."

"Like at the mall?"

Oh my God! He saw me.

"Well...on that one, let's just say let bygones be bygones."

"You want to tell me why you avoided me at the mall or why you didn't call?"

"Is that necessary?" I asked him, cocking my head.

"Wow. You really act like the boss you are." He said smiling. That smile! It just caught my breath in my lungs. Snap out of it Morgan!

"What boss?"

"Who doesn't know that you are the boss of Rosewood Enterprise?" He leaned in." You are pretty famous miss Rosewood."

"And what about you Doctor Valentine. You work here?"

"Work here?" He asked with a raised brow. "I own here."

"Wow. I'm impressed. " I was really impressed. He was so young, rather too young to own this place.

"Let me guess what you are thinking." He said tilting his head at me. "He's too young to own a large hospital as this one."

"What? "I asked giving a little laugh. "Are you a freaking shaman?"

"You see, I got that right." He said laughing. A slightly deep romantic resonance. "Most people think that all the time. Can't youths be this successful at a young age?"

"We sure can." I said laughing, then the room went silent.

"You have such a beautiful laugh." He said looking at me. "Sorry if it sounded to awkward for a first...second, no wait, third meeting." Both of us began to laugh.

"If we scrape the mall and this morning, I think this will be our third meeting."

"Wait, this morning?" He asked with wide eyes. "You avoided me this morning?"

Oops, I didn't just say that did I? "You were speaking with someone so I just kinda dodged you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Guilty conscience?"

"I didn't expect the legendary CEO of Rosewood to dodge someone, especially me."

"Now you know." Then the room went silent all over again. "Um... So is this your field?"

"No. I studied pediatrics."

"Pediatrics? Then why was I referred to you?"

"Busted."

"Wait, you knew it was me?"

"No. I don't know it was the beautiful lady I met at the fund raiser. My doctors told me that the CEO of Rosewood Enterprise, which had a track record of never going to a hospital visited our hospital, so I was curious."

"Curious?"

"Yes. To know who it was. I had never met her in person. Or so I thought."

"Well, now you know."

"Now I know."

"So doctor Valentine..."

"Winston." He corrected. "Just call me Winston."

"I don't think we need to be a first name basis yet." I said to him.

"If you don't want me to call you Morgan, it's fine. But you can call me Winston. Drop the doctor."

I looked at him, enjoying the way our conversation had been going so far. It was smooth and relaxing and I was actually enjoying just sitting here, and talking to this man when I knew I had piles and piles of work to do.

"Why don't you just call me Morgan? That way, we are even." I said with a smile.

"Sure." He gave me a coquettish eye. "Why not?"

"What's with the eye Winston?"

"What eye Morgan?" He asked with wide innocent doe eyes. Making the both of us burst out in laughter.

"You are something else." I said amidst fits of laughter. Ever since I had set my eyes on Dante and Nova, I had never been this genuinely happy. And I was grateful to this man sitting in front of me. After the laughter had died down, he said.

"I had been meaning to ask you, about the fund raiser."

"Oh that day? It's a long story that I don't wanna dive into." I said to him not wanting to talk about Dante and Nova at this point where I was finally laughing and smiling.

"It's okay though, if you don't want to go down memory lane. Eventually, one day, you'll be able to talk about your past hurts. Take from someone with a first hand experience." He said with a little smile.

I wanted to ask what his past hurt was, but recalled that I had refused to tell him mine, so I just shrugged it off.

"Eventually, maybe or never." I said with a shrug. "Until then."

"Until then." He repeated, holding out his right hand.

"What?"

"Your card."

"Why?"

"Let's say, I'm scared that if I give you mine without taking yours, you may never call, so..." He opened a drawer and pulled out his card, handing it over to me. "You take mine, I talked yours. Incase you don't call, I will."

I looked at his outstretched hand with the card in it, looked at his captivatingly beautiful eyes that seemed to hold no ulterior motive but smiles and joy, and found myself smiling.

"Okay." I brought out my card, and handed it over to him, taking his.

"Okay." He said with a smile. "Now Morgan, may we go for the test?"

"Sure, Winston." I said with a smile.