She willed herself to stay calm and her lunch to stay down. She didn’t remember ever feeling this nervous. “I want to be completely honest and tell you I became romantically involved with a patient. I was only part of his care team for one day, before I moved to another service, and we didn’t start seeing each other until after that. It was near the end of his treatment, when we thought he wouldn’t be receiving chemotherapy anymore. Unfortunately he had some residual disease on his scan, and he’s still receiving chemotherapy. The relationship has…ended.” She took in a shaky breath. “Before we move forward with the job offer, I wanted to make sure you were aware, and that I recognize it was unprofessional of me.”

Dr. Hawthorne’s face remained calm as he listened. When she stopped, he said, “I appreciate your candor, Lauren. It’s not easy sometimes, being in our position. It’s a delicate balance, the care we have for our patients, and the time we spend with them, while keeping it professional at all times. Important, but difficult.”

Her heart was in her throat and she held her breath, unsure where he was going with this. He swiveled in his chair and pointed to a framed photo on his desk.

“See that woman right there? That’s my wife, Karen. She was the nurse in my clinic when I was a fellow at Memorial Sloan. It wasn’t convenient or appropriate for me to fall in love with her, either, but I was helpless against that woman.” The look in his eye when he spoke about her confirmed his obvious affection for his wife. “I’ve met with several providers who have worked with you, including Emma, Dr. Patel, and Dr. Stanford. None had a single negative thing to say about you. They believe in your integrity, and therefore, so do I.”

Relief flooded her, along with a sliver of jealousy that Dr. Hawthorne’s love story had a happy ending. “I…thank you, sir.”

He stood and held out a hand. “Welcome aboard, Dr. Taylor.”

Lauren went straight to the fourth floor and found Kiara and Emma waiting for her with bated breath.

“Well?” Emma asked.

Lauren made sure her face gave nothing away. “Well…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, just tell us,” Kiara cried.

Lauren laughed. “He offered me the job!”

Both women jumped up and hugged her, jostling her from one set of arms to the next. “It’s such a relief.” She put a hand on her head. “I can’t believe I get to work with you guys every day forever and ever!”

“We need to sign a pact,” Emma announced. “No one is allowed to quit unless we all vote on it.”

Lauren laughed and Kiara nodded, turning to sit down and pull out a piece of paper. “I’m on it.”