The following morning Scott sat quietly in his hospital bed. He was at a loss for words. After staying through the night, Deidre had finally left fifteen minuets ago to get something to eat. However, it seemed like since his shift started, Chase had been checking in on Scott what felt like every five minuets.

Shaking his head, Scott closed his eyes. Less than 24 hours ago he found out seven years of his life had gone by and he did not remember a thing. From the looks of it, a lot had happened in those seven years. For one he had gotten married. He, Scott Walker, the guy who flirted with almost every woman he laid eyes on, the guy who enjoyed his freedom too damn much to ever consider settling down, got married.

Chase stepped in for the second time in fifteen minuets to see how Scott was doing. Every other time Chase checked on his patient, Scott said nothing. Other than getting up to use the bathroom, he had hardly moved. This time, however, Scott decided it was time to get some information. "So," he said. "I married Ms. James the hospital’s kick-ass lawyer."

"She’s head of legal now and apparently you did," Chase said sitting down in the vacated chair. He looked everywhere but at the just over six-foot man resting in the hospital bed.

"I knew I’d win her over eventually." Scott smirked. "So how did it happen, me winning her over?"

"Honestly I don't know." Chase said.

"You don't know? What do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"Well, you and I aren’t as close as we used to be." Chase said.

Scott just stared at him not quite comprehending what he was saying.

"To be honest, I didn't know who you were married to until last night. You went on vacation then came back wearing a wedding band like it was no big deal."

"Oh." Scott said. "What happened to us?”

Chase was quiet as he thought about what he was going to say.

“So Chase, come on tell me what happened?”

“We are both very ambitious people, you more so than I thought.”

“Chase, we’ve been friends for close to two decades, or we were friends for close to two decades… This whole losing time shit is difficult to work out.” Scott laughed nervously. “Anyway, we wouldn’t have let our careers get in the way of our friendship.”

Chase was quiet, not really knowing what to say. He was ashamed of the way he had behaved in the past; too ashamed to explain to Scott why they were no longer friends.

The two doctors sat in silence a little while longer.

"I see. Well if you can't tell me about my life, tell me about what's been up with you." Scott suggested.

"I got married."

“To anyone I know?” Scott asked.

“No, you don’t know her. Her name’s Heather and we have a three-year-old son.”

"Wow, okay. I don’t really know what to say now.” Scott laughed

"I suggest you ask Ms. James."

"Ask Ms. James what?" Deidre said as she came back from her excursion in search of food.

"I'll come by before you check out, Scott.” Chase said as he made his exit.

"Dr. English thanks." Deidre said to the neurosurgeon before he left the room. She then put two sub sandwiches she brought on the food tray. Before sitting down, she reached for the bed controls, “did you want to sit up a bit?” She asked.

“Sure, but can we take it kind of slow. My shoulder and chest are sore.”

“Of course,” Deidre pushed the button and the back of the bed slowly began to move foreword.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” After sitting down, Deidre began to eat her sandwich in silence.

Scott stared at Deidre as he contemplated how he wound up marrying her. She was hot. He rarely dated a woman who was not extremely attractive. But there was definitely something different about her. It was not that she was black; he had dated African American women before. In fact, he dated women from all nationalities; although, he would not really call what he did dating. He continued to stare Deidre down, taking in her features and trying to figure out what made her different.

Deidre was well aware of Scott’s assessment of her, and she was becoming tired of his intense stare. "So what did you want to ask me?"

"I asked Chase about how we ended up together," Scott said.

"Really?" She asked unimpressed.

"I thought maybe he would know, considering we are, or I guess, were best friends,” Scott explained. "But he didn't know that we," Scott moved his finger between the two of them, "were even married."

"Uhuh," Deidre continued to eat her food.

"Who knew that we’re married? I mean did anybody know. I do remember you like your privacy."

Deidre nodded her head and finished swallowing before she responded. "Henry Cooper, the hospital’s head of HR knew and Emi of course.”

“Okay, Cooper I understand. We work at the hospital together, and HR wants to make sure they're covering all of their tracks, even though that makes no sense because we aren’t even in the same department. I mean you’re not even a doctor.” Scott said.

Deidre crossed her arms and stared Scott down.

Scott could see that he had just ticked Deidre off. He may not have known her well, but from what he could tell, he knew he did not want to be on her bad side. “I didn’t mean that as an insult. It’s just that you’re a lawyer and you work in a different department. No conflict of interest is all I’m saying.”

Deidre eased off of her stare-down but her arms remained crossed in a defensive manner.

“Why does Emi know?” Scott asked bringing the conversation back to where he wanted it to go in the first place.

“Emi’s my best friend. Well, she’s our best friend.”

Scott nodded his head in understanding. As they sat in silence, Scott’s stomach rumbled. He silently stared at the other sandwich sitting on the table.

“The only thing that was open was the Subway, so I just got us breakfast subs.” Deidre explained.

Scott cautiously picked the breakfast sub and began to examine the contents.

“Do you think I would poison it?” Deidre asked as she watched him slowly unwrap the sandwich.

Scott did not answer the question. Instead, he decided to show he trusted the woman sitting in the chair next to his bed by taking a large bite out of his sandwich.

The two finished their meal in silence. And a few minuets after they were done, Deidre spoke up again, “it was really my decision.”

“What was your decision?” Scott asked.

 "Keeping our relationship, I guess not so much a secret but just on a need-to-know basis.”

“Oh,” Scott responded. I could not have been okay with that, Scott thought. He was the kind of guy who liked to brag. If he was able to get Deidre into bed at any point, he was sure he had to have told someone. Somebody, other than Emi and the HR guy, had to know of his triumph. That was just the kind of man he was.

“It was more my decision than yours.” Deidre continued. “You could care less whether or not people at the hospital knew. But you already know the reason why I cared. It's the same excuse I used for not going on a date with you the first time you asked; I like to keep who I am at the hospital and in court separate from who I am at home and in my personal life. And it has worked for us."

"And I’m okay with this?” He asked in disbelief.

“As shocking as it may seem to you, and as foreign of a concept of keeping your sex life private has been in the past for you, you agreed to my terms. And it can make life a little interesting.”

“Right,” Scott snorted. “A little interesting? How is it interesting at all if we're not making out in the halls or having sex in your office and empty on-call rooms?" Scott asked semi-seriously.

Deidre smirked and shook her head. “Forever the horny teenager. Flirting is fun. Well you flirt and I ignore you, or you flirt and I have something smart to say. So it’s fun for me either way. Like I said, it makes life more interesting."

"Right," Scott smiled remembering that before this situation, he had been flirting hard with the dark haired, brown-eyed beauty. "How did we end up getting involved then, if you like your personal life and work life not to intermingle? I’m assuming we both still work at the hospital."

"Yes, you still work at the hospital as do I. And we didn't start out dating…

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

Scott stood next to Dr. Chase English at the nurse’s station. Chase was going over a patients chart while Scott was discussing his latest conquest, the new surgical nurse.

“So after surgery and post-op, me and the red-head ended up in the on-call room. And she was feisty.”

“Really Scott, don’t you talk about anything else, anything serious?” Chase asked putting the last touches on the chart he was working on.

“You want to talk about something serious? Well what abou the new position opening up? I think I might go for it.”

“What position?”

“The chief of surgery position, that’s the position I’m talking about.” Scott said.

“Really, you are going to go for that position?” Chase asked as the two men began to walk toward the cafeteria.

“Yes, I think I’d be good at it. I’m qualified.”

“I never said you weren’t. It’s just; you’re a plastics guy Scott. It’s what you’re good at.” Chase pushed open the door to the cafeteria and allowed Scott to enter the crowed room first.

“So you’re saying you don’t think I’d be good at being chief because I’m a plastic surgeon.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“That sounds like what you’re saying.” Scott retorted.

“Let’s drop it okay.” Chase suggested.

“Fine we’re dropping it.” Scott said grabbing a tray from the stack.

The two men went through the line in silence. After getting their food, they found a table toward the back of the cafeteria away from the doors.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chase attempted to lighten the mood. “So, the new surgical nurse?”

“I thought you wanted to discuss something more serious.” Scott said.

“I did, but the new nurse is hot.”

Scott smirked, “she is isn’t she.”

“Who’s hot?” asked a female voice from behind them.

Chase and Scott turned around at the sound of the voice of their colleague, Dr. Emilia ‘Emi’ Rodriguez. She was a medium build Afro-Latina who could kick either of their asses if she wanted, but she also had a softer side that few saw. Standing next to her in a pair of impossibly high heels, making her taller than Emi, was a square-faced African American woman who wore a no nonsense face. Both men looked Emi’s companion up and down before either responded.

“Hello, Scott who were you talking about?” Emi asked.

“Oh, the new surgical nurse um… what’s her name.”

“Laura, her name is Laura and I had her in my OR this morning. Scott you’re such an ass, always objectifying women. And you’re in collusion with him Dr. English? Even though I don’t really know you, I thought you had a little more class than that.” Emi said shaking her head in disappointment. “Anyway, this is Deidre James, a friend of mine from undergrad.”

“Ms. James, I’m Dr. Scott Walker. It’s very nice to meet you.” Scott said standing up from his chair, extending his hand and laying on the charm.

“And I’m not interested.” Deidre said.

“I’m Chase English. Why don’t you to join us for lunch?”

Emi and Deidre sat down at the table in the two empty chairs.

“What brings you to Seattle Regional?” Scott asked.

“I have a second interview later this afternoon with the legal department.”

“Are you from Seattle?” Scott asked.

“No, I’m from Chicago. I just saw this opportunity and I wanted to take it. I wanted to get away from the windy city.”

“So you come to Seattle instead, home of rain, fog and more rain?” Scott questioned.

“Yeah, well it’s someplace different.”

“Deidre look at the time.” Emi said.

“You’re right, I have to go. It was nice meeting you Dr. English. Dr. Walker, not so much with the whole meeting you being nice thing. Emi I’ll call you later.” Deidre got up and left the table.

Emi sat back in her chair and smiled. “Scott, you blew that one.”

“I didn’t. She’s into me.”

“No, she’s really not. I know Deidre, and right now, you’re getting nowhere fast.” Emi laughed.

“I’d have to agree with Emi. She’s not into you.” Chase smirked as he took a sip of his drink.