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"You bastard. You got an offer tonight, didn't you? That guy in the PICU?"
"Mayo Clinic."
"You got an offer at the Mayo Clinic?" Ava forcefully laughs. "I can't believe it." She takes a deep breath to calm down her emotions. "Of course you're going to take it." She shakes her head and looks away from him.
"Would you?" Connor carefully asks, staring at her.
Ava looks back at him for a few seconds in silence. "Yes. Absolutely."
"Great." He had no facial expression, deep down he was hurt by her answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s been one week since the conjoined twins’ surgery.
One week since Connor got the job offer to go work for the Mayo Clinic.
And one week since he last talked to Ava.
He keeps replaying their last conversation repeatedly in his head. What went wrong between them and what could he have done differently. It was never his intention to make himself the hero and star of that once in a lifetime surgery in front of the top officials from top ranking hospitals in the country. It was never his intention to show off how great of a surgeon he was. It was also never his intention to hurt Ava in the outcome after it was over. He just couldn’t live with himself knowing he could have done something that could have prevented losing those babies.
But what is done is done. He can’t go back and change what had happened that night when he was approached by the Mayo Clinic rep.
==Flashback==
"Excuse me, Dr. Rhodes. Ralph Ballard, you got a minute?" A tall older looking grey-haired man, wearing a dark-greyed suit stopped Connor after he walked out of the Cronin twins' room.
Connor motioned his head, agreeing to talk to him. He walked him into an empty interview room, further down the PICU.
==Flashback Ends==
Connor wasn’t expecting to get a job offer that night, let alone from the #1 hospital in the world. He was very flattered and kind of excited at the idea of working there. It would be a huge boost in his career as both a doctor and as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Getting his name out there in the world. He knows Dr. Downey would have been so happy for him. That he really wasn’t wasting his time taking him under as his pupil and successor before he died. He still misses him and wishes he was here to see this….
…. But at the same time, he was reluctant to accept the offer right away. He told the rep that he needed time to think about it.
Colleagues come and go all the time. Sure, the friends he made at Med aren’t like those he made in the past, but they can keep in touch through phone calls and texts. Connor knows he’ll probably meet another Will Halstead again, or worse than him when it comes to hospital ethics. There’s always at least one doctor going against hospital rules at any hospital in the world.
He wasn’t worried about leaving his sister again, Claire moved to New York a few months ago to oversee the first branch building of Dolan Rhodes. The family business was now finally expanding outside of Chicago since they first opened during their grandfather’s time.
Things between him and his father are still the same and he wasn’t worried about leaving him again. Especially after learning he was attracted to Ava, but she quickly shot that down in a heartbeat once she realized his father’s intentions. And she took full advantage of that misunderstanding on his part to mess with his head and tease him about it.
The Mayo Clinic was in Rochester, Minnesota, just 1 hour and 33 minutes away from Minneapolis where Robin lived. If he decides to go, he could try and patch things up with her. He heard from Dr. Charles that since his daughter moved to live with her mother, she’s been getting a lot better than how she was here. He’ll always care about Robin, that part will never change.
But he’s been over their breakup for months now. He’s not in love with her anymore. If he was still in love, he would take the job offer without extra time needed.
Something else was weighing down his decision to stay in Chicago.
Someone.
And that someone was Ava Bekker.
He didn’t want to leave her.
He wanted to stay to be with her.
Connor knows what they have is real. Ever since the night they slept together the first time, he’s been seeing her differently in a new light. It first started when her old mentor came and belittled her, then it was how he saw her interact with his patient’s parents when they were prepping him for a lungs transplant. Since then, he’s been waiting for the right time and place to properly ask her out after being turned down about her offer of drinks, saying their one night together was a mistake.
A lot has changed between them since she turned him down and knows that even she feels the chemistry between them. And after the conjoined twins’ surgery had ended on a successful note, he was finally going make that move again and ask her out. He saw the way she looked at him at the end of the surgery and her being worried about him potentially ending his career if his plan didn’t work out.
But then the job offer came and ruined his plans with Ava that night as she got hurt by the news and assumed he was trying to flaunt his skills. Probably why she said she would take the job offer if the roles were reverse, but he doesn’t really know how truthful she was being at that moment.
Which is why he wanted to talk to her about it again, but they haven’t worked the same shift since then and he wanted to give her some space before bringing the topic up again.
And today was finally going to be that day.
The second Connor walks into the ED he sees a group of nurses talking about the recent hospital gossip among themselves at the front area of the nurses’ station. He hears they’re still talking about April and Ethan’s recent sudden break up due to his sister. Right before he heads into the doctor’s lounge, he hears Doris say something that catches his attention.
“I only got a quick look of him, but the new CT surgeon is really hot. I didn’t get a good look at his name on his coat, but he definitely belongs to the CT department as a surgeon.”
He furrowed his eyebrows together at the info.
‘New CT surgeon? I haven’t told Latham or Goodwin about the job offer yet. I doubt Ava would tell anyone. And they already hired a new surgeon?’
He walks into the room and sees Will happily getting ready for work for the day. "Morning Connor." The red-haired doctor greeted him.
"Hey. Morning Will. You seem happy today." The dark-haired surgeon says walking towards his locker to put away his stuff.
"I am."
“Oh yeah? About what?”
The ED Attending turned to his left to face his friend. "Natalie finally said yes."
Connor widens his eyes slightly with a grin. "Oh really? Congratulations to both of you. I'm really happy for you two, man." He exchanged a handshake and side hug.
"Thanks. Keep your calendar open for the wedding." Will pat the other’s arm as they parted.
"I'm gonna have to now." He says sarcastically.
'It's a good thing only Ava is aware of the job offer. I'm not sure how they'll react now if I told them.’
“Don’t worry, we’ll give you a plus one if you can’t get a new girlfriend by then.” Will jokes as he moves to leave.
“Who knows, right?” Connor fake chuckled.
‘I wouldn’t have this problem if Mayo didn’t come talk to me last week. I really need to talk to her soon.’
Connor changed into his scrubs and headed upstairs to the CT floor and did a quick scan for the South African woman. There was no sign of her in the locker room or main areas of the floor. So he asked Nurse Beth where she was.
“Dr. Bekker? I think she might be in the ICU. That’s the last time I saw her about an hour ago I think.” The Asian American nurse answered while typing on the computer.
“Okay Beth. Thanks.” He turns to leave.
“Oh, by the way, Dr. Rhodes.” The nurse stopped him from leaving. “Have anyone told you about the new CT Attending that started today.”
‘Oh yeah. Beth should know about that.’ He thought to himself and turned back towards her.
“I heard about it in the ED, but not much info. So, an Attending?”
“Yeah, Gwen Garrett hired him. He’s one of the many new personnel changes the hospital hired from the meeting last week.”
“Have you met him already? What’s his name?”
The nurse’s facial expression changed and there was a glint of admiration in her eyes he noticed. “I have. The new Attending is Dr. Nicholas Hayes. The world-famous cardiothoracic surgeon.”
Connor widens his eyes. “Oh~.” He heard his name before and has looked into his work. He was a very impressive surgeon.
“Wow. I didn’t think Med had the money to get someone like him to join. And here I thought Ava and I would be fighting over that Attending position by next month or so.” He joked.
“Well, you are aware of the number of CT residents we get every year. Always gonna need as many talented senior surgeons like yourself and Dr. Bekker to teach them. I wouldn’t look down just yet. You know Dr. Latham would put in a good word for you two.” The nurse smiles and looks back down at her screen.
“Okay, I’m heading to the ICU if anyone asks.” He tells her as he walks away.
“Okay.”
Once Connor arrived at the ICU floor, he scanned the room to find the familiar blonde-haired woman. It took him a couple of minutes, but he spotted Dr. Latham first. He was talking to someone. He looked who he was with and saw it was Ava along with another man who he didn’t recognize at first glance. It took him a few seconds to realize who he was.
It was the new CT Attending, Dr. Hayes.
“Time to introduce myself.” He says to himself as he walks over towards the group.
“Ah, Dr. Rhodes. Good timing.” Dr. Latham says once Connor appears in his line of sight.
“Good morning, Dr. Latham.” He nodded.
“Ah yes, good morning to you too.” The older man nodded. “Not sure if you were informed, the recent board meeting a week ago brought in new changes to the hospital. This includes the CT department. We have a new Attending joining us. Dr. Rhodes, meet Dr. Hayes.” He introduced the two men.
“Nicholas.” The slightly taller Caucasian dark-haired man held up his right hand toward him.
“Connor.” He shook his hand. “It’s honor to meet you. I’ve heard great things about your work.”
“Likewise, Dr. Rhodes. I heard you were David’s star pupil. I met him a few years ago before he passed away.”
“Oh? You knew Dr. Downey?”
“We met each other at conferences in the past. Anyway, congratulations on the recent conjoined twins’ surgery. I heard you were one of the main players on the table. David trained you well. I’m really looking forward to working with you in the O.R. soon.” The doctor then shifted his gaze left to look at Ava. “And you too as well, Dr. Bekker. Today if possible.” He grins at her.
“I look forward to it.” Ava answers, slightly nodding her head.
Connor looked between them and saw the look on Hayes’ face as he stared at Ava. He knows that look. He’s seen it before at fundraisers and other events he attended with Ava.
From other men.
Men who wanted to feed into their desires.
Sexual desires.
Hayes was interested in Ava.
‘Hell no, that’s it. I’m not leaving Ava with him and move away.’
Just when Connor was about to open to mouth, his phone vibrates. He pulls it out and sees it the ED paging him for consultation.
‘Damn it.’
“I’m needed in the ED for a consultation.”
“I need to go too. I have another patient I need to check in.” Ava nods towards Hayes and walks away.
The new handsome doctor watches the blonde walk away, oblivious to being glared by the doctor next to him.
Half an hour later, Ava was back on the CT floor doing computer work at the nurses’ station when she heard a voice call out to her.
“Ah, Dr. Bekker! There you are.” Called out a male voice.
She turned her chair around and saw it was Dr. Hayes approaching her with a tablet in hand.
“Dr. Hayes. Can I help you with something.”
“There is actually.” He hands her his tablet showing a chest X-ray. “Paramedics brought in two patients into the ED and they were involved in a car crash collision. Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Lanik are treating one patient with very severe trauma injuries right now, and I’m in charge of treating the other patient because it falls more under CT’s specialty than trauma.”
Ava looks at the scans and is puzzled by what she was seeing. “Is that?” She zooms in with her right index finger and thumb.
“Yeah, apparently the patient’s lung popped out of its chest. Fully exposed and more importantly this patient was born with a situs inversus condition.” He explained.
She widens her eyes. “Wow~. I have read cases like these back in medical school, but not once have I ever encountered one in real life.”
“Well now you have. The patient also has an underlying constrictive cardiomyopathy. His heart is my main focus, but obviously I need someone to help deal with the lung. Care to join me in the O.R on this?”
“Of course. It’s not every day you see someone born with their organs on the opposite side.” She smiled as she carefully looked at the scans on the case. “Might I make a suggestion.” She stands up.
“You may. What are you thinking?” He takes a step closer to her.
“I’m thinking of a thoracoscopic dual repair.”
“Hmm? Care to explain?”
“Based on his scans, there’s significant thickening of the pericardium. It’s impeding perfusion. At the same time if we don’t repair the lung, its exposure will be at high risk for infection. But if we do both simultaneously, we can limit his time under anesthesia, which would minimize the risk of a stroke and cardiac arrest during surgery.” She explained looking up at him.
“And there would be no reason to worry for a possible air leak, we can protect the eviscerated lung and secure the opening.” He nods. “Impressive idea, Dr. Bekker. I wouldn’t have guessed you were a risk taker.” The corner of his lips starts to curl up.
“Usually, I’m not… but I guess another surgeon has been rubbing off on me lately with his recent cases. And given the situation we’re in, this is our best course of action to take.” A familiar dark-haired man’s face pops into her head.
“Okay then, I’ll have the team prep the O.R. for us. See you in a bit.” He takes the tablet and walks away.
Ava sighs as she sits back down in her chair to finish up her work on the computer. Thinking about this case, and about another individual.
“If Connor does leave, there won’t be another doctor taking these risks in the hospital anymore.” She forces a fake chuckle. “Our days of butting heads will finally be over.” The smile on her lips quickly turns into a solemn frown. “But I don’t want him to go.”
Few hours had passed since Connor and Lanik had started the surgery and were now about to close their patient.
“Hey Beth, have you gotten an update how Dr. Hayes is with the other driver like I asked?” Connor asks the nurse next to him.
“I did and so far, things are looking good on their end. They’re still in the middle of thoracoscopic dual repair, last I checked.”
Her words caught both his and Lanik’s attention.
“Really? He’s repairing the heart and lung at the same time?” Lanik asks. “That’s a risky procedure to do by himself.”
The nurse shakes her head. “No, Dr. Bekker is assisting him on the case.”
“Wait?” Connor raised an eyebrow at the mention of Hayes. “They’re working together?”
“Yep,” she confirmed, clearly delighted by the pairing. “It was Dr. Hayes who personally asked Dr. Bekker to assist him. She’s lucky, you know—getting to work with someone at his level.”
“I saw him too, he’s really handsome in person compared to those photos of him on the internet.” A female tech across the table says with a smile under her mask. “I heard he’s single and a bit of a player according to another nurse.”
The comment hung in the air, and Connor felt a strange tightness in his chest.
‘I see… he’s already starting to make his moves on her.’
Lanik standing across from the CT surgeon sees him freeze in his movements upon the women’s comments about Hayes. Quickly picking up on the lead surgeon’s sudden tension. He softly chuckles to himself. “What’s wrong, Rhodes? Are you jealous? Are you upset knowing the world-famous surgeon asked Dr. Bekker to assist him instead of you?” He says in a playful tone.
“Jealous?” Connor scoffed, attempting to mask whatever feeling had crept into his heart. “Not at all.” He hands a tool over to Beth. “I’m just surprise they’re doing a thoracoscopic dual repair, that’s all. It just doesn’t sound like something Dr. Bekker would do.”
“That surprised me as well and apparently according to another nurse it was her idea.” Said Beth.
“Really?” He looks at her.
“Yeah.” She nods.
“Huh?”
‘Since when is Ava Bekker the risk taker on the table? She never does that. Sounds more like me than her.’
“Okay then.” Connor looks over at Lanik. “You don’t need my help to close the patient. I’ll leave that to you.” He backs away from the table and walks over to the bins to start taking off his bloody gloves and gown. “I’ll go check how things are going with the other patient.” He takes off his goggles and mask and leaves the rom.
Standing at the table, Lanik shakes his head at him. “Uh-huh, not jealous. Huh, Rhodes?”
Outside in the hallway of the surgical floor, Connor heads straight to the O.R. Ava was in with Hayes.
“He works fast; I’ll give him that.” He says as he makes a turn into the monitor room of the operating room.
Connor stood in the dimly lit monitor room, his eyes glued to the large glass window that separated him from the operating room where Ava was performing with Hayes. The soft beeping of machines and distant murmur of voices created a backdrop to the tension in his chest. He could see her clearly, her brow furrowed in concentration, hands deftly maneuvering tools with a grace that belied the gravity of the situation. She was perfectly in her element working across from Hayes on the table.
As he watched, Dr. Hayes leaned closer, a smile forming on his lips under his mask. “Dr. Bekker, those are some beautiful stitches,” he says, his voice warm and genuine. “You’ve really got a talent for this. I’m very impress.”
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from a surgeon like yourself.” Ava looked up, caught in the glow of the fluorescent lights, and smiled back at Hayes under her mask, her facial expression from her eyes looked radiant.
Connor's stomach twisted. The praise was warranted—Ava was undeniably talented—but hearing it come from Hayes stung more than he anticipated. He couldn’t help but focus on the way Hayes’ eyes sparkled with admiration as he regarded her skill. He could tell he didn’t just see a colleague in Ava Bekker, or a rising star, someone worthy of every accolade, but someone he plans to take to the bedroom. The sight made something inside Connor tighten, a quick flash of possessiveness he hasn’t felt since that time when he mistaken thought she was involved with his father a few months ago. He crossed his arms against himself as he continued to watch them.
“So, Dr. Bekker, how long have you worked here at Med?” Hayes asked while picking up a new tool to work.
“Since last year back in May.” Ava kept her focus down on the open chest.
“Ah, so you’ve only been here for a year. Where were you from originally?” He starts to work but continues the conversation.
“I was at Groote Schuur Hospital, back home in South Africa.”
“Oh, so that’s where you’re from. I couldn’t tell with your accent. I would have guessed maybe it was perhaps British.” He chuckles.
She chuckles as well. It wasn’t the first time someone thought she was British. “That’s understandable. Some of my relatives were originally from the United Kingdom long ago.”
“I see.” He nods. “Just out of curiosity, what made you decide to do your fellowship here at Med?”
“The CT fellowship program here are one of the best and most competitive to get into in the US. I didn’t get in when I first applied two years ago, but was allowed in for my 2nd year when other hospitals allowed another CT fellow to join in their programs”
“Oh, you were Med’s 2nd choice. Would that make Dr. Rhodes’ their 1st choice then?”
She nods. “Yes, it was him. Given he was Dr. Downey’s pupil it was only understandable the board would want to continue his legacy by keeping their original star surgeon’s successor around.”
“So, you’ve worked with Dr. Rhodes closely for a year then. Am I getting that right?” He didn’t show it, but he could see Connor standing behind the glass in the monitor room watching them.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Are you two close then?” He asks to get some information out of her.
“We make a pretty good team in the operating room. He’s someone who can keep me on my toes when it comes to the scalpel in here.” She casually lets that slip out.
“Is that so?” He softly nods his head.
‘He must be the surgeon she mentioned that was rubbing off on her. I should keep my eye on him.’
“For the Attending position, were you looking into it here at Med before they hired me?”
Hayes’ words caused her to pause her movements.
Not because of him taking the CT Attending position here at Med but reminding her of Connor’s job offer from the Mayo Clinic and him potentially moving away from her.
She shakes her head realizing she was being stared at. She looks up at him. “We always have to climb the ladder in our careers. My father taught me that as a child. Always look ahead. Right now, I’m just a fellow, but eventually I’ll get to where you are one day.”
When Ava looks back down in the chest, she misses the look in Hayes’ eyes as he stares at her, but Connor didn’t.
He now knows Hayes does plan on making a move on her for sure after the surgery. And the thought of this bothers him more than his father making a move on her. He’s now more determined to talk to Ava more than ever.
Eventually Connor does leave the monitor room to change back into his normal scrubs once Beth comes looking for him to inform him that his patient was now recovering after the surgery. After checking in on his patient, he returns to the corridor outside of the O.R. Ava and Hayes were in and sees someone exiting through the scrub room doors.
Coming out of the room was Hayes alone and had just taken off his surgical cap.
“Ah, Dr. Hayes.” Connor calls out to him. “Is the surgery over?”
“Yeah, it is. Dr. Bekker is starting to close him up now. How were things with your trauma patient? I saw you were watching us for a while in there.” He points in the direction of the monitor room.
“You saw that?”
“I always keep an eye open just in case.” Hayes shrugs his shoulders with his hands in his pockets.
“Good. He’s all stable now. He’s awake and alert and taking to the police about the accident.”
“That’s good to hear.” The taller surgeon nods. “Did you need something from me earlier?”
“Oh, I was just checking in to see how things were going. Beth told me you guys were doing a thoracoscopic dual repair and that it was Dr. Bekker’s idea. So, I was curious. She doesn’t do risky surgeries at all. Usually, she tries to talk me out of it, and I end up forcing her to do what I want on the table.” Connor chuckles.
“Is that right? So, it was you she was talking about earlier?”
“Dr. Bekker talked about me earlier?”
“Not by name, but she said a certain surgeon was rubbing off on her lately based on his recent cases. And since you two have worked closely with each other for a while now, likely it was you she was talking about.”
“Really? That’s good to know.” Connor smiles.
‘So Ava got the idea to do the thoracoscopic dual repair because of me. So she has been thinking about me a bit this past week after all.’
“If I was in her shoes, I honestly would have suggested the same thing. Best to work on both the heart and the lung at the same time rather than wait for the other and then deal with the consequences if it goes wrong.”
“Yeah. That Dr. Bekker sure is something else.” Hayes smiles turning his head to look back into the scrub room, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “So, is she seeing anyone?” He turns back at him. “Surely a woman that attractive isn’t single. Let alone not have a crowd of secret admirers.” He had a smug look on his face.
Connor hesitated, the truth hanging heavily in the air between them. “No… not that I’m aware,” he lied, injecting a disarming casualness into his voice. “She’s mostly focused on her career right now, aiming for the top. I know that better than anyone here at the hospital.”
It was true; Ava was one of the most dedicated excellent surgeons Connor had ever met, her skills in the O.R. were unparalleled. She was the only one that could keep up with him. Yet, as he spoke, he felt a sharp pang of irony—it was exactly that drive that drew him to her, even as he found himself at war with the emotions, he had a hard time articulating towards her the past few months. He tried a few times but hasn’t fully confessed his feelings to her. Yet.
“I see.” Hayes seemed to buy it. “I’ll keep my eyes out for her then…. in her work that is. And you as well, Dr. Rhodes.” He slowly nods his head. “I’m really looking forward to collaborating with you two.”
“I’m looking forward to working alongside with you as well, Dr. Hayes.” Connor forced a smile, trying to mask the tumultuous feelings that churned beneath his calm facade.
As Hayes headed towards the surgeon’s lounge, Connor was left alone in the hallway. Once the well-known surgeon was out of sight, he finally sighs as he stared at the scrub room that led to the operating room where the South African woman was still working.
Alone, the weight of unvoiced emotions pressed on him, a cacophony of desires and fears swirling in his chest.
Taking a deep breath, he leans back against the wall across as he settled down to wait, his heart racing with anticipation and anxiety, on what would happen between them once they were finally alone to talk about the elephant in the room.
About the conjoin twins’ surgery.
About the Mayo Clinic job offer.
And about them.
“Well, this surgery is certainly going to be on my CV.” Ava says to herself as she exits the OR and walks in the scrub room. She sighs as she leans her head back to softly stretch out her tired neck muscles after spending hours in surgery with Hayes and closing the patient. She places her right hand behind her neck to slightly massage it. “I need to make a trip to the spa soon for a little R&R.” She softly inhaled and exhaled before tilting her head back straight forward. “I better change and update Hayes on our patient.” The blonde turns to her left to head out of the room and briefly stops upon seeing someone was standing outside in the hallway leaning against the wall. Like they were waiting for her to finish and come out.
“Connor? What does he want?” She says softly thinking back to the last time they talked to each other a week ago when he told her about the Mayo Clinic job offer. She’s been upset with the idea of him leaving since then and they’ve been working different shifts making it impossible to further discuss the topic on if he was really going.
And personally, she was happy with their current arrangement. She needed some space from him to figure out her own feelings about what she wanted to do for herself, her future, and her undeniable feelings towards her rival.
And if he really was going to leave, she had to find a way to deal with it.
But honestly, the only thing she has been thinking about is she really doesn’t want Connor to move away.
The only thing that’s holding her back from telling him how she really feels about him is her own pride and lack of experience of being open about herself to others. Especially when it came to her feelings.
‘I guess it’s time to get this over with.’ Ava thought to herself as she pushed the doors open into the hallway.
Connor looks up at the doors hearing them finally open and sees the person he’s been waiting to talk to the past week.
“Ava,” he said, his voice steady but low, “I need to talk to you.” He pushes himself off the wall.
Her heart quickened, not from fear, but from intrigue. She could feel the tension in the air, thick and palpable, drawing her attention away from the dreaded conversation they’d been holding off and into whatever storm was brewing behind those earnest blue eyes of his.
“Is everything okay with your patient?” She asks.
“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s doing well.” He nodded. “Dr. Hayes said things went great with your patient as well.”
“It did. And working up close and personal with Dr. Hayes, I can see why his skills are very impressive. His reputation is no lie.” She praised.
“That so?” He tried not to sound annoyed. “Can we talk somewhere in private? I really want to talk to you about last week about what I told you.” He looked at her.
She sighs crossing her arms. “If you’re taking the Attending position at the Mayo Clinic, just tell me. I don’t need to hear your long explanation about why you’re taking it-”
“I’m not taking it.” He cuts her off and says it without hesitation.
“What?!” Ava’s eyes shot wide open and finally looked up at him to make eye contact.
Connor looked around them in the hallway. “C’mon, not here.” He tilts his head to the left and starts walking down the hallway. The blonde follows him into the empty stairway case. Once the door closes, he checks both ends of the stairwell to make sure they were completely alone. “Okay, we should be good here.”
“What do you mean, “I’m not taking it?”” Ava continues their conversation, taking a few steps away from the door to avoid being seen by the small glass outside.
"I'm turning down the job offer." He rephrased himself.
"Why would you do that?" She furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why did you assume right away that I would take the job? Let’s start there.” He points out.
“This isn’t about me, Connor.” She placed her left hand on her hip.
“Actually, I think it is about you, Ava.” He takes a few steps closer to her. “That night, right after you saw me after shift outside the hospital, you assumed I was trying to be the hero to come in and save the day in front of those big-league reps from Mayo, Hopkins, Duke during the twins’ surgery. And I gotta be honest, I was offended by it. Cause I really thought we were going somewhere after these last couple of weeks. That you see me more than just your rival." He confessed the emotions he’s been holding in the past week.
"I do." She admitted. "I have been for a while. It's just that, when I saw you leave with that Mayo Clinic rep, the only thing I could think about was our early days in our partnership. Comparing from how we were back then to now after everything we’ve been through this past year and the only thing I saw was us going backwards and not forward as equals. I was really hurt by that!” Ava also lets out all the pent-up emotions she’s been holding in since the surgery. Her breathing becomes slower as she tries to catch her breath.
Connor takes in her words and the look in her eyes. He sees how much she’s been hurting during this time. “Ava… I never wanted to hurt you. Believe me, I was just as surprised as you were when the rep approached me and offered me the job right away. But I couldn’t just bring myself to say “yes” on the spot.”
“Why not?” She was confused why someone wouldn’t say yes to a job offer like that right away.
“What if I told you I didn’t have a real interest to go to the Mayo Clinic before that I met that rep.”
“I would call you the “biggest idiot in the world” I have ever met in my life and clearly that’s true as of now. And ask why you would make that decision. Cause I would really love to hear your answer.” She crossed her arms on her chest.
His eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed as he stared at her. “Is it really not that obvious?” His voice was soft. “With my feelings.”
Ava looked at him carefully to read his body language on where this conversation was going. Her body reacted by slowly loosening her crossed arms down her torso. Her heart rate started to quicken. “I’m not sure. I want to say, “yes” … but a part of me doesn’t want to get my hopes up if it’s not true.” Her eyes looked away from him, trying to keep her guard up.
“Why can’t you just tell me how you feel?”
“I’m not good at expressing my emotions, Connor. You should know that better than anyone.”
“So tell me, were you telling me the truth about taking the job offer if it was the other way around last week?” He asks for confirmation if she meant what she said.
“That depends. If I said I was lying, how would that make you feel?” Ava slowly looked back up at him, looking timid. One of the rare times where she looks completely vulnerable in front of others.
Connor softly exhaled. “Honestly, I would be happy. Because I wouldn’t want you to go away.”
“Really?” Her eyes slightly light up at his words.
“Yeah. I mean it.” He nods.
Her surgical cap suddenly felt tight on her head and decided to take it off and undo her hair bun to help loosen the feeling. She softly inhaled and exhaled to recompose herself. “You’re right. I was lying that night. I was hurt and wanted to you hurt you to make it even.” She admits.
“I hoped that was the case.” His shoulders felt a bit lighter.
Ava looked straight at him. “Okay then, I told you the truth about my answer. Now it’s your turn to tell me the truth. Are you seriously turning down the Mayo Clinic?” She wanted to make sure.
“I am.”
“Why are you turning down the best hospital in the world to stay here?”
Connor didn’t hesitate with his next words.
"Because I don't want to leave you." He spoke sincerely.
"Oh?" Ava spoke softly and so did her facial expression at his words.
“And….” He paused to take a deep breath. “The thought of never seeing you again if I leave…. would be the biggest mistake of my life.” He took another step towards her. “Because… let’s face it. I’m never ever gonna meet another you again in my lifetime. And I don’t want to try and look for another you out there.”
Ava’s stomach twisted slightly. They had been dancing around their chemistry for months, maybe even before they slept together back in March. Since then, it’s been shared snarky remarks during every shift, stolen glances across the operating table, and those moments after hours when they both ended up alone in the break room, voices softening as the world outside faded into background noise. But she had kept that part of her life tucked away, buried under layers of professionalism and stayed focused on her goals. And yet somehow, Connor Rhodes has managed to get pass all those layers. Could they afford to explore it, or was it just another distraction in their demanding careers? What if things don’t work out between them?
“Connor, I—” She tries to speak but gets cut off again.
“Before you say anything,” he interjected, stepping even closer, the intensity of his gaze deepening, “I need you to hear me out. I know we work together, and things can get complicated. We learned that after our one night together before, but I think we owe it to ourselves to at least talk about it.” It was almost like he was reading her mind.
“Okay,” she finally replied, a hint of challenge in her eyes. “Let’s talk.”
“I won’t lie about this. No question, the old me from earlier this year would have taken the job right away. For both my career and to fix things with Robin when she moved to Minneapolis to be with her mom. Earlier this year I wanted her back, but I’m not that guy anymore.” He stated his claim to be completely over his ex-girlfriend. “I don’t have feelings for Robin anymore. I have been for months. She’s my past and I’ve been ready to move forward for a while now. The same with me not doing random one-night stands anymore. That all stopped after we slept together that night.”
“Oh.” She had a feeling he stopped doing that but was happy to hear him confirm it.
“I really messed things up that morning. I know that. Believe me, I’ve been reflecting on that morning a lot. On what I should have done differently. But at the same time, I’ve realized that it was too early for us to be together. It was affecting our work, and I’ve been trying to do better since then on how to work alongside you while dealing with these feelings. We still get into fights occasionally in the OR, but things work out most of the time at the end because we’re a great team. And the others know that as well, even Dr. Latham.” He points out their colleagues are aware they’re a good team. “Opposites attract, and I can tell this isn’t one-sided.”
The blonde shakes her head. “It hasn’t been one-sided for a while.”
"Ava, I know what we have is real and I don't want to leave not knowing what we can be." He looked at her with a hopeful facial expression.
Ava felt her mouth becoming dry and took a small gulp. “Connor I… I really wanted to have this conversation after the twins’ surgery.” She finally admits. “I was getting excited at the thought of us finally being together…. But then he came and ruined our night.”
“Then let’s make it up tonight then.” He took another step closer and was now within arm’s length of her.
Ava’s green eyes look up to make eye contact in the close intimate space between them. “I don’t want you to leave me. I want you to stay here.”
“I’ll stay. I promise I’ll stay here.”
The air between them seemed to hold its breath as Connor’s words kept repeating in Ava’s ears. Her eyes shimmered with a mix of surprise and warmth, her cheeks flushing a gentle pink. Slowly, she stepped closer and they were now chest-to-chest. The space between them narrowing as if it felt like the world had shrunk to just the two of them.
Connor reached out tentatively, his hand brushing a loose strand of hair behind Ava’s left ear. Their gazes locked—searching, hopeful, tender. In that quiet moment, everything else faded.
Then, without another word, their lips met. The kiss was sweet and tentative at first, like the fragile promise of something new, but it deepened to become more passionate like their first kiss was. Only this was even bolder and more certain. It was as if the confession had unlocked a floodgate of emotions, washing away all doubts and fears.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.
"You were jealous of Hayes, weren't you?" Ava had a smug look on her face and her back rested against the wall behind her.
The dark-haired surgeon fake scoffed. "What makes you think that? We just met the guy today."
"Dr. Rhodes, I remember how you acted when you thought I was dating your father."
He drops his head back and sighs. "You're never gonna make me forget, are you?"
She giggles and shakes her head. "You make it too easy to tease you."
Four hours later, Connor was back in the ED’s doctor’s lounge packing up after finishing his shift. Out of his scrubs and back in his normal clothes looking forward to his plans with Ava tonight.
He hears the door to the ED open out from his left ear. “Ah, there you are, Dr. Rhodes.” A familiar male voice calls out to him.
Connor looks up towards the door and sees that it’s Dr. Hayes also dressed in regular clothes. “Dr. Hayes? Do you need something from me?”
“Just have a couple of questions to ask you.” Hayes walks towards him.
“Okay, shoot.”
“I just asked Dr. Bekker out for drinks.” He tells him right away.
“Really? That was quick.” Connor gave him a slight glare.
‘What a dog. I knew you were going make a move on her at the end of shift today.’
“And she turned me down on the spot.” Hayes sighs as he leans his left shoulder towards one of the lockers.
“That so?” Connor pretends to be surprised. “Did she say why?”
“Said someone already asked her out on a date tonight.”
“Ah~, I’ve been there before. It stinks.” Connor finishes packing up his bag and puts the strap over his right shoulder.
“It’s you, right?” Hayes calls him out. “You’re the lucky guy who’s sleeping in her bed tonight, right?”
“Hmm?” Connor looks back at him.
“I asked you earlier if she was seeing anyone and you said you didn’t know if she was. Then I went asking around if the nurses knew about it and as far as the hospital gossip goes, they all said you would know better than anyone else if Ava Bekker was single or not.” Hayes explained. “Many male doctors are apparently afraid to talk to her in fact. And then now out of nowhere, someone asked her out today.”
“You said it yourself earlier, “surely a woman that attractive isn’t single” is what you said.” Connor shrugs his shoulders.
“You tell me? Did you ask her out after talking to me?” He asks him again, crossing his arms.
Connor knew Hayes was going to find out eventually, might as well get it over with. “To be fair, I was already planning on doing so before I met you today. You showing up just encouraged me to ask her out before you could.”
“You saw that too, huh?” Hayes raised his right eyebrow.
“I’ve seen it before with other men at events Ava and I have to go for CT. It’s the same look you had on today.”
Hayes pushed himself off the locker to stand up straight. “If we’re being honest here, I figured out you also had feelings for her. The way the nurses talk about you two seems like there was more than just a partnership. Talking with Dr. Bekker also appeared that way as well. You’re more than just a work partner to her.”
Connor gave him a small smile. “No hard feelings though, right?” He held out his right hand for a truce handshake.
“May the best man win. And clearly Dr. Bekker wants you.” Hayes shook hands with him. “The same vice versa as you. Even more given you’re not taking the Mayo Clinic offer to stay here instead to be with her.”
His words caused Connor to retract his hand from his grasp. “Wait, how do you know about that?” He had a dumbfounded look on his face. “The only person I told was Ava and we agreed to keep that between us.”
“I know Ralph Ballard.” Hayes revealed.
That information caught Connor’s attention. “You do?”
“At one point I did work at the Mayo Clinic before I moved to Europe for a position a couple of years back.”
“Ah~, and he told you he offered me the Attending position over there.” Connor nodded.
‘Of course, someone like him would have some point caught the attention of Mayo.’
“He did. He first offered it to me, but I turned him down because Gwen Garrett had already asked me to come to Med when they were still in the discussion phase. When we talked again recently, he brought your name up when discussing the conjoined twins’ surgery. That got me interested in meeting both you and Dr. Bekker.”
‘Wait, he already knew about us?’
“So you looked into us before officially taking the job here then?”
“Only a little bit on both of your backgrounds. I wanted to know who you two were as doctors before meeting you both.” Hayes calmly spoke.
A light switch flicked on in Connor’s head.
“I see. So that’s what it was.” Now finally understanding his motives. “You already knew what Ava looked like before you met her today.”
A smug look appeared on the Attending’s face. “Hmmmm. I must say, Dr. Bekker is much more attractive in person than she does on the hospital’s webpage directory.”
“You were hoping I go to Mayo, so you be the one who got work side by side with Ava every day and seduce her to get in bed with you.” Connor narrowed his eyes as he glared.
‘The nurses were right about him. Hayes IS a player without a doubt.’
“You got me there, Rhodes. And it could still work. The Mayo Clinic is the best hospital in the world and will most definitely get your name out there faster. Like it did with me.” He fake grinned.
Connor took notice outside the glass wall and saw that Ava was waiting for him at the nurses’ station. She pretended to be on her phone but saw he was busy conversing with Hayes. Aware he likely shared the news of asking her out for drinks.
‘Oh boy. I’m gonna have to deal with another man wanting to get in my pants, just like with Cornelius.’ Ava sighed as she thought to herself.
Connor inhaled deeply as he walked around the Attending. “The Mayo Clinic maybe a great hospital, but there’s no Ava Bekker over there. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Hayes.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow too, Dr. Rhodes.” Hayes turned his head right.
Connor opened the door but didn’t leave just yet. “Oh, and Nicholas…”
The Attending turned around to face him.
“Stay away from my girl.” He gave him an emotionless look before walking away.
13 months later, Dr. Nicholas Hayes was suspended and then fired from Gaffney Chicago Medical Center once it was revealed he has been sexually harassing female employees at the hospital and other hospitals he worked at in the past.
Meanwhile, Connor and Ava were in the early stages of celebrating their engagement.