Chapter 1
The day I got my fellowship offer from Oakridge Medical Center, I ran to find my fiance and my brother to celebrate. Instead, I caught the nurses gossiping in the hallway.
"Did you hear? Dr. Sterling and Dr. Bennett practically got into a fistfight today over who gets to mentor Mia."
"Wait, aren't they Natalie's fiance and brother? That is messed up."
"That is not even the worst part. They are trying to transfer Natalie to a different hospital entirely so Mia can snag the chief resident spot."
My stomach dropped. I shoved the office door open. My fiance and my brother barely blinked before tossing a transfer form onto the desk.
"Natalie, you just don't have the temperament for a Level 1 trauma center," my brother, Carter Bennett, said. "You need to cut your teeth at a rural community clinic first."
I stared at the desk.
Right next to my transfer papers was a folder outlining Mia's golden ticket: keys to a high-end condo near the hospital and a guaranteed first-author credit on a major clinical trial.
My fiance, Harrison Sterling, patted my shoulder. "Once you transfer, we will tie the knot.
"The lighter schedule means you can focus on being a wife.
"Plus, it is best you stay away from Mia. We don't need another 'episode' of you pushing her down the stairs."
The fellowship offer crumpled in my fist.
For a decade, I had been the ghost in our group.
Whenever Mia was around, I was just a doormat.
If that was how they wanted to play it, fine. I would accept the Doctors Without Borders deployment to a conflict zone.
I never wanted to see either of them again.
*****
I glared at the stamped transfer form, fighting back tears. "You both know I busted my ass for this fellowship."
They refused to meet my eyes.
"Just sign it," Carter said flatly. "It is not up for debate."
The door clicked. Mia hobbled in on crutches.
Both men jumped up instantly, rushing over to prop her up and guide her to a chair.
Harrison even dropped to one knee to adjust a pillow under her ankle.
Mia flashed me a sickly sweet smile. "Nat, you don't have to transfer so far away. I am not mad.
"Since the condo is officially in my name now as a peace offering, I am totally over the whole stairs incident."
I saw red. I whipped around to face Carter. "That condo was the only thing our grandparents left me!"
Carter flinched but recovered quickly. "You pushed her. This is what you owe."
Harrison adjusted his glasses. "If she hadn't begged us to drop it, you would be facing assault charges right now."
I stared at the two men who were supposed to be my family and burst out laughing.
Twenty years of history went down the drain over a clumsy frame job.
No wonder Mia had smirked right before she threw herself down those stairs, whispering that I would never win.
"What if I don't sign?" I challenged.
Harrison loosened his tie. "Don't make me report you to the medical board for research fraud."
I felt my whole body go cold, staring at Harrison in utter disbelief.
I had practically lived in the lab for three months, running every single tox screen myself to get those papers published.
As my attending, Harrison knew that better than anyone.
Seeing my tears, he sighed and reached out to wipe my cheek. "Don't force my hand, Nat."
Mia tugged at his scrub top. "Harrison, stop. She is going to hate us."
Carter scoffed. "Just sign it. Pack your stuff and clear out of the house by tonight. Don't come back until you learn how to be a decent person."
Smiling bitterly, I grabbed the pen and scrawled my name.
The three of them exchanged a triumphant look.
Harrison straightened his white coat. "The transfer kicks in next week.
"Since Mia got the chief spot, we are taking her out for steak.
"You are vegan anyway, right? Stay here and cover my shift."
I just nodded. "Okay."
Carter didn't even glance my way. He and Harrison hoisted Mia up in perfect sync.
She shot me a wide, innocent smile over her shoulder.
I watched the rain hammer the window, feeling totally numb.
Back in high school, Harrison never let me walk home alone.
He shared his umbrella in the rain and gave me rides when it was sunny.
Then Mia transferred to our school. My brother started tagging along.
The four of us used to cram under one umbrella, laughing and swearing we would be best friends for life.
Thunder snapped me out of it.
Grabbing the charting tablet, I overheard the nurses gossiping again.
"Who do you think Mia ends up with?"
"Definitely Dr. Sterling. He bought her a diamond tennis bracelet for her birthday."
"Dr. Bennett is loaded too. I heard he gave her his Amex Black Card."
They caught my eye and scattered instantly.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
A new email popped up.
[Doctors Without Borders: Dr. Natalie Bennett, your deployment has been approved. Please report to the field hospital by next Wednesday.]
I took a breath and typed back: [Confirmed.]
*****
Mia just posted on Instagram.
The photo showed Harrison slicing her filet mignon while Carter cleared her plates, looking at her like she hung the moon.
The caption: [A real princess never lifts a finger.]
Just then, the trauma alarm shattered the quiet of the ER.
"Mass casualty MVA on the interstate! We've got multiple level one traumas inbound!" a nurse yelled.
I sprinted for the trauma bay, but Emily Parker, the charge nurse, grabbed my arm. "Dr. Bennett, your transfer is already in the system.
"Technically, you need Dr. Sterling's sign off to run a trauma code."
Paramedics rushed a bloody patient through the doors. He was coding.
I jumped onto the gurney, straddling him to start chest compressions.
"Get Harrison on the phone right now and put him on speaker!" I yelled.
But the voice that answered was Mia's whiny drawl. "Harrison, the sauce you spilled ruined my dress."