6. Gianna

The next week flew by, filled with countless surgeries, long shifts, and hours of tedious paperwork. With every passing day, Gianna found herself more excited to head home at the end of the day to talk to DrHeart. It was odd, really. They had never met, and she had yet to see a single photo of the mystery woman despite all the raunchy messages they exchanged. Somehow, though, she felt a connection with this woman that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Not since—

Jade. The name popped up on her phone screen in the middle of her lunch break, buzzing urgently while she picked at her salad. The ID was a blurry selfie of them taken in the bathroom mirror late one night in their late twenties, cheeks rosy from drinking, Jade's arms slung casually around Gianna's shoulders. She really needed to delete the damn thing. And block her ex's number, probably, if Jade was going to continue bothering her like this.

"What?" she answered shortly as she picked up the phone, not hiding her annoyance in the slightest.

"Hey, girl. I never heard back from you," Jade's cheerful voice chimed on the other end. "I just got into Rose Bay, and I'm here for the next three weeks. When are we catching up?"

Gianna pursed her lips, stabbing angrily into a cherry tomato with her fork. Sure, maybe there was some part of her that was curious to see what her ex was up to, but going down that road couldn't possibly lead to anything good. She had already learned her lesson. Time hadn't lessened the pain or humiliation, and she couldn't allow herself to risk getting hurt again.

"I'm really busy, Jade," she replied pointedly. "I don't think I have time."

"Oh, come on!" Jade laughed in that carefree, bubbly way that had once made Gianna's heart skip a beat. Now, it just reminded her of how reckless, selfish, and destructive Jade could be. "It'll be fun. Coffee or drinks or whatever. Clear the air, get some closure, all of that?"

Gianna sighed. A part of her wanted to do it, mostly to prove to herself that she had fully moved on and grown past it. Maybe it would do her some good to sit down and talk everything through, just to get Jade out of the way and put it behind her. They had spent eight years together, after all, and as much as she had no interest in getting back together, it made some kind of sense to give the past its due diligence.

Before she could answer, though, the familiar beeping of her pager went off in her lab coat pocket. Thank God. Saved by the bell.

"I just got a page, gotta run," she said brusquely, shoving her half-eaten lunch back into the refrigerator of the break room.

"Oh, come on—"

Gianna picked up the still-beeping pager and held it up to her phone to blare loudly.

"Ugh. Fine. Text me?" Jade exclaimed.

"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe."

With that, she hung up unceremoniously and rushed to prep for the emergency surgery that had been called in. Sometimes, being a surgeon was less stressful than being a person with all sorts of messy, complicated thoughts and feelings.

It was a fairly simple emergency coronary bypass. A middle-aged man had suffered a heart attack while out for a run, and they needed to open his arteries to restore blood flow to the parts of his heart that had been damaged. The surgery took three hours from start to finish, and by the time they had finished, the patient was in stable condition. All in all, a straightforward success with no unexpected complications. It was what all those years of schooling, training, and practical experience boiled down to.

After getting changed out of her scrubs and showering off the smell of antiseptic, she trudged wearily back to her office. On the way, she walked past Scarlett and Carla speaking quietly by the nurses' station, heads bent over some paperwork on a clipboard. They seemed busy, so Gianna decided not to disturb them, but it filled her with a momentary surge of resentment as she strode onward down the corridor.

That Monday, Carla had announced her decision to resign after working in the cardiology department for twenty years, leaving her position as Head of Cardiology open. Clearly, the pristine Dr. Miller had already been aware of this, no doubt having received advance notice so she could prepare herself for the competition. It pissed Gianna off. She was every bit as qualified as the redheaded doctor, if not more, but no one had bothered to let her in on the news. Not even when they were all drinking and actually getting along last Friday night. Instead, she'd had to find out just like everyone else, and now, she would be rushing to get caught up in hopes of being able to compete for the job.

The thought had her seething in the elevator down the hall. Oh, Scarlett Miller was Dr. Anderson's favorite, sure, but everyone knew that they were both equally qualified and deserving of the promotion. Not to mention that she was much better with people. A department head really ought to be approachable and willing to listen, and the stoic ginger was cold, arrogant, and standoffish. So what if she had been the first hire? She was hardly even nice to patients, for goodness' sake.

Oh, well. Gianna's results spoke for themselves, and she still had time to write and deliver a stellar presentation for the board to sway them in her direction. At the very least, this gave her more motivation and incentive to succeed. As she jotted down her report from the surgery and updated the electronic files on the system, that thought filled her with determination. She had never been one to back down from a challenge, and she certainly wasn't about to do so now.

After the announcement, Gianna had suggested that the surgeons in cardiology all go out for dinner to celebrate the retirement and leave their old boss with plenty of good memories. Everyone had agreed to it enthusiastically, and Saturday night saw the seven of them gathered around a table at one of the nicest seafood restaurants in town. Sure, it was a bit of a schmoozy move, but if Scarlett was going to play dirty, then there was no reason why she couldn't do the same.

When the waiter arrived with the third bottle of expensive Chardonnay, the conversation was lively and vibrant, everyone laughing and reminiscing about their days of training and Carla's many years of tirelessly serving as their head. Scarlett, unsurprisingly, was mostly quiet, although Gianna couldn't help occasionally stealing glances over at her whenever she wasn't looking. In a smart blazer, a white button-down shirt, and sleek toffee-colored trousers, the woman looked refined and elegant in an understated way. Her fiery hair was pulled back in a low bun, showing off the delicate contours of her face. Damn, she was gorgeous, no matter how obnoxious she could be.

Halfway through dessert, Carla stood unsteadily to give a speech, raising her glass in an exaggerated gesture and slurring her words slightly as she rambled on. Everyone laughed and nodded along, each of them a little tipsy by that point. Gianna was relieved to see that Scarlett had loosened up quite a bit and even cracked some jokes, smiling and laughing openly. Her smile was a welcome diversion from her usual sour expression, lighting up her whole face. She didn't seem as uptight as usual. Who knew she had it in her?

A little bit later, Gianna excused herself to use the bathroom. The world was spinning a little as she climbed off her chair and made her way down the hallway. Okay, maybe she had gone a little hard tonight, considering this was a work function. Then again, everyone else seemed to be on the same wavelength, too, so it didn't really matter. Tomorrow was Sunday. They could all sleep it off, recover, and be back in the hospital on Monday like responsible adults.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and smiled at herself. Tonight, she wasn't quite as boldly dressed as she might otherwise have been, but the sleeveless little black dress suited the occasion perfectly. It wasn't indecent but also hugged her in all the right places, flattering her shape. Looking at her reflection, though, she noted that her lipstick had begun to smudge, so she dug through her purse for a tube.

Just as she leaned in to touch it up, the door creaked open behind her. Scarlett Miller appeared in the mirror, looking flushed and slightly disheveled. It was quite an appealing sight, Gianna had to admit, and she found herself smirking mischievously. At the same time, it occurred to her that this was the first time all week they'd been alone together, and she had a thing or two to say about the whole promotion situation. She turned around and leaned back against the bathroom counter, arching an eyebrow inquisitively at the redhead as the woman approached her.

"So, afraid of a little competition, huh?" Gianna taunted, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Scarlett retorted, taking a few steps closer. "I don't follow."

Gianna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, you do," she sneered. "Don't act all innocent like you didn't know Carla was quitting. You must have known, with her being your best friend and everything."

"Oh, please," Scarlett said haughtily. "She thinks I'm the best person for the job. If she thought you would be more qualified, she would have talked to you about it first, wouldn't she?"

That hit a nerve, and Gianna raised an eyebrow indignantly. The truth was that it stung. All her life, she had struggled to prove herself to people like Scarlett Miller—those spoiled, rich kids with every advantage handed to them on a silver platter. All those times she had worked twice as hard, sacrificed twice as much, just to catch up with her peers who got into medical schools because their parents were hospital directors or renowned physicians or researchers.

For her, this opportunity was the chance of a lifetime, to finally earn that recognition after years of hard work. The fact that despite her spotless record and numerous accomplishments, their boss seemed to think Scarlett was somehow better fit for the role infuriated her beyond belief. She had managed to contain that rage throughout the week, but now that they were alone, with a few glasses of wine under their belts, it bubbled up to the surface. Angrily, she stepped closer to the taller woman, eyes blazing.

"It's so easy for you, isn't it?" she snapped bitterly. "You've always got everything handed to you; the whole world bowing down and doing everything for you. It's never a fair fight, is it?"

Scarlett's brow furrowed. Their chests were inches apart, and she tilted her chin down to glare straight into Gianna's eyes. There was something intensely intimate about being so close to her. Gianna could see the gold flecks in her hazel eyes and count each individual freckle on the bridge of her nose. The scent of the woman's subtle rosy perfume mingled with that of fine alcohol, and she felt a strange twist in her chest. Her anger somehow heightened into something else entirely, an electric charge between them that was impossible to ignore.

"Look," Scarlett replied, and Gianna couldn't help but notice that the redhead was breathing a little heavier, "I don't know what your problem is. I am here for my career the same way you are. It's not my fault if you think you deserve things that you haven't earned—"

Before Scarlett could finish, Gianna cut her off with a searing kiss. She grabbed her by the collar and pressed their lips together, pulling her in so their bodies were flush against each other. The contact sent sparks coursing through her body. Scarlett hesitated at first before responding in turn, her hands coming up to grasp Gianna's waist with equal force.

In those few seconds, Gianna felt her entire body ignite, her senses overwhelmed with lust. Their lips and tongues clashed as the kiss intensified, their movements urgent and needy. Scarlett's lean body felt incredible pressing up against her own, warm and solid and full of desire. It was a total blur, lost to the tangle of arms and legs, teeth biting, fingers digging into skin in a flurry of passion.

Without warning, Scarlett broke away, pushing Gianna off with such force that the shorter woman stumbled backward. Gasping for breath, she watched the redhead step backward in shock, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve and turning bright red from embarrassment. For a moment, they stared at each other wordlessly. Scarlett's face morphed from shock and disbelief to mortification.

"Damn, Doctor Miller," Gianna quipped, smirking lasciviously, "I had no idea you had it in you."

"Shut up," Scarlett snapped, reaching up with shaking hands to straighten her clothes. "God. What are you doing? What's wrong with you?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Gianna laughed. "You're the one who was all over me literally half a minute ago."

"Absolutely not," Scarlett hissed furiously, shaking her head and backing away. "I'm not—I don't—"

"What? Not into women?" Gianna fired back defiantly. "Yeah, right. Just keep telling yourself that and maybe eventually, you'll believe it."

"You know what?" Scarlett replied, still blushing furiously, taking a deep breath to collect herself. "No. We're both really drunk, and this was obviously a mistake. Let's just forget this ever happened."

Without waiting for a reply, Scarlett stormed off toward the door, brushing past her without another look. When she slammed the door behind her, Gianna stood alone in the bathroom, dazed and bewildered at what had just happened. Why had she done that? She rubbed her swollen, bruised lips, shaking her head to clear her mind of the cloudiness.

That had been amazing and insanely confusing, and honestly, the only thing Gianna wanted now was to do it again. But Scarlett had made it extremely clear that she had no intention of entertaining this further. A mistake? Ugh. She should have seen that coming. She hadn't, though, and somehow, the rejection stung worse than usual, making her feel small, sad, and stupid. God, why did she have to do this?

Fortunately, by the time she cleaned up her smudged lipstick and returned to the others, the night was coming to a natural end. Scarlett had already left, apparently claiming she wasn't feeling well, and everyone else began to call their respective rides after splitting the bill between them. Gianna was grateful to be able to head home quickly as well, and she took an Uber back to her apartment, her head reeling from a chaotic vortex of conflicting emotions.

Upon returning home, tipsy and frustrated, she logged onto WomenConnect in the hopes of getting in touch with her favorite pen pal. Maybe she could even relieve some of the intense sexual frustration that had built up from that encounter earlier. Still angry and utterly baffled by everything, she was desperate for some comfort and companionship.

When she typed in her password, however, to her disappointment, DrHeart was offline, leaving her once again with nothing but her own thoughts and feelings to deal with. With a sigh, she slammed the laptop shut, put it on the coffee table, poured herself another glass of wine, and curled up on the couch with Cocoa purring in her lap, watching some cooking show on TV until she fell asleep.