Disgrace

Chapter 18: Kiss It Better

Katrina

Vlanca was kind enough to pull Jack aside for "onboarding." And since she was a doctor, I made her order that no one was to see me for "healing purposes."

I was sitting on the couch, scanning the patient chart, still in my hospital gown with a blanket draped over my lap, when the door swung open.

"Kat—what did we say about working?"

Fuck.

I pressed the phone to my ear, pretending to be unfazed. "Take the verbal for IV ceftriaxone, one gram every twenty-four hours, and switch to oral nitrofurantoin when stable. Monitor renal function—yeah? Okay, gotta go—" I looked up and forced a bright smile. "Vlanca!"

She was standing by the door, arms crossed, radiating judgment.

Her deep forest-green scrubs hugged her frame, her hyphenated last names embroidered neatly over the left chest pocket. Her long brown hair was tucked into a ridiculous pink scrub cap that read "Slicing Through Stereotypes" in bold, glittery font. The woman had the audacity to look both effortlessly professional and like she'd just stepped off the set of a medical drama. Her sharp green eyes were locked onto me like a heat-seeking missile, brimming with judgment and just a little too much amusement.

"I w-was actually... scrolling on TikTok. See?" I flipped my phone screen toward her like a guilty teenager.

"Hm, interesting," she mused. "A little birdie told me you put in an order for antibiotics a minute ago."

Shit.

I forced a laugh. "Oh, that? Haha, that was just—"

"Katrina."

I sighed, slumping back into the couch. "One of my residents almost killed a patient the other day."

"I know," she said, voice firm. "Which is why you have other attendings at your disposal to help lead these new doctors. You're the Emergency Medicine Director. You can delegate these tasks, you know that, right?"

"...Yeah," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "I just..."

I just needed a distraction. That was the truth.

Because if I wasn't working, I'd be thinking about him.

About Mason.

About how he looked at me last night like I was the only thing that mattered. About how his fingers wrapped around my wrist before he kissed my knuckles, his lips burning into my skin like a goddamn brand.

And—God help me—I was lowkey hoping for an excuse to check my messages.

Just to see if he texted.

Not because I was waiting. Obviously.

Vlanca's lips curled. "What? Can't stop thinking about that frat boy—"

"Shh, shh!" I hissed, eyes darting to the door.

She smirked, completely unbothered. Then, her gaze dropped to my phone, which had just vibrated on the table.

"Hm, let's see... Sino 'tong pizza shop na ang daming text sa'yo?"

"Vlanca—Vlanca—" I tried to reach for my phone.

Too late.

"Oh, damn." She whistled before bursting into laughter.

I groaned as she scrolled through the flood of messages Mason had sent.

"These twenty-one-year-olds nowadays go crazy, huh?"

I snatched my phone back, face burning. "I wouldn't know. This is the first twenty-one-year-old I've had, and I have no plans on finding out about others." I rubbed my face. "I don't even know what he sees in me. I told him to leave me alone."