THE GREEN-EYED DOCTOR
Fay was a woman of science and observation, but lately, the data in her own office didn't make sense. Nina, her usually quiet and professional assistant, was suddenly glowing. She was constantly humming, checking her phone with a smile and most annoyingly spending an unusual amount of time at the hospital's "Information Desk" where Kei seemed to be loitering almost every day.
From the window of her office, Fay watched them. Through the glass, she could see Kei and Nina laughing together. Kei leaned in, whispering something that made Nina giggle and playfully swat Kei's arm.
Fay's grip on her medical chart tightened until the paper crinkled. What could they possibly have to talk about? Fay wondered, a strange, sharp heat rising in her chest.
The next day, the "friendship" between her assistant and her ex-situationship became even more obvious.
Fay walked into the break room to find Nina holding a bag from a luxury bakery. "Oh, Dr. Sterling!" Nina jumped, hiding the bag behind her back.
"Is that from Kei?" Fay asked, her voice like a block of ice.
"She… she just had an extra croissant!" Nina squeaked. "She said she bought too many and didn't want them to go to waste. She's so sweet, isn't she, Doctor? She was telling me all about her travels yesterday. She's so funny!"
Sweet? Funny? Fay felt a surge of something she refused to call jealousy. It was just… annoyance. Yes, that was it.
"She's a distraction, Nina. And you have charts to file," Fay snapped, turning on her heel and marching out.
Throughout the afternoon, it only got worse. Every time Fay looked for Nina, she was "just finishing a chat" with Kei near the elevators. Every time Kei saw Fay coming, she would give a bright, lingering wave to Nina before blowing a teasing kiss in Fay's direction a kiss that Fay would ignore, even though her heart would skip a beat in protest.
By Friday, Fay was reaching her breaking point. She walked into her office and found Nina staring at her phone, smiling at a text message.
"Nina! I've asked for the lab results twice!" Fay shouted.
Nina gasped, nearly dropping her phone. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Sterling! Kei was just sending me a meme of a cat in a lab coat, she said it reminded her of you because it looks 'grumpy but cute"
"Enough!" Fay slammed her hand on the desk. The room went silent. "I don't want to hear her name again. Why are you so close to her? You barely know her!"
Nina looked down at her feet, feeling guilty but also protective of the secret "bribes" the spa cards and the designer coffee that Kei had been giving her in exchange for Fay's favorite snacks and schedule. But more than the gifts, Nina actually liked Kei.
"She's just… nice to talk to," Nina whispered. "She asks how my day is. She doesn't just bark orders at me."
The words hit Fay like a physical blow. She looked at her assistant and felt a wave of guilt, followed by a hot, stinging jealousy. Kei was winning over everyone. Her assistant, the nurses, even the security guards. Everyone got the "nice" Kei, while Fay only got the ghost of a painful past.
"Is that so?" Fay's voice was low and trembling. "Since she's so 'nice,' maybe you should go work for her instead."
"Doctor, I didn't mean..."
"Get out," Fay said, turning her back to look out the window.
She watched Nina leave the room, her shoulders slumped. A moment later, Fay saw Nina meet Kei in the parking lot below. Kei immediately reached out, patting Nina's shoulder and handing her a fresh cup of coffee, looking like the perfect, supportive friend.
Fay pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window. She hated this. She hated that Kei was back, she hated that Kei was "stealing" her assistant, but most of all, she hated that she was standing at a window, watching Kei, wishing it was her down there laughing at a cat meme instead of being the grumpy doctor up here alone.