“ALRIGHT, HOW DOES THAT FEEL?” I ask Ethan, who’s sitting on the red chair in front of me, twisting his leg right and left, checking out his new prosthetic. This one’s a metallic gray, designed to look like carbon fiber, and it replaces his dark red Spider-Man one he’s grown out of.
He sets the new foot down, applying pressure. “Feels okay.”
“Go ahead and walk around a bit, and we can adjust it if needed.” I don’t offer to help him up. Ethan’s always pushed for his independence.
He stands and walks around the room, then jogs a bit before turning back to me. “You did good, Doc.”
I smile wide. “Of course. Did you expect anything less?”
“Oh, there were definitely doubts in the beginning. Remember when you held the band upside down?” He’s been coming in the last few weeks to get fitted and run some basic physicals. We’ve grown close. He’s constantly throwing the kind of jokes only near teenagers can pull off.
The little punk’s been growing on me.
“Whatever you say. Take a seat over there so Dr. Jones can clear you out.”
Ethan gives me a sharp salute and heads to the other side of the room. His strides are even, and I give myself a small pat on the back for my fitting job.
Piper skips over to me, a wide smile taking over her face as her gaze follows Ethan. “Looking good. You’re fitting right in.”
She looks cute in lime-green scrubs and her golden hair pulled up in a high ponytail.
Pride fills my chest. This job means more to me than anything I’ve worked on in the past. It’s as close as I’m going to get to being back on the pediatric unit until I land a new internship. Whenever that is.
“How are the guys?” Piper asks, and I can feel my cheeks heat as memories of last night fill my brain. I’ve never done anything like that. Hell, I’ve never even considered it, but something tells me River can convince me to do anything he wants. Not that I didn’t love it, because I absolutely did. Probably the hottest night of my life.
She laughs, pulling me out of my thoughts. “That good, huh?”
I don’t even bother to lie, knowing what I was thinking is written all over my face. “You have no idea.”
“Both of them?”
“Yup.” I pop the P.
She squeals, clapping her hands together. “I freaking knew it.”
“Think it’s been a long time coming.”
“So…are things serious now?”
My heart clenches, and it feels like butterflies are trying to fly out of my chest. It’s a mixture of anxious excitement, not knowing exactly where we’re heading. “I freaking hope so. Nothing’s official.”
She bumps her shoulder against mine. “I see the way those guys look at you. They’ll treat you well, and Mia.” Her brows pull together. “You deserve it.”
Dr. Jones walks up to us. “Am I interrupting something?”
I choke on my own spit and cough. “Nope. Nothing.”
She quirks a brow, clearly not believing me. “I want to talk to you in my office. Do you have time?”
I check my watch, more to give me a second to internally freak out. Ethan was my last patient today. “All free.”
“Perfect.”
I follow after her, glancing back at a smiling Piper. She gives me two thumbs up. I’m glad she’s confident—the last time I was called into an office, it didn’t go so well for me.
Dr. Jones’s office is painted a soft pastel purple and is furnished with soft chairs and a crisp white desk. She sits behind it and pulls out a folder.
I swallow hard as I take the seat across from her and wipe my palms on my pants where she can’t see it.
“Have you been liking it here?” she asks.
I’m already nodding. “Loving it.”
“You’ve seemed to settle in well.”
My pulse is rushing in my ears, unsure if she’s pumping me up or letting me down easy. I lose control of my nerves, and my words tumble out. “Dr. Jones, if I’m doing anything wrong, just let me know, and I’ll fix it.”
She chuckles and shakes her head. “I didn’t call you in here to fire you. I called you in here because an internship position opened up beneath me, and I want you to join my team.”
My mouth drops open, and I replay her words over and over in my head just to make sure I heard her right. “You want me.” I point at my chest. “To intern for you.”
She smiles. “Yes, Mia. I would love to take you on as my intern.”
I clasp my hands together, barely able to contain my excitement. I got an internship. I got an internship in Boston.
I realize I’ve been silent way too long. “Oh my God. Thank you.”
“Of course, the hospital will be contacting you with your shifts. But I’m hoping you’ll still pick up days here at the clinic.”
It never crossed my mind not to. “I’ll be here.”
“There’s a fundraiser gala coming up for the hospital. I expect you to be there.”
Somehow, that makes it feel even more real. An overwhelming excitement bubbles through me, and I wring my fingers together to stop myself from hugging her. This woman has just changed my whole life for the better, and she’s just standing there like it’s no big deal.
“This means so much to me,” I say, trying to force all of my feelings into the statement.
“You earned it. Go on, get out of here. Your shift’s over.” She gestures toward the door and dismisses me.
I’m not five feet out of her door before Piper wraps me in a tight hug, pulling my feet off the ground.
I look at her, eyes wide. “You knew?”
“Only today.”
“How on earth did you keep it a secret?”
“It freaking killed me, and thank God it’s over.” She beams at me. “You got an internship.”
Reality slams into me. “I have an internship.”
“Is that you?” Our receptionist holds her phone for me to see, and my mouth drops open. I take it from her, holding it closer to my face, not believing what I’m seeing. The picture captures the exact moment Lucas poured ice water over Alex. The banner taking up the top says, “Viral trend called the Center-Ice Challenge is sweeping the country.”
I hand her phone back and scramble for my own, pulling up the first social app I see and punching in #centericechallenge. I scroll through post after post of regular people challenging each other.
I pull up the website River figured out, and I suck in a gasp, eyes burning. The donations counter is ticking up in real time.
It’s already raised over a million dollars. My head buzzes, and my vision blurs. This is going to work.
