#team ethan

In the morning meeting

As Rhyann sat sipping her cappuccino from the new doctor’s lounge, Ethan and Dr. Emery walked in together laughing about God knows what. Rhyann shot Ethan a look and he immediately returned to his normally stoic demeanor. Baz sat at the end of the table staring pensively into space.  Ethan cleared his throat before standing.   

“Before we get started, it is my sincere pleasure to officially welcome Harper to the team.”

“Oh stop, Ethan we both know you have no flair for drama,” Harper blushed.

“Welcome, Dr. Emery!” Rhyann said, glaring at her new husband. 

“Rhyann, no need to be so formal. We’re colleagues, call me Harper.”

“Very well then, welcome Harper.”

Compliment what she does

Send her roses just because

If it's violins she loves

Let them play

Dedicate her favorite song

And hold her closer all night long

Love her today

Find one hundred ways

Rhyann crossed her leg dangling her favorite black Steve Madden pump off of her pedicured toes. She was lost in thought. She had never noticed how well Harper and Ethan got along. They were going to be working very closely together. She wondered if they were always this in sync? She was not used to this feeling. She wasn’t sure she was jealous but she knew she didn’t like it.

“Harper, you always did know how to keep me focused.”

His words returned her to reality. She knew that if she stayed, and they kept this up, she would not be able to keep things professional. She would surely embarrass herself as well as Ethan. She decided to excuse herself.  

“If that’s all, I’m going to go check on our patient,” Rhyann stood to leave.

Ethan cleared his throat, “Uhh, Dr. Ramsey? Do you mind running the bloodwork?”

She stopped in her tracks. She would have to get used to the way that sounded. When she looked over her shoulder, he winked at her. There was a glint in his eyes as he beamed proudly at his new bride. Harper’s mouth was agape. 

“Sure thing,” she smirked as she headed out into the hall with Baz in tow. After she got a lab tech to draw the test needed for their patient, she ducked into the new doctor’s lounge to meet with Sienna.

“There you are! I thought you forgot about me.”

“Never.”

“Ok, so sit. Spill it!”

“Well, hmm..”

“Rhy!!! Come on, your pregnant aren’t you?”

“Pregnant? Dear God no!”

“Well then what is it? Spill!”

“Okaaaay, but call me Dr. Ramsey.”

“What?”

Rhyann looked around the empty lounge before she confirmed. She bit her bottom lip and innocently nodded to her friend.

“We did it. We eloped.”

“OMG! No way! Congratulations!!!”

An excited Sienna pulled her friend into her arms. 

“Who all knows?”

“Well, Naveen was there.”

Sienna sadly dropped her head. 

“Don’t look like that. It was a surprise. Only our parents were there. You know Ethan considers Naveen like a father.” 

“I suppose.”

“It was nothing fancy, but it was beautiful.”

“Harper knows now. Ethan called me Dr. Ramsey and her mouth fell open.”

“Oh, how is that? Working with his ex?”

“Awkward, they were really vibing off of one another this morning and it made me feel invisible.”

“Speaking of awkward…”

She motioned to the door where Rafael stood. She couldn’t lie, he was still extremely attractive to her. In those scrubs, he was almost irresistible. Almost. 

When he spotted her his eyes danced. He smiled and shyly waved at Rhyann. 

Don't forget there could be

An old lover in her memory

If you need her so much more

Why don't you say?

“What are you two gossiping about?”

They both laughed awkwardly. 

“Oh, trust me, nothing you’d want to hear about.”

“Raf? What’s with the scrubs?”

“It’s my first official day as a physical therapist.”

“Oh? Well, that’s exciting! Congrats.”

She really was excited for him. But she was also uneasy about working so closely with him. He had no idea how serious things had gotten with Ethan. He was going to be crushed when he learned that they were husband and wife. 

“Thank you. I thought it would be a good fit for me.”

“Well, that’s great. I need to check in on my patient. Si, I’ll call you later. Raf, it was good to see you. Congrats again!” 

She walked into the diagnostic room and looked up the results of the labs she ordered. She was still waiting on a couple more tests to come back. She opened up a new tab and did a Google search for “The Annulment Process in Massachusetts” when the door opened. It was Ethan and Harper still giggling together. She quickly clicked on the results tab.

He was surprised to see her sitting alone in the room. She quickly made an excuse to leave. 

“Ethan, the results are pulled up on the laptop. If you will excuse me.”

Maybe she has it in her mind

That she's just wasting her time

Ask her to stay

Find one hundred ways

She ducked into the restroom inside the diagnostics office and turned on the water to muffle the sounds of her sobs. Did she make a huge mistake? Did Ethan still have feelings for Harper? Could she be married to Dr. Ethan Jonah Ramsey and be this insecure? 

Ethan’s POV 

Harper would be a great replacement for June. She is a brilliant physician, but how will it make Rhyann feel? For the first time, he felt like he had lost control over the situation. It’s not like he had the opportunity to pick her. He is just doing the best he can with the hand he was given. 

Bein' cool won't help you keep her love warm

You'll just blow your only chance

Take the time to open up your heart

That's the secret of romance

Then there was Rhyann, his colleague and his new bride. She is usually amazing at keeping professional and work feelings separate. But this morning she seemed to be struggling. She abruptly excused herself at least three times and had given him a death glare twice during their morning meeting. It is clear that Harper being here makes her uncomfortable.

In the diagnostics office

Baz knocked on the door to the restroom asking her to join them at the table. Rhyann quickly washed her face, cursing herself quietly when she realized that she left her purse under Ethan’s desk. They were surely going to notice her red puffy eyes. She fumbled finding her dark shades tangled in her soft wild coifs. She knew it would draw some strange looks, but it was better than explaining why she was in the bathroom crying for the second time before lunch. 

She joined the team at the table, she sat at the opposite end from Ethan, Harper was at his side. Baz cleared his throat and announced that he would be leaving the team. He seemed teary-eyed and immediately got up and headed out of the room. Rhyann followed him calling out to him from the door. He had been such a great part of the team and the timing of his departure didn’t sit well with her. 

“Baz! Wait.” 

He stopped in his tracks and turned to her. His eyes were filled with sadness and something she didn’t recognize. 

“Hey, what’s up Rhy?”

“Let’s take a break. Let me grab my purse and I’ll meet you at the coffee shop. It’s on me.”

“I’d like that.

“Perfect. Meet you there in 10.”

Rhyann went back to the diagnostics room to retrieve her purse and froze when she walked in to find Harper’s hand on Ethan’s knee. He immediately stood. She saw red. She wanted to react but she knew for the sake of her job, grabbing her purse and leaving was best.

She met Baz at the coffee shop a short time later. She sent Ethan a text, letting him know that she would not be returning for the rest of the day. The coffee date revealed that Baz was being “recruited” against his will by June. She wanted to promise him that she would help him figure a way out, but she had no idea how she’d get out of her own dilemma.

She returned home and the moment she stepped inside the threshold she let her bags and coat drop to the hardwood floor. She walked over to the small golden cart that housed their stock of libations. She poured two fingers of the oldest scotch he owned and drained the tumbler in two gulps. She settled into the corner of the couch where she sat for almost an hour staring into space. She stood with hot tears flowing down her face and padded into the guestroom to get a small piece of luggage. She needed time to think. She knew that she was not going to be able to objectively figure out her next move if everything around her screamed Ethan. She had fought so long and so hard to be with him. 

She placed the bag on the side of their bed and began to throw random pieces of clothing inside. She didn’t even hear him come in. She walked into the master bath to get a few toiletries and when she came back into the room, there he was. Her husband was sitting quietly in the chair in the corner of their bedroom. 

Sacrifice if you care

Buy her some moonlight to wear

If there's one more star she wants

Go all the way

“Rookie?”

She looked at him like she saw a ghost.

“Ethan, you scared me. What are you doing here? Your shift isn’t over for another 4 hours.”

“I came home to check on my wife. I’m glad I did. What the hell are you doing?”

“What does it look like Ethan? I’m leaving.”

“Allow me to rephrase. Why are you leaving?”

“Do you still have feelings for her?”

“No, but I am pretty sure she still has feelings for me. She took things too far, and ... I didn’t stop her.”

“How would you feel if you walked into a room where I was alone with Raf and his hand was on my knee?”

“I--point taken.”

“Ethan, I’m not a jealous woman, and I am not normally insecure. But today was supposed to be a great day. I got to keep my job and I am newly married to the love of my life. Then I sat and watched my husband carry on with his ex in a way that made me feel invisible. I will never be satisfied with just a piece of your heart. I can not compete with her. So, if this is what being married to you will feel like, you can have it! I need you to be very honest with me. Is she going to be an issue or not?”

He stood pulling her close to him. She tensed up on contact and couldn’t meet his blue eyes. He placed two fingers under her chin forcing her to look at him.

“Let’s get one thing straight; Harper Emery has nothing on you. She can’t compete with you. I know that I am not the most romantic person in the world, but when you smile, I get butterflies. When you look into my eyes the whole world disappears. You have my entire heart Rhy. You took it captive the day we met. I don’t have feelings for Harper. I will have a talk with her tomorrow about boundaries. My apologies. In my attempt to make her feel welcomed, I didn’t consider how it made you feel until it was too late. If me working with her makes you uncomfortable, I will resign. I never meant to make you feel invisible, and I certainly had no intentions of running you off. I saw your annulment search.”

“I wasn’t going to go through with it. I just needed to know my options.”

“Leaving me is an option for you?”

It brought up his childhood trauma behind his mother walking out on him and his father. He waited quietly for her response trying not to get pulled into his toxic thought cycle.

“Well no, I would never just leave you. But if Harper continues to be an issue, I won’t just stay and be miserable. The idea is to be happily married. Not just married to say I’m married.”

“Noted,” he choked out.

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I did this for you.” 

“You did?”

“Absolutely, I had much better offers, but it would have required us to relocate. I only stayed on at Edenbrook so that you could finish  your residency. Now come on, I’m making you my very best, “I screwed up” meal. I’m sure that it won’t be the last peace offering, but I need you to know that I am fully committed to you and to our vows.”  

They enjoyed dinner and drinks with soft music before Ethan stood asking her to dance. She accepted and he pulled her into his strong arms. His scent was intoxicating. He held on to her like his life depended on it, because to tell the truth, it did. Medicine used to be his entire life and now, she was his world. The way he held her made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. At least the only one who mattered.

In your arms tonight

She'll reflect that she owes you

The sweetest of debts

If she wants to pay, find one hundred ways

The next morning they gathered in the diagnostics office for the morning meeting. She braced herself for what was sure to be an extremely awkward day until the door opened and in walked Mr. Bloom with Baz’s replacement. They locked eyes and he immediately smirked seductively at Rhyann. Ethan’s face instantly turned red as he began to uncomfortably fidget in his chair. Talk about leveling the playing field. Mr. Bloom cleared his throat before speaking.

You better believe it or love her today

Find one hundred ways

I'm telling you to love her today

Find one hundred ways

“Good morning team. I pride myself on having the best staff in all of Boston. So it is without further ado that I present to you Dr. Mirani’s replacement, Dr. Tobias Carrick.”

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