First Do No Harm

  First Do No Harm

  Synopsis

  Physician assistant Pierce Parker wants nothing more than to find true love, but after a series of heartbreaks and lackluster first dates, she’s beginning to question if such a thing even exists. That is, until she begins working with Dr. Cassidy Sullivan, a new emergency medicine resident. Their chemistry makes Pierce start to believe all her dreams will come true, but a secret from Cassidy’s past may end the fairy tale before it gets to happily ever after. For Pierce and Cassidy, the risk of heartbreak may be too high a price for the chance at love.

  What Reviewers Say About Emily Smith’s Work

  All of Me

  “A good fun romance and good medical drama. Plenty of sexual tension and great main characters.”—Kat Adams, Bookseller (QBD Books, Australia)

  After the Fire

  “I really liked both of the main characters. They are brave and tough and wore uniforms, what’s not to adore?”—Prism Book Alliance

  Same Time Next Week

  “[A] story about love and making peace with your reality, and how to keep true to yourself even in ways you didn’t imagine you’d have to face.”—Collector of Book Boyfriends

  First Do No Harm

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  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  First Do No Harm

  © 2020 By Emily Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-700-8

  This Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: July 2020

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Shelley Thrasher

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Tammy Seidick

  eBook Design By Toni Whitaker

  By the Author

  Searching for Forever

  Same Time Next Week

  After the Fire

  All of Me

  First Do No Harm

  Acknowledgments

  This has been my favorite story to write so far. I always joke about how the second I start a new manuscript, all my past work suddenly becomes absolute garbage not worthy of lining the cat box. And while that’s not entirely true, I, like I imagine most writers, tend to become increasingly attached to each of my newer works. I believe that’s a sign of growth as an artist. We should be continually pushing ourselves to evolve, to be better. But First Do No Harm will probably always have a special place in my heart’s archives. And that’s mostly thanks to the woman who inspired it.

  On my second date with this woman, I nervously handed her a copy of this book’s parent-story, All of Me (she asked me to, I swear). Over the course of the next month, I read it out loud to her every night (she asked for that too, really). I even scribbled my first “I love you” in the inside cover. She became almost as attached as I was to Galen and Rowan’s love story, because it so paralleled our own. Needless to say, it was her insistence that landed Galen and Rowan a reprisal in this book. And the subsequent love story of Pierce and Cassidy was born from this.

  Nearly the entirety of First Do No Harm was written in front of the giant picture window at Café Nero on Boylston Street in Boston, just down the street from our apartment, where we’d spend hours together, her with a book and me with my laptop, drinking almond milk lattes. From the sheer perspective of memories alone, our “coffee shop dates” I associate with this story have become some of my favorite times in our relationship.

  This book is also deeply personal. Sometimes it’s easier than others to keep yourself out of your own stories. For example, one of my first books, After the Fire, was manifested out of pure imagination. Other times, at least in my experience, you get so close to your characters, to your story, that a sort of osmosis occurs. No doubt Galen and Pierce are both offspring of me, at various stages in my life. Or maybe, I’m an offspring of them? To those who know me, much of First Do No Harm was inspired by life—my life in the ER, my life in Boston, and most of all, my life with this amazing woman who offers me continual inspiration to just keep writing.

  A dedication doesn’t feel like enough this time. So, these acknowledgments serve as a thank you to Ro (a nickname that became oddly fitting over time), for countless coffee shop dates, endless support and inspiration, and a love to rival any I could ever write.

  Dedication

  For Ro. For always.

  Prologue

  “I don’t know, Pierce. Something just feels…off.” Katie Browning, Pierce Parker’s girlfriend of nearly a year, sat next to Pierce on her coffee-stained sofa, her eyes gleaming just enough to convince any onlooker that she wasn’t a complete sociopath.

  “Tell me we aren’t doing this again.” Pierce let her head collapse into her hands, actual tears contrasting to Katie’s manufactured waterworks building behind her eyelids. Only a few months earlier, they’d sat in this same living room, on this same sofa, having this same conversation. The doubt in Katie’s voice was so palpable it wrapped around Pierce’s heart and squeezed. In an instant, Pierce’s world had imploded under the hand of the one girl she’d really fallen for. And now, it was happening again.

  “I’m sorry. I just…I’m not sure about us. I’m not sure this is working.” Katie did her best to avoid looking at Pierce. And, considering Pierce never made a habit of letting anyone see her cry, that suited her just fine. During the first breakup, Pierce had been blindsided. Her life since she’d met Katie had been filled with cozy nights talking about their future together, how many cats they’d eventually adopt, and every other lesbian cliché they could find. For the first time, Pierce was happy, content with the day-to-day, no longer looking over her shoulder for the next best thing. Then, with a few vague statements, Katie had taken all of that from her.

  “Are you breaking up with me?” Pierce knew the answer because she’d heard this speech before. She knew because of the twitch in Katie’s left eyebrow and the pinch of her mouth. Pierce couldn’t believe she was about to get hurt again. But a new feeling came with this second ending—shame. Pierce was humiliated. Without a second thought, she’d allowed Katie back into her life and let her toss her heart out all over again. She should have respected herself enough to let Katie go. She shouldn’t have let someone in who wasn’t sure about her. And Katie had never been really sure about Pierce.

  “It kills me to say it, because I know you’ll never take me back again. But, yes.”

  Pierce let out a blistering laugh. “You’re damn right I’ll never take you back again. Jesus, how many times do you think I can get tossed in the trash anyway?”

  “I’m sorry.” Katie placed a cautious hand on top of Pierce’s, offering Pierce a sympathetic pout that made her even angrier. Pierce didn’t want Katie’s sympathy. She didn’t want her pity. Pierce hated being pitied more than anything.

  “You always did have one foot out the door, didn’t you?” Pierce shook her head.

  Katie glanced around awkwardly and stood up. “I should go.”

  This time, Pierce refused to protest. She refused to drop to her knees and beg for someone who didn’t really love h
er to stay and hold the pieces of her shattered heart together. She refused to show weakness. After Katie walked out the door, Pierce could cry. She could punch the wall and dance to loud music and write bad poetry. But God help her, she would never let Katie see one more tear.

  Chapter One

  Six months later

  It wasn’t unusual for Galen Burgess’s mother to call on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, it seemed that for the last couple of years, they’d taken to talking regularly, Galen even finding herself enjoying the telephone for once. As she noted her mother’s name light up the screen on her cell phone, Galen smiled to herself. So much had changed since she met Rowan.

  “Mom. How are you?”

  Rowan Duncan, Galen’s partner and fellow surgeon at Boston City Hospital, rounded the corner into the kitchen of their massive one-bedroom high-rise in Fenway. Rowan’s face brightened the minute Galen laid eyes on her, and Galen wondered, as always, if that look would ever lose its ability to make her knees go soft.

  “I’m doing well. Your father and I just finished watching this documentary on those three girls who were locked in a basement for years. What a horrible, tragic thing to have happen. I can’t stop thinking about it!”

  “And Dad? How’s he handling the solitude of retirement?” Galen always hesitated to ask about her father. The cold, battle-ax chief of surgery at Boston City had finally retired two years ago, after Galen’s mother had nearly died from an aneurysm. Since then, he’d managed to become even more insufferable. When he wasn’t whining about not being able to operate anymore, he was playing golf at all hours of the morning with his group of cigar-toting, bourbon-soaked surgeon friends who were also searching for meaning in a life that no longer made any sense to them. Still, he seemed pleased enough with Galen’s new role as attending surgeon, accepting that maybe if his time was up, he could prime his youngest child to carry on his legacy.

  “You know your father. Lucky if I can get him to sit still for two hours to watch a movie with me. But he’s home. And you’re happy. And you have Rowan. How is she, by the way?”

  Rowan, who had been listening to the entire exchange over Galen’s speaker phone, smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Burgess,” she shouted.

  “Hello, dear. How is everything? Is my daughter treating you well? Are you eating enough?”

  Galen shook her head. She loved the way her mother had taken Rowan in as her own since they’d gotten together two years earlier. It must have been hard for Rowan, being so far away from home. Especially with her parents being less than accepting of her new love. Rowan made her way behind Galen and wrapped her arms around her waist. She let her face nestle in the skin of Galen’s neck, and Galen picked up the faint scent of Rowan’s hair that always sent ripples of want through her entire body. After two years, Rowan’s touch still felt completely brand-new.

  “Yes, ma’am, I’m eating plenty. Galen’s learned to be quite the chef. Did you know that?”

  “My child? Impossible.” Mrs. Burgess scoffed.

  “Really!” Rowan answered. “Last night she grilled steak tips with some kind of fancy potatoes and green beans. And it was incredible. She really is good at everything. It’s kind of annoying.”

  “She gets that from her mother.”

  Galen shrugged. “Is everything okay, Mom? You sound like you have something on your mind.”

  “I don’t know how you do that. Rowan, did you know that ever since she was a toddler, Galen was incredibly sensitive? She could always tell when something was bothering someone.”

  “Galen? Sensitive? Never.” Rowan winked at Galen and turned to face her, wrapping her arms around her neck and kissing all over her face until Galen couldn’t help but try to suppress a laugh.

  “But there is something I wanted to ask you about,” Mrs. Burgess said.

  “Is anything wrong? Was it your appointment with Dr. Heins? Is the aneurysm repair okay?” Galen, always calm and confident, was the first to go into a tailspin when a crisis involved her mother or Rowan.

  “Everything’s fine. But I just got off the phone with your Aunt Linda in Tulsa. You know your cousin, Pierce?”

  “Pierce? God, I haven’t heard anything from her in ages. Isn’t she in school to be a physician assistant somewhere or something?” Galen’s interest was piquing.

  “She graduated years ago. She’s working in the emergency department now, at a hospital in Atlanta. Anyway, I’m calling because Linda asked if you could help her out. Apparently, Pierce is desperately looking to move and needs a new job. She’s interested in Boston, and since you have your connections in the ER still, I thought you could, you know, pull some strings for her? Get her a job?”

  “I mean, Mom, I haven’t seen Pierce since she was, like, eight.” Galen was at least seven or eight years older than her cousin, and her last memory of Pierce consisted of an obnoxious little overall-clad girl with bowl-cut hair throwing crab apples at her at their grandparents’ farm. It was hardly much to go on for a recommendation.

  “I know. I’m just asking for you to meet with her. She’s flying into town this Wednesday and really wants to talk.” Mrs. Burgess wasn’t asking, and Galen knew this full well.

  “Okay, sure. Why not? Give her my cell number. I’ll set up coffee or something and see what I can do for her.”

  “There’s one more thing. Pierce is a lesbian.”

  “Can you not say it like that, Mom?” Galen shuddered.

  “Like what?”

  “You know, like it’s some foreign country off the coast of France you saw a travel special on once.”

  “Oh, stop. You know I’m the most accepting person in this city of your sexuality. And Pierce’s.” Mrs. Burgess laughed.

  “I know. It just sounds…weird. So, what does Pierce being gay have to do with this?”

  “Linda wasn’t supposed to say anything to me, but apparently she’s leaving Atlanta because of a bad breakup with her girlfriend. She’s been pretty crushed. Maybe you could, you know, take her under your wing. Professionally, and personally?” Once again, Mrs. Burgess was not asking.

  “Yes, Mom. Now, will you please go find Dad and make him take you out to dinner or something? Ro and I are going to run some errands. I love you.”

  “You’re my favorite, you know that?” Mrs. Burgess was clearly teasing.

  “Of course I do. Bye, Mom.”

  Galen hit the red button on her phone and immediately noticed Rowan grinning at her.

  “What?” Galen asked.

  “You. You’re very sweet for doing that.”

  “Ugh. Like I had a choice. Now I have to play big, gay mentor to my punk-ass little cousin, and I may have to work with her?” Galen sighed.

  “You know what I think?” Rowan moved closer to her again and put her hands on Galen’s hips. “I think it’s sexy.”

  Some of Galen’s irritation began to dissipate, and she couldn’t resist a small smile. She brushed a stray piece of Rowan’s hair away from her face. “Is that right?”

  “Incredibly.” Rowan moved her hand to Galen’s cheek and kissed her, slowly, softly at first. Then, just as Galen’s breath caught, Rowan kissed her harder. It was the kind of kiss that said Rowan never wanted to kiss anyone else for as long as she lived. It was the kind of kiss that still knocked the great, sturdy, headstrong Dr. Galen Burgess to the ground in one perfect second.

  * * *

  It was entirely Pierce’s mother’s idea to reach out to her cousin, Galen. From what little Pierce knew, which consisted of information gathered from casual social-media browsing, Galen was some hotshot surgeon at Boston City Hospital. It looked like she had some hotshot surgeon girlfriend too, who Pierce couldn’t help but notice was a total fucking smoke show. The Burgesses had money, and lots of it. Pierce had seen pictures of Christmas parties at Galen’s million-dollar apartment, and their cute fucking dog, and perfect fucking life. Pierce had always been the black sheep of the family. Even when they were little, their grandparents always preferred Galen and he
r sisters to Pierce and the Parkers. When Pierce decided to become a PA and Galen had followed in the other Burgesses’ paths and become a doctor, that just seemed to solidify Pierce’s status. She groaned as she put her coat on and tied her boots. What kind of family is so elitist and overachieving that the outcast grandchild is a goddamn PA? She hadn’t even left the hotel yet, and Pierce was already regretting her decision to meet with Galen.

  Although they hadn’t laid eyes on each other since they were kids, Pierce recognized her cousin immediately. Facebook has an eerie way of keeping people connected at the most superficial level. Pierce knew Galen’s job, her girlfriend, even what she’d had for dinner last week. But they were total strangers. Galen sat in the corner of the Starbucks, scrolling intently through her phone. She wore an expensive-looking, tailored wool jacket and had a fresh haircut and a face that belonged in ad campaigns for cologne or maybe even some really fancy clothing brand like Versace or YSL that Pierce knew next to nothing about. Pierce sighed to herself as she walked over. Who was she kidding? She didn’t dislike Galen. She hardly knew her. But, from what she did know, Galen was everything Pierce wished she could be. Everything a girl like Katie would probably want. Pierce internally kicked herself for thinking of Katie. For Christ’s sake, it had been six months already. Was she ever going to stop thinking about her?

  “Let me guess. Reading up on robotic surgeries? Necrotizing fasciitis? Lap choles?” Pierce managed a cordial smile at Galen, who looked up from her phone.

  “Readitt, actually…Have you seen the latest season of Stranger Things? There’s some crazy theories out there.”