Chapter 288 She did Mind
"Dr. Morgan, hope I'm not crashing your party by showing up outta nowhere," the woman said, clutching a fancy handbag and looking like she just stepped out of a fashion mag. "If you're swamped, no worries. I can chill outside for a bit."
Jessica's eye twitched.
They'd only met a couple of times, and she thought she'd cleared things up last time. Guess not.
"Mrs. Smith, does Dr. Smith know you're here to see me?" Jessica asked after a beat.
Yep, it was Jack's mom.
Patricia flashed a gentle smile, "He doesn't know yet."
Jessica asked, "Want me to give him a heads-up?"
Patricia shook her head, "No, the fam will fill him in. He'll find out soon enough."
Jessica felt super awkward.
Patricia must've noticed and said, "It's cool; don't stress about me. I'll wait till you're done."
Right then, Jessica's phone buzzed. It was Tina, "Jessica, got an emergency here! Get back quick; we need you."
Jessica replied, "On my way."
After hanging up, she turned to Patricia, "Mrs. Smith, I gotta handle an emergency patient. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Alright," Patricia said with a warm smile.
Jessica bolted to the ER.
The whole rescue was intense, every second mattered.
Luckily, the patient got there in time. After a whirlwind of procedures, the patient was stable and ready for surgery.
Taking a gulp of water, they both sighed in relief.
Tina finally asked, "Who was looking for you? You seemed pretty freaked out."
"Dr. Smith's mom," Jessica said honestly.
"What, Dr. Smith's mom?" Tina's voice shot up in surprise.
Jessica quickly covered her mouth, "Shh, keep it down."
Tina said, "Jessica, you're something else. You even know Dr. Smith's mom."
Jessica explained, "It was a fluke. I was grabbing coffee with a friend, and Dr. Smith and his mom were there too. I had just ticked off Dr. Smith that day, so I went over to apologize, and his mom saw it. She asked for my name, but I didn't think much of it. Later, at a get-together, I got drunk, and Dr. Smith gave me a ride home. Somehow, his mom heard about it and thought Dr. Smith had taken me home and that I was his girlfriend. The next day, she showed up with a bunch of jewelry, which freaked me out."
Jessica sighed after finishing her story.
Tina hugged her excitedly, "Wow, Jessica, you might've hit the jackpot. Dr. Smith's mom must really like you and want you to be her daughter-in-law."
Jessica pushed her away, "Stop it. Dr. Smith? No way. I'm already taken."
As soon as she said that, the room went dead silent.
Tina was the first to turn around and saw Jack, frozen like a statue.
She quickly tugged on Jessica's sleeve and whispered, "Jessica, Jessica, turn around."
Jessica turned and saw Jack, frozen like a deer in headlights.
Oh crap, she thought, feeling super awkward. She had just spilled the truth, but it wasn't exactly boss-friendly.
She mentally kicked herself. 'Jessica, you really know how to dig your own grave. Why do you always end up ticking him off?'
"Dr. Smith, what brings you here? Need something?" Jessica forced a smile, trying to play it cool.
"I heard my mom came to see you. Where is she?"
"Yeah, she did, but I had an emergency patient, so I had to rush over here. She said she'd wait outside the department," Jessica explained.
"So, you just left her outside?" Jack's question made both Jessica and Tina break out in a cold sweat.
Jessica felt like she was on a losing streak. Offending her boss was one thing, but now his mom too?
Just as she was scrambling for a good excuse, Jack suddenly said, "Why are you so nervous? I'm not blaming you."
Jessica looked up, surprised. Not blaming her?
She thought she was about to get chewed out.
"Dr. Smith, you're really chill," she said.
Jack looked at her, seeing her current fragile state, so different from her usual confident self when she was scolding him.
He couldn't help but smile and said softly, "What if I'm not chill? Bet you would be racking your brain for an excuse!"
Jessica stayed silent, thinking having such a sharp boss was really a curse because he saw through everything.
"Let's go," Jack said.
"What?" Jessica asked, confused.
"My mom came to the hospital specifically to see you. She won't leave until she sees you. I'll go with you," Jack said.
"Oh, okay," Jessica replied, nodding and following Jack.
Finally, the three of them arrived at Jack's office.
"Mom, why didn't you give me a heads-up before coming over? You scared Dr. Morgan and interrupted her work," Jack said, pouring a cup of tea.
Patricia looked at Jessica while holding the teacup, saying, "Dr. Morgan, I'm sorry. Next time, I'll come to see you during lunch."
Jessica smiled, "No, Mrs. Smith, you're too kind."
But she was thinking, there would be a next time?
Jack also poured a cup of tea for Jessica, making her feel flattered.
Jessica took the tea and thanked him repeatedly, then looked at him with a pleading expression.
Jack saw it but chose to ignore it.
"Jack, calling her Dr. Morgan all the time seems too formal. You can just call her Jessica," Patricia said, then turned to Jessica, "Dr. Morgan, no, from now on, we'll call you Jessica. You don't mind, do you?"
Jessica forced a smile, "I don't mind."
Patricia said, "See, Jessica is very gracious. You shouldn't always be so cold and distant, scaring her."
Jack rubbed his forehead and frowned deeply. He then walked over to Patricia and said seriously, "Mom, calm down. I've already told you, Jessica and I are not in a relationship. She didn't come to my house that day. It was just out of sympathy and coincidence that I gave her a ride."
Patricia said, "Okay, even if that's the case, you've never given other girls a ride before. Are you sure you don't have feelings for her?"
