one

Just like that Dr. Natalia Castillo was back into her work routine. She did not plan on taking five weeks off from the hospital, but things ... came up. Natalia initially planned two weeks off for her brother's wedding in June in Mexico. But when Jack Abbot turned up at her doorstep that late night in April and decided to throw her into a whirlwind of emotions, she decided to extend the vacation to four weeks. She never took time off in the past so the hospital was lenient in her request. Then, as if the universe were on her side, the hospital board needed a cardiothoracic surgeon to represent their hospital at a conference in Los Angeles that would extend her leave for an additional week into July. Of course Natalia jumped at the opportunity.

Currently, Natalia was seated in the staff room reviewing a patient's case. Leah Holland, Natalia's closest friend and colleague at PTMC was munching on a very dry salad while catching Natalia up on anything she missed. Which was not much but Leah lived for any work gossip no matter how miniscule.

Natalia noticed her friend falling deathly silent all of a sudden. Her eyes flit upwards to Leah who was holding her fork to her lips and a peculiar look in her eyes.

"Sorry — did you ask something?"

Leah turned her lips down and shook her head as she took another bite. Natalia eyes her suspiciously. She sighs and closes her patient's file. "What? I know that face."

"Just wondering how much longer I have to wait before I get to ask about J-A-C-K?"

At the mention of him Natalia felt the familiar pang in her chest. She wondered how long she had to wait for that feeling to disappear anytime he crossed her mind.

"There's no reason to spell out his name when it's only you and me in here ... and not to mention we're in a building filled with doctors that know how to spell. I would be highly concerned if they couldn't though."

Leah set her salad down and sat forward in her chair. "Okay, but seriously. I think you should talk about it."

"And with you specifically, of course."

Leah smiles, feigning innocence.

Natalia shrugs and sits back in her chair. "What you already know is really all there is to know, Leah."

"You're leaving stuff out. Natalia, you watched cheesy rom-coms almost every night in April and May. You were in love with him. That's big."

Don't I know it, Natalia thought. A beat of silence passes as she thinks it over. "You know what fine. I had a lot of time to think over everything. I suppose I can talk about it without prejudice."

Leah's chair harshly squeaked across the floor as she dragged it in. "I'm ready."

Natalia shoots her a look for her way-too-eager mannerisms. "Jack and I had a purely no-strings-attached relationship. You already know that part." Leah nods. "I guess e grew closer as friends meanwhile, and I stupidly allowed myself to get attached to him. I fell in ... " Her breath suddenly was lost on her but she regained it quickly to avoid any suspicion from Leah. "love with him. I really ... I really thought it was mutual. Or I don't know," Her voice trails off and she shook her head lightly. "Maybe he was also harboring some feelings for me too." Natalia shrugged. "He wasn't though. And I was angry with him for the longest time, but I realize now that that's not fair. It was a no-strings-attached relationship that he decided to put an end to. And he had all the right to ... I just wish he did it sooner before I let myself naively believe we could be more. Which again, that's on me."

Leah didn't speak for a moment. She had her chin resting on her palm; a look of deep concentration in her eyes. "But why did he end it?"

Any question Leah throws her way Natalia was sure she has already asked herself over the past nine weeks since things between her and Jack ended. "He didn't say. I wouldn't expect him to question me if it were the other way around."

"Do you think ..." Leah began but cut herself short. Natalia knew the rest of that question though.

"That he met someone else?"

Leah had a look of sympathy but Natalia didn't want to see that. She received that look one too many times from her sister and brother — the only other people that knew about Jack.

"He hasn't reached out since?"

"No. Which leads me to think that it probably is another woman." Saying those words out loud felt like being punched in the gut.

Leah continues her interrogation — or at least that's what it felt like to Natalia. "Have you seen him since?" She hasn't seen him since that night, marking about nine weeks. After he had put a stop to whatever they were, Natalia still had four weeks left before leaving to Mexico. And it had felt like the time dragged on. She fortunately didn't receive many consult requests from the ED throughout those four weeks and when she did, she never bumped into Jack.

Natalia shook her head as she reaches for her protein bar to appear nonchalant. "If you want, I can take any ED consults. It's not a problem."

Through a mouthful, Natalia replies, "No." She swallows her bite and waved her hand in the air. "It's fine — I'm fine. Seriously. He's night shift anyway; there's a thirty something percent chance I even see him." She takes a moment to think before continuing. "But, I can't avoid him forever. Anyway, I can't let him know I was heartbroken over his decision, because we weren't together, together. He can't know that I was in love with him." She shook her head at that.

In reality, he couldn't know that she was still in love with him. "It's not fair to ice him out."

"Fuck that!" Leah threw her arms up. "Sorry, but you two were way more intimate than a friends-with-benefits relationship. Even I could see that. Then he goes and ends it out of the blue with no fucking explanation? There's more to it."

"Leah," Natalia sighs. "I have already gone over all of this in my head every day for the past nine weeks. Nine weeks. I am thirty-five years old. I can't be moping around like a teenager wondering why he left and racking my brain with all the why's and what-if's!" Leah had a look on her face. Natalia zeros in on it. "Stop."

"What?" Leah asks incredulously.

"I know that look," Natalia tosses her wrapper across the table. "I swear you were some investigator in your past life. Just promise me you'll drop this? No one here knows about me and Jack. And since there is no more of me and Jack, there's no reason to stir the pot." Leah opens her mouth to say something when a nurse pops her head in.

"Dr. Castillo, you are needed in the ED for a consult."

Natalia stands. "Thank you, Katie."

"I can take it if you'd like?" Leah looks up at her.

"Oh, sorry they requested Dr. Castillo specifically." Nurse Katie shot Leah a look of sympathy.

"You're still a resident, no hard feelings." Natalia patted Leah's shoulder as she passed.

"Senior resident!" Leah shouted before the door closed behind Natalia.

˚˚˚

Hiiii, this is my casting for Natalia Castillo by the way. The lovely Christian Serratos.

This is my third attempt at a Jack Abbot fanfic. But, it's the first I decided to actually throw out there so please be kind.

I'm actually really excited for the story. I can't get Jack and my fictional character Natalia out of my head so I'm going to do my best with this story and give them justice!

I have classes but I'm going to do my best with at least one update a week.

Who knows, maybe if this story does well I'll continue the other two in-progress fics!

Please help me by voting and sharing :)

Bye for now!