Right Through Me

E L E V E N

"Hey, Lina. It's me, Ethan, again. Look, I know that Donovan pissed you off the other day but he really needs your--"

Delete.

"Ethan, again. Please, Lina. Donovan's been really reckless lastely--"

Delete.

"Lina, you're the only one that can help him, please."

I hesitated before deleting the message along with all the others. I wasn't going to help, no way. I had put up with enough of Donovan's behavior, I was done. Yeah, sure, I've had patient's in the past who were really not good people but Donovan really out-shown them all.

Every single night now for nearly three weeks, Ethan has been calling to try and convince me to go over. How he can still continue to call me even though I ignore his calls is beyond me. He won't give up, that's for sure. 

"How many messages can he give you?" Diane asked, sighing heavily and placing a cup of coffee down in front of me. "I'm so terribly sorry, Lina. I've spoke with my son...he--he feels very bad for what he did."

"I'm sorry, Diane. I don't mean to rude but...I don't want to forgive Donovan. I helped him, I spent hours after working eighteen hour shifts just to help him and he just...he just took it all for granted," I said, taking a slow sip of the coffee.

"I know, I know. You don't have to apologize. I'm completely appalled by his behavior. He has always been hot-headed, short-tempered even, but he's never acted like a complete ass like he is with you," she explained. "I don't expect you to forgive him. I just--I just wish you would...maybe hear him out? Give him the chance to apologize and then make the decision to forgive him or not."

No way in hell will I forgive that man.

I smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, alright. I'll hear him out."

* * * * *

Awkward. This was extremely awkward. I stood in Donovan's dressing room, standing uncomfortably to the side, while he sat on the metal-spring bed. The room was dead silent, filled with tension and extreme awkwardness that made me fidget. I had been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes and he hadn't said anything, not even a hello.

"Ange--" he began, immediately stopping and letting out a huff of defeat. "Lina. I'd wish for you to continue being my first-response medical help."

"No," I said bluntly, watching as his gaze snapped up towards mine, his face contorting with anger. 

"No?" he repeated as if the word was completely foreign to him. He stood to his feet, taking a few steps to stand before me. "Why the hell not?"

"First of all," I began, watching his jaw clench and his nostrils flare. "You didn't even apologize to me for what you did. You do realize that when you called me for your personal care, I had just finished eighteen hour shifts, correct? Not only that, but you found out my real name, something I hide for a fucking reason and flaunt it around and taunt me!" I screamed the last part in his face. "Why do you think I go by Lina? By Doctor Lina? Huh? You don't care about anyone else's well-beings, it's always Donovan, Donovan, Donovan."

"You will be my doctor, right here, when I need you, Angelina," he growled and I slapped him right across the face again, this time clutching my hand from the immense impact.

"Fuck!" I screeched, groaning at the pain in my hand. "You have no damn right to command me around, Donovan!" I screamed, pointing a finger in his chest. "I was glad to help you, Donovan. That night you came to my clinic, I helped you because I wanted to. And the first time you called me to help you here, I helped because you needed it. But calling me to give you a fucking massage was out of the question and I shouldn't have ever even followed along with it," I said, glaring at him angrily. "And don't call me by that name."

"You slap me again, I will--"

"You will what?" I dared. "Hit me? Kill me? Make my life a living hell?" I asked, my voice faltering, cracking under pressure. My glare softened and I stared at him, on the brink of tears. "I helped you, Donovan. Why do you treat me this way?"

His face softened unbelievably and he stared at me, astonished at my sudden change in behavior. "Why don't we finish this over dinner?" he suddenly asked, staring at me with a blank face, his eyes flashing with softness for a moment.

I blinked the tears away and chuckled weakly, staring at him with astonishment. "Dinner would be great right now."

* * * * *

"No, you call me for emergencies and only emergencies," I said, pointing a finger at him as I took a chomp out of a bread-stick. 

"I get injured every fight, Lina," he said, cutting into his thick steak. "I can't just call you, you need to be there ready when it happens."

Amanda. Remember the girls, they can run the clinic. If I can have Amanda work nights with Mia, I'll have Leslie work with me in the mornings and afternoons. If I can do that then maybe, just maybe, I might be able to work at nights for Donovan.

I sighed heavily, not believing that I was actually following along with this. "Alright. I'll have to do some serious schedule changing at the clinic but--I should be able to make nights available so I can appear at the Coliseum before your fights to be there as your first-responder," I mocked his deep voice at the end, rolling my eyes and taking a bite of my creamy Alfredo.

"What happened to all that fire, Lina?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I shrugged. "I believe it was the low blood-sugar," I said, taking a sip of my red wine. "Hunger, mainly. And because you really pissed me off. I'm not kidding, Donovan. Don't call me by that name. You call me by that name one more time and I'm ending this right here, right now."

"Why is that such a sensitive subject for you?" he grumbled, ferociously cutting his steak. 

"That is something I will never discuss with anyone. I never even told anyone that was my real name. John only knows because he knew my mom--" I stopped right after mentioning my mom and stuffed my mouth with Alfredo, trying to distract myself from the painful memories. "Just stick with calling me Lina, please."

"So, then," he began, looking up at me intensely. "Will you be my doctor, Lina?"

I gulped at his question, suddenly feeling like putty. Just a half an hour ago I was screaming at this man and now I'm sitting here having dinner with him. I huffed in defeat and nodded, holding my hand out. 

"Partners?"

He stared at my hand for a moment, then up at me, before a small smile crept on his lips and he grabbed my hand, shaking it and nodding. 

"Partners."

Oh, boy. I am probably going to regret this.