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Cori groaned as she saw Dr. Rae Brennan enter the observation room overlooking the OR. Down below they both could see Nick in apron, mask and scrubs looking over the Cori's patient. "What do you want?" she asked less than politely.
"To talk to you for a moment."
Cori turned to Brennan and raised an eyebrow. "Really. You now, last time you wanted to talk to me, I wound up with a white silk dress that STILL has the stain on it from your tossed Cosmopolitan cocktail."
Rae smiled and leaned up against the railing. "I hear a rumor around the hospital that you and Dr. Kokoris are getting rather chummy."
"Yeah, and? What business is it of yours?"
"Oh, Coriandra," Rae sighed. "When will you ever stop? Isn't one married man enough? Isn't it enough you made a fool out of yourself the last time."
Cori turned very, very slowly and fixed Rae Brennan with an icy glare. "I think more to the point, the question should be when will YOU ever stop? How many times do I have to tell you that nothing happened between your husband and me? He asked me to dance, that's it!"
"Oh, sure, and I'm supposed to believe that your hand just accidentally slipped and squeezed his rear end?"
"I did no such thing!" Cori was seeing red right now and didn't care if anyone heard her. "You're a god-damned liar and a shrew of a woman Rae Brennan! I wasn't the one who looked like a fool, it was you! Let me refresh your memory, Doctor! I do believe it was YOU left standing in the middle of the ballroom after your husband walked out and left you there. I believe it was YOU who got yelled at by said husband who was tired of you yelling at me for nothing and after you'd thrown your drink at me. You're the one who wound up looking like an idiot in a room full of people who knew that you had absolutely NO reason to attack me the way you did!"
One of the surgical nurses elbowed Nick and pointed up to the glass. There, he could see Cori and Rae 'discussing' something. But, he knew shouting when he saw it. Cori was upset with Rae about something and Rae had this odd look on her face. He kept watching for a second more as the nurses around him got Scott ready.
Rae just smirked. "Cori, Cori, Cori. You just don't get it do you? You've got a habit of getting involved one way or another with men who aren't available - no matter how innocent it is. Don't get mad at me for delivering the message. Dr. Kokoris is taken."
Cori blinked, her mouth snapping shut as her vision filled with a red haze. "Forgive me if I do not believe you. I learned that night not to ever trust you. And I learned long ago never to believe a word that comes out of that filthy mouth of yours."
"And why is that?" Rae was tiring of this. She had to be insane to put herself in front of such a temper.
"Because, who the hell can trust an adulteress?"
Nick stopped what he was doing. He had seen Rae step back with a look of shock on her face. What was going on?
Rae blinked. "What…?"
"Oh don't play innocent with me." I've known about Pakistan, Honduras, all the other places you spend two weeks a year visiting. You forget I happened to be on a few of those myself. I know an affair when I see one."
Rae stuttered and tried to find some way of denying it, but Cori kept up the attack.
"I've known all along about your little boy toy on the side, Rae. Do don't even try to pin me into your shoes. I'm not someone to cheat on a marriage."
"If… if you've known all along…" Rae said quietly. "Then what are you doing trying to get into Nick's bed?"
Cori's face twisted up in confusion. "Who said I was? He's a nice guy who's nothing like I expected. What -" Then the truth dawned on her. She'd heard the rumors running rampant around the hospital that Nick had been in Pakistan with the charitable organization that Brennan had been with. It also clicked why Rae would be upset. She'd seen the looks Rae had given Nick, heard the rumors of their fights. It just never added up until now. All along it had been Nick that had been Rae's boy toy.
"And the truth shall set you free. It sucks when you realize that you're not immune to mistakes, doesn't it?"
"I haven't made a mistake at all. Nothing's happened between Nick and I."
"But you want it to, right? I know that look. You want Nick."
"If I do, it's no concern of yours."
"True." Rae smiled and stepped in to whisper into Cori's ear. "But do you really think you can handle the knowledge that the last person Nick slept with was me? Can you live coming in second to me in Nick's heart?"
Nick watched, despite the nurse's nudges that he needed to start the procedure. He saw the ill look come over Cori's face and felt an instant disgust with Rae for putting it there. What did she say to Cori? He had to restrain himself to keep from running after Cori as she bolted out of the observation room. He looked back after seeing the door close and the light in the room dim back to the smoky color of the glass. Rae was smiling down at him for a moment, then turned and left.
He had to find Cori when the surgery was over. He knew she'd be in the Recovery lounge waiting for Scott when he came out. That's when he'd talk to her and see what Rae had said. Hopefully whatever it was he could put it right and not throttle Rae for it.
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