From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 205

Adolphus stared at his phone after the call ended, a helpless smile tugging at his lips. He leaned back in his office chair, glancing over a few surgery schedules. There was no rush to head back to the infirmary.

A knock on the door broke his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Harrell stepped inside, holding a bag of medication.

“You went to see my mentor, didn’t you?”

“Yep. He heard I’ve been staying at your place and asked me to bring you the meds you needed. When are you off? Edison and Orville are still hanging out at Apex. They want to grab dinner together.”

Adolphus checked the time. “Half an hour or so. You got here just in time, actually. I have a case I want you to look at.”

He pulled up Fidelia’s file on the computer, then stood so Harrell could take his seat.

“I’m a psych major, you know. I barely understand half your surgical cases… Wait, is this PTSD?”

“Yeah. Earl is her attending physician. He’s your junior from school.”

Harrell scanned the file, not looking surprised at all. He knew how things stood between Earl and Adolphus.

Back when Earl wanted to switch to psychology, it was Adolphus who’d gone to Harrell for help. Without that, Earl’s grades and personality would’ve kept him out of the program entirely, never mind being accepted by Harrell’s mentor.

Earl was stubborn by nature. Being a psychologist meant dealing with a lot of pressure, and it was easy to get swept up in your patients’ struggles. Too much exposure could drag anyone down.

“I remember you once said Earl wasn’t meant for psychology. Do you know why he gave up surgery and switched?”

Harrell’s eyes lit up with curiosity, like he was about to hear a juicy secret. “Don’t tell me it has something to do with you?”

Adolphus nodded. “Yeah, he always felt like the family was comparing us. He couldn’t handle it anymore.”

He told Harrell about some of the resentment Earl had let slip over the years. Harrell gave a sympathetic smile.

“Honestly, that’s rough. He picked the hardest path, just to escape your shadow. But I get it. Your family’s complicated, you’re the clear favorite, and you’re kind of a genius. Anyone would compare their kid to you.”

“But still, I’ve got to hand it to Earl. He managed to carve out a whole new future for himself. That takes guts. I’ll make sure to put in some good words for him with our professor whenever I can.”