Episode 9

Dereck stayed in his office a while longer, reflecting on what to do and how things had gotten to this point. Before, he had no idea why people looked at him strangely, so it was easy to walk the halls. However, now aware that most of the people who worked there had seen that embarrassing video, the situation became humiliating.

Despite not being sure how he would face everyone, Dereck felt the need to look for the person responsible for the problem and confront George for what he had done. Furthermore, he wanted to understand the reasons behind the situation, as he was convinced that he had never offended or mistreated George before.

Dereck informed that he could no longer see patients at that time and asked that they be referred to another doctor, considering that the matter could not be postponed. He took a deep breath and left his office, walking down the hospital corridors. Despite the lingering stares, he tried to ignore the unwanted attention and focused on his goal.

After some time searching, he managed to locate George, even though he was not alone, he needed to approach him and Dereck spoke seriously:

"George, we need to talk," he said, noticing that George was looking at the person next to him.

"I'm busy now, doctor. As you can see, I'm on my working hours. Maybe…"

"This can't wait. You weren't worried about being on work time to do what you did." Dereck interrupted, adopting an unusual tone of voice.

The person next to George realized that things were not good and offered coverage, suggesting that George could resolve the matter with Dereck. In an understanding gesture, she walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

"Come with me!" Dereck said, leading George towards the emergency stairs.

Once inside this more private space, the doctor went straight to the point, without beating around the bush.

"Can you explain to me what you think you're doing, or rather, what you did to me?" Dereck asked, his voice rising slightly.

George clenched his jaw and avoided his gaze. For a few moments, he seemed to struggle to find an answer, increasing the tension between them. Finally, after a brief hesitation, he managed to utter a few words.

"I don't know how it happened, someone may have seen it on my cell phone and spread it, I…"

"Do you really think I'm naive? I know you made a bet to prove I'm gay," Dereck stated, his voice filled with frustration.

"I just… I didn't think…" George couldn't find the words.

"Think what, George? That it would be funny to expose me like this? Didn't you consider that this could harm me in here? You approached me feigning interest, recorded an intimate video of me and exposed it to my colleagues. Tell me, was it worth it? Do you need to show off like that, or are you just sick?"

Dereck was not usually as nervous as he was at that moment, but given what he was feeling, he saw no other way to vent all the frustration and disappointment that plagued him at that moment.

"You're offending me," George complained.

"Offending you? What about what you did? Do you really believe that you're the offended one here? You didn't have the courage to leave your face exposed, just mine. It just confirms how cowardly you are."

Dereck took another step forward as George backed away.

"Now I wanted to know, what will change in your life or the lives of the people in this hospital if they know about my sexual orientation or not? Does being gay make me less competent at what I do?" he questioned, trying to understand what was going through his head.

"You really want to know? I always thought you were arrogant, with a superior air, as if you were perfect at everything. I wanted people to see that you are not so perfect, that you also make mistakes, and so you would come down from that pedestal", George replied arrogantly.

Dereck laughed in disbelief at what he heard. He rubbed his forehead, continuing the conversation.

"What mistakes are you talking about? Being gay? Is that the mistake? As for your excuse that I'm arrogant, that doesn't add up. When have you seen me being arrogant to anyone here? I've never disrespected anyone, I've always greeted and talked to everyone. I'm just not good at socializing, I'm discreet and I always keep to myself. That's my way, not arrogance."

"You always knew that several girls have a crush on you, but you never said anything to them, so they would give up on you. Why didn't you tell them you were gay? Besides other people who have the right to know and choose if they want to work by your side."

Dereck, hearing those absurdities, began to understand where he wanted to go.

"I think the problem here is your and other people's prejudice and homophobia, not my arrogance. As for my sexual orientation, it's nobody's business but mine. If any of you had asked me openly, I would have answered, even knowing that there are people like you. Now, thinking that I should go around telling everyone if I like women or not, that makes no sense."

Dereck replied and took a deep breath, aware that he was getting too worked up. As much as he wanted to punch George in the face, he needed to control himself.

"Your shitty attitude is not going to stay that way. You'd better delete that video. Know that I will take all necessary measures to make you pay for what you did."

Until he heard that sentence, George remained quiet, just listening to what Dereck had to say, recognizing deep down that he had a right to vent. However, after hearing that, George retaliated.

"Think carefully about what you're going to do, doctor. I'm not stupid, I knew this could get out of hand, so you think I didn't think of protecting myself somehow? Why don't you talk to the director first? I believe you will find the conversation you are going to have interesting. You are the only one who appears doing something in that video, do you know how many stories could come up? The weakest and most fragile part here is me."

Dereck had a bad feeling as he listened to what he said. Before he could question what he meant, he got a call and saw it was the hospital director. Noticing the half smile on George's face, he knew it wasn't good.

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