Episode 17

Dereck woke up a little later than usual since he didn't have to work that day and felt the effects of what had happened the night before.

“Damn it, my head is going to explode," he said, holding his head as he got up.

He looked for a painkiller and took it, then headed for the shower. Dereck still felt stupid for being so careless, and his experience after so long without going out had not been pleasant at all. As he didn't have many plans for his days off, he had coffee and waited until his headache passed, pretending, then, to go to the gym.

While he waited, he received a message from another doctor who worked at the same hospital.

“A video is circulating around the hospital. Is that really you?"

The question only further soured Dereck's mood, who until then had only noticed the looks of the nurses and other staff, but had not yet received questions from the doctors. Dereck stared at the message, wondering if he should respond or ignore it. He wasn't close to him; they barely exchanged a few words during surgeries, and he didn't owe any of them an explanation. He decided to ignore it and went to prepare his bag to go to the gym. He intended to avoid looking at his cell phone that day and maybe he would go to the park. He needed to distract himself and think about what to do.

While it was Dereck's day off, George went to work and, unlike the day before, things were not going well for him either, as several people asked about the details, if he had enjoyed it and if he was also gay. One of these questions was in the break room and was already making him uncomfortable.

“We know it's you in the video, but you seem to be enjoying it. Tell us, how was the experience of hooking up with the hot doctor at the hospital?" A nurse asked.

“Why do you think I liked it? I had to put on an act, or he would have noticed. I'm not gay and I left before he wanted anything else."

Those in the room still didn't seem to believe much of what he said and smiled suspiciously.

“Dude, but he would have noticed if your 'toy' hadn't responded to what he did. You said you left earlier, but who guarantees you didn't do it to him too, or that you went all the way?" It was a male nurse's turn to ask.

“I just said that I'm not gay and I only did this to prove what most people here wanted to know,” he replied, showing that he was already getting nervous.

The male nurse who had warned Dereck was also there and saw his reaction, continuing the provocation.

“I'm sorry if I don't believe that talk of yours and I believe other people here don't either. I'm straight and I couldn't do that with another man, even if it was to prove something, like one of our colleagues said, the 'toy' wouldn't react."

The others in the room laughed and seemed to agree with what their colleague said. George didn't like how things were being conducted and wanted to confront him.

“What's yours, huh? Everyone here was dying to know the truth, but no one had the guts to go up to him and ask, and now that I did, you want to question my motives? Why are you getting all worked up? Are you a little bitch who has a crush on him too?"

The male nurse stepped forward, and everyone realized the tension had increased.

“You are ambitious and unscrupulous, everyone here knows that. You said it yourself, if they wanted to know if he was gay, they could just go up to him and ask, but you had to go further, you hit on him and let it get to where it got. I'm not gay; if I were, I would have no problem coming out, but I have a brother who is, and my only fear is that he will find some jerk like you along the way."

He paused, waiting to see if George would say anything. As he didn't argue, he continued to say what he wanted.

“No one is forced to come out of the closet against their will, and that's what you did. You exposed him and forced him to do it, why can't we do the same to you?"

“I'm not stuck in any closet, I'm straight, and it's not your opinion that's going to change that," George replied and started walking towards the door.

Before he finished leaving, he still heard what his colleague continued to say.

“At least now you know what it's like to be judged by the people around you."

George didn't even look back to hear that ending; he just walked out of the room and into the bathroom. He washed his face, but those accusations were still getting to him. He thought about what his colleagues said and the question that was bothering him. Why did he like and enjoy what Dereck did?

For George, that question needed an answer, or he felt he would end up going crazy with all those thoughts running through his mind. He took a few deep breaths and left the bathroom. After all, there was no point in staying there, and he wouldn't hide, since for him he just gave everyone what they wanted.

As he walked down the hall, he came across the hospital director, who took the opportunity to speak with him.

“Since you're here, I won't need to call you to my office. You told me you don't know how that video got out of your cell phone, so try to make it disappear, which I think is kind of difficult at this point. I spoke with Dereck, and his version was quite different from yours. We don't want a scandal, but if he decides to take this further, know that the hospital will not take sides."

“Even if he threatened me?" George asked, seeing things weren't going well.

“You could have filed a complaint with the hospital board, but you preferred to go out with him and record a video. If he did as you said, you are both wrong, him for threatening and you for omitting this issue. Another option is to resolve it directly with Dereck, but I sincerely hope this doesn't leak outside of this hospital."

The director turned his back and left. George was realizing that while he may have earned some money from the bet, it still wasn't making up for all the headache he was having with the matter.

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