“I pulled into the first Dunkin’ Donuts I saw,” Tori said. “I couldn’t help it. I’m strong, but the dairy was stronger.”
“And this is why we’re avoiding each other?” I asked. “This…is it? A broken rock, drunk girl problems, and some lower GI distress?”
“You weren’t there!” Cami cried. “You don’t know what it was like.”
“I know we’re keeping you to a two-drink max from now on,” I said to Cami. “You weren’t mad that I’d kept my relationship from you? Not wondering whether I’d gotten preferential treatment during the transplant rotation?”
“Don’t take this as a criticism, but I don’t think Aldritch is capable of preferential treatment,” Cami said. “Just speaking for myself, but that’s not something that crossed my mind.”
“Me neither,” Tori added.
Reza gave a single shake of his head.
“Okay.” I tried to gulp this all down. Here I was, spending the better part of two weeks obsessing over this single event when I’d had it completely wrong. “Are we good now? Can we all stopavoiding each other?” When no one responded, I added, “Do not make me drag your asses out for make-up karaoke tonight. These things happen, am I right? Families break shit. Families get into dangerous territory with dairy. Families drink their feelings. Families steal towels and peel out of parking spots like they’ve got the cops hot on their tail. Families tease each other mercilessly about it all after the fact. So, let me ask you this. Are we a damn family or what?”
“We’re a damn family,” Tori said, finally turning away from the window.
“We’re a damn family,” Reza said.
All eyes turned to Cami. “I’d really just prefer it if we never referenced anything involving?—”
“Too bad, so sad,” Tori said. “We all had rough showings that night, CCD. Accept your part in it so we can move on.”
“Fine.” Cami rolled her eyes. “We’re a damn family—and we’re going to karaoke tonight. We’ve got a long road ahead of us in general surgery and I think we need this.”
I pointed at her. “I’m serious about the two-drink max. I’m holding you to it.”
Cami grumbled something under her breath as she straightened her headband. “Thanks for being everyone’s big brother even if you have been carrying on a salacious love affair with the baddest of the badass surgeons in this place and never mentioning a word of it to us.”
That badass surgeon would kill me with one efficient flick of her scalpel if I confessed an ounce more than the basic facts. “What kind of fucked-up family do you think this is? We’re not sitting around talking about our salacious affairs, Cami.”
“So, you admit it’s salacious,” she said.
At the moment, it was a pile of burning tires. “I’m not saying a word on the topic.”
“And I thank you for that,” Reza said.
“Do you think Dr. Aldritch will come along for karaoke?” Tori asked. “We obviously can’t invite Dr. Acevedo. To anything. Ever again.”
“Yeah, I’m currently rethinking my entire elective agenda because I’m afraid he’ll know what I did in his house and with his towels,” Cami said. “I die a little every time I see him in the halls.”
“I, as well,” Reza said.
“Whit probably won’t make it tonight,” I said with as much neutrality as possible. “Some other time, I’m sure.”
“That’s a bummer.” Tori slipped her hands into her pockets and seemed to study her shoes for a long moment. “There’s some stuff I want to talk to you guys about but not until everyone is adequately drunk. Everyone except Betsy Wetsy.”
Cami stomped her foot. “I thought we agreed to stop talking about it!”
“We did not,” Reza said.
“I’m going to stop feeding y’all,” Cami said.
“What? You’re going to magically learn how to cook a normal amount of food? I don’t think so.”
I shook my head with a laugh. “Come on, kids. Back to work.”
As we filed out of the room, Cami stopped me with a light hand on my elbow. “Hazlette,” she started, “you should know we weren’t the only ones on the street that night. I couldn’t tell you who was there, but I know I saw other people getting into cars and waiting for rides. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe they didn’t see anything. But if anyone is talking about you and Dr. Aldritch, they didn’t hear it from us.”
