“No, it’s not at all. It just…doesn’t screamhome, ya know? And I’m not too keen on the location.”
“No, I get it. I was the same way.” He chuckled. “I think I looked at about fifteen houses before I found mine.” I smiled, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms while we waited. “You, uh…are you sure about this?”
There it was.
I looked at Gabe and nodded. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “With the new job and now looking for a house, I just don’t want you to overwhelm yourself with too much at once.”
“Gabe, I’ve been home for nearly four months. I’m still goingto therapy and working things out, but I feel ready to go back to work. To dosomethingwith myself other than sit around on my goddamn ass all day.”
“No one thinks you’re just sitting around on your ass, Blake. You’re taking time for yourself. There’s a difference.”
“Okay, well, I took the time.” I let out a breath, feeling frustrated. “Going back to work is a good thing for me. Getting my own place is a good thing. I appreciate your concern, really, butI’m fine. I know what I’m doing.”
I didn’t know who I was trying to convince more…him or myself.
Chapter 10
Graduation wasright around the corner, and between that and work, I was feeling stressed to the max. I had my 3P exam next week—pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment—and if I didn’t pass, I wouldn’t graduate. I hadn’t picked up any extra shifts at work like I usually did, devoting all of my free time to studying.
Today was one of those days.
My stomach rumbled as I sat on the couch in my living room. It was after noon, and aside from a granola bar for breakfast, I hadn’t eaten a thing. While I debated whether to finish what I was working on before or after finding something to eat, a knock sounded at my front door. I blew out a breath, set my index cards and book down, and stood, moving to the door and peering through the small side panel window.
I stepped back and opened the door a moment later to see Marie holding a bag and a drink carrier. “You look like you could use a little break,” she said before walking right inside. She wasin her scrubs, clearly on her lunch break—I didn’t live far from the hospital.
I chuckled as I shut the door behind me and followed her into the living area. “You could say that.”
“Well, good. I brought some subs from Gusto.”
“Oh, you’re a damngem.” My stomach rumbled again. “That sounds so good.”
“I knew you wouldn’t pass up a spicy Italian,” she said with a grin. She knew me well.
I moved my things off the coffee table, dropping books and papers onto the floor. We both sat on the couch, and she pulled the subs from the bag. “Thank you,” I said as I unwrapped mine. “How’s work?”
She nodded, swallowing the bite she’d just taken. “Not too bad. You missed out on the woman who gave birth in the parking lot.”
I snapped my head over to her, eyes wide. “Shut up!”
“Yeah.” She chuckled. “Husband pulls up, runs in to grab a wheelchair, screaming that his wife is in labor. So, Allison and I follow him out, and the woman is half in the front seat, half out with her feet on the ground, screaming, ‘it’s coming out!’ A minute later, Allison was holding a healthy baby boy.”
“Goddamnit!”
And that was one of the many examples of why I loved the thrill of the ER. You never knew what would happen.
“How’s studying?” Marie asked as she looked at the few notes and index cards still scattered on my coffee table.
I sighed. “I’m over it.”
“You’re overthinking. You know you’re going to pass.”
“Hey, you never know. And from what I’ve heard, the 3P exam is no damn joke.”
She reached over and grabbed one of the index cards as she chewed, reading it over before swallowing. “You are seeing a sixty-three-year-old male who has decreased chest expansion, a symmetric thorax with moderate kyphosis, and bilateral diaphragm distension of two centimeters. What is the most likely diagnosis?”
“COPD,” I answered before biting into my sub.
