“Yeah, I know what today’s date is. But it’s chilly out and these scrubs are thin. Not everyone gets to go to work wearing jeans and designer sweaters every day.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault they don’t want me looking too formal or doctor-y. Sounds to me like you should have opted for a program that takes a bit longer than phlebotomy, then maybe you’d get to pick out your own clothes.”
“First of all, ‘doctor-y’ isn’t a word,” Mallory pointed out. “And second: you’re a dick."
“Why am I a dick for pointing out things you already knew?”
Dan pulled into a parking space and stepped out of the car before quickly making his way to the other side to open the door for Mallory. She accepted his offered hand and stepped out. Their short commute was drawing to a close. Mallory waved and Dan did a tilt of his head as a response.
Once again, she hadn’t grabbed anything to snack on from home, so she decided to pick up a bran muffin from the coffee stand. She always woke up with enough time to do a few deep breathing exercises and say her morning affirmations, but never enough time to get herself organized. She was a walking contradiction, riddled with anxiety despite all of her calming rituals. She was both independent and insecure, craving validation but needing no one. She contemplated her quirks as she stepped up to order her muffin.
She turned with her small paper bag in hand and walked face first into a solid mass of muscle. Startled, she looked up to meet a pair of haunted green eyes, rimmed with red and surrounded by dark circles. Familiar eyes. She bent down to pick up the bag she dropped before standing to get a better look at Christian.
“Christian?” she whispered. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”
He blinked much longer than was necessary, and when he opened his eyes, the redness was more noticeable. “My mom is here.”
Her heart sank. She stuffed the muffin bag into her tote and took both of his hands in hers. “I’m so sorry. Is she okay?”
His large hands squeezed hers as he shook his head no. She pulled him over to a nearby bench and indicated for him to sit down beside her. Sensing he needed comfort, she pulled him into her arms and squeezed him as tight as she was able. Her own breath hitched when she felt him take several deep uneven breaths.
“She fractured her hip. She didn’t want to leave the bag of trash on the porch until I could take it out for her, so she tried to do it on her own. She missed the first step and fell.”
Mallory didn’t think her heart could sink any lower, but there it was. She immediately pictured the sweet old woman lying on the ground in pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“But Life Alert is for old people,” Christian scoffed. “She stayed on the sidewalk until a neighbor heard her cries for help.”
“My god,” Mallory breathed, fighting back her own tears. “Is your brother here with you?”
Christian swiped away the wetness under his eyes and shook his head. “He’s over the road. He can’t just drop everything to get here. I’m with her so she isn’t alone. He’s going to finish his current trip and as long as Mom doesn’t have any complications, he’ll be back next weekend, which is still a week early.”
“I meant for you. You shouldn’t be alone. I’m going to tell them I’m not working today.”
Christian straightened in his seat, obviously surprised. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. Give me five minutes; I’ll be right back,” she said and rushed toward the lab without waiting for an argument.
She’d made it from the coffee shop to the lab in record time. It was now only a few minutes before her shift began, which was unusual for her. Doris was setting up her section and her facial expression quickly changed from surprise to concern as Mallory approached.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No,” she answered before correcting herself. “I mean yes, but I need the day off.”
Doris raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. Before she could explain, Jenna had joined them, never one to miss any action. Mallory closed her eyes and braced herself for the barrage of questions that would be headed her way.
“The other night I had dinner at Christian’s mom’s house,” she started to explain, holding up a hand when Jenna tried to interrupt. “She’s the sweetest old lady on the planet. Anyway, I literally ran into Christian at the coffee shop a few minutes ago. She had a bad fall and broke her hip. His brother is an over the road truck driver, so he’s here alone. Someone should be with him.”
“And that someone needs to be you,” Jenna said as soon as Mallory had finished. “You didn’t tell us you met his mom. That’s huge!”
“I’ll put you in for PTO. I can pull one of the other lab techs and dedicate them to the outpatient lab. Let me know if you need Monday off,” Doris said, practically shoving her out of the lab and allowing the doors to close behind her.
Mallory stood in the hallway slightly stunned. She didn’t expect it to be so easy to get the day off. She didn’t even get a chance to say anything else about it once they knew why she needed off. After taking a moment to regain her bearings, she rushed back to the coffee stand.
Christian was where she’d left him, only now he held a cup of coffee. His eyes widened slightly as he looked up at her.
“That was fast.”
“As soon as I told them why I needed the day off without notice, Doris literally shoved me out the door after telling me I could have Monday off too, if I needed it. I thought it would be a problem since we’re supposed to give at least two hours’ notice when we call out.”
