“Yes. I have people here, friends, even. I just… the city has become a bit too much, and frankly, I’m starting to crave some peace and quiet, the older I get.”
Talia sighed. “I can relate. If my husband didn’t have such a great job and the kids weren’t in college nearby, I’d be out. My sister lives in Colorado in the middle of peaceful nowhere, and….” She let out another sigh and gave him a slow, wistful smile. “I wish it hadn’t been like this, Francis. You’ve been an asset to the clinic. We’ll miss you dearly, and like I said, you’ll get stellar recommendations. Just give me a week to make sure I have it all together, and I’ll email it to you.”
Francis smiled. “One day, you’ll get to retire somewhere peaceful. Thanks for everything, Talia. Truly. You’ve been a great boss.”
They hugged and if they both had to wipe their cheeks as they parted, neither mentioned it. Francis left the office to go say goodbye to his colleagues and to clear out his locker.
When he closed the door of the clinic behind him and stepped into the winter sunlight, he felt… at ease. Knowing that he didn’t have to see Josh again was a relief he hadn’t expected to feel. He’d loved his job and his colleagues and Talia, but maybe it really was time to move on one way or another.
* * * *
A couple of days later, Francis had some options written out on paper. A proper pros and cons list that Marcus would’ve loved. He’d often made those when deciding something, no matter how unimportant, and with a smile on his face, Francis decided to call Padraig.
“Hey, Francis, I’ve been waiting for you to call,” Padraig greeted him, making his smile widen.
“Hi. I needed to figure out a few things, but I left the clinic, for good.”
“Oh wow…,” Padraig said in a long exhalation. “How do you feel about that?”
“Well, I made a list,” Francis replied, grinning as waited for Padraig’s reaction.
It didn’t surprise him in the least when he heard a small chuckle, a wistful one, and knew that Padraig felt the same kind of pain in his chest at that moment. They’d always miss Marcus, but at least they could now mention him sometimes.
Padraig cleared his throat. “What’s the list say?”
“I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to be in New Jersey anymore. I want somewhere quieter.”
“Around there?”
“No, I think a proper change of pace. I’ve been thinking about moving closer to you guys,” Francis admitted.
“We wouldn’t say no to that.” Francis could hear the fondness in Padraig’s tone and smiled.
That brought Francis to the next thing he needed to ask. He felt oddly hesitant, despite knowing what the answer would be. “Kaos said you have room if I need it….”
“Of course. You’re always welcome to stay with us however long you’d like.” The certainty, the steadiness in Padraig’s voice was reassuring, and the rest of Francis’s hesitance melted away.
“Okay. Well, it’ll be a while. I’ll have to look into registering as a nurse in Wisconsin so I can get a job somewhere. Do some job hunting and such.”
“Yeah, and you have a lifetime of stuff to go through, don’t you? If you need storage space, I’m sure someone in town has it, so don’t worry about that. As long as you can get the stuff here, it’s safe.”
“Thanks. I’ll figure it out somehow. I’ll get a U-Haul and all that. Need to have my car serviced too just to make the trip. So don’t expect me immediately. Might take a month or two.”
“Just stay safe, Francis. We care about you,” Padraig murmured.
“I love you guys. Give Kaos and Hestia hugs from me, okay? I’ll be in touch.”
“Yeah. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
* * * *
Padraig was right. When Francis began to take stock of his belongings and those he still had in storage elsewhere, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy move.
He called his sister Faye and she came over a couple of weeks later—the earliest she could get away from her hippy-dippy yoga school in NYC.
“So, Mom’s things, right?” she asked, as they stood at the open door of Francis’s storage unit.
