I pulled into my assigned hospital parking spot, then walked down the long hall toward my office. I’d already taken a glimpse at today’s schedule before leaving my condo this morning in preparation. Keeping the day’s events in the forefront of my mind—which meant taking multiple looks at my calendar throughout the day—made the day run smoother. I had about a half hour to answer emails and start on paperwork before my first appointment.
By lunch my stomach growled fiercely, and the edges of irritability pressed in. I left the patient room, ducking my head to avoid talking to other staff in the hall, then made my escape into my office. I leaned against the door, inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six. The deep breathing continued until my head cleared and my pulse beat at a steady pace. Talking to patients wasn’t difficult because it was all medical procedure, but I didn’t want to be pulled into gossip by the staff.
I had just taken out my insulated lunchbox from the bottom drawer when my phone chimed. A video message from Chris appeared, and I watched enraptured as he attempted to teach Charlie how to sit. No matter how many times he repeated the word and pushed Charlie’s rump down, the puppy refused to cooperate. Instead, he insisted on sniffing Chris’s hand.
Erykah
Did you give him the treat?
Chris
No! Well, yeah. He finally sat after the twentieth try.
Erykah
You were counting?
Chris
No, but Cameron was.
I chuckled. Chris seemed like he had a good group of people around him. More than that, they actually seemed to like one another.
My mind turned to my colleagues. They were the people I worked with closely—sometimes hours on end—but I wouldn’t call them friends or even anything more than acquaintances. How sad was that?
Degrees from prestigious universities hung on my office walls alongside accolades and awards I’d received in the medical field. But the only two personal pictures I owned featured me and my sister in one and her and her family in the other. I picked up my cell, feeling the need to talk to Ellynn.
Erykah
How are you? How are the kiddos?
Ellynn
I’m exhausted. I need a break from the crying and Cheyenne’s whining.
I chuckled. Cheyenne wanted everyone’s attention on her all the time and whined when she didn’t get what she wanted.
Erykah
Maybe I can FaceTime you later and occupy Cheyenne for a bit.
Ellynn
I would love that. I’d also love to go out with Asher again. I miss date nights.
Erykah
Call your babysitter.
My newest niece had been born in March. A seven-month-old could be entrusted to a babysitter, right?
Then again, what did I know? I had no children. Back in my residency days, I’d delivered a few babies, but that was so long ago I wouldn’t feel comfortable performing a delivery today. Not to mention, all I’d done was hand off the baby to the nurses, who’d done the rest of the work.
Ellynn
Maybe. But if you call tonight, we’d love to see your face.
I stared in shock at the teardrop that plinked against the screen on my phone. Wiping my hand across my face, I was surprised to discover I was legit crying. I thought for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong. Then it hit me.
