Silence.
“I know. I’m so sad about it. Actually, I’m with Makenna right now, and she says she wants to take the trip alone.”
Silence.
“Yes.”
Silence.
“You do?”
Longer silence.
“I’ll tell her.”
Silence.
“Love you, too.” Mai sets her phone on the table. “She says she wishes she could take off and go with you, but since shecan’t, she thinks you’ll have a great solo adventure.”
“Your star witness really failed you, didn’t she, counselor?”“Shereallydid.” She narrows her dark brown eyes at me, considering. “You know … maybe this will be good for you. I feel like you’ve been living at eighty percent these past couple of years. Maybe this is your chance to remember how strong and capable and fun you are.”
“Are you just trying to make me feel better about you ditching me?”
“No. I’m trying to give you a bright side. And makemyselffeel better about ditching.”
I laugh. “It’s punishment enough that you don’t get to go to Scotland. Although I’ll have to really consider whether I bring you a souvenir."
“Honestly, that’s fair.”
2
Malcolm
“Cansomebodyhelpme?My wife's having our baby!” A middle-aged man yells after bursting through the emergency department doors—the doors meant for those in ambulances.
“Check-in for obstetrics is on the other side of the building,” the nearest nurse informs him.
“No. She’s having it now. In the back of our car. She says she can feel the head.”
“Rory, grab a trolley,” I tell my closest friend, who also happens to be the only male nurse I’m ever on shift with. It’s not that I can’t be friends with the female nurses, but growing up with three sisters, I’m glad to have a man-friend at work.
“Yes, doctor. Right away.”
I roll my eyes. Rory likes to get teasingly professional everytime I give him orders.
“Alright. What’s your name, sir?”
“William Cameron. And my wife’s Jen.”
“Alright, Mr. Cameron. Don’t fret, we’ll take good care of your wife.” I step outside and follow him to his car, where I find his wife quite far along in her labor.
“Hello, Mrs. Cameron. I’m Dr. Robertson. I’m going to have a look and see if we can get you inside to deliver this baby.”
She growls through a contraction in response, then I take a look. She is definitely close to having this baby. I can see the top of the head. Well, they made the right call coming straight here.
“Okay. After your next contraction, we’re going to get you on the trolley and get you inside.” I hear the trolley roll up behind me as the next contraction begins. “Rory, get ready. We’re about to move her.”
Rory nods, and as soon as her contraction ends, I do a quick check to make sure there has been no change in the baby’s station. When there isn’t, Rory and I carefully get her onto the trolley, and Rory drapes a sheet over Mrs. Cameron’s legs. She’d abandoned her breeks and pants at some point on her ride to the hospital.
