by K. C. Crowne
I didn’t even want to think about what might’ve happened if I hadn’t been there, but I only managed a few sips of my drink before the events of the evening caught up with me. I spotted my phone on the counter. Drink in hand, I stepped over to it and picked it up to check if I’d missed any calls or messages while I was at the hospital.
When I hit the power button, however, the screen stayed black. The battery was dead. I realized that in the rush of getting Dad to the hospital, I’d forgotten to take my phone with me, let alone to plug it in.
Something else I’d deal with in the morning. I was tired as hell, fried, ready for sleep. After dumping the rest of my whiskey into the sink and kicking off my shoes, I realized I didn’t even have it in me to make the trip up to my bedroom. I plopped down on the couch, making a mental note to be up first thing tomorrow and see Dad at the hospital.
As I drifted off to sleep, however, I couldn’t shake the notion that I was forgetting something.
It could wait until morning, whatever it was.
Annie
It was late, late in the evening on Christmas day. Technically, it wasn’t Christmas any longer. And I was in the worst mood of my life.
“Something happened,” Gia assured me. “Something had to have happened.”
We were at my apartment, Gia having come over earlier to drop off a Christmas present of some fizzy wine and cookies she’d made with her family. When she saw what kind of a state I was in, how miserable I was that Duncan had stood me up, she’d insisted on staying over.
“What could’ve happened that he didn’t even bother to send me a text to let me know? What the hell is wrong with him?” I stood up and began pacing back and forth, like I’d done so many times that night. “There’s no excuse. We finally talked, and I came to him open-hearted, ready to forgive him for what he’d done. And this is what I get?”
Gia rose and stepped over to me, placing her hands on my shoulders. “It’s okay.” Her voice was calm and sympathetic. “I mean, it’s not okay. And you’re right – it’s rude as hell for him to do something like this on Christmas of all days, especially with what’s been going on between the two of you.”
“So what am I supposed to do? Just forgive him? Pretend it didn’t happen?”
“Well, what do you want to do?”
“Is it even my call? He blew me off and didn’t say a word. I bet he had second thoughts after we talked and was too damn cowardly to confront me about them.”
“That’s a hell of a theory. But how do you know it’s true?”
“I have a feeling. And Duncan always went on about how you have to trust your gut.”
A wry grin formed on Gia’s lips. “Turning his own advice against him.”
“Something like that,” I said. “But you know what? Thinking about all this…I’m done.”
“You’re done?”
“I’m done. Here I am, starting a new life because of a relationship I had that went south. And now I’m right back where I was before, trying to pick up the pieces because of what some jerk-ass guy did to me.”
Gia said nothing, letting me rant, as if sensing I was in the middle of something important.
“Men…they’re ridiculous. They have this totally fucked up way of making themselves the most important thing in your life, making everything revolve around them in the most selfish way possible. You know better at first, but they always manage to win you over. And right when they do, at the exact second you’re ready to let your walls down and make room in your life for them, they start with this bullshit.”
I swept my hand toward my phone on the kitchen table, as if it were the source of all my troubles.
“They jerk you around, don’t give a damn about your feelings. And the worst part? When they pull this crap, they act like you’re the crazy one for getting upset.”
“What if he calls you tomorrow?” Gia questioned, playing devil’s advocate.
“What if he does? He’ll call, have some stupid excuse, and try to act like nothing’s wrong, or that I’m the weird one for having some kind of issue.”
“But what if it’s a good excuse?”
“I don’t even care anymore.” As I spoke the words, I wasn’t even sure if I meant them. But I was angry, furious. Not just at Duncan, but at myself.
“I’m tired of happiness being totally tethered to some guy and how he’s treating me. I made that mistake with Andrew, and I’m doing it again with his freaking brother.” I shook my head, as if in disbelief. “It’s like the universe is teaching me a lesson, you know? And because I didn’t learn it the first time, I get Andrew’s brother to teach it to be again.”
Gia watched me with concerned eyes. “Then…what are you going to do?”
I stepped over to my violin and placed my hand on the case. “I can’t control men, but I can control my own life. I can play my music, work my job, build my life here in White Pines. And I don’t need a damn man to do it with.”
Gia opened her arms, inviting me to come sit with her. I did, feeling terribly exhausted as soon as I sat down.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said. “Maybe it’s time to focus on yourself.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I replied. “Just me and you and my family and the new life I’m going to make for myself here.” As I spoke, I felt more excited, more eager to get started. “I don’t need Duncan or Andrew or any other guy. I’ve got everything I need right here, right now.”
I reached over and checked my phone, my arm feeling heavy and sluggish. I was tired as hell.
“You know what I think?” Gia murmured. “I think you and I both need to get some sleep. You’ve been through a hell of a lot today.”
She was right. With each passing second, I felt more and more like I could just zonk out.
“The best thing to do about a big decision is to sleep on it,” she continued, running her hand over my hair. “Get some rest and decide what you want to do in the morning, okay?”
I nodded. “And you don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to.”
Gia gave me a little shove. “Are you kidding? You think I’m going to leave you alone like this. No way – you take the bed, I’ll take the couch, and we’ll do breakfast in the morning. If you’re going to start a new life tomorrow, you know I’m going to be here for it.”
“Thanks,” I said with a smile. “For everything.”
“Of course. Now, let’s get our asses to bed. And Merry Christmas.”
“You too.”
One more hug and we did our pre-bed routine. I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow.
I woke up the next morning to the sounds and smells of cooking food.
“Wakey, wakey,” Gia called from the stove.
My eyes were still bleary as I asked, “Eggs and bakey?”
“I think that means someone’s awake.”
“Kind of.”
I sat up, rubbing my eyes and trying to come back to the world of the living. The window was open, sunlight pouring in, extra bright from the reflection off the fresh, white snow. After sitting up and stretching, I put my feet on the ground and got up.
“Are you seriously making breakfast?” I asked. “You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s no problem at all,” she said. “You’re starting a new life, and I figured it’d be a nice change of pace from all the take-out we’ve been eating. Sit your butt down and let’s eat.”
I got up and plodded over to the table, dropping into the seat just in time to watch Gia put down plate after plate of sausage, eggs, and bacon. Of course, there was fresh coffee to go with it all.
When she sat down, however, a serious expression appeared on her face.
“Oh no,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“I was thinking I’d tell you after breakfast, but I think you have a right to know now.”
“What is it?”
She glanced over my shoulder. I turned and knew right away what she was look
ing at – my phone. “Did he…”
She nodded. “He called a couple of times. I didn’t answer or anything, of course, but he wants to talk.”
My gut tensed.
“What are you thinking?” she asked. “Are you still going with what you decided last night?”
It took only a moment or two to consider it. “I am. Whatever he wants, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, he made his decision last night.”
“Then…do you want to call him now? Because something tells me he’s not going to stop until he at least talks to you. And as mad as you are, some closure could be good for you both.”
I took a slow sip of my coffee, preparing myself for what was to come. “Here goes nothing.” I stepped over to my phone and saw that he’d called a couple of times. No texts – that wasn’t his style.
Phone in hand, I dialed his number. I shook my other hand, working the nerves out of my system.
“Annie.”
The moment I heard his voice, I knew it was going to be harder than I’d anticipated. I had to do it and be done, not think twice.
“We need to talk.”
“We do need to talk,” I said. “Mainly, I need to talk to you. I don’t care what happened last night, I don’t care what made you decide not talking to me, blowing me off, was an acceptable thing to do. But it was your last chance. Things were already rough between us, and that was the final straw. I’m done, Duncan. You and I, we’re over.”
“Annie,” he finally said. “Let me explain.”
“I’m not interested in hearing your explanation. You screwed me over, you treated my feelings like they were nothing. And I might’ve been able to give you a second chance, but a third one isn’t happening. We’re done. Don’t ever talk to me again.”
“But—”
Like I’d told him, I wasn’t interested in hearing it. I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the couch.
“Wow,” Gia said with a low whistle. “That was…wow.”
I took in a deep breath and exhaled.
“You really just did that,” she said.
I glanced at the phone. Its screen was blank – no text, no call. Whatever had happened, Duncan wasn’t trying to make his case.
“I really just did that.”
“And…how do you feel?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t.”
I stepped over to the window and looked out. White Pines was covered in snow, and the world was still and calm.
Whatever was going to happen, I needed to be ready.
And for a brief moment, I doubted I was.
Duncan
Nine months later…
I still wasn’t used to being back home. It’d been almost a week, but it felt so strange. It’d been nearly a year since I’d left for Africa to tour with Doctors Without Borders. I’d signed in the wake of what had happened with Annie.
I was in my office, a split-screen video conference call in front of me.
“Dr. Pitt,” Dr. Williams said, a slight smile on his face. “First order of business is to welcome you back to the States.”
The rest of the conference call, dozens of faces, expressed their agreement with this sentiment.
“Thank you all,” I said. “And I want to apologize once more if I’d left you all in a lurch.”
“No apologies needed,” said Dr. Alana Shaw. “When you left, you gave us all very clear plans for the year ahead. And we’re pleased to report that Pitt Medical Group is shaping up to have its best year yet.”
I glanced out the window of my office, the leaves of the trees gorgeous shades of yellow and orange. “Let’s hear it,” I said. “I read every little bit of information you all sent me while I was away, but I want to hear it all from your mouths. Dr. Williams?”
He nodded, ready to go into it. “We’ve opened dozens of locations in the area, one in every single major population center in Colorado, a few in Kansas, Wyoming, and New Mexico. And each one is doing killer numbers. I know we didn’t get into this business to cut a profit, but the services we’ve been providing have been of such top-notch quality that we’ve had no problems keeping our appointment books full.”
Dr. Sean Price spoke up. “We’re not making many friends in the medical industry,” he said. “But at the rate we’re going, we don’t need to be. If we keep growing at this rate, we’ll soon be the name for medical care Colorado. Hell, in the entire United States.”
“And there’s more,” Dr. Shaw added. “Our rates are low enough that we’re able to provide care for even the lowest-income patients. They’re flocking to us, and this is resulting in hospitals doing some major soul searching, going through their books and figuring out how they can change their own policies to match our prices.”
I nodded, processing the information. “Then it sounds like I left the business in good hands.”
“But we’re eager to see what you’ve got in store for the next year,” Dr. Price said. “Hell, everyone’s watching and waiting, seeing what Pitt Medical is going to do next.”
I smirked. “Then we’ll make sure to keep them all on their toes. I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’ll be checking in with each and every one of you over the next few weeks to make sure we’re all on the same page. Until then.”
I ended the call, dropping back into my office chair and propping up my feet on the desk. But I didn’t have a chance to do a damn thing before another call lit up my phone. This one wasn’t business at all – it was Andrew.
My gut tensed. I hadn’t talked to him since I’d come back, only sending out a mass text to him and the rest of my immediate family that I’d returned. We’d never smoothed the Annie situation over; the wound had been left to fester and rot.
And now he was calling me.
“Hey,” I said, sitting up in my chair and bringing the phone to my ear. “What’s up?”
“Surprised you picked up,” he said.
“You really that surprised? You think I’d give my own brother the silent treatment?”
“I don’t know. You leaving was sort of giving the entire state the silent treatment,” he said, chuckling quietly. “Part of me wasn’t sure if you’d ever come back.”
“Nah – you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“Listen,” he said after several beats of silence. “I was in the area meeting with a client who doesn’t live too far from you.”
“Is that right?”
“That’s right. And…I was thinking it might be a good chance to come by and see you.”
I wondered whether or not the excuse was true. Had Andrew come up with a reason to drop by my place? Didn’t matter.
“How far away from you?”
“Just put your address into Google Maps, and you’re about five minutes from where I am. If you don’t want me to drop by, or you want to plan something, I’d totally get it.”
“No. Come by. It’d be good to see you.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
Another few beats of silence. “Alright. Then I’ll be by in a bit. Looking forward to it.”
“Same here.”
When I hung up, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I’d been gone for a long, long time, only sharing bits and pieces of my life here and there on social media. But it was time to join my life already in progress, as difficult as it might be.
I stepped into the living room, opening the windows and letting the fresh, fall air into my home. Once that was done, I set some coffee to brew and waited.
I was going to see my brother again. Maybe his friendly tone on the phone was a trick to get me to lower my guard so he could greet me with a slug to the face. Not like I didn’t deserve it for what I’d done.
I spotted his Mercedes when it pulled up in front of the house. It came to a stop and he stepped out, putting his hands on his hips and looking around as if taking in the sight of my home. I greeted him at the door, opening it before he had a chance to ring the doorbel
l.
Tall and built with a face so much like mine we were nearly twins, he regarded me with an unsure expression. “Duncan.”
But I didn’t need words to express was I felt. I stepped forward and opened my arms, pulling him into a powerful hug. He froze in place for a moment, as if not sure how to react. Then he hugged me back, and I knew all was forgiven.
“Come on in,” I said. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”
He stepped into my house and I shut the door behind him.
“Still can’t get over this place,” he said, looking around. “Maybe one day I’ll have a home like this.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “You’ve got the bachelor pad to end all bachelor pads.”
He took off his gloves and pea coat and I hung them up for him. Andrew was dressed well, in tasteful but stylish clothes. It was clear just looking at him that he was doing well for himself.
“Yeah, but this is a home. You can’t tell me that when you bought this place you weren’t thinking about a family down the line.”
“Maybe. But not like that’s even close to where my life’s at now. Come on in.”
I stepped into the kitchen and poured us each a cup of coffee, handing one to him. We sat at the bar and sipped.
“It’s…good to see you,” he said. “It’s been too long.”
“Right.”
“And to be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d be okay with me coming by.”
“You kidding?” I asked with a smile. “You’re my brother, Andrew. No matter what.”
He smiled, his expression relieved.
I went on. “When I was in Africa, I saw a lot of people who didn’t have anything close to what we do. Lots of people there who’ve lost everything, everyone. No way you can be around that and not come away with a deeper appreciation for what you have. And I’m glad to be back, to have you in my life again…as much of a prick as you might be.”
Andrew grinned. “I know the feeling. You leaving was like life before I knew you were my brother. And whatever our disagreements might be, I don’t want to go back to that.” An expression of concern formed on his face. “And…Mom’s still asking about you all the time.”