by J. D. Faver
The older of the two nurses smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Selena Rios. I’m the other RN.” She was in her late forties or early fifties with smooth olive skin. A few strands of white mixed into her thick, dark hair gave away her age. “We probably won’t see that much of each other because the administration wants to make sure one of us is on duty every day, but they don’t want to pay the rate for an RN on all shifts.”
Sky raised her brows. “What have you been doing up until now?”
Selena laughed, displaying white, even teeth. “I’ve worked a lot of overtime and they call in agency personnel when I got too tired.”
“That’s rough.”
“Not so bad. There are only eighteen beds in the entire hospital. We do a great business in the emergency room and deliver quite a few babies, but the major traumas are triaged here and sent into Harlingen or Brownsville. We just patch and ship.”
Sky nodded and took a bite of fruit to ponder the situation.
Steve leaned toward her in a conspiratorial manner. “But there’s also a skilled unit. We have some long-term patients there. It’s a small nursing home for the convenience of the community.”
“How nice,” Sky said.
“Is there a Mister Danforth?”
Sky almost choked on the cracker she’d just chomped into. She took a sip of water. “No, I’m single.”
Steve straightened. “Me too. I’ll have to show you around the island. There is a lot of fun to be had around here.”
The other two women exchanged a glance.
Sky kept a tight grip on her water. “Thank you. I’m sure that would be very nice.”
Lucy had a tight smile on her face. “Did you get a place at one of the condos on the beach?”
Sky shook her head. “My sister and I rented a house. She’s going to teach at the high school in the fall.”
Selena smiled across the table at her. “A teacher and a nurse. Your parents must be so proud.”
Sky considered the concept. “I think they’re proud of us. They always encouraged us to follow our dreams.”
“One of my daughters is in nursing school,” Selena said. “My oldest son, Andres, works with my husband at our store. Our middle son is in the Marine Corps and my younger son, Javier is a Firefighter. My daughter, Rosario goes to Pan Am University. She’s studying to be a nurse. The youngest, Leticia and Alicia are still in school.
Skyler gave her a smile. “It sounds like you have a wonderful family.”
Steve pushed his chair back from the table. “We’re glad you’re here, Skyler. If you’ll excuse me, I have office hours now so I have to run. I’ll be looking for you.” He patted her shoulder and picked up his tray.
Sky nodded as he strode across the cafeteria and deposited his tray at a window.
“He likes you,” Selena commented, her dark eyes alight with mischief.
“He likes anything with a pulse,” Lucy growled.
Skyler spent the afternoon watching films on universal precautions, proper lifting techniques and HIV. When she climbed into the Audi she felt that she was coming out of a coma.
She opened all the windows and eased the car into gear, inhaling the fresh sea air. Exiting the employee parking area, Sky drove across the Queen Isabella Causeway and, instead of heading for the house, she turned in the opposite direction.
Sky cruised along the strip of businesses, making a mental note of the restaurants and souvenir shops, but also found a small family-owned grocery store and two convenience stores. The sign in front of the grocery store said, Rios Market. She presumed this was the store Selena’s husband and oldest son owned.
Driving all the way to the end of the island, Sky let the car idle in the gravel parking lot of the Bait Camp Zach had spoken of.
The building was erected on huge concrete pilings and had a series of wide wooden planks set as stairs leading up to the open air porch with several tables located under the wide overhang.
Zach’s brother, the big one, owned this place. It didn’t look so bad in the daylight. Nothing sinister in the appearance.
If Zach and his brothers are there, it can’t be that bad. But I have to stay out of trouble. She tried to stifle the spine-chilling sense of being watched and put the car into gear before making a rapid departure.
At the house, she found Cassie waiting for her. She sat outside on the stairs, sipping a soft drink, her hair tied up in a makeshift pony tail. A stack of empty boxes at the base of the stairs attested to her diligence that day.
Cass raised the bottle of soda in a salute as Sky climbed the stairs and plopped down beside her. “How was it?”
“Long and boring.”
“What did you learn?”
“To lift with my legs, not to have unprotected sex or share needles with HIV patients and what to do in case of a hurricane.”
Cassie giggled. “Good grief! I hadn’t thought about blowing away. Why did we move here again?”
Sky raised her eyebrows in mock exasperation. “You picked this place. June first is the start of the hurricane season.”
“Too bad. I unpacked already.”
“Then we have to stay.”
“Do you have your schedule yet?”
Skyler nodded. “There’s one other RN. She and I will work alternately because there has to be an RN at least one shift per day. They wanted to give me twelves, but I explained that I was still rehabbing from an accident and they put me on eight-hour shifts to start. I’m working from seven to three, three days on and two off. So I’ll be rotating weekends with Selena.”
Cassie propped her chin on her fist. “I suppose I should look around for some kind of job to bring in a couple of bucks until school starts.”
“There are a ton of stores up and down the strip. You could sell bathing suits and tourist junk.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Cass wrinkled her nose. “I’ll check it out tomorrow.”
“Take me to work in the morning and you can have the car.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I’m in orientation for the next three days. Tomorrow, I’m being oriented to the main hospital in-patient unit, the next day it’s the emergency room and then, I get to learn the nursing home procedure.”
“Wow! That should keep you busy.”
“It’s very small. I’m used to a huge city hospital so this should be a snap.”
“I hope you’re right.” A wide grin spread across Cassie’s face. “Look, it’s Mister Kissy-Face.” She pointed to the green Jeep approaching with the driver’s red hair ruffling in the breeze.
“Shut up,” Skyler groused, but she found herself smiling in anticipation of seeing Zach, even briefly.
His tires scrunched on the sand as he made a sharp turn onto his property. He jumped out and strolled toward them. “Ladies.” He stood at the bottom of the stairs staring up at them.
“Hey Zach,” Cassie called.
He gave them the benefit of his wide grin. “How was your first day at the hospital, Sky?”
“Not too exciting. I’m in orientation.”
“But you’re drawing a paycheck, aren’t you?”
“Hope so.”
His smile sent a swirl of warmth through her insides. “What are you two doing on Sunday?” he asked.
Sky glanced at Cassie. “We have nothing planned.”
“Good. I’ve been instructed to invite you both to have dinner at my parent’s house.”
Sky opened her eyes wide. “Dinner?”
“The food is great. The Baileys are like a swarm of locusts. We eat anything in our path, but Mom is a great cook.”
“How did we rate this invitation?”
“Apparently, the twins mentioned the lovely Cassie and Sky to Mom. She wants to welcome you in her own special way.”
“We’d be delighted,” Cassie called out. “Dinner with the Baileys. Are all of them going to be there?”
“For the most part.” He smiled encouragingly at Sky. “Think
of it as an adventure.”
She giggled. “Sounds delightful.”
Zach gave her a salute of sorts and headed for his house.
Cassie nudged her with her elbow. “Yeah, I’ll just bet the twins were the ones to wangle that invitation.”
They both exploded in a fit of giggles. Sky had almost forgotten how much fun it was to be with Cassie. Maybe this move was a good thing. Maybe the stalker wouldn’t find her. Maybe she would be able to find peace here on the island.
~*~
Cassie dropped Sky off at the hospital the next morning and picked up a copy of the local weekly newspaper at a convenience store. She drove to a restaurant she had noticed and ordered a stack of blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup. When the waitress set the plate in front of her, Cassie sighed and put the paper aside, then reached for the fork.
“Looking for a job?” The waitress was an attractive, slender woman in her mid to late forties with lovely blue eyes and a ready grin.
“Yeah, but there don’t seem to be a ton of choices. Cassie returned her grin. “I hadn’t thought I’d earn a Master’s degree just to get a paper route.”
“A lot of people around here don’t advertise jobs. They just rely on word of mouth. You know, somebody knows somebody.”
Cassie nodded. “Unfortunately, I don’t know anybody. My sister and I just moved here.”
The waitress held out her hand. “I’m Sybil Palmer. Now you know somebody.”
“Cassidy Danforth. Call me Cassie.” She shook Sybil’s hand.
Sybil glanced around at her few remaining customers. The breakfast crowd had dwindled down to a small number of individuals lingering over coffee. She slipped onto the seat across the booth from Cassie and clasped her hands on top of the table. “You moved here without a job? That’s pretty gutsy.”
Cassie laughed. “Not so gutsy. I have a job starting at the end of August. I’m going to be teaching at the high school.”
Sybil spread her hands. “But that’s three months away and I’ll bet you need a few bucks to tide you over in the meantime?”
Cassie nodded. “My sister moved here with me and she’s working at the hospital, but I want to pull my weight.”
“Good girl! What do you like to do?”
Cassie poured syrup over the pancakes and cut into them with the fork. The aroma of blueberries and the fresh pancake fragrance wafted up her nose, sending her into a momentary state of euphoria. She inhaled deeply several times just to make sure she got the full benefit of this treat. She stuck the bite in her mouth and chewed before responding. “I like working with people. I would hate sitting in an office crunching numbers.”
“Are you organized and do you have a driver’s license?” Sybil cocked her head to one side.
Cassie giggled. “Yes to both.”
“How about working for Phil, my boss?”
“A waitress? I don’t know. I would probably drop everything.”
“Delivery girl. We deliver to the local businesses. Lots of people order lunch in their offices and the tips are good. You’d get paid by the hour plus tips.”
“That sounds interesting.” Cassie continued to consume her food. “What are the hours?”
“We serve delivery meals from eleven to two so you should come in at ten thirty and get off at two thirty.”
“Four hours? Is that all?”
“The pay is good and the tips are great. You’ll earn more than if you spend eight hours selling postcards to tourists.”
Cassie poked a bite in her mouth. “Sounds good. I guess I need to talk to Phil.”
Sybil clapped her hands and jumped up. “You remind me so much of my daughter, Chloe. Relax and enjoy your breakfast. I’ll tell Phil that you’re interested.” Sybil hurried off and grabbed a pot of coffee, making the rounds of her tables.
By the time Cassie left the restaurant she had secured the job. She met Phil and he hired her on the spot. He made a copy of her driver’s license while she filled out the one page application.
The delivery vehicle was a Ford Focus. The passenger seat had been removed and a heated compartment had been installed. A large cooler sat on the small backseat. The vehicle was painted the same color as the outside of the restaurant—bright coral with lime green lettering on the doors.
Utilitarian. Functional. Totally dorky.
Cassie drove back to the house with a street map of South Padre Island and Port Isabel. She spent the next hour studying the map, trying to familiarize herself with the streets. Sybil had said that they only delivered to businesses. That didn’t sound so bad.
Phil had told her to wear something cute. “Shorts or something,” he’d said.
Cassie thought briefly about what her ultra-conservative mother would have to say about her newfound position. At least I’m not pole dancing in a topless bar, Mom.
By three O’clock, Cassie was parked and waiting in the hospital parking lot.
When Skyler emerged, in her light blue scrubs, she removed the barrette holding her hair up and let it cascade down around her shoulders, ruffling slightly in the breeze. She spotted the Audi and made for it.
“How was it?” Cassie asked, turning on the ignition.
“Piece of cake. There are currently seven patients in the hospital. Two new moms and their two infants, a man who got dehydrated and is now receiving IV fluids, a sport fisherman who had an accident with a gaff and lost a lot of blood, and an eighty-year old lady with a new pacemaker.”
“Sounds like you had a great day.”
“It was amazing to have such a mixed bag of patients. In a large hospital I would have been working in a particular unit but here, I got them all. I did neo-natal for the infants and post-natal care for the moms, IV care and wound care, monitored the pacemaker, passed meds and charted on everyone.”
Cassie squeezed Sky’s arm. “I haven’t seen you look this happy in quite a while.”
Sky released a long sigh. “You’re right. I haven’t felt this happy in a long time...not since the accident.”
“Let it go. This is a new start for both of us.” Cassie pulled out into the street. “Where to? Want to go home? Drive to the jetty? See where I’m going to be working?”
Sky gave a little whoop. “You got a job?”
“Not much of one, but it should be fun and bring in a little cash. I’m going to be the delivery girl for a restaurant. Monday through Friday, four hours on salary plus tips.”
Sky opened her eyes wide. “Wow! That’s a stretch. Young genius on wheels.”
Cassie’s brows drew together in a frown. “Sky, you’re going to have to stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop referring to me as a young genius. I’m just your sister, future Biology teacher and current delivery girl. Don’t brag on my brain cells.”
Sky tilted her head, her gaze questioning.
Cassie directed the frown at Sky. “I’m tired of being defined by my IQ. It intimidates people and isolates me. Just don’t do it any more.”
Sky's brow furrowed as she returned the frown. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I didn’t know you were sensitive about it. If I had your IQ, I’d print it on a tee-shirt and wear it proudly every single day.”
Cassie’s voice had an edge to it, grating even her own ears. “You haven’t had to live with it. It’s not fun to be set apart. All my life, people have thought of me as being different. Now I just want to be an ordinary, everyday teacher.”
Sky emitted a derisive snort. “You will never be an ordinary anything. You don’t know how.”
Cassie’s frown disappeared. “For your information, I plan to be an exceptional teacher, but not one who will cause my fellow teachers to point and stare.”
“You’re the only person I’ve ever known who aspires to be average.” Sky shook her head.
Cassie smiled, turning onto the main business street. “I aspire to be outstanding in every way. I just don’t want to be treated like a freak anymore.”
There was a silence and when Sky spoke her voice held a defensive note. “I didn’t realize that you felt that way.”
Cassie sighed. Truth time. “All my life. You were the pretty one and I was the smart one.”
“But that was a joke. We look almost identical. They had to say something nice about me, because everyone was always fawning all over you. It didn’t make me feel too good to be an afterthought.”