by Barbara Ebel
“Besides all that clinical stuff, how ‘tight’ are they? Or the question really is, how would you be privy to how ‘tight’ they really are?”
Dustin scooted his hand into the front of his hair and then dropped it along his face. “Damn. That’s the million-dollar question.”
“Why are you so disturbed about this tonight?”
He slapped his phone on the table. “She’s not answering my messages, even though we need to make arrangements for tomorrow morning. More importantly, she’s not at home and her car is over at that male medical student’s place.”
“And you know this how?” Sean pried.
“Yeah, yeah, I admit it. I spied on her.”
“Dustin, if you felt the need to spy on a girlfriend that you’re considering marrying, that may be a bad sign. On the other hand, there may be a reasonable explanation for her car being there.” He leaned into Dustin, ready to continue and tell his buddy the long fact of the matter.
“However,” Sean began with one long breath, “Ms. Tilson may be hard pressed to provide you with a truthful answer as to why she was visiting her med school best guy friend on a Friday night while she ignores her boyfriend trying to get in touch with her.”
CHAPTER 14
Aware of Oliver’s moist nose poking at her hand, Annabel stirred. It was a wonderful new way of life for a dog to greet her after she woke up, but less so if he agitated her from her sleep. She started to make sense of the day as he swiped his wet tongue on the top of her hand.
With horror, she realized that she shouldn’t be with Oliver and, secondarily, no way did she ever sleep in a semi-recumbent position in her bed. The sheet underneath her was no sheet. She patted the material … definitely leather.
Annabel gasped out loud and blurted, “Oliver, oh no!” What an idiot, she thought. She’d fallen asleep at Bob’s apartment. Obviously, she had been way overtired and overdue to crash for a solid long night, but it needed to be at her own place. She rose from the chair and hustled around the room and the kitchen in search of her cell phone.
“Oliver, I know you are ready for your walk. I’ll take you before Bob gets home. But my phone. Oh geez, I left it in my car.” She cut herself some slack because last night, when she entered his apartment, she had no reason to carry it. She stared at the dog, her dread ramping up even more. Dustin must be totally in the dark as far as their plans for the county fair. She never so much as gave him a text. She should have called him.
Annabel ran back to Bob’s bathroom and, when she came out, Oliver darted to the apartment door as a knock sounded at the door. She grimaced and could hardly contain the anger she felt at herself; she never left last night, so she also never left the key outside for Bob. She swung open the door to find Bob with a question mark written all over his face.
Bob’s expression smoothed into a smile. “You’re giving our patient Toby more to think about as far as our relationship goes.”
“My stupidity isn’t funny. But I won’t tell him if you don’t.”
Oliver shoved his way between them and greeted Bob.
“I’ll grab his leash,” Annabel said, “and I’ll explain everything.”
Bob discarded his overnight backpack inside and Annabel hooked Oliver to his leash. They stepped outside and headed to the main sidewalk.
“I fed Oliver last night, sat on your cozy chair, and had no awareness after that. I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to squat at your place like a homeless person. I must have been way too tired.”
“I find it amusing and my place is your place. Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re so sweet.” She glanced over at him while Oliver squatted. “Actually, you’re home pretty early for after call.”
“We hustled because the attending didn’t show up for rounds. I also told Dr. Mares that Nell and I were going to the county fair this morning. He seemed quite supportive of medical students doing something fun on their post-call day besides sleeping and studying.”
“You lucked out with your chief resident.”
“I actually have massive news from last night.” Bob took Oliver’s leash from Annabel as a mischievous smile crossed his lips. “I stumbled on an illuminating realization.”
What could it be, she wondered. Maybe something to do with Nell? A spark of romance? “Are you going to stand there with that silly grin or are you going to tell me?”
“I went back to the OR to touch base with Dr. Castle about Toby Owens. Unlike Toby’s closed procedure on his broken leg, the orthopedic surgeon was doing an ORIF, an open reduction and internal fixation. Playing soccer, his patient broke his tibia.”
Despite holding a dog’s leash, Bob gesticulated with his hands and his eyes grew wider. With a bounce to his step, they began walking again.
“Anyway, I stayed until he finished. I mean, I could have gone to bed, but I stayed. I gave up sleeping in lieu of a surgical case!”
Annabel had never seen him so excited about anything in medicine before. “You must like putting things back together again. You found the case that stimulating?”
“I made up my mind!” He stopped short and faced her. “I’m going into orthopedic surgery.”
“Wow. Congratulations on your middle-of-the-night epiphany. I’m happy for you. You seem one-hundred-percent sure.”
They read each other’s mind at the same time and, with no hesitation, they hugged. Oliver sat and cocked his head.
Annabel stepped back. “You’ll need to start figuring out which schools have the best programs and where you want to apply for residency.”
“But I often wonder what you will decide on too.”
“I promise. You’ll be the first to know.”
They reached Bob’s apartment and Annabel gritted her teeth. She needed to call Dustin.
“Why go home?” Bob asked. “We’re both going to the fair, so why don’t we go together? Maybe Dustin and Linnell can meet us there. By then, we must brush Oliver and make him handsome; make him shine and stand out.”
“I should go home, Bob, and shower and change my clothes. I better rush.”
“Okay. But take his brush from my counter and pack it with other things we may need for him. You’ll do a better job with him when we get to the fair and I’ll keep my arrangement with Nell.”
“Congrats again. Now you’re all set and don’t need to worry about still having to make a decision about a specialty.”
Bob and Oliver went inside and Annabel peeled away to her car. She grabbed her iPhone right away and woke it up to find that last night Dustin had called and left text messages. From what she could make out, at first he seemed concerned about her whereabouts and why was she not getting back to him, but later, he seemed more miffed.
She took a minute to think through the situation. After taking a big breath, she called Dustin.
-----
Dustin left the station and slid into bed by midnight, but it was all for naught. Sleep bordered between restless dreaming and fitful starts. At 2 a.m., he checked his iPhone to find no return message from Annabel. Why would she contact him? he scolded himself. She was most likely in a deep sleep after heavy sex with that medical student.
At 3 a.m., he woke again after a frightening REM sleep jolted his limbs so jarringly, he opened his eyes with a start. He dreamed he was in a long-term marriage and worked every weekend while his wife led a double life and had a family across the river in Kentucky. With further complexity, the other husband passed away, and he took in the children and adopted them as his own. The dream seemed so real that he called himself a fool for putting up with his wife and taking care of her kids.
At 6 a.m., he planted his feet on the bedroom floor and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Solar was in his cage and sluggishly bobbed his head. “What’s your problem?”
“Lots,” Dustin said, “but I can’t trust you, Solar, with the information. You’re such a blabbermouth.” He opened the cage door and set fresh water inside and then worked on a pot of coffee.
“I’m a stupid fool, Solar. Remaining single has been fine up until now, so why did I consider rocking the boat? I’ll tell you why. Because I’m crazy over Annabel Tilson. More than that, I’ve been in love with her.
“I guess our fair date no longer exists. I wish I had the wherewithal to figure out what to do, buddy. That must be part of being in love. I can’t even make a logical decision; she clouds my brain cells despite doing me wrong.”
Solar flew out of his cage and landed on the kitchen counter. He preened his wings for a minute while Dustin slipped a mug under the coffee dripping from the machine.
“Alexa, what’s the temperature?” Solar asked.
“Right now, it’s sixty-six degrees. Today, expect a high of seventy-eight degrees.”
“Thanks, Solar and Alexa, but I don’t need a weather forecast. I want a crystal ball to tell me what to do.”
Dustin savored two cups of coffee and threw two pieces of bread in the toaster. He finally made up his mind. He had not attended a county fair in years; he was going to go no matter what his girlfriend and Bob Palmer were doing. Perhaps he could gawk at a ridiculously bizarre tractor pull, or a horse show with western saddles and cowboys. At the minimum, he’d be in the vicinity of a pet show, so if he wanted to watch it from the shadows, he could.
He had time, so he finished the toast, ate a banana, and jumped into the shower. By eight thirty, he appeared presentable in blue jeans and a denim shirt and, to his surprise, his cell phone rang.
“Dustin?”
“For months and months,” he told Annabel, “I believed you owned a working cell phone.”
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am; I was going to call you about today and I fell asleep. Out cold like I had not slept in a month. My phone was not with me, so I never heard or saw your calls or texts.”
Her voice sounded true and honest and sincere. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but he vowed not to be irrational. When he attended high school and before his dad died a few years later, his father used to say, “Son, don’t go through life letting people pull the wool over your eyes.” His dad would roll over in his grave if he knew Dustin needed to apply that to the girl he almost proposed to.
Dustin sighed. He was dressed to go to the county fair. Maybe he could figure this out once and for all. It was a coward’s way to make a final judgment via a telephone call.
“Do you still plan on going to the fair and enrolling Oliver in the show?”
“Yes, but if you are angry at me and don’t want to come, I’ll understand. However, I’d love for you to be there.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?” He almost blurted out, “Should I pick you up at Bob’s place?”
“That would be nice. Ten thirty okay?”
“I’ll be there.”
“I’ll be outside on the stoop.”
-----
Annabel peered up at her favorite squirrel as he rustled about in his nest and she waited for Dustin. Next to her, she had a portable water bowl and bottle for Oliver as well as her own things in a canvas bag. They sat in the direction of the sun, unobscured by clouds. With no breeze, the temperature still made it perfect for an outdoor county fair. She thought it was the kind of day that kids would build memories on as they strolled through the livestock and agricultural exhibits eating a corn dog or a funnel cake.
Dustin’s black Acura crept down the street, so she jumped up, stepped out between two parked cars, and slid into the front passenger seat.
“Good morning again,” she said. “How did your shift go last night?”
He studied her face for any indication of shame or guilt before taking his car out of park. He did not see any; she even seemed decompressed from tiredness or stress. But then again, Annabel Tilson always looked good or great, even after her hectic nights on call. He didn’t know what to think about her appearance, but he knew what he knew concerning last night.
“A busy Friday night, but it could have been worse. How about you? I notice Oliver isn’t with you, so you’re not the one bringing him to the fair?”
Annabel slid her bag on the floor and shrugged. “Bob’s bringing him. Today is his day with him, but we agreed I should be the one to prance him around the ring. I’ve never been to a real dog show, so I don’t know what to expect.”
“Don’t sweat it. There must be significant differences between a professional dog show and an amateur one.”
“That makes sense. You made me feel better already. When the time comes, will you take some pictures with my cell phone?”
“Be glad to.”
“I don’t see Solar in your car. You didn’t bring him for the chance to amaze the judges and audience?”
“I was going to, but became too distracted this morning to get my act together and bring him.”
Annabel squinted her eyes. “That’s not like you. I apologize again for not getting back to you last night. I realized this morning how dreadfully tired I was, which is why I conked out so early.” There was no way she would tell him that she accidentally fell asleep at Bob’s.
“Shit happens,” Dustin said, as if he was talking to Sean.
They soon pulled onto the street alongside the fairgrounds, where some lots were already filled to capacity. A man wearing a yellow vest directed them to a gravel road with a grass parking area off to the side. Dustin shut the engine and both of them headed to an entrance booth.
“What’s your hurry?” he called out.
“You’re right,” she said and slowed down. “Registration began, but the show doesn’t start until twelve.”
They paid at the gate and asked for directions. As they strolled the aisles, the fast food vendors were hard at work and the smell of fried and grilled food filled the air.
“We’ll have to indulge later,” she said. “I could go for one of those chicken kabobs and a big fat old ice cream cone or a tall bag of kettle corn.”
“A burger and double dipping into kettle corn would suit me just fine.”
Annabel pointed. “The amusement park is way over on the other side. Any chance we could swing by and catch one of those rides?”
Dustin chuckled. “And lose what we eat? No thanks.”
“That’s the first time this morning you’ve loosened up, Dustin Lowe. That’s worth more to me than jumping on that Ferris wheel ride in the skyline.”
Dustin grinned as they came to the agricultural pavilion, a large, open-air building with aluminum benches and the ground covered with straw. Three people sat behind two folding tables and were taking the names of dogs and people in line. Annabel checked the short line and the people sitting with their dogs on the benches. Oliver, Bob, and Nell were not there yet, but Dustin tapped her elbow.
“They’re coming this way,” he said.
Bob walked Oliver and the dog tugged when he saw Annabel. “Sorry we’re late,” Bob said.
“Blame our tardiness on me,” Nell said. “I wasn’t ready when Bob showed up and I gave him a short tour of my place.”
Dustin promised himself to listen attentively. At least now he was sure that this other medical student was a friend and she played no role in last night. After introductions, Annabel stood next in line.
“Who is your four-legged buddy and what’s the name of the handler?” a friendly woman asked. She wore a red straw hat and her pen dangled between two fingers, poised to write.
“This is Oliver. I’m Annabel Tilson. There is a mixed breed group, isn’t there?”
“Yes, sure is. It always has the most entries. Your Oliver looks like an Australian Shepherd, but not one hundred percent.”
“You’re right,” Bob said. “We checked out his DNA.”
“I enrolled both Annabel and Oliver. The competition will start soon.” The woman peered again at Oliver with a wide smile and the group walked to an open bench in front of the show ring.
The color of the straw matched the primary colors of Oliver and, when he sat, the straw clung to his long ha
ir and became one and the same with his coat. “Oh no,” Annabel said. “Oliver will be littered with this stuff when it’s his turn. Did you bring his brush?” She looked at Bob pleadingly.
Bob leaned over and plucked straw off Oliver’s neck and glanced back at Annabel. “Yes. You left my place this morning without it.”
Dustin’s heart felt like someone kicked it. There … he heard it … and if he had had any doubt, it was gone. Bob was not in the hospital last night. They were together at his place. And Annabel had not said a word, keeping the information hidden from him, incriminating her that much more. His eyes fell on the dog because he couldn’t look at either Annabel or Bob.
CHAPTER 15
The center filled up quickly as people signed in, and big and little, and furry, clipped, and short-haired dogs sat with their owners and family. A woman and her daughter sat next to them with a carriage. When she spread open the blanket, a bunny peered out and twitched his nose at Oliver, who wondered what kind of living thing it was.
Nell sat on the other side of Bob. Wearing sandals, leggings, and a loose top, she patted Oliver and tried tugging on his collar to bring him to her face, but he stayed too interested in the wide-eyed rabbit.
The red-hatted woman stepped in front of the tables. “We’re kicking off our pet show with dogs, class one, sporting breeds. Please come forward with your dogs. Everyone walk around the ring in a large circle, and then come to a stop. Line up in a straight line and face us.”
Coming from the sides of the pavilion and the aisles, all the dogs and handlers pranced in a large-looped circle. Annabel, Bob, and Nell watched setters, pointers, retrievers, and a Weimaraner walk exuberantly beside their humans. Dustin was fond of dogs, but his heart wasn’t in it, for his heart was broken. If he didn’t keep it in check, he could get very angry about the situation, but he told himself to be professional about a personal issue and act like he was an objective observer of a “situation” at work. Like the “domestic abuse” case he managed last night.