The message showed as delivered, not read. She probably didn’t have access to her phone.
“Hey.”
I looked up and saw Sienna walking towards me down the hall. She was in scrubs and a lab coat, her hair pulled into a neat bun.
“What are you doing? I thought it was your day off,” I said.
“Nope, I switched to tomorrow. Maddie is coming back from New York and we’re having a spa day,” Sienna said.
“That’s good. Eve needs to take it easy. Maybe I should take her on a vacation, like a weekend getaway,” I said. The idea had occurred to me just now and it was starting to take root. Just a weekend with just Eve and me and no one else. No phone calls, no emergencies. I could keep her in bed for hours, love her, and spoil her.
“I should probably mention how uninterested I am in your romantic life,” Sienna said, grimacing.
“Right, okay. I have a patient waiting,” I said.
Sienna frowned. “I just came from your office. I didn’t see anyone there.”
“They’re probably in the consultation room. Do you want to sit in?”
Sienna looked down at her watch. “Sure, I’ve got fifteen minutes before I’m supposed to be meeting Dr. Peterson.”
I led her to the consultation room. I enjoyed my job no matter how stressful it was, but today, I would much rather go home with Eve. I wanted to make sure she was alright, not just physically, also mentally. More than anything, I just wanted to be there with her today, doing something relaxing like eating too much and having a Hitchcock marathon. We could do that tonight.
Feeling hopeful about the future for the first time in a long time, I opened the door to the consultation room and heard Sienna’s quickly exhaled “fuck!” just as I realized exactly who was waiting for us.
My ex-girlfriend, Cecily Michaels, stood up from a chair and smoothed out the grey dress she was wearing. Her dark hair was shorter than it had been when we had broken up, but she looked the same, and at the same time she didn’t. Cecily was a familiar stranger to me now; someone I knew in a past life. I wasn’t entirely sure what I should be feeling upon seeing the woman I had dated for three years; the only thing I felt was dread.
Sienna hurriedly closed the door, trapping the three of us, before hurriedly closing the blinds.
“Hello,” Cecily said.
“What are you doing here? What is she doing here?” Sienna demanded frantically, looking between the two of us. Her arms were crossed and as far as she was concerned, Cecily and I were the enemy.
“What are you doing here, Cecily?” I asked, a lot more calmly than I felt. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for her presence. Maybe she was consulting with another doctor.
Cecily’s grey eyes landed on me and again I had that feeling of familiarity and strangeness. She smiled cautiously and I realized what was so different about her. Her defenses were down because she was trying to appear at ease like she was in complete control of the situation. It was a little like seeing a DC comics villain’s alter ego. The nice guy you don’t expect to turn into the villain.
“I’m here for you,” Cecily said. “When we took our little break, you said that we could revisit the topic of us getting back together in six months. It’s been well over six months and I’ve been patient thus far. I’m here now. Let’s talk.”
Chapter 28 – Eve
Not that anyone was asking my opinion, but I do not recommend fainting. At your place of business or anywhere else. I don’t remember much; I did remember Daniel telling me he was in love with me—yay! Who the fuck fainted when their boyfriend told them he loved them and they simultaneously got offered the job of a lifetime? It should have been one of the best days of my life.
When I finally woke a day later, it was light outside and a beep, beep, beep, sounded in my ear. It took me a moment to register where I was. The room was clinical, bare. A single, uncomfortable-looking chair sat next to the bed. A pulse monitor was attached to my finger, a needle was stuck in my hand, pumping a clear liquid into my veins.
I turned my head, groaning at the aching muscles in my neck. My mouth tasted as if I had slept with a sock in my mouth. Eugh! The room was dark, my phone was missing. I’d had no choice but to press the big red button to page the nurses’ station.
That had been this morning, though technically it was still morning, just a little later. I was showered, my hair pulled into a braid, wearing my favorite pair of old, ripped jeans, a cropped hoodie, and my red chucks. I was feeling like myself if the way I usually felt was the same as someone who had been run over by an F-150. My limbs felt heavy, my lids felt heavy and I was under doctor’s orders to take it easy, at least for the next few days, unless I wanted to end up back here.
“Cupcake!”
I looked up from the bag I was stuffing with my clothes from yesterday. My mom had brought the clothes I was wearing from home. Mom came into my room, holding a giant bouquet of white flowers.
“Are those for me?” I asked, reaching for the bouquet.
“They’re from one of your admirers,” Mom said.
“I have admirers?” I asked, surprised. I plucked the card from the bouquet and read it. It was a generic ‘Get Well Soon’ card with my name on it, but no sender name.
Mom set the flowers down on the small table by the window. I felt her hand on my back and I turned around, seeing her light brown eyes brimming with tears.
“Oh, Mom,” I groaned, pulling her in for a hug. She squeezed me tightly, her body shuddering with each inhaled breath. I hugged her back just as tightly, though I wouldn’t admit it, I had been so scared and I needed my mother.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Mom whispered, her voice watery. “When Sienna told me you were in the hospital, my heart just about stopped. Oh, Evie, how could you?”
I choked out a laugh, pulling back and kissing her on the cheek.
“I didn’t faint on purpose,” I said.
Mom smoothed back my hair. “No, but you didn’t take care of yourself either. You’ve always been like this. When you get fixated on something, you forget about everything else.”
“I’m not fixated,” I said defensively. This was about my livelihood, I felt I had every right to be fixated.
“Think about your poor mother,” Mom continued. “What would happen to me if something happened to you? Do you ever think about me?”
I felt the acrid taste of guilt at the back of my throat and I squirmed. She rarely took me on a guilt trip, when she did it was the worst ever. Because then we had messed up. Mom wasn’t the sort who bargained in guilt, ironic given her previous profession. She always taught us to make a decision and make sure we could stand by it no matter what. That’s what she had learned throughout her career, the consequences of bad decisions.
“Of course I think about you. You’re my mother,” I said.
Mom’s chin wobbled and my stomach tilted. I planted a big kiss on her cheek, wrapping her in another hug.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll take care of myself and this won’t happen again.”
Mom put her hands on either side of my face and kissed my forehead, sniffling a little. The whole reason I worked so hard—other than for my fulfillment—was to make my parents proud of me. I’d said the same thing to Daniel. The most important thing in my life was making my parents not regret, not even for a single second, that they had chosen to adopt me. I knew this was also mostly in my head because my parents had never once suggested that they didn’t love me or that they loved me any less than Elijah. I just felt like I needed to work hard to be better.
“I want you to be proud of me,” I blurted. Mom’s eyes widened to their whole diameter.
“Evelyn Ashley,” Mom breathed. “I must be a terrible mother to make you think I’m not proud of you. I know I didn’t give birth to you but you and your brother are the best things that have ever happened to me and I am so proud of you, of the both of you. Every single day I wake up and I think how lucky I am to
have this life, to be surrounded by people I love and who love me.”
“I love you.”
I hugged her again, both of us sniffling this time.
“Hey, squirt.”
I turned around, seeing my brother and father standing at the entrance of my room.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped at my brother. I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Oh, sweetie, how are you?” Dad asked, coming around to hug me.
“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired,” I said.
“About that, Mom and I were thinking you can take a couple of days off and come home with us,” Dad said. Behind him, Elijah’s eyes widened and he shook his head.
“Um, you know that’s not necessary,” I said slowly. I wasn’t sure why Elijah was telling me no, but I could guess. Even if I wanted to take two days off from work, I wouldn’t want to do it with my parents right after leaving the hospital. They would smother with attention and their constant need to take care of me.
“Elijah, stop shaking your head,” Mom admonished. “Evie, what Dad is saying is that you’re coming with us. It’s just two days, work will be fine.”
I opened my mouth to argue and Mom turned her glare on me.
“No arguments, Evelyn.”
I sighed. Panic rose as I thought about skipping work for the next two days. I didn’t even know how everyone had fared while I was slumming it at the hospital. Shit, maybe my priorities did need to be straightened out. I was a healthy, twenty-six-year-old woman, I shouldn’t have ended up in the hospital due to severe exhaustion.
“Fine, but only after I check in at work,” I conceded. “I won’t go off until I am certain my bakery won’t burn down in the two days I am gone.”
“If it makes you feel better, I can have Chelsea or Chris check-in while you’re not there,” Elijah said. Chelsea and Chris were his pastry chefs, and just having Elijah offer that did make me feel better. I nodded, agreeing with him. Now, I just had to tell Daniel I would be away for two days. I hadn’t seen him since yesterday, though I had been told by the nurses that he had spent the whole day here driving my doctor crazy.
“That would make me feel better. Tell them I will bake them each a big, thank you cake when I get back.”
“Great, that’s settled then. Are we ready to go?” Dad asked.
“Yes, I just have to make a quick stop.”
I zipped up my bag and pushed it over to Elijah when he reached for it.
“To see Daniel?” Dad asked, turning his sharp eyes on me. “He said he would stop by.”
“Oh, he did?”
I tried to sound casual but once again, my heart rate increased, for a different reason this time.
“I don’t like him,” Dad announced. My mouth dropped open.
“Why? What did he do?” I asked.
“He’s not good enough for you. Do you know he’s a juvenile delinquent?”
“Yes, he told me. He made mistakes when he was a teenager. I am not holding that against him.”
“Is it serious?” Mom asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, it’s serious,” I said. “I think I am in love with him. No, scratch that, I am in love with him.”
Oh, it felt good to say it out loud. I waited for the fear that I had felt before every time I had thought about love. It had a permanence that I hadn’t been ready for until Daniel. He had completely changed my perspective on everything. Well, not completely. I was in love but even that came with its own set of complications and fears. Whereas I had outgrown my fear of falling in love, my fear of having my heart and trust broken had grown exponentially.
I looked at my family, waiting for their reactions. Dad and Elijah were staring at me, without blinking, their expressions blank. Mom, on the other hand, squealed loudly.
She startled the three of us and we all took an automatic step back.
“Oh, this is the best news ever! I’m going to have a doctor for a son-in-law. Oh, I know it doesn’t matter either way. He could have been jobless and I would have loved him if he was good for you. I just want to rub it in Kelly’s face. She was going on and on about how her daughter was dating a financial advisor, well in her face. Ha!”
This time, all three of us collectively stepped away from Mom because she was possessed.
“Do you think we need to check Mom into the hospital?” Elijah whispered.
“I’m going to go see my boyfriend, you two decide what needs to be done and text me,” I said. I gave Mom and Dad a quick kiss on the cheek and left my room. I could hear Dad telling Mom that maybe she needed to spend less time with Kelly because she was driving Mom crazy and turning her into a person she wasn’t. Poor Elijah. I felt sorry he had to be a part of that conversation. My parents were two strong personalities and surprisingly, their relationship had never seen any trouble. Maybe it was only surprising to me.
I walked down the quiet hallway, sticking close to the wall. I hated hospitals. There was something about the smell and the quiet that made me think of a post-apocalyptic building. I half expected a zombie to walk around the corner. I reached the nurses’ desk, a large circular desk at the end of the hallway, and walked over to it. The nurse who was sitting there looked up and smiled. She had such a bright, contagious smile that I had no choice other than to return it. I glanced at her name tag.
“Hi, Eleanor, can you please point me towards Dr. Reid’s office?” I asked. “Dr. Daniel Reid.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I know who you are looking for,” Eleanor said, in a thick Boston accent. “I was so glad when I heard Dr. Reid finally had a girlfriend. He’s wonderful, isn’t he? It’s not as if you need to date in this day and age, but it sure is nice to have someone special. Just the other day, I was talking with some of the other nurses—” she stopped talking and waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear this. Dr. Reid’s office is on the seventh floor. I’ll just call up Carter, he’ll be at the nurses’ desk, and he will show you where.”
“Thank you,” I said. I walked away quickly before she started talking again.
I took the elevator up to the seventh floor, finding it empty. I still pressed myself into a corner, refusing to touch anything. I didn’t know what kind of germs clung to these walls. Are the walls in hospitals ever sanitized? That was a deeply concerning thought.
The elevator stopped and the door opened into a similar hallway to the one I was just on. I just glanced at the display above the elevator door, to confirm I had indeed arrived at my destination and wasn’t stuck on the floor I had been on. Confirming that I was on the seventh floor, I exited it, and almost immediately, a nurse about my age looked up from the chart he was filling and smiled at me.
“You must be Dr. Reid’s girlfriend,” he said.
“You must be Carter.”
“Indeed.”
“Tell me, Carter, how much of Grey’s Anatomy is real? I asked Daniel but he just rolled his eyes.”
“None of the medical stuff is real. I mean, they do try to get it as close to real as they can. But the other stuff is on point.” Carter leaned in and lowered in his voice. “I know of at least two doctors who use the on-call room for shenanigans.”
I giggled at his use of the word shenanigans. I couldn’t remember the last time I had heard someone use it and I wondered why most people didn’t. It was such a fun word. Shenanigans.
“Well, Carter, do you think you can point me in the direction of Daniel’s office? I promise there won’t be any shenanigans,” I said, winking at him.
He smiled. “Dr. Reid is with a patient in the consultation room.”
Carter pointed to a room with a closed-door on the other side of the nurses’ desk. The words Consultation Room were written across the glass door in black, bold letters. All the blinds were drawn, including the ones over the door.
“You’re welcome to wait,” Carter added.
“Thank you.”
I made my way to the waiting area, and as it just so happened that to get to the wai
ting area, I had to walk by the consultation room. And as I walked by, I heard a very loud voice say very clearly, “You said what to her?”
It was Sienna, I was sure of it. I stopped walking, looking over my shoulder guiltily to see if Carter was watching. He had gone back to filling his chart. I walked a little closer to the door, my brain itching with the need to know more. I was a terrible person. I knew I was a terrible person and yet I still insisted on doing the terrible thing that made me a terrible person. There was no hope for me.
“I didn’t say that,” Daniel said, sounding insistent and desperate. His voice was low but I could hear him. Because I was listening at the door. Gross.
“Oh, good, so Cecily is crazy.”
Cecily. Why did that name sound so familiar?
“Sienna, I don’t see how any of this is your business,” a woman said, presumably this Cecily person. “This is between Daniel and me, and I would appreciate it if you left us alone.”
“Fine, discuss all you want. I’m going to see Eve, you know, your soon-to-be ex-girlfriend,” Sienna said, her voice moving closer to the door. I should have hidden but the words ‘your soon-to-be ex-girlfriend’ had me frozen to my spot.
“Who’s Eve?” Cecily asked, just as Sienna opened the door. Our eyes met and hers widened in horror. She made a choked noise, causing Daniel and Cecily to turn around and look at us, at me. Daniel looked horrified and defeated.
“That would be me,” I said, surprised at how normal I sounded. “What’s going on here?”
Sienna rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands before stepping away and waving me into the room. I stepped inside the room as cold and clinical as any other in a hospital. A large wood surface table stood in the middle with four chairs around, two on either side. Daniel stood on one side and Cecily on the other. My feet told me to move towards Daniel, my brain told me to stay put. My heart was locked away in a corner, rolled up into a ball, and rocking back and forth because it wasn’t prepared for the shit that was about to go down. A feeling of dread hung in the air, either created by the room itself or the people in it. It was suppressing the air I breathed.
Not My Type : Golden Girls 1 Page 22