24
G abriel awoke to a throbbing headache and a wave of nausea churning in his stomach. Pressing a hand to his forehead, he let out a groan and then rolled over and reached for Emily, only to find the bed empty. The emptiness was a stark reminder of the events that had unfolded the previous night, causing his nausea to surge. Feeling as though he might be sick, he stumbled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time.
He retched until there was nothing left to expel. Then, he stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would cleanse away the remnants of the night. Realizing he was already late for work, he hurried to get ready as fast as he could in his condition.
Fifteen minutes later, Gabriel was dressed and hurrying down the hallway. As he passed Hunter’s bedroom, he reached for the doorknob to close the half-open door and was shocked to see Hunter still asleep in the bed. His eyes darted to the clock on the nightstand, hoping he had misread the time. It was 9:05 and their school had started an hour ago.
“Hunter!” Gabriel yelled. “Get up. You’re late!”
Hunter startled awake, jumping up in his bed. Gabriel quickly moved on to search for Hayden, only to find him still sound asleep.
“Get up!” he yelled at Hayden before reaching for his cell phone and heading downstairs for coffee. He dialed the office and then informed them he would be late for his 9:30 appointment. As he concluded the call and stepped into the kitchen, he found Emily and Ava eating eggs and bacon at the table. Emily refused to look at him as he entered the room.
“You should have woken us,” Gabriel mumbled as he made his way to the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup and took a seat at the table. He placed his hand over hers and said softly, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. It will never happen again.”
“You better believe it won’t,” Emily snapped, her voice loud and sharp. She picked up her plate and carried it over to the sink.
Gabriel’s eyes darted to Ava, who remained engrossed in the cartoons on her iPad, seemingly unaware of the tension.
Emily scraped the remnants of her meal into the garbage disposal, clanking the dishes loudly.
Gabriel had never seen her so angry. He rose from his seat, stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Please, Em. I love you. I’m so sorry. I had too much to drink, but it’s no excuse. I made a terrible mistake.”
Emily spun around to face him, eyes blazing. “Which mistake was that? Slapping me, cheating on me, hitting on your patients, or driving us into bankruptcy?”
Just then, Hayden and Hunter came into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you wake us?” Hunter asked, clearly annoyed with her.
“I’m not your mother,” Emily snapped, then walked over to Ava and held out her hand. “Come on, Ava. It’s time to get dressed.”
Ava took her mother’s hand and strolled out of the kitchen together, leaving Gabriel and Hunter shaking their heads in disbelief.
It was already past ten when Gabriel dropped the boys off at school. Because they were over an hour and a half late, he had to park the car and go inside to sign them in. Principal Grover, sitting in his office, saw Gabriel and the boys entering and stepped out to speak with him. “Dr. Anderson, could I have a word with you?” he asked.
Gabriel frowned, “I’m running late. Can we do this another time? I need to get to work.”
Principal Grover gently took Gabriel by the elbow, steering him into his office. “This will only take a minute,” he assured.
“Please have a seat,” Principal Grover said, shutting his door behind him.
Gabriel took a seat, impatient to get it over with, he said, “Look, I know what this is about,” he said hurriedly. “I’ll have a talk with the boys about their tardiness.”
Principal Grover walked over to a filing cabinet, opened a drawer, and pulled out a file. “I’m afraid we’re past talking,” he said, placing the folder on his desk and opening it before sitting down. He glanced at the first page in the folder and asked, “Do you have any idea how many times your boys have been tardy this year?”
“I have no idea,” Gabriel shrugged.
“Take a guess,” Principal Grover encouraged him.
“Ten?” Gabriel ventured.
“Seventeen,” Principal Grover replied. “Do you know how many days of school we’ve had so far?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Thirty-five. They’ve been tardy half the time,” Principal Grover said sternly. “And that doesn’t count the absences. This is unacceptable, Dr. Anderson. Do you understand the severity of the situation? If they continue on this path, they will be held back.”
“I understand,” Gabriel said, standing up. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Sit down, we’re not finished,” Principal Grover said, raising his voice in authority.
Gabriel reluctantly took his seat, and the principal continued, “I’ve had numerous discussions with Mrs. Anderson about this matter, but nothing has changed. I was hoping that, as their father, you would understand the importance of discipline for teenage boys. There needs to be consequences for their behavior. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to issue both boys detention, but I think it’s crucial that they also receive punishment at home.”
Just then, Gabriel’s phone beeped, indicating a new text message. He pulled it out of the inside pocket of his suit and read the message.
It was from his secretary: Dr. Lucas wants to see you ASAP.
Great , Gabriel thought. What else could go wrong this morning? He stood up, exhaling deeply. “I have to go,” he said, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll handle the boys,” he assured as he hurried out of the office.
“See that you do,” Principal Grover called after him.
Gabriel hurried to his car and quickly called his secretary, hoping the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed.
“Hey, it’s me. I’m on my way now. Did Dr. Lucas mention why he needs to see me?”
“No, he didn’t give any details. But, I have to warn you, he’s not in a good mood.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll be there in five.”
“See you soon.”
Exactly five minutes later, Gabriel arrived at the office and handed his briefcase to his secretary. “Can you put this in my office, please?” he requested, before heading directly to Dr. Lucas’s office. He tapped lightly on the door and waited until he heard, “Come in,” then stepped inside.
“You wanted to see me?” Gabriel said as he took a seat. “I only have a minute; I’m backed up with patients.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Dr. Lucas said, “I’m going to reassign your patients.”
“What? Why?” Gabriel asked, taken aback. “Just because I was late? I’m here now. I can catch up. I’ll stay late if I have to.”
“Your tardiness today was the final straw. Your work has been deteriorating for months. You’re making mistakes and it’s evident to everyone that you’re distracted,” Dr. Lucas stated sternly. “You’ve been on thin ice since the lawsuit, Gabriel. I expected improvement, but things have only gotten worse. You might not be aware, but the partners wanted to terminate you. I managed to negotiate a leave of absence as a compromise. If you don’t accept this, you will be fired.”
“How long?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t know. Until you get your life straightened out, I guess,” Dr. Lucas said.
With no other option, Gabriel reluctantly agreed. “Okay,” he said, thinking the discussion was over, he stood to leave.
“There’s something else,” Dr. Lucas added, stopping him in his tracks.
Gabriel sank back into his chair, feeling utterly defeated. “What?”
“It’s about Maggie.” Dr. Lucas sighed heavily. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“No,” Gabriel replied, his voice defensive. “How would I know where she is?”
Dr. Lucas leaned forward, his tone growing more serious. “Listen, I’m not going to pretend I haven’t heard the rumors about the two of you. She hasn’t shown up for work, and no one has seen or heard from her in three days. If you have any idea where she might be or the reason for her absence, now is the time to come forward.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know where she is. I swear.”
Dr. Lucas studied Gabriel for a moment, trying to discern if he was being truthful. “All right,” he finally said. “If you happen to hear from her, please let me know. In the meantime, I’ll contact the police to request a wellness check on her. That’s all,” Dr. Lucas concluded, dismissing Gabriel.
As Gabriel reached the door, Dr. Lucas called out, “Oh, and Gabriel, get some rest. You look like hell.”