Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Jamieson
I sighed as I watched her leave the hospital with the two police officers.
“I think she’s mad at me,” I spoke as I glanced over at Jackie.
“Why? What did you do?” Her brow raised.
“She spent the night at my place last night. By the way, we missed you. You missed one hell of a get-together. Anyway, she got up this morning, and I told her I would wake her up so we could leave together.”
“Leave together? Why? It’s her day off. She didn’t have to come to the hospital with you.”
“I don’t like people in my home when I’m not there.”
“It’s Grace. If I recall, she left you in her apartment all night by yourself.” She pursed her lips at me.
“It’s just a thing I have. I told her not to take it personally. But I think she did anyway.”
Jackie reached over and hit me with a chart.
“You idiot. Of course, she did. For future reference, when you’re done having sex, send them home.” She rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Hey, Jamieson,” Logan spoke. “There you are. I was looking for you.”
“What’s up?”
“Drinks tonight? I really need to get my mind off Riley and this baby.”
“Sure.” I smiled as I patted his shoulder.
After my shift ended, Logan and I headed to The Dive, a popular bar near the hospital. Despite its name, it was an upscale place.
“What can I get you two handsome doctors?” Paige smiled as she walked over to our table.
“I’ll have a scotch, Paige,” I spoke.
“And I’ll have a double scotch and an order of the pretzel bites,” Logan spoke.
“Coming right up.”
“Seriously, Jamieson. What am I going to do? I don’t want a kid. Maybe things would be different if I loved Riley. I barely know her.”
“Then I suggest getting to know her since she’s going to be in your life for the next eighteen years.”
He leaned forward and placed his forehead on the table.
“That’s eternity. I feel like I’m being punished.”
“Grace is mad at me because I was going to kick her out this morning before I left for work. Plus, I accidentally said I don’t like strangers in the house when I’m not home.”
“Are you really surprised she’s mad? She’s a woman. They always take things the wrong way. Somehow, it’s always our fault. Just like Riley getting knocked up. Totally my fault even though she said it was okay not to use a condom.”
“Two scotches and an order of pretzel bites.” Paige smiled.
“Thanks, Paige,” I spoke.
“Do you even care if she’s mad at you? It’s not like you’re into her or anything. Or are you?” Logan’s brow raised.
“No. Of course not. I like the sex, and she’s a nice girl, but that’s it. Renata is sending us to Vegas next Thursday to speak at a medical conference.”
“Damn. What I wouldn’t give to go to that. I love Vegas.”
“I just don’t want things to be awkward with us if we’re spending the weekend together.”
“She’ll get over it. They always do,” Logan spoke.
After a few drinks and appetizers, I headed home.
Walking into my bedroom and taking off my watch, I noticed Grace’s bracelet she wore last night sitting on my dresser.
I picked it up and looked at it. It was one of those Alex & Ani bracelets.
It was silver with a guardian angel charm on it.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent her a text message.
“Hi. I just wanted to let you know that you left your bracelet at my place. I’ll bring it to work tomorrow.”
I set my phone down on the nightstand, changed into a pair of pajama pants, and went downstairs to grab my laptop.
When I returned to my room, I climbed into bed and grabbed my phone to see if she had replied.
She didn’t. Maybe she was sleeping. She didn’t get much last night, that was for sure, and then she ended up in a five-hour surgery on her day off.
I sat there with my laptop, thought about her, and wondered if she was on Facebook.
I searched for her name and found her. As I stared at her profile picture, I couldn’t help but smile.
She definitely was gorgeous. In fact, I believe she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
I scrolled through some of her public posts.
There were pictures of her and some of her co-workers from Manhattan Memorial and a picture of her and Dr. Knowles.
There were also posts that patients posted on her timeline with a picture of them with her.
“Best doctor in the world. I absolutely love Dr. Harper.”
“Doctor Harper is the best! She helped me when all the other doctors turned me away.”
“I’ll always be grateful for Dr. Harper. She saved my wife’s life.”
I clicked on her photos to see if there were any of her and the guy she brutally told off on the phone. Nothing. Not one picture with her and another guy except Dr. Knowles. I closed the Facebook tab, shut my laptop, and went to sleep.
Grace
I called my aunt to tell her that I had changed my number.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hi, Aunt Cora, it’s me.”
“Grace. What number are you calling from?”
“This is my new number. I had to change it because Sam kept calling and texting me from a bunch of different numbers.”
“That piece of shit. I swear to God if I ever see him.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“How are you, baby?” she asked. “How is it going in Los Angeles?”
“It’s going okay. The nightmares are back.”
“I figured they would return with you being back there. Is it the same dream?”
“Yeah. The same exact one as always.”
“I think you should talk to someone there, Grace.”
“I’m fine, Aunt Cora. They’ll pass.”
I wanted to tell her about Jamieson so badly because I always told her everything. She wasn’t only my aunt. She was my godmother and best friend.
“I’m sleeping with a guy here,” I blurted out. “He’s a neurosurgeon at the hospital.”
“Grace, is that such a good idea? I don’t think you’re ready to get into another relationship yet.”
“I don’t want a relationship, and I’m not getting into one. Plus, he doesn’t want one either.”
“Sounds to me like you’re using sex with him as a coping mechanism.”
“Are you shrinking me?”
“Maybe. You’ve been terribly hurt and just moved back to where you experienced traumatic events as a child. You’re escaping, my love. Every time you have meaningless sex with that man, you escape your reality.”
“Aunt Cora.” I sighed. “Why does everything have to be about psychology?”
“Because it’s what makes us who we are, darling.”
“And, for the record, I’d already slept with him in New York on my last night there. We met in a bar, and I wasn’t supposed to see him again. I had no idea who he was and that he worked at the hospital here. Imagine the shock on my face when I saw him again.”
“I see. You know, Grace, rebounds never work out.”
“He’s not a rebound, Aunt Cora. He’s just a man who’s amazing in bed and makes me for—” I abruptly stopped.
“Forget your problems? Forget about Sam? Forget about what happened to you there twenty years ago?”
Shit. Ugh. Why did I say that? Why didn’t I stop at “he’s not a rebound.”
“I get your point.” I sighed.
“Just be careful. You need to heal, love, and having sex with this man isn’t going to heal you. It’s only going to confuse you.”
“I’ll be careful, and I have to go. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I ended the call, and within a few moments, my phone rang, and it was my Aunt Cora. I narrowed my eye as I stared at her name on my phone.
“Did you forget to give me one other piece of advice?” I playfully answered.
“Actually, the man you’re sleeping with, please don’t tell me it’s Dr. Jamieson Finn.”
“It is. Do you know him?”
“I do. We’ve met on several occasions at Mount Sinai here in New York. Grace, of all—”
“Good.” I cut her off. “Then you know he’s not looking for anything. No relationship, no girlfriend, no wife, no strings, nothing. Just meaningless sex.”
“And why do you suppose he’s like that?” she asked.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that he’s not facing reality either. He’s hiding behind a facade of women and sex, maybe stemming from a piss-poor childhood? Mommy issues? Daddy issues?”
“Perhaps. Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. Good night, darling.”
“Wait a minute. You can’t call me and say that. What are your thoughts? I need to know your thoughts, Aunt Cora.”
“He has a reputation, Grace. But I’m sure you already know that.
Men like Jamieson Finn won’t change until they work out their demons.
I know you, darling. You’re a good person with a good heart and a lot of emotions.
I don’t believe you can have sex with him and not feel something.
Like I said, it’s way too soon for you to get involved with anyone, meaningless sex or not. ”
“I will take your advice under advisement, Aunt Cora.”
“No, you won’t, Grace. I love you. Good night.” She ended the call.
Having a shrink for an aunt and a substitute mother was exhausting.