Chapter 3
“Aww, y’all didn’t have to do all this for me,” I cooed. “I’ll be back in six months.”
My brother invited me to dinner, and it turned out to be a surprise dinner with my parents, Devyn, and her husband, Tariq, and a few other family members.
“Six months is a long time, bestie. I already miss you,” Devyn said before pouting.
“It’s not as long as y’all are making it seem, but I sure appreciate the send-off.”
Before taking my seat, I went around the table to greet everyone with a hug and thank them for coming. I was already excited to eat because Devyn’s Soul Food was one of my favorite restaurants. The fact that it was named after my best friend, and she and her husband owned it, was a bonus.
Instead of placing individual orders, we were served family-style, and huge bowls of my favorite dishes were placed in the center of the table for us to pass around. After my father blessed the food and wished me well on my next assignment, we filled our plates.
“Where’s Bubba?” I asked Devyn.
“He’s with Tariq’s parents. I didn’t feel like tussling with him tonight, so Mama Kia volunteered to watch him,” she responded.
“Which means I got big plans for your friend tonight,” Tariq added, speaking only loud enough for his wife and me to hear.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t try to act like my nephew puts a stop to anything. My friend tells me how y’all get down.”
Tariq put his hands up in surrender. I loved the relationship between Devyn and her husband. Those who knew their story might side-eye how they began, but you couldn’t tell me it wasn’t true and unadulterated love.
“Do you still have friends in Black Elm?” my cousin, Nikki, asked.
For some reason, Nikki’s question caused a brief wave of sadness to consume me. I took a deep breath and shook it off before answering her question.
“I didn’t keep in contact with anyone after I left.”
“Dang, so you’ll be out there by yourself, for real,” she replied.
I laughed, still trying to cover up the sadness I felt. “Cousin, you know I’m an introvert. I spend most of my time alone when I’m on these assignments. If the other nurses are cool, I hang with them sometimes, but a lot of them have families.”
“What do you do in your free time?” Nikki pressed.
“Read, binge-watch old shows, work out.”
“I ain’t gon’ lie, that sounds boring as hell, but I bet it’s peaceful,” my other cousin and Nikki’s brother, Draymond, said.
“I live a very peaceful and simple life. Drama is not for me.”
“If you get too bored, we can take turns coming to visit,” Nikki offered.
“Oh, I already have a ticket booked for a month from now,” Devyn said, and she absolutely did.
We continued to converse over dinner, and it was nothing but laughs and good times. I was grateful for the time spent with my loved ones and very appreciative of them coming together to see me off.
I tried to pack light, but it was almost impossible.
From what I recalled, the weather in Black Elm was mainly mild, but it wasn’t the kind of weather where you could wear shorts and tank tops all year round.
During the late fall and winter months, jeans and hoodies were definitely necessary, especially in the evening.
After a nearly five-hour flight, I picked up the rental car that had been reserved for me and was pleasantly surprised when I was told the car had been upgraded to a luxury SUV.
The one-hour drive to Black Elm would have been fine in the economy car that I initially had, but I would’ve happily driven another hour in this SUV.
It was late afternoon by the time I picked up the key to my temporary residence from the rental office.
I was grateful it was on the first floor because I had to make a few trips to retrieve all my luggage.
Once that was done, I collapsed on the couch, and an hour later, I was awakened by the ringing of my phone.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Hey. I just wanted to make sure you made it to Black Elm. It’s been a few hours since you sent the text about landing.”
“I’m sorry, Ma. I made it to the apartment, collapsed on the couch, and fell asleep.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’re exhausted. Did you say apartment?”
“Oh yeah. This is the first time I’ve stayed in an apartment for one of my assignments. It’s probably because of how long I’ll be here. It’s nice, though. Let me FaceTime you. Hold on.”
I pressed the option to FaceTime my mother. Once the call was connected, I took a tour of the apartment while showing her everything.
“This is much nicer than the places you usually stay,” she commented.
“It sure is. I guess they want me to be comfortable.”
Typically, my living arrangements were in an extended-stay hotel, and this was most definitely an upgrade. This place had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, with one of them located inside the primary bedroom. It was spacious and had high-end furniture.
“Whatever the reason, be thankful. I have to go, but call me once you’re settled in.”
“Okay, Ma. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
I ended the call and continued to inspect the apartment. My apartment in Chicago was nice, but since I wasn’t home often, it was very minimalistic. This apartment definitely put mine to shame, and the places I stayed during my other assignments couldn’t hold a candle to this one.
It took me a little over an hour to unpack my belongings, and by the time I finished, I was starving.
I grabbed my phone and opened my food delivery app.
After adding my new location, several restaurants popped up.
I chose a Mexican restaurant and probably ordered too much food, but I was hungry, and whatever I didn’t eat would be leftovers for tomorrow.
Out of habit, I headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, gasping when I saw it was fully stocked. Strangely, I looked around as if there was someone there for me to question because I was more confused than ever and prompted to check the pantry.
“What the fuck? This is weird.”
The pantry was stocked, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
“Something ain’t right.”
I went back to my bedroom to grab my phone. I wanted to look at the contract to see if I missed something. As grateful as I was for a fully stocked fridge and pantry, there had to be a catch.
“They’re probably taking this shit out of my paycheck.”
Just as I found the contract, I heard the buzzer for the apartment. It was too soon for my food to be here, but I wasn’t expecting anyone else. I went to the monitor in the wall near the door and saw a woman holding a bouquet of sunflowers, which were my favorite.
“Can I help you?” I asked after pressing the button.
“I have a delivery for Ginae Burns.”
“Umm, okay. Do I need to come down, or will you come up?”
“I can come up.”
I pressed the button to allow her entry into the building. After opening the door to my apartment, I waited for her to enter the door to my hallway.
“Here you go, ma’am. Can you sign here?” the young lady asked, offering me an electronic clipboard for my signature.
I thanked her as I scribbled my name on the signature box. After taking the bouquet, I closed and locked the door, then rushed to the kitchen counter and placed the vase down. I quickly removed the tiny envelope and snatched the card out, anxious to see who these were from.
Ms. Burns,
Welcome to Black Elm. I am excited to have you with us for the next six months.
I hope you have settled in nicely to your new apartment and everything is to your liking.
The fridge and pantry are stocked with some basic items to get you started.
The office opens at 7am each day, and I usually arrive around six.
Feel free to come a little early if you’d like a few minutes to get acclimated. I’ll see you on Monday.
Dr. J.
I looked back and forth between the sunflowers and the card, more confused than ever. I’d never received such a warm welcome when I arrived at any of my other assignments. Although I appreciated it, I couldn’t help but think it was odd.
As I thought about what I considered special treatment, I went back to the refrigerator to examine the contents. Inside was my favorite brand of flavored water, strawberries, plums, peaches, cucumbers, avocados, coconut milk, whole-grain bread, and several other items I enjoyed.
In the freezer, there were frozen yogurt popsicles, a bag of frozen strawberries and pineapples, and peanut butter ice cream, which was my favorite guilty pleasure.
I closed the freezer and returned to the pantry.
Upon inspection, it, too, was filled with some of my favorite snacks.
The staffing agency had never asked me to complete a survey or questionnaire about my favorite foods.
It was utterly impossible for them to know that information, and I was beyond baffled.
The buzzer sounded again, and this time, it was my food order. After allowing him in, I waited at the door as I did for the flowers. Once I received my food, I thanked the young man and locked myself inside the apartment.
After washing my hands, I sat in one of the stools at the breakfast bar to enjoy my food. My mind was racing, and I did my best to stop it from going in the direction it was determined to go. The more I thought about today’s events, the more nervous my stomach became.
The upgraded rental car, the apartment, the groceries, the flowers, and the name at the bottom of the note, .
. . Dr. J. It couldn’t be. It was one thing for the universe to bring me back to Black Elm, but it was another for me to be assigned to work with the man who broke my heart for the next six months.
God, please tell me this ain’t that.
The thought of being thrust into a situation that put me in very close proximity to someone who hurt me to my core made me feel sick, but somehow, I managed to finish my food. After a quick shower, I crawled into bed with my phone and my laptop and FaceTimed my best friend.
“Hey, Nae. Are you all settled in?” Devyn asked when she answered my call.
“I am.”
“Uh-oh. You don’t sound right, and you look like you’re on the verge of breaking down. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“I don’t have the answer to either of those questions, but some strange things have happened since I arrived.”
“Are you in danger?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not in danger.”
“Tell me what’s been going on.”
I shared everything with my friend that had happened since my plane landed, but I kept my suspicions to myself. I wanted to see if she would come to the same conclusion without me nudging her in that direction. She listened intently, making very few comments until I finished.
“I think I know what you’re getting at, but I want you to say it,” Devyn urged.
“No. I want you to tell me what you’re thinking based on what I’ve shared.”
“It’s Phyre. That’s the only explanation.”
I sighed and blew out a breath. “It has to be him because nothing else makes sense.”
“Doesn’t the staffing agency usually send you the name and address of the hospital or doctor’s office?”
“They sent the specifics when I accepted the assignment, but it just has the address of the office where I’ll be working.”
“Did you look it up?”
“Only to see how far it is from my lodging. Can we get back to my dilemma now?”
“My bad, sis. Before you panic, let’s see if we can figure out who owns or works from the office.”
“Let me log into my email and get the address.”
I opened my laptop and logged in. My email was already open because I rarely closed the window. I went to the last email from the staffing agency and scrolled to the section where they discussed the assignment location. I copied the address and pasted it into my web browser.
When the results appeared, my eyes bounced over the words, and when I saw Dr. Phyre Jordan, OB-GYN, I gasped and put my hand over my mouth as my stomach dropped.
I had to be reading it wrong, so I read it at least three more times to ensure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me.
The excitement I had about spending the next six months in one of my favorite cities quickly turned into fear.
“You don’t even have to tell me, sis. You’ve been assigned to work with Phyre. How do you want to handle this? Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“He was studying to be a pediatrician or primary care physician.”
“I guess he changed his mind.”
“Why would he do that? Oh my God! When I got this assignment, I was okay with the possibility of seeing him out and about, but I didn’t think beyond that, because he’s not supposed to be an ob-gyn.
Running into him at the grocery store isn’t the same as working by his side. I didn’t prepare myself for this.”
“Do you want to come home? We can come up with a legitimate reason as to why you can’t see this through, and you can come back home.”
“We could,” I whispered.
“Is that what you want to do?”
“I don’t know, sis. A part of me is terrified to face him. The thought of it is almost debilitating.”
“You know I got your back. Let’s come up with a plan.”
“But—”
“Oh, shit. There’s a but? I wasn’t expecting a but, sis.”
“Maybe God put me in this position for a reason.”
“What reason do you think that is?”
“It’s time to face my fear. I’ve been running for too long.”