5. Still Bruised But Alive
STILL brUISED BUT ALIVE
Luca didn’t know the last time anyone told him he was fun to have around.
Years. Easily.
Few wanted to be around him in the past two years and he couldn’t blame them.
But coming in as the newbie without his past being known, maybe it was just easier for him to bring out the guy who had been hiding in a grief-filled closet for a couple of years.
“Well, how do you think it went?” Gabriela asked him when the last of the office staff was gone. He’d just walked into their office. Only one that the doctors shared. And since there was only one doctor on at a time, it wasn’t a big deal.
“It was fine. Pretty slow compared to what I’m used to.”
“This was about a normal day. Tomorrow being Friday, you’ll be busier because it’s the rush of all the moms calling if their child has any sniffles for fear of it getting worse over the weekend. No one wants to go to the ER.”
“There isn’t an urgent care on the island?”
She laughed. “No. Maybe it will happen at some point, but it’s so hard to get people for jobs in the hospital that an urgent care would be one more thing that would struggle to staff.
Anyone can get on a ferry to go to urgent care in Boston.
There is one really close to the docks there, and another close to the docks in Plymouth. ”
He’d have to get used to all of that.
“Do people do that?”
“Sure. For years they had to. The hospital has been here for a long time, but it was much smaller. Most people left the island for childbirth or cancer treatment. Any kind of treatment. Now we’ve got everything here, just on a smaller scale.”
“And a much bigger scale if they take a ferry at either end of the island.”
“Yep,” she said. “It’s not for everyone. I get it. Coming here, I gave up a lot of conveniences, but I can get them easily enough.”
“Like?” he asked.
She pursed her lips, then hid a yawn. “Sorry,” she said, covering her mouth. “These last four hours are normally rough on me, but I’ll get through.” She flexed her arms, bringing her fists down in front of her like a bodybuilder. “I’ll muscle through.”
“Wow.”
“Hey, I didn’t use my dude voice.”
“No, you didn’t. I bet the kids love you.”
At least from what he’d seen today.
Sure, there were a few who were nervous when the two of them walked in. Going to the doctor is scary enough, then add more than one, and any child might burst into tears.
It always killed him when that happened, but he did a lot of what she did.
Made them laugh, tried to find a common interest to talk about, or even bribery.
Funny socks. That was really his go to. Surprising how much kids got a kick out of an adult in hilarious socks.
“I think they do,” she said. “Now if I could get adults to like me as much, I might not have moved here.”
“Huh?”
“Oops,” she said. “Sleep-deprived brain talking. I’ve got friends. I really do. Not just family either. I meant it as the opposite sex. Men. They don’t seem to like me.”
He couldn’t understand why. “Do you scare them off talking like a man?”
“You’re funny, Luca,” she said. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. I’m going to the cafeteria to get something before we finish.”
“I could eat.”
He’d snagged a granola bar this morning between patients, seen Gabriela shoving a banana down her throat in the hallway.
Not really shoving it down, because that might have given him a different kind of reaction than it had, but taking massive bites and chewing fast.
Their lunch was supposed to be thirty minutes but ended up being twenty. He was used to those things too.
He had a sandwich with him he ate; she had yogurt and another piece of fruit during that time.
One thing he could say was she might have a nasty coffee habit, but the rest of what she put in her system was much better than him.
They grabbed their laptops, locked the office and then left for the hospital again.
“We can store our stuff in the locker room. I forgot to show you that this morning.”
They went to the pediatric ward first, into the locker room and put their laptops in there. She left her purse while she was at it.
When they were in the basement, he saw the cafeteria was nicer than he expected. He had to admit just about everything was.
He hadn’t interviewed on the island. Didn’t know what his new home even looked like.
His parents thought he was crazy. He didn’t care.
He needed this more than he needed to breathe.
And the faint return of his old self, still bruised but alive, told him he was right.
“I think I’m getting a big, fat burger. I need the protein,” she said. “I try to eat as much of it as I can, but it’s hard. If I don’t do that, I want to snack on junk.”
“A burger sounds good if the food is decent. I’ve had some bad hospital food before.”
“It’s good here,” she said. “Much better than in Boston. Do you know, will you have to fill in there at all?”
“No one said anything,” he said. “Does that happen?”
“Maybe they won’t do it with you. Jessie and I have to do it, but I think since I still technically live there and they know it, they find it easier to ask when I’ve got my ten days off.”
They placed their orders and waited while they were cooked. “Do you rent here then? Or live in one of the apartments provided?”
“I stay at my parents’ house. It’s not far.
Maybe five minutes with no traffic, and it’s empty most times.
I told myself I’d still sleep better in my bed there even with leaving the hospital than if I stayed in one of the rooms for doctors here.
Then there is the packing of clothes and eating in the cafeteria for all meals. Nah. Just not worth it.”
“I felt the same but might not have had a choice if I couldn’t find housing. I had a few places lined up in Boston close to the docks and thought for sure I’d be doing what Dr. Raines does. How does she want to be referred to?”
“To her face, Jessie is good. But to patients, she likes Dr. Raines.”
“The kids don’t warm up to her as much, do they?” he asked. He reached for his tray when it was set in front of him. Her tray right next to it. “Thanks.”
They moved down together, her badge out to swipe, he had his credit card in his hand.
He’d have to get his badge activated for that to make it easier. They’d told him it’d just come out of his check anyway.
“I think they like her well enough, but it’s not like she’s in there making them laugh like I do. Some might say I’m a kid myself.”
“I used to be that way,” he said before he could stop himself.
Before he could caution himself that it was best to keep his past the way he’d been doing. Locked away.
But there was something about Gabriela Mills that just screamed to relax and be himself around her rather than only being open to his patients.
“There is no reason you can’t be again,” she said. “Will you be offended if I ask if you’re here alone? Or you moved close by family? And of course, you can tell me you want to keep your life private and I’ll totally adhere to it.”
He was positive she would. “There is a table back there.”
One away from a lot of people. Or at least people who looked like they were working there.
They sat and she picked up her burger, put it to her mouth and opened up wide, taking a massive bite.
He wondered if she always attacked her food that way. Or just attacked everything in life the same way.
Bigger than life with a smile on her face.
Something he could learn from for sure.
He took a bite and chewed.
“So, what do you think? Not bad, huh?”
“It’s pretty good. Real beef.”
“Yep. It is.”
They ate in silence and he realized she wasn’t going to ask about his personal situation again.
He could continue with that or he could give some of himself like she’d done already on his first day.
She’d made him laugh. Not once. Not twice. But so many times he’d actually lost track.
Not the forced laugh for a parent either, but one that came free with most of his kids he saw trying to calm them.
“I’m here alone,” he said. “No family around. Everyone is back in St. Louis.”
“Where you’re from originally?”
“Yep.”
She nodded her head, her eyes glancing at his left hand again. He should have taken the ring off before yesterday.
Even today, he felt the ghost weight of it was still there holding him back.
“I’ve only lived in Massachusetts. I went to Boston University and then Tufts for med school.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to work there,” he said.
“Nah. Got to keep up the family tradition,” she said.
“Guess you like the area if you didn’t even leave for school.”
“I did. I do. I feel as if it’s just in my blood. Do you know much about the history of the island?”
“I know your family founded it and how it all came about. I did some research when I was looking to leave.”
“So it wasn’t just here you applied for a job for?” she asked.
“No. I needed to get away,” he said. He wasn’t lying. There was no need to. “I had a few interviews. This appealed to me the most. I understand the reason the salary was so high, but honestly it was the five days on and ten off that sounded great.”
“I know, isn’t it? Though when you’re into the sixteen-hour shifts you don’t feel that way. They’ve tried so many things to get staff. I think this is the best so far. It got you, by the sounds of it.”
“It did.” They continued eating. She wasn’t asking any more questions. “Why did you say men don’t like you?”
“We don’t have nearly enough time for that conversation,” she said, laughing. “I think I’ve been called a handful before. Yeah, that one is on the list.”
“It’s probably more like men are intimidated by you.”
“I think so,” she said, dragging out the last word. “But then it would make me sound cocky. Oh yeah, been called that too. It’s good for men, but not always so great for women.”
“They can’t appreciate your humor.”
“Thank you, Dr. Brewer,” she said, nodding.
She was almost getting silly right now. Or maybe that was how she was.
He didn’t have a problem with it.
Why couldn’t everyone be friendly like this at work?
And with that came the truth, rather than speculation also.
“I left because my wife died,” he said. “I needed to just leave. There was too much holding me there.”
There went her smile.
The humor in her eyes with it.
She reached her hand to lay it on his like she had some of her patients.
“I’m so sorry. That had to be hard.”
“It was.”
Her eyes were on his hand again. The recent reminder of his vows still for all to see.
“Can I ask what happened or would you rather not talk about it?”
“She died in a fire while I was at work one night.”
Her hand went to her mouth. “That’s horrible. I mean, there is no good way to lose a loved one.”
“No,” he said. He continued to eat. They had to get out of here and get back to work, but there was no reason to not add the last part. “It was almost two years ago.”
That stopped the rest of her burger on the way to her mouth just like he thought it would.