Chapter Twelve #2
Typically, Mondays were one of the busiest days in the ED. Most people thought it was the weekends, but people didn’t want to ruin their weekends. Instead, they checked into the ED on Monday morning, looking for a work note to extend their weekend or to recover from their hangover.
“There are some great hikes around here. A lot of them lead to some seriously sick waterfalls. You know, if you’re into that kind of thing.” Charlie’s arm slightly brushed mine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. Everything about Charlie was reading red flags.
I had to look at him, and I found him staring me up and down. His face was full of confidence.
“I’ll have to look into it.” I smiled politely and brought my attention back to my computer.
“I could take you sometime if you like,” he said, so easily, as if it wasn’t unusual to ask out a coworker you’ve known for only a few hours.
“That’s okay. I’m...” I struggled to come up with an excuse. Without thinking better of it, I blurted out, “I’m not available right now.”
I wasn’t interested in Charlie, and he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who took rejection kindly. Even if I had been interested, I would never date a coworker.
Charlie looked taken aback. He recovered quickly, though, and put back on his easy-going smile.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant as friends.” He didn’t, but his pride wouldn’t let me know that. “So, you’re dating someone?”
My mind instantly went to Kelly. “I have a boyfriend,” I said before the reasonable part of my brain could tell the truth.
Great. Way to go, Reese. It was the first day of my new assignment, and I was lying. And, knowing how hospital gossip worked, everyone would know I had a boyfriend before the end of the shift.
“That’s super cool.” Charlie leaned back in his chair as he slowly rolled away from me. “Does he live in your hometown?”
“No, my boyfriend lives here,” I said.
“Did he travel with you?” It wasn’t uncommon for couples to travel together for nursing assignments.
“No, he’s a local. We just started dating recently.”
“You got a boyfriend after just moving here?” Charlie raised his eyebrows at me, obviously judging.
“When you know, you know.” I smiled, repeating the words that Kelly told his mom, letting myself believe it for just a second.
After a fifty-minute drive back to Beth’s, I was finally approaching the monstrous garage.
I felt exhausted, hungry, and a little peeved as I put the car in park.
When I had mapped out how far the hospital was from Beth’s, it said it would be a 20-minute commute.
It didn’t account for rush hour or car accidents.
The last thing you wanted was to sit in a car after a twelve-hour shift.
I slipped my shoes off and looked for a spot to leave them in the garage. It was common practice not to wear hospital shoes inside your house. You never knew what kind of diseases could be brewing there.
I put my shoes off to the side at the bottom of the stairs and climbed the stairs as I entered the house to music playing from the kitchen. There was some off-key singing, and I could smell toasted garlic and olive oil as I got closer.
I entered the kitchen and instantly smiled. Beth was dancing around the kitchen, belting a pop song. She wore a bright yellow dress covered with a baby blue apron, and she had tied her hair up in a tight ballerina bun. She held a spoon dipped in red sauce, using it as a microphone.
“Hey!” I tried to shout over the music. I knew she was home alone when I saw Derek’s car missing in the garage. I couldn’t say I was too heartbroken over it.
“Reese!” Beth jumped up and down. “I hope you’re hungry and eat carbs,” she said as she danced to the music again.
“It’s almost 8:30 PM. Shouldn’t you have eaten hours ago?”
“I didn’t want you to eat alone on your first day. So, I thought I would surprise you.” She swayed her hips to the music.
My heart throbbed in my chest at the gesture. I was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something this nice for me.
“Oh no! My noodles!” She noticed the pot boiling over and ran for it. She turned some industrial-looking knobs, and the flames died down. Reaching for her phone, she turned the music down and then smiled back at me.
“I didn’t know you could cook,” I said.
I didn’t know a lot about Beth anymore. Last time I saw her, she was obsessed with horse shows and wanted to be a fashion designer. That was when she was twelve. When I still saw my dad and tried to pretend my life was normal.
“I learned how to cook after I got married. Derek works such long hours, and I wanted him to come home to something nice. I started watching videos online, buying cookbooks, and experimenting. I was surprised to find out that I love it. It feels peaceful to me.” A small smile crossed her lips.
Her short legs moved quickly as she crossed the room and enveloped me in a tight hug. “How was your day?” She mumbled into my chest.
She released me before heading back to the stove. It had been a long time since I’d had someone waiting at home for me.
“It was fine. I have a pretty good feel for the unit, so I feel comfortable that I will be ready to be on my own next week.” I took a seat at the massive island.
Beth moved to drain some noodles in the sink. “That’s good! You work the next two days?”
“Yep. Then my first shift alone is on Sunday.”
“Do you want to hang out on Thursday? I’ve been dying to get a good pedicure,” she said, mixing the noodles and the red sauce. My stomach growled like I hadn’t eaten in years. I made a mental note to pack some car snacks for the commute home tomorrow.
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said, and I truly meant it.
Between my orientation schedule and plans with Kelly, I felt guilty that I hadn’t spent more time with Beth.
In the last week, it had seemed like Beth kept herself busy with friends, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was just as lonely.
I didn’t know for sure what her relationship with Derek looked like.
From what I had experienced so far, I couldn’t understand why my cousin was still with this guy.
Maybe their relationship was fine, and I was reading too much into it.
Maybe Derek had a bad day, and that wasn’t his usual behavior.
But my gut insisted I wasn’t wrong. Maybe Beth needed me right now, just as much as I needed her.