28. Chapter 28
twenty-eight
“Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Bloom,” Gene told his host. “That Jambalaya was tasty.”
Susan Bloom had served the rice dish cooked with tomatoes, jumbo shrimp and andouille sausage that was packed with flavor and the right amount of spice. He hadn’t minded a second helping at all.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Gene.” Susan beamed. “I got the recipe when Malcolm and I vacationed in New Orleans last October for our anniversary.”
“Which anniversary was it?” he politely inquired.
“Thirty-seventh,” Dr. Bloom answered. He placed a cup of decaf coffee in front of Gene and sat back down to enjoy while waiting for his wife to pass the dessert.
“You’ve been married for thirty-seven years?”
“Yes, we married during my residency and Susan was a full-time registered nurse.”
Gene couldn’t wrap his head around being in a relationship right after graduating from med-school and deep into residency, let alone full on getting married. He’d wanted to finish his program early, so he’d dedicated any time he had to studying, practical work, and everything else in between to reach that goal. Though he knew that pace had ultimately led to his burnout, he didn’t regret it. Here he was now at thirty-one, ready for his next jump.
If only he could decide what his next step was.
“How did you do it?” Gene looked at the Blooms with an inquiring smile. “I barely managed to go on a date in my first year of residency.”
“Oh, it wasn’t without effort. My mother and I did all the planning, of course,” Susan said. “It was a small, intimate wedding. We didn’t need a big party. We just wanted to start our lives together.”
“For a while, we were like two ships passing in the night,” Dr. Bloom said. “Though the world was different thirty-seven years ago, it was still tough, but we knew it wouldn’t be like that forever. Even when we only saw each other for a few hours a day, and sometimes mere stolen minutes, we looked forward to those moments every second we spent away from each other.”
Susan laughed and patted her husband’s arm. “Sure did, but don’t get him wrong. We also fought like cats and dogs sometimes. When you’re exhausted, feelings run high. There were times when we felt like giving up.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, we didn’t.” Dr. Bloom smiled as he squeezed his wife’s hand. “Every time I felt I was drifting—because of work stress or a heated argument—I remembered Susan wasn’t just a ship passing me by. She was the tugboat that pulled me back into port.”
“That’s the only time you get away with calling your wife a tugboat!” Susan swatted her husband’s arm playfully with a laugh.
Gene laughed along with the couple. It was encouraging to see older couples like his parents and the Blooms were still going strong when many of his peers had thrown in the towel after only a few years into a marriage. Many couples never even made it to the altar. Hell, he never made it into the moving-together phase. Not even close.
“So, Gene,” Dr. Bloom turned the conversation to him. “You’ve been working in the clinic for a week now. What do you think? You can speak freely. We’re happy to hear how we can improve.”
Gene was about to cut into the pie Susan served him, but he put the fork back down to answer the question.
“I think the week went great. I wasn’t sure how I’d do in this setting, but I enjoy the pace of the day. You have to appreciate being able to eat a wonderful dinner like this without rushing to get back to the floor.”
Dr. Bloom nodded. “Yes, that is a perk. Though, I sometimes allow late or early appointments. And we take turns to be on call so patients can reach one of us off hours in case of an emergency.”
“But Malcom and I are getting on in age, and we won’t be able to keep doing this much longer. We need fresh blood to pass on the baton to. We have great nurses, but having you on the team has been wonderful,” Susan added.
“Thank you.” Carefully measuring his words, Gene added, “I do love getting to know the patients. I see how much they love you and your team. They see you as more than their doctor or nurse, but friends and confidants.”
“Absolutely. That is another perk of doing what we do here. We’re able to see each of our patients as a whole person, instead of a case to fix. I find working with individuals maintaining their health rewarding, and a privilege. And when we cultivate good relationships with our patients, it’ll also help us see when something’s wrong,” Dr. Bloom said.
“Like with Amanda’s mother,” Gene noted. “She told me you were the one who suspected an issue.”
Dr. Bloom smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, in Daphne’s case, there was only so much we could do.”
“Watching her mother losing her battle with her illness was difficult for Amanda. It would leave a lasting impact on anyone, even someone with a heart as big as hers,” Susan said. “We tried our best to be there for their whole family.”
“Yes, Amanda told me about that,” Gene said. “There isn’t anyone else in our line of work she respects more than you and your team.”
“I wouldn’t say so,” Dr. Bloom said. “I think she highly respects you as well, or she wouldn’t have asked you to monitor her after the accident.”
Gene gave a small, regretful smile. “I think I’ll have to re-earn her respect if I get the chance.”
“If you get the chance?” Dr. Bloom questioned. “Why the doubt?”
“I’d be wasting her time if I didn’t end up staying.”
Dr. Bloom nodded. “Let’s talk about that. I’ve known you since you were a little boy, Gene. You’ve always wanted to be a doctor. You want to help people, that’s what you told me.”
“Yes,” Gene confirmed with a smile.
“You have a promising career in Atlanta, and the Costa Rica program you did sounds exhilarating. And for now, you’re here in this ever-expanding community with growing needs for young, talented doctors like yourself. Your hesitation about making a decision that will shape the rest of your career and life is understandable. I’ve been in a similar situation. I struggled with my decision. We had a few options like you do now.” Dr. Bloom turned his gaze to his wife. “You remember that time, honey?”
“How did you make up your mind?” Gene asked sincerely, hoping for guidance.
“First, you need to realize there’s no wrong choice here. Either path would lead to a brilliant career because you’re an excellent physician. But each would lay the foundation for the rest of your life. The question is, how do you want that life to look like?
“Susan and I made our decision together because we wanted to build a life together while being a positive force in a community,” Dr. Bloom continued, taking his wife’s hand in his. “This life, you see, is what we envisioned. By starting our own practice, we could serve our community better. With the cost of health care getting higher each year, we wanted to provide the best primary health care possible, accessible to anyone in the community. You see, there isn’t one best way to help people. Whatever way you choose will make an impact.”
“Take Amanda for an instance,” Susan added. “Everything she touches creates a ripple of positivity. I think you’ve seen the Amanda effect for yourself. Because of her big heart, the shelters in town are getting a big boost of funding from the Carsons.”
Dr. Bloom laughed. “I told Amanda today, you two were like two peas in a pod because you asked the Carsons to put the gift they wanted to bestow on you into a health-care based foundation.”
“You saw Amanda today?” Gene asked.
“Yes, we did an after-incident follow-up. Her cut is healing well. Overall, she’s close to being back to a hundred percent,” Dr. Bloom said.
Gene appreciated the update. He had no right to want to know how Amanda was doing, but damn it, he needed to know. All this talk about her intensified the pang that had been constant in his heart since he’d last seen her at Sanctuary almost a week ago.
The only thing that kept it at bay was to stay busy. When he got home, he would read every medical journal and study available to bring his knowledge up to date. As a primary physician, he needed a refresher on a broad range of medical knowledge. But when he closed his eyes to finally rest, he wished he was in Amanda’s bed and not in his childhood bed.
He wished when he left the Blooms’ house tonight, he would be heading home to her and spending the rest of the night talking, exchanging stories about their day, and ending it by making love, or simply falling asleep with her in his arms.
Gene’s chest tightened as the vision of a life with Amanda became clear in his mind. A life where they could come home to each other after a day well spent. A vision so simple he hadn’t thought it was for him. Yet, if Amanda was a part of it, it’d fill him with new hope and excitement.
“I’d say Amanda is a hundred percent on her baking game,” Susan claimed, taking Gene out of his epiphany. “This pie is to die for. That girl makes the best pie crust in the county!”
Gene looked at the untouched pie in front of him and picked up his fork.
“Amanda made this?”
“She brought it for me today. It’s my favorite,” Dr. Bloom said, smacking his lips with pleasure.
“It seems she knows everyone’s favorite baked goods,” Gene noted.
“True. Sometimes, she brings me lemon shortbread cookies, which are my favorite with tea,” Susan said. “These special things she does make people’s day.”
“I know.”
Gene took a bite of his pie. The buttery flaky crust balanced the sweet tangy flavor of the strawberry-rhubarb filling, triggering the corners of his mouth into upward in a smile.
She was a genius in pie making.
I miss her pies.
Gene’s mind went straight to the gutter and the memory of his first tasting of Amanda’s pies, and it took everything in him to restrain himself from running out of the Blooms’ house and driving to Amanda’s.
And why would you think she’d open her arms for your stupid ass?
Looking at his hosts and seeing the couple had lived a fully satisfying life together, Gene realized one thing. He could go back to the ER in Atlanta and work his way up the chain to the Chief of Emergency Medicine, or he could travel the world with an organization like Doctors Beyond Borders. Both options were thrilling for different reasons, but he’d be missing something he didn’t want to live without ever again.
But to build that life with Amanda, he would need to lay some foundation first.
“Dr. Bloom,” Gene addressed the senior doctor. “About that three-month contract. I have a proposition for you.”