10. Malcolm
Malcolm
I finish my shift and head back to Makenna’s room. She didn’t seem to recognize me before. I’ll be interested to see if she will now that the effects of the anesthesia have worn off. I knock softly on her door, and she answers, allowing me in.
“Hey, Makenna. Feeling any better?” I ask, noting her returned color and marked increase in energy and awareness. Also, this is the first time I’m seeing her eyes in bright light. They’re blue-green. Turquoise. I’ve never seen turquoise eyes.
Those eyes look confused. “Malcolm? What are you doing here?”
I’d taken off my white coat and left it in my locker. I open my mouth to explain, but before I can, she puts the pieces together.
“You were in here earlier. You’re a doctor?”
“I am. I work in the emergency department. I was there when you came in. I came up earlier to see how you were doing. And now I’m off shift.” I look around the room, as if I haven’t already noticed it’s empty. “I’m surprised your traveling companions aren’t here yet.”
“I don’t have any.”
“You’re alone? You don’t have anyone with you in Scotland?”
She shakes her head, and something inside me seizes. I don’t like this. I don’t love the idea of her traveling alone, but I really hate that she’s now going to have to recover from surgery with nae one to help her.
“I was supposed to come with my friend, but she canceled at the last minute.”
“You’re brave to travel alone.”
“I’m beginning to think it was less brave and more stupid.
” She gestures to her surroundings, comically.
“I’m definitely someone who is more comfortable doing things with people, especially when those things are new and big, like this trip.
I just focused on the fact that I’ve been dreaming about this trip for almost as long as I can remember.
I didn’t let myself think about the possible bad outcomes.
Not that appendicitis would have come to mind if I had. ”
“I’m sorry this happened on your dream trip, and you’re having to deal with it alone.”
“My mom would have come; she's always up for an adventure, but she didn’t have the time to take off. It’s a shame, since her being a nurse means she could have taken good care of me.
” Her eyes spark with a thought. “Do you think my car’s okay?
I left it parked at a church in Drumnadrochit.
Can Ubers pick people up from the hospital?
They could take me to get the car. I think the doctor earlier said I could be discharged the day after tomorrow.
Is that right? That’s all very fuzzy to me. ”
“Oh. I’m sorry, that’s one reason I came up here. Earlier, you seemed a little too out of it to talk. But, aye, you should be able to leave Monday. Everything with your surgery went perfectly.”
“Had it burst?”
“Nope. You got here just in time. Typically you’d be able to leave tomorrow, but you were so dehydrated when you got here, so Dr. Johnson wants to continue monitoring your bloodwork.” She nods, and I continue. “I can take care of your car.” I offer before I realize what I’m doing.
“You … really? Surely you have other things to do when you get off work.”
“Nothing specific. And I like to help. It’s one reason I became a doctor. So, really, you’d be making me very happy.”
She looks at me like she doesn’t quite believe it. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Thank you so much.”
“Braw! I’ll get your car and if you’re okay with it, I’ll go get anything you might need from where you're staying.”
“That’s too much for you to do for me.”
“I literally have nothing else going on tonight. I’d be glad to do it. But if you don’t want me going through your belongings, I totally understand.”
“I’ve barely unpacked. Really all you’d have to do is throw the stuff from the bathroom into my suitcase. Obviously, I don’t need all that, but that seems simplest.” She sighs. “Are you sure?”
“Makenna, I’d be glad to help.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Thank you. I’m so glad I’m not dealing with this entirely alone.”
Rory spent the last twenty minutes of the ride to Drumnadrochit accusing me of falling for Makenna, despite me assuring him that I’m just doing the right thing.
He questioned if I would do this for a middle-aged man traveling alone. I’d argued that that was an entirely different situation, and that I’d met Makenna before. It’s different.
It certainly feels different.
I drive her car back to Inverness and find my way into the cottage she’d been staying in. Makenna wasn’t lying. She had hardly unpacked. It looks as if she’s only just arrived. I hadn’t thought to ask how long she’d been here.
She has nothing in the living room, and only a few groceries in the kitchen.
I find her suitcase unzipped, but full, sitting on the bed.
The bathroom contains several items, but everything is tidy and organized apart from yesterday’s clothes.
Those clothes, including a purple bra, hang together on a hook on the back of the door.
I’ll not mention that I touched her bra, though it will take a bit for me to erase it from my memory. I go back to the kitchen and free up a grocery bag for her dirty clothes, then take everything to her car. It feels a little surreal to be doing this.
When I make it back to the hospital with her things, Makenna is asleep. I quietly set her suitcase and rucksack by the chair and back out of the room, thankful she’s not awake to cause me to blur the line between patient and doctor any further.
I glance back as I’m stepping out the door and remember the tears in her eyes earlier in the day. She’d near broken my heart.
The line blurs further anyway.
Each time I woke last night, which was far more than usual, my first thought was of Makenna. Was she sleeping well? Was she comfortable? Was she sad and missing home? And now that I’m at work, each time there’s a lull, my mind drifts to the relative stranger lying in a bed two floors above me.
I don’t have a legitimate reason to go see her again. I took her things to her, and there isn’t anything further for me to do. I already blurred the line between doctor and patient enough.
“Thinking about your new friend?” Rory asks, taking a seat beside me on the couch in the staff lounge.
“She’s not my new friend. But yeah. I just … well, I feel bad for her. She’s here alone. She’ll have to go to the place she’s staying and recover alone. She mentioned having an uber pick her up from the hospital tomorrow. I hate the thought of that. Of all of it.”
“Maybe she’s called someone to come help her out. She’s a patient. You’ve done your part to help her. More actually.” Rory pulls a protein bar from his pocket and rips it open.
“I know. But also, I knew her before she was a patient.”
“But did you really?” He takes a bite and when I don’t respond he continues. “I mean, a big part of me wants to encourage this, because I’ve not seen you remotely interested in anyone since Cait. But she’s basically just a patient, and she doesn’t live here.”
“I can’t explain it. I’m just so drawn to her. I feel for her and want to be there for her during this.”
“I mean, you could go up and visit.”
“Aye, but I want to do more.”
“More?” Rory raises his eyebrows at me.
“I want to offer to let her stay with me while she recovers.”
“Whoa there, mate.”
“Rory, if she doesn’t have anyone who can come be with her, she’ll be recovering alone. She doesn’t know anyone else here.”
Rory sighs. “I know you want to do the right thing. But would that be the right thing?”
“I don’t know.”
When my shift ends, I find myself standing outside Makenna’s room, still unsure what to do. If she has someone coming, great. That solves that. But if she doesn’t, I guess I’ll just see what happens.
I knock softly in case she’s asleep.
“Come in.”
Here we go. I step into the room.
“Malcolm. I didn’t know if you’d be back. I’m glad you came. I wanted to thank you for bringing me my stuff.”
“You’re welcome, lass. I was glad to help, truly.”
She smiles and she looks so much like the girl I met at the pub. A little tired and disheveled in her hospital gown, but otherwise the same.
I know what I’m going to do.
“Have you called anyone? Is there someone coming to help you while you recover?”
Makenna shakes her head. “Everyone I could ask is busy. My mom couldn’t get off work, or she would be on the trip with me, and my friend was supposed to be here, but had to cancel because of work.
” She shrugs. “I’ll be fine. I’ll rest and stream movies, and do a little easy sight-seeing when I’m able. ”
“I don’t feel good about you going back to that cottage to recover alone.
I’m sure you could, but you shouldn’t have to.
” I take a deep breath. “I know you don’t really know me, but I assume you don’t know anyone else any better.
So I was thinking you could come stay with me while you recover.
I have a second bedroom and happen to have a lot of experience with health matters. And I have the next two days off.”
“Umm … really? You’d do that? Wouldn’t you rather not be dealing with the health matters of a recovering stranger on your days off? You already got my car and stuff for me. This is on a whole other level of helpfulness.”
“I’d be glad to help. In fact, you’d be doing me a favour, because if I weren’t helping you, I’d be worried. And I really hate being worried.”
She smiles. “And I’m just to assume you’re not a murderer.”
“I don’t think they’d let me work here if I were.” I shrug. I pull my phone from my pocket. “We can call my mam; she’d vouch for me.”
Makenna gives her head a small shake and smiles. “That’s okay.” She sighs. “I want to say no, because I’d hate to be a bother. But despite what I said, I’m worried about recovering alone. I like to have someone to lean on.”
“Good.” I give her a brighter version of the smile I give patients when I’m trying to reassure them. “I’ll take good care of you, and when you’re feeling well again maybe I can show you around a bit before you move on with your trip.”
“I’d like that.” Her answering smile is genuine, but weak. I need to get out of here so she can rest.
“I’ll go get the rest of your stuff from the cottage, so you don’t have to worry about that tomorrow. You can just settle in. Does that sound good?”
Her beautiful turquoise eyes are filled with gratitude. “It really does.”
I get her keys, and we say our goodbyes. I pause outside her room. This woman just trusted me. I know all will be well, but for her to just trust me? I will not let her down.
I pull out my phone and send a message to my mam.
MALCOLM
Is Jenny still gluten-free?
MAM
As far as I know.
MALCOLM
Can you ask her what the best gluten-free bread is? And the best gluten-free anything.
MAM
Sure. Planning a diet change?
MALCOLM
Thanks, Mam.
I go to type more but decide to call. She’ll make more of this than there is if I’m not extremely clear about what’s going on here. I head toward the stairwell and hit call.