Chapter 05 - Mary
Mary
The rhythmic pounding of hooves against the dry sand sounds like thunder in the far distance.
A cloud of dust shrouds the danger in an ominous cloak of anticipated misfortune.
When it hits the village, it does so like a surprise lightning bolt, ripping through it with hot steel, and blazing eyes.
There is no honor in what these wildlings do, only terror. Screams fill the—
The glow of the screen casts the room in a blue hue. It is currently the only light source. My work demands my attention, and when I am writing I simply forget everything else. But the aggressive buzzing of my phone shatters that peace.
My heart leaps as my arm swings out toward my phone, nearly knocking over a cup of cold coffee. Oh, you forgot about that, too. My fingers curl around the device, and I turn the screen toward me.
1 message.
The number is unknown to me, and I frown. I know I should turn my notifications off and put the phone back down so that I can get a bit more work done, but my curiosity is louder. Much, much louder. I unlock the screen and swipe up to open the messages.
02:14 a.m. – Katherina
Have you checked your sugar?
I blink again, this time confused. There is nobody I know who goes by the name Katherina, let alone one who knows about my diabetes. So who the hell is this? I shake my head and put my phone down again. It’s probably just a freaky coincidence.
Right as my fingers hit the keys on my laptop, the phone buzzes again. This time, I grit my teeth, ready to rip this Katherina a new one. Does she not realize it is the middle of the night?
02:17 a.m. – Katherina
Mary? Come on, tell me… pleeeeease
My heart leaps into my throat. She knows my name. How? Who? I tap the little profile picture next to her name, and the image enlarges. It’s just a stupid photo of an office. That doesn’t tell me—
I freeze. Katherina… as in Catherine Durand, MD? A laugh escapes my belly, and I am not sure whether it is because I feel relieved it’s not some creepy stalker or because she reached out to me.
After this morning, I was certain I would never hear from her again. Not unless I ended up back in the ER, which, thanks but no thanks. So I thought that was it. I sure as hell didn’t expect a middle-of-the-night message from her. Is that even allowed? Probably not.
I grin and let my fingers fly over my keys.
02:18 a.m. – Mary Mary
Doctora? That you?
The reply comes almost instantly.
02:18 a.m. – Katherina
Who else would it be? Did yov chuck?
I frown. Did I what? What the hell is happening here? But before I can ask her, the phone buzzes again.
02:18 a.m. – Katherina
Did you check?
02:19 a.m. – Mary Mary
I didn’t know ER doctors texted their patients. You’re teaching me all these new things… but wasn’t I medically cleared?
The three dots appear, disappear, and then appear again. I grin stupidly at the screen, almost able to hear the exasperated sigh and see the flash in her eyes. The one that means I touched a nerve. I like it for some reason. I like this… unpolished version of her.
02:21 a.m. – Katherina
Did you check?
Ugh. Spoilsport.
02:21 a.m. – Mary Mary
I have not. I was working.
02:22 a.m. – Katherina
Why are you working at this time? You need sleep. gOtwo bed.
My eyebrow raises. What is with the typos and the audacity? Something is off, and I am not entirely sure whether I should be worried or not.
02:23 a.m. – Mary Mary
Says the woman who texted me in the middle of the night.
The dots appear and disappear again, but this time I’m the one feeling a bit of friction. Who is she to tell me what to do, anyway? And why is she even reaching out? If she wanted more medical information, she could have just made me come back in. Again.
02:25 a.m. – Katherina
That’s different. I need to know your levlse.
She needs to know? Why?
Still, something in the message makes me rise from my seat and saunter off to the bathroom. My monitor is lying there as an accusation. The doctor isn’t wrong, and I know it. I do need sleep.
I sigh and let the needle penetrate my skin. I hiss softly at the contact and watch the crimson drop swell up. Five seconds later, the monitor beeps. I’m low. Well, fuck.
02:30 a.m. – Mary Mary
Need to know, huh? Sounds like you do care, Doctora. It’s a bit low. I’ll fix it.
02:30 a.m. – Katherina
Take a glucose tab with some juice. That should keep you stable until morning. Go to bed, Maria. I am serious. EN SERIO!!!
I bite my lip. Everything in me should be appalled by this commanding behavior. I am my own woman, I make my own choices, so why does it make my stomach swoop instead?
02:31 a.m. – Mary Mary
Yes, ma’am
The dots appear almost instantly. They keep bobbing for a good two minutes and then disappear again.
I stare at my screen for another few minutes, but they don’t return.
The message is clear. The conversation is over.
But at least this time, it doesn’t feel final.
I save her number and then reach for my tablets. I did say yes, ma’am, after all.
***
The daylight is almost accusatory when my eyes blink open.
My muscles feel relaxed, and my limbs feel heavy.
I snuggle deeper into the mattress instead of immediately flinging my legs over the edge of the bed.
The usual morning buzz is absent. In an oddly good and satisfying way.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so… rested.
I turn onto my side and reach for my phone. The screen lights up instantly, telling me it’s already ten past ten. Huh. Normally, I would have finished my morning walk by this time, ready for another day of work. Is this all because of that stupid tab?
I unlock my screen, and my fingers dart over it. For a moment, I hesitate but then press send anyway.
10:13 a.m. – Mary Mary
What kind of magic is this?
I am about to put my phone away when it buzzes in my hand. My breath stutters. That was fast.
10:13 a.m. – Katherina
I reckon you slept well. Your low blood sugar made your adrenaline spike. When you took the glucose, your body could let those levels drop, and your parasympathetic functions took over again.
I snort. Even over text, she is still in full doctor mode. It’s actually kind of cute. Sexy, even.
10:14 a.m. – Mary Mary
My parawhatta?
10:14 a.m. – Katherina
Parasympathetic functions. The part of you that helps you rest and digest.
10:15 a.m. – Mary Mary
Oh! Like my internal Sandman, I see...
10:15 a.m. – Katherina
Something like that.
The message takes me by surprise, and I huff out a low laugh. That was not the response I expected, but now all I can do is imagine the smile that might go with it. I grin and snuggle even closer, the phone clutched tightly in my hands. I know I should go for my walk, but where’s the fun in that?
10:16 a.m. – Katherina
As we discussed, there is a high probability that your blood glucose drops during the night, which can disturb your sleep. Have you experienced things like waking up lethargic, feeling stressed without a direct cause, and having intensified dreams?
Intensified dreams? Is that even a scientific term?
10:17 a.m. – Mary Mary
Comes with the territory, Doctora.
10:17 a.m. – Katherina
I am afraid I don’t understand. Please elaborate.
Please elaborate? Really? For a moment, I wonder how I ended up in an online consultation when the realization hits me again.
She texted me. Not the other way around.
Catherine Durand, MD, was the one to send the first message.
She is the one trying to get something out of this, but she is far too stuck-up to take it any further.
So perhaps I should give her that option.
10:19 a.m. – Mary Mary
I can tell you all about it over a cup of coffee. Shall we say 1 p.m. at the Stonewall Shelf?
My fingers hover over Google Maps, ready to send her a location pin, when her reply comes in.
10:20 a.m. – Katherina
Make it 1:30.
My eyebrows dart up. No pushback, no professional distance, not even a request for the location. Which means she might know where it is. Which means she knows it’s an LGBT bookstore with a complimentary coffee bar. Oh… my… god! Is she queer?
***
My heart is fluttering in my chest, and my hand rests against the wooden doorframe.
The café is too far back for me to be able to see if she’s already there, but everything inside me screams that she’ll be waiting.
She is definitely the punctual type. Might even scold me for only being here three minutes early.
A sudden rush of nerves washes over me. What if this is a mistake?
I push open the door regardless and step inside.
Fear has ruled my life for far too long.
I will no longer let it dictate my choices.
It is dim inside, even though the windows offer plenty of natural light.
The stuffy smell of the secondhand section drifts toward me and eases my nerves.
This is my happy place, the place where I belong.
I roll my shoulders back and greet the owner, Ven, who’s behind the counter and raises her hand.
The farther I walk into the back, the brighter the light becomes, and the more the clinking of coffee cups fills the silence.
Tessa, the barista, lights up when she sees me and waves enthusiastically.
I can’t help but grin and wave back before I let my eyes dart over the café.
All seats but two are empty, and neither of those customers is Catherine Durand, MD.
She didn’t come. The feelings of defeat, rejection, and sadness settle somewhere in my chest as I sink down in my favorite spot.
I reach for my phone, but there are no unread messages.
It’s still early. Maybe not that punctual, then.
Tessa pulls me from my thoughts when she puts the cappuccino in front of me, a small worried frown on her face.
“Is everything okay, Mar?”
I smile up at her and nod.
“Yep. Thanks for the coffee.”
She regards me for a moment, and I struggle not to shrink under her gaze. She squints, but she nods slowly regardless.
“No problem, it’s on the house.”
For some reason, that hits me even harder. Apparently, I’m now giving off desperate enough vibes to make people pity me. Still, I grit my teeth and smile.
“Thanks, Tessa.”
I make it a point of grabbing my phone, and she luckily takes the hint, stepping away to tend to the other customers. When it buzzes, I almost yelp, but the dark cloud in the pit of my stomach stirs.
01:31 p.m. – Katherina
I’m almost there. Ran late.
No fluff, no excuse, nothing. Just the notification. Still, I feel a chuckle bubble up from within me. She’s coming. She is actually coming. The corners of my mouth tug up, and by the time I lift my eyes, I see Tessa grinning at me. I wink at her, and she nods in return. No words needed.
I pull out my notebook but hesitate for a moment when my gaze catches on the cup of coffee. My teeth scrape my bottom lip before I grab my phone again.
01:33 p.m. – Mary Mary
What’s your poison?
“Coffee. Black.”
Her voice comes from behind me, low and close. I startle and turn in my seat to see her standing right behind me, phone in hand, eyebrow raised. There is a soft smile on her face, but it’s gone as soon as I blink.
“May I?”
She gestures at the chair, and I chuckle.
“That’s kind of the idea, Doctora.”
Her eyebrows lift, and she huffs out something that could almost be a laugh before she steps away to sit down in the chair opposite me. She shakes her head gently before her umber eyes bore into mine. I hold her gaze, which makes her squint a little bit.
She opens her mouth to speak, but I deliberately turn my head away to grab Tessa’s attention. The barista has been watching the brief exchange silently and instantly moves toward us when I wave her over.
“Hi, what can I get you?” she asks in a honey-sweet voice, her eyes never leaving the doctor.
“Coffee. Black,” I answer before she can.
I grin triumphantly when her eyes widen, but she lifts her chin and nods to confirm it anyway. All while holding my gaze.