BenI was getting too close to the investigations.“I don’t want everything they worked for to be for nothing.”My mom nodded. “I can understand that. I know why you chose to take over the company again. Just remember to put your happiness first. Always. Your dad and Dean were both serious about what they wanted, but they were happy where they were, too. I’m sure that neither of them would have wanted you to give up your happiness.”“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks, Mom.”She hugged me, wrapping her arms around me, but I couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t really as easy as she was making it sound.“Now, let me fix up a room,” my mom said.I shook my head. “You don’t have to go out of your way, mom. I’ll stay at a hotel.”“Nonsense. You’re home for a while, I want to spend time with you while I have you.”“Okay,” I said, knowing I couldn’t argue with her. I hadn’t lived at home in ten years, but it would be good to stay with my mom and Paul for a couple of days.When my mom had fussed abou
MilaSkylar and I were at The Cottage again on Saturday night. This time, I felt better. I had slept most of the day and having a break from the ICU and all the patients that were fighting for their lives had done me good. I was laughing again, and I didn’t feel like I was being dragged down by life itself anymore.I had on a mint-green summer dress and ballerina flats. Skylar wore blue that made her eyes look like ice, and we sat at the bar, laughing and talking and drinking. Jerrod was with us, and even though I hadn’t been on the best terms with him, we were getting along tonight. I couldn’t always treat him like shit because my life hadn’t worked out the way I had wanted it to.We were having a good time. Skylar was telling us about something that had happened at the offices where she worked, and Jerrod and I were in stitches. Skylar was hilarious when she was tipsy, and it was only getting worse.“Can I join you?” a familiar voice said behind me. When I turned, Ben stood there in
MilaI knew that Skylar wanted to gossip about Ben; this was nothing about safety-in-numbers the way we always did it when we went out to clubs. But I wanted to be alone. My head was spinning, both with alcohol and the confusion about Ben being here, and I needed a moment to breathe.When I pushed through the door that led to the restrooms, Ben was suddenly right behind me. We were caught between the doors that led to the ladies’ and men’s restrooms respectively, and the door that led back to the dining room.“Ben,” I said. He was catching me off guard a lot tonight. “What are you doing?”“I wanted to talk to you. Alone. It’s the reason I’m here.”I started shaking my head.“Why didn’t you call me back?” Ben asked.I narrowed my eyes at him. I was still pissed off. Why was he making this harder for me than it needed to be? We could just go our separate ways. I thought we had.“You can’t tell me you don’t know the answer to that,” I said.“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry. Okay? I was a jerk. Eve
BenI lay in the bed my mom had set up for me in the office and looked up at the ceiling I had grown up under. I had always had pictures of models and sports teams on the walls. Now, the walls were bare, save for a water painting that one Miranda Castle had given my mom.Miranda, Mila and Jerrod’s mom, was my mom’s best friend. Their friendship was one of the reasons Jerrod and I had known each other for so long. Our friendship had started with play-dates in kindergarten so that our moms could get together and talk shit. Or share parenting tips. Or whatever it was that women talked about when they got together.Who would have thought that so many years down the line, I would have fallen for my best friend’s little sister? I had practically grown up with her. I had been in the Castle’s house or restaurant so many times, Mila had felt like my own sister.But that had changed. I didn’t see her as a sister at all, now.She had been distant when I had first arrived, last night. She had bee
Ben“I don’t know yet. I think I’ll head out and see a few people while I’m here.”My mom nodded. “Just let me know if you’re eating here tonight, or not.”I agreed, and my mom left me to my cereal. I was glad. My thoughts were on Mila, and I wanted to sit alone, rather than force myself not to be distracted.After breakfast, I phoned Mila. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and I needed to see her.“Can we meet up later today?” I asked, relieved that she’d answered. I’d had more of a chance this time, though.“I have plans with my parents,” she said. “We’ve been planning this for a while.”“How about dinner tomorrow night, then?” I asked. I had to talk to her. I had to be in her presence, even if just for a little while.“I’m working a double shift tomorrow. It’s rough at the hospital, at the moment.”Was she trying to avoid me?“How about Wednesday?” she asked. “I have the evening off and no double.”I smiled. She wasn’t avoiding me. “That works for
MilaOn Monday, back at work, I was as busy as I had been the previous week. A lot of the patients were no better despite the time that had passed. I had relaxed over the weekend, able to get my mind off everything that had been happening at the hospital, and I was ready to jump in again and do what needed to be done.Some of the patients had been put into medically induced comas so that they didn’t have to deal with the pain. There was a time when that hadn’t been possible, and every day I saw how the patients were suffering. I was thankful for modern medicine. The medication helped so much when a patient couldn’t tolerate the pain.Before I started with my duties, I was informed that some of the patients would be brought out of their comas. Two of them could be moved to a recovery room, about which I was relieved. Even though they would move to someone else’s care, it meant that they were healing well enough that they could walk out of here again.That was all that mattered.“Nurse,
Mila“She’s perfectly fine,” I said. “She’s stable and out of danger.”“This is ridiculous,” Mrs. Wright said, shaking her head. She was even more worked up than before. Mr. Wright looked like he had withdrawn into himself. I understood it; he couldn’t run on the adrenaline or fear for very long. Everyone had a different way to cope with stress. I understood what Mr. Wright was doing, but it left Mrs. Wright untethered, and she needed that anchor. If not to reality, then to hope.“It will take time, ma’am,” I said. “I consulted one of my colleagues, and she assured me that this isn’t unheard of.”“Is your colleague another nurse?” Mrs. Wright asked.I nodded. “She has more experience with trauma patients than I do.”“But you’re still just a nurse!” Mrs. Wright shouted. “What do you know? Maybe, if you want to stand there and offer medical advice to patients, you should go back to medical school and get the degree to back up your information.”I took a deep breath and let it out slowly
BenWednesday finally rolled around. I had made the most of the days in between while I counted down to see Mila again. I had gone to the station to see the guys. I had worked as a firefighter – my dream job – for only a few short weeks after Uncle Dean had bought the company from me to give me my freedom. But then he had passed away. I had built wonderful friendships, but I’d had to quit. They had all wished me well except Tyler. I had gone to school with him back in the day, and he’d been hostile.When I had gone to see them, Tyler had been distant and switched off, polite but nothing more. I had been upset until Sam, one of the other firefighters and the worst cook that ever walked the face of the earth, told me that Tyler became very attached to people and hadn’t taken my departure very well.I felt bad that I had done it to him, but he wasn’t the only person I had left behind.I had spent time with other friends and family members, too. But I was mainly back in Portland for Mila,