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“I didn’t,” she squeaked. “Just a weird coincidence.”
“I’ll get your suitcase,” Charlie said, avoiding my gaze and heading towards the back of the car. He unlocked the trunk and slid the piece of luggage out with ease. He looked good. Relaxed. A second later, he was right next to me, sliding his arm around my shoulder and kissing the top of my head. He didn’t look like the uptight attorney that greeted people with formal words like “good evening” or scowled at passersby on his way to work.
We walked into the house and back towards the kitchen, where I set my things and sat at the small table by the window. I looked up, and both of them were staring at me, eyes intently on mine, waiting for answers.
I sighed. “I…” I looked around, trying to come up with a coherent order to my words. “I think I’m ready to move back.”
Charlie cocked his head, and Valentina smiled, her face lighting up with excitement. My eyes watered a little, the tears threatening to fall. All because of her reaction.
“About damn time,” she said, extending her hand over to Charlie. He grunted and took out his wallet, placing a large bill in her hand. She was giddy like I’d never seen her before.
“You bet on it?” I squeaked, my mouth falling open. “When?”
“Duh,” she said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. It’d been a few weeks since I'd last seen her do this, a few days before the wedding. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “I’ve been on to you for months now.”
I stood abruptly, then lunged towards her and wrappedmy arms around her. Her chest was vibrating with laughter, the sound muffled against my shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shook her head, and I pulled back. There was something else there. If I didn’t know her as well as I did, I would say it was pity. But maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was true, genuine concern.
“Mom and Dad have also been on our case for months. Why do you think they’ve been so extra?” Charlie asked.
“They are always extra, Charlie.”
“Yeah, but probably since July, they’ve been more worried.”
“I thought it was just the wedding jitters.” How had I been so oblivious to their concern? Was it so obvious that I was walking on eggshells around my family, trying to get away with my grief while helping out? I had always been a helper—I loved it. And it was partially the reason why I was a doctor. I wanted to help. It was my calling. “Oh my god.”
“Did you talk to them?” Charlie asked, leaning against the island counter. Valentina was focused on me, probably trying to absorb every single moment of my reaction.
“Yeah, briefly. But I owe them an explanation.”
He grunted.
“Okay,” Valentina said. “What next?”
What next?
“An interview. Tomorrow.”
32
LUCÍA
The hospital smelledand sounded the same as the last time I’d been here three years ago. The constant beeping of the machines was front and center, yet so far removed from me because I hadn’t touched one in as long. The hustle and bustle of the pediatrics wing was so familiar to me. It was not the pace we had at the practice back in Tres Fuegos, which had once been a welcome breath of fresh air but had slowly turned musty.
I recognized a few faces, especially at the nurses’ station, but a lot of the doctors were unfamiliar to me. New residents and new attendings, for sure. I wondered who the patients were, if I knew any of them still. Because Jazmín had been in and out of this hospital for years, it was a very likely possibility.
Sonia was standing in the middle of the nurses’ station in her street clothes. She had been, ever since I started, atleast, in charge of the night shift, so she looked out of place in plain daylight, out of her scrubs with her hair down and relaxed by her shoulders. She was talking to one of the nurses I didn’t recognize, but she turned her face towards me and winked, a bright smile on her face.
“Dr. Williams,” someone said from behind me. Dr. Varela was standing right outside a hospital room, wearing the pediatrics pink scrubs and his white coat over them. He looked older, deep lines across his forehead and hair thinning. Once upon a time, he had been a great teacher, and I was sure it was still the case for the incoming residents. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said with a big smile, walking a few steps towards me and wrapping one arm around my shoulders. His smile crinkled his eyes, his gaze studying my face closely.
“Hello, Doctor.” I smiled back at him. My heart was beating inside my chest from the nerves, but I couldn’t help feeling joy. Being back here, even just for a visit, gave me a rush of adrenaline.
“Pft, none of that.” He draped his stethoscope around his neck and tucked his notepad in one of his coat pockets, a move that I’d most likely learned from him. He always took notes while seeing patients, making it easier to chart later, when the shift was quiet and the kids were asleep. “I’m not much older than you are,” he said with a laugh.
He spun on his heel and walked the opposite way, and I rushed to catch up to him. His steps were light, his sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floors of the hallway,one of many shoes that announced a presence in the space. The attending’s office was located in the far corner of the pediatrics wing, tucked away between two on-call rooms. It was shared among all the attendings, so there was always someone inside. As residents, we could also use the computers there if we needed to chart and if the ones by the nurses’ stations were being used. It was familiar being here. The smell, over everything, was something that reminded me so much of those interminable nights, when we would spend so many hours together, talking through complicated cases or even catching each other up on our lives. I hadn’t had that in years, and I missed it terribly.
“So,” he said, taking a seat at one of the desks, swiveling his chair towards me. The office was rectangular in shape, and desks lined either side. I sat on a chair close to the door and crossed my legs, then uncrossed them. “What have you been up to?”
