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The room was small and sterile, with only the patient’s bed, a reclining chair in the corner, and a small table that was littered with things. Jazmín was still in school, and because of her health issues, she did a lot of her schooling online. I had lost count of how many times she’d been here. It was probably her ninth or tenth, her initial diagnosis well before I was a resident at this hospital. She had been in remission for a few years, but it had since come back. It was looking good for her despite the very real possibility of another round of chemo in the next few months.
“Hey, you,” I said, and Jazmín’s lids fluttered open. She smiled at me, her silver braces glinting in the dim light. Her drapes were open, and the moonlight was shining into the room.
“Oh my god,” she said, placing one of her hands over her heart. “You scared me to death.”
I rolled my eyes and bit my cheek to avoid laughing. She was one of the more dramatic patients. She loved the attention and thrived on being social, so the long hours just sitting by herself were hard.
“Okay, let’s check you out, yeah?”
“Lucía,” she croaked, her voice still laced with sleep, but she pushed her body against the headboard and moved the covers away from her body. “I thought it was your day off today.”
I cocked my head and looked at her, lips tilting up slightly, slyly. “I’m covering for Dr. David today. His son is sick, and his wife had to be in surgery until late.” I grabbed my stethoscope from around my neck and placed it in my ears, rubbing the chest piece a few times to warm it up before placing it on her bare skin. She unsnapped the sides of her hospital gown, the stiff fabric falling down towards her lap.
“But also, you are so nosy,” I drawled, my eyes going wide for dramatic effect.
She hooted a laugh, the sound reverberating in the room above the sounds of the machines near her bed.
“What? It’s my brand.” She lifted one shoulder and then dropped it immediately, cocking her head in response. “I thought it was your boyfriend’s birthday today.”
Damn her and her good memory.
“Ah,” I said, then looked away from her, focusing instead on the sounds I could hear through the earpieces that were tight in my ears. “Right.”
She gasped. “Oh no. What happened?”
What happened was that he thought my career took up too much time, too many nights away from him. The classic reason why I couldn’t make anyone stay. He was impressed at first, oohing and aahing at the stories I told.But then the novelty wore off, and I wasn’t enough to make him stay.
“Whatever.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “Grown-up things.”
She frowned, then reached out and squeezed my bicep. Once, twice, then dropped her hand back towards her body.
A grin sprang across her face. It was full of mischief, and it almost made me stay and tell her all the details. “Oh my god, call Sonia in, and we can stalk him on social media and comment nasty things on his photos.”
I barked out a laugh at the absurdity of the scene. A teenage patient acting like a sister, immediately on my side, no questions asked. I shook my head and draped the stethoscope back around my neck. She slumped back into the bed and dragged the covers up to her chin, relaxing into the pillows and closing her eyes.
“Tomorrow,” she said, visibly worn out. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”
And then I was out the door of that room, the nurses back at their station and everything around me back to normal.
Back to normal.
The knock on my door startled me, and I sat up on the bed, the covers pooling around my waist. The sun was now creeping in, the shadows on the floor much darker. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my brain from that fog. It was a day away, her anniversary. A date that was so close, yet so far. And there was still no reason for me to hang on to her sotightly. But I couldn’t let it go. With all my might, I tried, but I just couldn’t.
“Lu?”
It was Charlie outside my room, waiting for me to reply. Either of my other two brothers would have knocked and then walked right in, but Charlie was the one who had the most decorum. He was grumpy as all hell, who knew why, but the most respectful. He didn’t want anyone up in his business, so he stayed in his lane, only asking questions when needed. It was a relief, really, because I didn’t have to pretend around him.
“Aha,”I answered. It was the fifth word I had uttered that day, more than I had planned. I enjoyed my quiet mornings off, leaving my room once the house was quiet and no one was around. But with the wedding so close, it was impossible to get that time alone. “Come in, Charlie.”
“Hey, did I wake you?” he asked, looking around the room and zoning in on the open window. He frowned and walked right in, making a beeline to close it. “Keep the windows closed. It’s going to be hot outside today.”
I was always amused by his practicality—always quietly looking out for others. “What’s up?” I said as I got out of bed and grabbed my phone off the nightstand where it was charging. I immediately looked and saw that I had twenty-seven new text messages, all from unknown numbers. I would have normally loved it, having people rely on me to care for their sick loved ones. I scowled.
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I need to hide for a second.”
I bit my lips to avoid laughing at him. “Who’s downstairs?” I whispered to him, widening my eyes to create a more dramatic effect. “Should I stay in hiding too?”
“Not funny.”
