“If Vinny can’t be here with me, I’ll go home with him.”
“He can’t stay,” Jay said.“And if you walk out that door and you’re fired.”
“What’s going on?”asked Dr.Stillwell, the owner of the clinic.The man seemed to be at work all the time.He barely left the building.
“She showed up with a kid.We have a strict ‘no kids in the clinic during shifts’ policy,” Jay said.“She also brought her own dog.”
“He left me no choice, Dr.Stillwell,” I said.“We just drove fourteen hours from North Carolina in horrid traffic and snow to be here.”
“Let’s take this into my office.”Dr.Stillwell led the way to the back of the clinic and into an office with papers stacked almost to the ceiling in every corner.There were a few dusty models of animal parts on a top shelf next to a bunch of decades old textbooks.Boxes of unused stethoscopes likely bought on sale years ago were stacked ten high and three wide on the corner of the desk.He ordered, “Sit.”
I sat with Vinny on the two-person mini-sofa near the window.Tracker sat on my feet.Instead of a curtain or blinds, a black sheet had been thrown over the window to block out a view of the street.
Jay refused to sit.Instead, he paced.Back and forth.“She has no more time off days after her flu in January.She just took four more days to go to North Carolina.”
“For afuneral.My father and stepmother died in a car accident last week,” I interrupted.“They’re dead.Do you understand what that means?They’re gone.I am their only adult relative.I had to deal with everything for their funeral.I’m not even sure what to do yet with Dad’s house and business.I’m also my brother’s sole guardian.”
Jay continued as if I hadn’t interrupted.“She brought a kid here.That’s a violation.If she takes off tonight, she loses her residency.”
“That is a problem,” Dr.Stillwell said.“We need you working tonight, Erika.”
“Exactly,” Jay added like the two of them were a married couple that finished each other’s sentences.
There was no hope for me to win this war.I slouched on the sofa and waited for them to make up their minds about my future.
They bickered about things marginally related to me.They complained about the other doctors and taxes.
“I want to go home,” Vinny whispered.“I want to be closer to Mom and Dad.”
“I know.”I pulled him into me, holding him tight.“I know this is hard.”
He buried his face in my chest.I hoped he wasn’t crying.If he was, I wasn’t sure I could keep it together myself.
After a moment he pulled back, swiping at his nose.“Coach would never yell at you like that.He’d let me stay at the clinic.”
I brushed my thumb under his eye.“He would.He’s good like that.He’d want you where you feel safe.”
“He likes you,” Vinny said quietly.“I think Sarah’s right.The way he stared at you when you played that game at the bar wasn’t how he looks at anyone else.”
Heat spread through my chest, surprising me.“Maybe,” I said gently.“What I do know is that he thinks you’re pretty great.He was really upset about you leaving.”
Vinny hesitated.“Can I play baseball up here?What if they don’t like me?”
“You belong on a field anywhere you want to play.If someone doesn’t see that right away, that’s their problem, not yours.”
His lip trembled.“Kids call me stupid because I have to take all those learning classes.They’ll do that again here.”
My chest tightened.“Hey.”I waited until he looked at me.“Needing help doesn’t mean you’re stupid.It means you’re learning in your own way.I promise I won’t let anyone make you feel small.”
He sniffled.“I want Mom.”
“I know.”I hugged him again, slower this time, steadier.“Until we can get you closer to her, I’m right here.You don’t have to do this alone.”
Damn it, Josh was right.This was too much for Vinny.
I stared around the messy office that had no heart.There weren’t any pictures of cows or favorite patients.No cards decorated the walls.There were no plaques of sports teams the clinic had sponsored.There wasn’t even a picture of a child or significant other.I couldn’t remember a moment when anyone personal to Dr.Stillwell visited the clinic.
Even my small quarter-of-a-desk had pictures of patients I’d lost and a few I’d saved.I had a little kitty figurine from the owner of a cat I’d helped years ago.I kept all the thank-you cards in my cubby.Surprisingly, we got more for deaths than we did for anything else.
