Returning to Vision meant swallowing my pride in front of Josh, which I dreaded.But the business wasn’t settled, and neither were we.In the pit of my stomach, I felt it—our story wasn’t done.That flicker of possibility?Yeah, it helped.
I glanced skyward and blinked away the burn in my eyes.I should have felt more grief about walking away from years of work.Maybe I would later.Right now, all I felt was a quiet certainty.
This was the right choice.
Vinny would wilt here.No community.No church.No friends.No baseball.A kid like him needed roots and somewhere he was known for more than what he struggled with.
That didn’t mean this was easy.I didn’t want to work in a small-town clinic forever, treating dogs with separation anxiety and cats that peed outside the litter box.I didn’t want to pull another calf or deal with a sheep’s uterine prolapse.But wanting something didn’t automatically make it worth the cost.
I looked down at Vinny.“What time is practice on Tuesday night?”
“Five.”
“Do you think you can help me pack tomorrow?Can you survive one more long day of driving on Tuesday?If we leave early, we can make practice.”
His face lit up.“Really?We can go home?”
“We can.”I smiled despite the tightness in my chest.“You have to promise me one thing.”
He straightened, suddenly solemn.“What?”
“When I inevitably argue with your coach, you’re on my side.He and I are probably going to clash.”
He held out his hand.“Deal.We’re on each other’s team first.”
“Team Chomping,” I said, shaking on it.
Then I stood and said it out loud.“I quit.”
The men didn’t stop their discussion.I clapped my hands.Both turned to look at me.“I said, I quit.”
Jay looked like he’d seen a ghost doing taxes in his living room.“If you walk away from your residency, you will lose your chance to take the board exam.Didn’t you already pay the fee?”
“I’ve learned a few things this week.The most important is that I don’t need either of you.The second is that this job is not what’s most important right now.”
“You’re a second-rate ER doctor at best,” Jay snarled.
I forced a smile.“We both know that’s not true.”
“There’s a $1500 breach of contract clause.”Jay stared down at me, sneering with superiority.
“I’m sure you’ll take it out of my last paycheck.That’s the least of my problems right now.”I held out my hand for Vinny.He put his hand in mine.“We’re leaving.”
ChapterNineteen
JOSH
I rakeddirt into the crater on the lead off side of first base where the kids liked to dig a hole with their cleats.I worried a kid would break an ankle in the pit.
Drew’s lifted black Ford truck with mud splashed sides pulled into a parking spot next to the field right in the foul ball territory.Anyone who parked there was in danger of getting a cracked windshield from a flying baseball.
Maybe one of his cows bloated or something.I yanked my phone out of my back pocket.No messages about an emergency.Milly had sent me three messages that I hadn’t read yet and still didn’t.They’d either be about going out, coming over, or showing up to her bible study class tonight.The thought of any and all three drained me.
I held a hand to my forehead to shade the setting sun’s light.Drew didn’t exit his truck.He didn’t even wave my way.Instead, he seemed fixated on his phone.
Players arrived and lined their bags up in the dugout.Parents set up their chairs.A crisp wind fluttered around us, but it carried with it the tease of springtime.A few birds chirped in the background.
“Go ahead and do warm up tosses,” I called out.
