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Defeated, Tyler sighed. “Wait here. I’ll get the car.”
Tyler plodded through the heavy snow, narrowly avoiding an icy spot, relieved that he’d taken the trouble to remove the daily accumulation of snow from his car. There was still a thin layer blanketing the roof. He started the engine, letting the car warm up, while he grabbed a scraper and proceeded to clean off the roof, the windshield and windows, as well as the headlights.
When he pulled up to the curb, the orderly waited with Beverly and helped her in.
“Good luck, ma’am.”
“Thank you so much for your help.”
Not in a mood to carry on a conversation, Tyler concentrated on his driving, his eyes focusing on the monotonous curtain shrouding his view.
“Tyler! Careful!” Beverly’s shout pierced his dazed mind. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“I wish,” he grumbled.
He inhaled deeply, hoping to send more oxygen to his tired brain, pinched his hand to stay awake, and did his best to keep driving straight.
“Just stay in the middle of the road. At the light, turn left.” She grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it. “We’re almost there. Keep going. Don’t you dare fall asleep. Okay, turn right.”
He saw the small building and sighed in relief.
“What kind of a doctor falls asleep with a patient in the car?” she whimpered, her voice laced with fear.
“The kind who’s been working seventy-two hours,” he bellowed. “The kind who told you he was exhausted and right now could cheerfully strangle the miserable woman making him risk his life to satisfy her selfish whims. I don’t even have a fob to open the gate for the parking lot.”
“Park on the street in front of the building,” she ordered, as if he hadn’t lost his temper. “I can’t walk far anyway.”
“You can’t this, you can’t that. You want this, you don’t want that. It’s all about you,” he yelled.
At the end of his rope, he opened the door and took two steps. The brisk air slammed some awareness back into his fogged mind. He went around to her side, opened the door, and helped her out. “Hold my arm.”
“I thought you’d completely lost your manners and forgotten your Hippocratic oath.”
“Enough, Bev. My patience is running very, very thin. One more word, and I leave you right here.”
She didn’t answer but hung onto his arm. He took her up to the second floor. She unlocked the door with her key and sighed as they stepped inside. He smacked the switch.
The room flooded with light.
“I’m calling Anthony to let him know you brought me to your apartment.”
Ignoring her, too tired to think, Tyler dragged himself to the sofa. Not bothering to take off his coat or his boots, he collapsed face-first.
A ring woke him up. Automatically, he reached for the phone in his pocket.
“Dr. Kent,” he mumbled.
“Tyler, it’s Sienna. What happened?”
“Tired. Sleepy. Later...”
The phone slipped from his fingers, and he didn’t have the energy to pick it up.
***
Poor Tyler he’d sounded exhausted, so sleepy. Sienna fiddled with her phone, not sure what to say or how to act.
“Mommy, when is Doc coming?”
