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“In so many words.”
I wanted to be able to do something for Eimy and Yasmine, but I’d have to think about it before I got more involved.
We had a pleasant time. She asked me questions about myself, which sort of proved to me she was interested in more than a lunch. I hoped. I didn’t have any friends in New York that weren’t in Randy’s realm, and I wanted my own friendships outside of work.
When we finished, it was difficult to part. I thought it just might be me, but then Eimy said, “I wish we could see each other again.”
“We can. You know right where I live. I start my new job tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll be home by six. Why don’t you come by with the baby and we’ll have dinner together?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’d love it. Plus, I have all the baby supplies you might need, too.”
We left the restaurant with the plan to see each other the next night. I walked to my car with a light heart after leaving her. It was so difficult not to imagine a plan for how I might save her and the baby from Emory. I’d have to be careful not to think I could be anything more than a friend to her.
The next day, I got up at seven and prepared for my first day on the job. The dress code for the security department was dressy casual, so I wore dark pants, a white shirt, and a gray sweater.
I got there at nine and met with the head of security, who rambled on for ten minutes about Saving New York, and my father. I stifled a yawn, and he finally got down to business. For the first month, I’d team up with another security officer, Jane Craighead.
Jane volunteered to lead me around. I felt comfortable with her right away. I didn’t know a thing about patrolling a hospital or following up on incidents and made sure she was aware of it.
“No worries. I’ll show you what to do, and in time, you’ll be on your own. All we do is keep the peace. If there are any physical altercations, we stop them if we can without harming ourselves or a patient, or we call the NYPD if we can’t. We make sure to lock the doors and that smoke detectors haven’t been tampered with—a constant problem here with smokers wanting their way. We make rounds on all twenty-five floors, so there is always a security presence.”
It didn’t take me long to figure out my priorities. The hospital had bell codes I’d need to learn, and certain rules about which they were super strict, like no smoking. That first day together, Jane had me patrol a floor by myself, and I photographed issues that were concerning and texted her if I questioned something. It was a satisfying day, and I learned a lot about acting autonomously. Security rarely patrolled in pairs; there was too much ground to cover.
That evening, I arrived home at five-thirty, just as my phone beeped with a text from Eimy Simon.
Are we still on for this evening?
Locking the door, I put the phone and bags down on the hall table and unbuttoned my coat. After my first day, mentally exhausted, I wanted to be alone to do my nails and eat cereal for dinner. But I’d invited Eimy, and to make an excuse to cancel seemed like the death sentence for a friendship. So, I answered in the positive.
Yes! Of course. Come now. I’m home earlier than I thought.
I typed in my address and then called the desk to warn Ben that a guest was on her way. At six, there was a tap on the door. Some of the excitement I’d felt the day before had returned, and I ran to answer. Eimy was standing there with the baby in a carrier on her chest, a diaper bag over her arm, and a backpack on her back.
“That’s a lot of stuff to haul around,” I said, standing aside so she could come in.
“I’m used to it.”
“I bought the baby a stroller. You can take it.”
“Really? Thank you so much. A stroller is a luxury.”
“A stroller is a necessity,” I said, fuming. I wondered why her boss, who had a toddler, hadn’t offered her castoffs to Yasmine.
I helped Eimy get the carrier off her chest. “How do you get the backpack off alone?”
“I stand with my back against the bed and kind of shake it off,” she said, laughing.
I showed her the porta crib in the guest room, the stroller, and all the supplies I had purchased. While we talked, I unfolded the crib and made up the mattress with sheets and baby blankets.
“It looks like you were planning on keeping her if I didn’t show up,” Eimy said.
“I was. I mean, I didn’t know for sure, but I hoped. Having you here is just as nice. I feel really lucky right now.”
“That’s so nice,” she replied.
“How’d you end up in New York?”
