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In the few years I had been in business, I had switched my specialty from dealing with adults to helping children. Many of the families had insurance that barely paid what was needed. We worked out plans to help them pay off the treatments while keeping in mind their other bills and incomes. Every child that left my office at the end of treatment received a gift, some simple like tickets to a baseball game, some more intense, like the weekend at the dude ranch. No matter what I gave them, I knew that I was showing them that no matter how hard things are, if you put your mind to it and get through what you need to do, then you would find your reward.
Bethany would be going to the circus, and I could just imagine the smile that would fill her face as she watched the acrobats soaring through the air.
Six hours later, I was changing into shorts and a t-shirt so I could meet up with the guys for a little basketball game. Every other week, we tried to meet at the hospital gym and play a few quick games. It gave us a chance to unwind and rib each other about the good and the bad of our jobs.
Tonight as I ran around the court, I was distracted, not by my earlier surgery, that had gone wonderfully and I had no doubts that, in a year, the scar would be next to invisible on her arm.
Instead, the moment I had opened the door of the operating suite, I had been slammed with thoughts of Ember again.
Walker tossed me the ball, and I barely caught it. I had to turn to avoid it being ripped from my hands. “What’s up with you, Colt?”
“Sorry, distracted,” I said as I dribbled past him. A few minutes later, we finished the game, and by some strange luck our team won. That had nothing to do with me, for sure.
“Whit told me about this thing you’re doing,” Walker broached as I wiped a towel down my face.
Wow, that news had traveled fast. “Yeah, so?”
“Who is she?” He sucked water from his water bottle while he waited for me to answer.
“Just a girl, no one you know.”
“Come on, man. We’ve been friends for years. You gotta fill me in on this. Where did you find her? Whit said you were like seeing her for four weeks to prove something to her.”
“Yeah, trying to show her that there are men out there that aren’t pigs, and she deserves better.” Walker followed me into the locker room.
“Why the hell are you doing that?” He pulled open his locker and pulled out his shower bag.
“Because she’s a great woman who doesn’t see it. She’s gorgeous, but she thinks that’s the only good thing about herself.” I dropped my shorts and boxers and wrapped a towel around my waist.
“Wait!” Walker’s jaw dropped. “You’re talking about that chick with the hot ass, chilling eyes, and that crazy ink on her arm from Shot Therapy, aren’t you?”
“Her name is Ember.” I grabbed my shower kit and headed toward the showers.
“You’re banging her? Dude, are you nuts? She’s screwed half the guys in New York.”
My anger began to build, and I spun around toward the lockers and called out, “Hey, has anyone in here slept with a girl named Ember?”
The guys gave me either a blank stare or shook their heads. “Guess she hasn’t slept with half of New York,” I threw at Walker and went to the showers.
“That’s because these guys know better. You’re going to get some kind of disease if you start banging that.”
Before I undid my towel, I spun on Walker, “Don’t you say another fucking word about her. I’m not sleeping with her, you asshole, but even if I was, that’s none of your fucking business, got it?”
Walker held one of his hands up, “Whoa, got it.” He backed up and began to turn, but stopped and looked at me. “Let me just ask you this one question: What’s she doing tonight?”
“I don’t know, she said she had plans.” I hung up my kit and unzipped it.
“So, in other words, she’s out at some bar picking up some guy. If you’re not banging her, then who is? I think you’re making a bad move here, my friend. Get out of it while you still can.”
Walker walked away to leave me stewing on his words. It wasn’t too far off from what I had been thinking about all day. What if she was out?
After my shower, I sent her a text message just to say hi. Ten minutes later as I was leaving the hospital complex, I still hadn’t gotten a reply. I hit the call button and listened to it ring four times before going to voicemail. I hung up without leaving a message.
A glance at my watch showed me it was almost nine-thirty. Was she out someplace where the music was too loud for her to hear her phone? Or was she otherwise occupied?
The thought burned a hole in my gut, and as I climbed in the taxi, I gave the driver her address. I was going to go find out where she was and with whom.
As I sat in the back of the taxi, I kind of hated myself for doing this, but I needed to prove to myself and to everyone else that she wasn’t out there hooking up.
