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Chapter Two
Wesley
My feet pounded the macadam pathway through the park. It was a gorgeous spring morning, and I was getting my run in before I had to start my next shift at the hospital. Normally, I did my run first thing in the morning, but I’d had to cover a second shift in the emergency department after our other on-staff emergency department pediatrician had a family issue.
When the shift was over, I’d grabbed five hours of sleep and then took off for my run. I needed to get at least four miles under my tread, or I didn’t feel like I had accomplished anything. On my day’s off, I’d drive over to the ocean and run along the beach. I much preferred running on the sand and listening to the waves crash while the seagulls called out to one another. I never wore earbuds when I ran on the beach because nature was my melody.
Here in the city, that was a different story. I used music to tune out the engine noise, the tires squealing, horns honking, and the chatter along my route. The only time I’d turn my music down was when I entered the park. Here, I’d remove one of the earbuds, and allow the sounds of people enjoying life to drift over me.
Pets would bark, adults would call out to one another as they played ball or frisbee, and kids would squeal. Jogging past the playground was almost my favorite part of this route. Now that winter was officially over, and the spring flowers were blooming everywhere, the park was usually occupied.
In winter, the swings would rock back and forth with the wind, as if they were lonely and trying to entice anyone to come to join them. But in spring, they were constantly full, and the giggles and chatter of the children always warmed my heart.
I came from a family of six kids, and I had hopes of having a large one myself. Maybe not six, but at least three or four. My memories of growing up with two older siblings and three younger ones were good. We were close then and remained that way today.
Now that I had my residency at the hospital, and I was feeling much more comfortable in my occupation, I was ready to start looking. I’d been on many dates over the last few years, but nothing felt right. A few of the women had been enjoyable, and I liked them, but I just didn’t see myself raising a family with them.
I was getting close to the playground, and I smiled as I saw how busy it was today. The cheers and antics of the kids never ceased to astound me, and I think that is why I went into pediatric medicine. Kids fascinated me. The way their minds worked, what they saw, and how they reacted when people weren’t watching them always amazed me.
I noticed a little girl at the top of the apparatus, she was climbing over the railing. “Oh, little girl, don’t do that,” I said softly to myself as my feet started to pick up a little speed.
I glanced around the park, not seeing any parents that might be heading toward her. Most of them were sitting in groups talking, and one woman was walking into the parking lot.
My gaze went back to the brown-haired girl in the bright green shirt. She was leaning over the railing. My pace grew a little faster, and I saw her face, eyes wide as she felt herself beginning to fall. She tumbled over the rail, through the monkey bars to the wood chips below, face first.
“Oh, shit!” I tore off the path right toward her and scanned the park again quickly to see if anyone was coming to help her. No one seemed to be paying any mind to the young girl. Where the hell was her parent? How could someone not be watching out for the most precious thing that life could give them?
The little girl sat up, looking dazed, and got to her knees. “No, baby girl, stay still.” I was saying to myself. I was worried she might have injured her neck when she fell. But she got to her feet, wiping her hands and looking like she was about to cry.
I reached her and scooped her up as carefully as I could just as another kid started over the monkey bars, totally oblivious to the younger girl looking dazed in his path. Had I not moved her; he likely would have kicked her upside the face.
She stared at me with big blue eyes, “Hey, sweetie. I saw you fall. I’m a doctor, I just want to check you out, okay?”
She nodded, and I carried her carefully, my arms out in front of me so that her body didn’t touch mine. I didn’t want to be accused of touching a tender aged child inappropriately. At the closest picnic table, I set her down on a bench and squatted in front of her.
“Where is your mom?”
Her eyes shifted to the side, and I glanced in that direction to see a woman with red hair talking to two smaller kids. “Are you here with them?” She shook her head, I sighed. “Okay, that’s all right. We will find your mom in a minute, but can I look at your head? Looks like you’re getting a bump on it.”
She nodded slowly.
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“You can’t?”
She shook her head, and I noted that the bump was raising quickly. In the distance, I heard a woman scream the name Marisol, “Is your name, Marisol?”
She nodded.
“Okay, looks like mom is coming now.” I grinned at her. I’m going to cover your eye for a moment, okay?”
She nodded, and I covered one eye then the other to check the pupil response the best I could. At the moment they were equal and reactive, that was good. I was brushing the hair off her bump when I was slammed into from the side. As my world tilted, my cheek made contact with the bench, I pictured someone the size of a linebacker plowing into me, but when I turned to look up, it was just the opposite.
The woman was tiny and had panic written over half her features. The other half was decorated with holy-pissed-off.
“How dare you touch my child! You pervert! Sick bastard! I’m calling the police.” Her blue eyes spit deadly venom at me as she screamed. She went on to berate me for a few more moments while she picked up her daughter and took off in a huff.
