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I pull myself out of my head and back to my patient's chart. Time to dig in.
* * *
My eyesfly open to the sound of the sharp buzzer. The clock reads six am and I moan, rolling over and covering my head with my pillow.
I got to bed maybe five hours ago, having not left work until ten. With my eyes burning and my head pounding, I still stopped by my mother's house.
Jane and she talked my ear off until midnight, when I finally told them I had to get some sleep or I'd never get through the next work day.
Only five more minutes... I think as I drift back to sleep.
* * *
I'm joltedawake by my phone's shrill alarm.
After I press the off button, the time flashes on the screen. Shit! It's seven am!
I scramble up, throwing the covers off. I have an hour to get ready and be at work for my eight am patient. How in the hell did I fall back to sleep? I swore I hit snooze on my alarm. Thank God I have my back up one set.
I shower and dress with lightning speed and I'm out the door. Starting the car, the clock flashes seven thirty-five. Whew, enough time to stop for coffee.
As I back up, the truck Bluetooth kicks on, a call ringing through. Jim's name pops up on the dash and I press the answer button on my steering wheel.
"What's up, man?" Jim's cheerful voice says.
"Hey, Jim, how's it going? Another day, another dollar?"
"You know it, bro. Still on for Sunday?"
"Yup, I'm looking forward to it. Pizza, beer, and the Red Sox game. Hell yeah."
"Best part of my week. Guess who I ran into last night?"
"Uhh...Ron?"
Jim laughs. "No. I was out with a few coworkers having drinks. Directly across from us, I make eye contact with the one and only…. Sharon."
"What?" My jaw drops. I didn't expect him to say that name.
"You heard it right. As soon as she saw me, she was next to me in a flash. Asking where you were."
I groan. We broke up over a year ago and she's still wondering where I am? "You didn't tell her anything, right?" I steer my truck into a local coffee shop near work, the drive through line short this morning.
"No, of course not. I lied and told her we don't speak anymore."
I chuckle. Only Jim. "How did she take that?"
"I don't think she fully believed me. She looked rough. And, the guy she was there with wasn't a winner in the least bit. I'm sure her psycho ass has made its way around and men steer clear."
"Yeah, I feel for the poor suckers."
"I hear ya, man. She tried asking all types of questions but I wouldn't feed into any of it. Eventually, she got tired of me turning away from her and headed back to her sorry looking date."
"Thanks for not telling her anything. Man, that chick needs to get her head fixed. It's been over a year and she's asking about me? I've done everything I can to forget her."
I order my coffee as Jim goes on and on about how bad Sharon looked. We hang up a few minutes later. My head spins with the information Jim dropped on me.
"Here you go, sir."
