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That was the first he’d heard her say that. “You always say that you just push it from your mind when you leave. That is how you don’t burn out.”
“I do,” she said. “But once in a while you get a win. We had one this week. I found it rewarding.”
She never talked about her work. He never asked either because he honored her comments about separating it when she left the building.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Geez,” Evan said. “What do you two talk about?”
“Not work,” he said. “Do you and Parker talk about work?”
“Nope,” Parker said. “Not unless I’ve got to or need to force your brother to attend a fundraising event.”
His brother all but growled. “Only for love,” Evan said. “Because we know how much I love putting a suit and tie on.”
Parker’s job at St. Peter’s Hospital as director of development meant she had to rub elbows with a lot of money and try to bring it in for funding. No way Christian could do that job or want any part of it.
“Tell me what happened,” he said to Liz.
“A little boy was brought in. He wasn’t far from the hospital and his parents found him in the hot tub unresponsive.”
“Oh my God,” Parker said, her hands to her mouth. “That just makes me think of Grace and our pool and hot tub. We need more security around it.”
“We’ve got plenty,” Evan said, rubbing her hand. “You know that.”
His brother was extremely protective of his family. He could understand that feeling. He was starting to develop it for Liz.
“I didn’t think there was going to be much hope for him, but they’d rushed him in in their arms and he was seen right away. By the end of the night he was awake and showing signs of being okay. He was discharged on Thursday. I don’t normally follow up with patients, but that one I was curious about.”
“That is a great story and rewarding,” Parker said. “Did you treat him?”
“He was one of my patients to monitor until they found a room for him in pediatrics. So not down in the ER for long. But enough to have an impact. The parents were beside themselves. You couldn’t help but feel their pain. Not all parents care that much,” she said, her voice trailing off.
Just another thing he remembered about her. That her mother wasn’t in her life and he wasn’t sure what happened there.
There’d been rumors from kids in school, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember much about them other than Liz’s mother left her father when Liz was young.
The six months they’d dated, Liz had said she hadn’t talked to her mother in years and he just let it go.
Now he wondered what more there was and why it seemed she’d brought this story up today of all days.
13
Innocence Of Youth
The following Tuesday, Christian parked at the pub where he was meeting his friend Tate.
“What’s this I hear you’ve got a girlfriend?” Tate asked when Christian pulled the chair out and sat. His buddy was always early for everything.
He’d felt bad he hadn’t seen his friend much in the past three months. He still texted Tate a few times a week but not much more.
“Yeah,” he said. “How did you find out?”
“Not from you,” Tate said, laughing.
The server came over, and he ordered his beer, then picked up the menu. He was in the mood for a burger more than anything else.
“Sorry. Things have been busy. You know how it is this time of year.”
