“Don’t go home and watch reruns again, Stone. Come have a drink.”
I looked over at him. “What makes you think I would be going home and watching reruns?”
“What? You don’t think I can spend all of this time around you and not get a sense of the kind of things you like to do? Besides, you quote Friends far too often for it to be a coincidence. You do realize the show ended when you were like ten?”
“I like the classics.”
“I’m not sure that’s a classic.”
“Yeah? And what would you consider a classic?”
“From that time, I would say Seinfeld is the better show.”
I wrinkled my nose in a frown. “Seinfeld hasn’t aged too well, and there is the little issue of Kramer and his racism.”
“You realize that the character isn’t the actor?”
“Yeah? Then what’s your excuse?”
“God, Stone. Sometimes you can be a pain in my ass.”
I smiled. There was a time when I never would have engaged in such banter with Roberts like this, though we had always been friendly. If my friend Kate were around, I knew what she would say. She hated Roberts, and would likely be offended that he and I had remained friendly. She’d been gone the better part of the year, and I no longer knew when she would return. Now it was getting to the point where it was if she would return.
“Just come have a drink. You don’t need to sit in your friend’s condo and be lonely.”
“Oh, I won’t be lonely. I have Joey to keep me company.”
“Joey? I would’ve figured you for a Chandler.”
I arched a brow at him. “Seinfeld, huh?”
He shrugged. “I never said I hadn’t seen the show, only that I think Seinfeld is the better show. Haven’t you noticed that quite a few of the storylines in your favorite show are copied from Seinfeld?”
“I never really watched a lot of it, to be honest. Friends is easy for me. I think Seinfeld is a little too nasty for my tastes.”
“Maybe that’s why I like it.”
I continued to type my note, entering the details of the laceration repair, thankful Josh had made sure to measure and take a picture of the wound before and after the repair. There were times when I forgot to do that, and while I could document it descriptively, a picture was far easier. It would be helpful for whoever removed the sutures—at least, if they had access to our EMR.
“Fine. One drink, but I’m not going to stay out late. I already told you—“
“Yeah, I know. You have to be into work early. Eight o’clock comes far too quickly."
“Now you understand.”
Brad started to say something, when the loud scream of a siren pierced the quiet of the ER. We shared a look, and he shrugged. “Maybe we won’t get out of here all that early.”
“The only thing you can predict in the ER—”
“Is unpredictability,” Brad finished.
We shared a smile, and I looked away, needing to avoid that gaze—otherwise I’d end up doing something I might regret.
2
The Red Hen hummed with activity. It was a Friday night, which meant it was busy, though in reality, the Red Hen was always busy, especially at the end of each shift. Its proximity to the hospital made it a natural place for people who worked at Hennepin General to congregate, and the easy-going bartenders made it even more appealing for most. Roberts and I took up space along the bar, seated side-by-side, him on his second beer while I was still nursing my first. Every so often, he looked around. I would have been annoyed, but I’d gotten used to him doing that.
“You know, you’re going to hurt my feelings if you keep looking around like that.”
“Looking around like what?”
“Like you are waiting for someone better to show up.”
“And who would be better to spend my time with than you, Stone?”
I shrugged. “I asked myself that same question. Why are you looking around?”
Roberts turned his attention back to me, shrugging. “I thought we might have a few other people join us.”
“You didn’t want to just be here with me?”
“Well, seeing as how you are such incredible company, I realize how shocking that might seem to you, but you also made it painfully clear you are only here for a drink or two.”
“And you wanted to be out late?”
Brad glanced over at me. “You realize it’s a Friday night, Stone?”
I shook my head, taking a long drink. As I did, I looked around the bar, searching to see whether there was anything here that might be interesting.
“Now who’s the one that’s looking around?”
I shrugged, turning my attention back to Brad. “I wanted to see if there was anyone who might be better company.”
“Thanks.”
I smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Who could be better company than you?”
“That is what I was going to ask, but I’m glad you had the same thought.”
I took another drink from my beer, focusing on it. I didn’t come to the Red Hen often, but often enough to know several of the bartenders and waitresses reasonably well. Most of the time, I preferred to head home and sit in my condo and unwind after a shift, rather than coming out to the bar. It wasn’t that I was antisocial. I’d gone on plenty of dates, but I wasn’t comfortable bringing anyone back to the condo with me. It wasn’t my place, not really, and until I knew what was going on with Kate and where she had gone, I just didn’t feel particularly comfortable doing that.
But then, it was more than that keeping me from socializing. Most of my free time in the evenings and on days off involved me working to better understand my connection to magic. The bracelet was one part, and there were other aspects to power I wanted to better understand, including how much I would be able to do without any supplementation. The wand Barden had allowed me to use granted me access to power, and it was that power which would be the reason I mastered my magic at all.
When I finished the beer, I set it down, pushing the glass forward and away from me. Brad watched me, shaking his head. “That’s it?”
I shrugged. “Is there supposed to be more?”
“You really have changed, Stone.”
“Is that a compliment or are you insulting me again?”
“You know it’s not an insult. I’m just saying that when we were in school together, you were one of the last out partying.”
“What can I say? I’ve changed.”
“Like I said.”
I got up, tapping the bar and nodding to the bartender. Tara was about my age with asymmetrical piercings running along her right ear. She had a tattoo along the inside of one wrist I’d always found interesting. Leaning forward, I flashed a smile at her. “Don’t let him harass you too much.”
Tara glanced from me to Brad before shaking her head. “I’m not too worried about him.”
Brad smiled. “See? They aren’t worried about me.”
“Maybe because she doesn’t know you as well as she needs to.”
“I can’t say I haven’t tried. She’s isn’t interested.”
“I think I’m liking her more and more.” Heading toward the door, I glanced over my shoulder. “See you next time, Roberts.”
I headed out into the evening. It was early June, and still light outside. I enjoyed this time of year. It wasn’t as hot as it would get later in the summer, and the insects weren’t nearly as annoying as they would be, either. A hint of a breeze blew, blowing back my dark hair, and I grabbed it in one hand as I made my way along the street. The Red Hen wasn’t far from the condo. It was part of the reason I had been willing—and interested—in remaining where I was. The other reason was that Kate needed my help. When my place had burned down, and she had offered me a place to stay, it was supposed to be temporary. Later, when she had needed help, I had offered to take care of her home while she was running around and saving the magical world. It was the least
I could do, and Lucy, her cat, needed the company. For that matter, so did I. Now that I was beginning to understand I had some connection to magic, I benefited even more from being able to stay at her place. The protections around her apartment had made it so I didn’t have to fear anything, short of a significant magical attack.
As I was heading home, I had the vague sense of someone following me. One of the things Barden and his dark mages who were working with me had been trying to teach me was about having an awareness of everything around me. It was beneficial in general, but even more so when it came to magic. According to Barden, I could learn to have a sensation of power around me, and as I did, I could eventually use that power.
I paused at an intersection, looking around, but came across nothing. Just my imagination, then. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. After having survived a plot against vampires, the idea someone might be following me was not altogether surprising.
After crossing the street, I was nearly home when I heard someone calling my name. I glanced back to see Roberts jogging toward me.
“Did I forget something?”
“It’s barely 8 o’clock, Jen. You don’t need to go home and sit by yourself and stare at the TV.”
“That’s not all I was going to do,” I said.
He frowned. “That’s even sadder. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you think I was getting at, but I just meant I might have a glass of wine.” Or two, depending on how the night went. As I thought about it, I realized that was just as sad as what Brad was getting at. Drinking alone could be depressing, and though I didn’t ever drink too much, it wasn’t uncommon for me to have a glass or two of wine each night.
“I just figured you could use some company.”
“I’m not in the mood, Brad.”
“Not like that,” he said, shaking his head. “Unless you wanted to.”
I shook my head. “I think I’m fine.”
“Maybe you are, but since Michaels has been gone, you’ve been holed up in your room. You’ve got to be getting lonely.”
“I’m not that lonely.”
“Yeah? You haven’t been hanging out with anyone at work. I’ve been trying to get you to go out for drinks all winter, and how many times have you actually done it?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t gone often, but I hadn’t particularly wanted to, either. I couldn’t tell Brad, but I wasn’t nearly as lonely as he thought. Most of my time in the evenings was spent practicing magic, working with Barden or one of the dark mages he had assigned me. Several of them were younger, and I had the distinct sense Barden was trying to pair me up with them in more ways than one. I wondered what Kate would say when she returned.
If she returned.
I hated thinking like that, but the longer she was gone, the more uncertain I was that she would be able to return. What if something had happened to her while she was off trying to better understand her magic?
“If you’re worried about me, you could come to church with me,” I said.
Brad blinked, hesitating for a moment as he watched me. “You go to church?”
I shook my head. “No, but the idea of dragging you to church does have a certain appeal.”
“You have a cruel streak to you.”
“Only for you. I think my patients would say otherwise.”
“Yeah, they would. You make most of us look bad.”
“Why is that?”
We had started walking, and without realizing it, I found myself enjoying my conversation with Brad. We’d known each other a long time—as long as I had known Kate—and because of that, there was a certain comfort that existed.
“It’s the phone calls you make. Patients love that. Did you know Dr. Allen is considering making it mandatory for all of us attendings in the next year? Some sort of quality goal, but I don’t know whether I like the idea of having money tied up in making phone calls.”
“They’re not hard to do,” I said.
“It’s not the difficulty. If I wanted to have continuity of care, I would have gone into primary care.”
“You do realize that what we do is a form of primary care, don’t you?”
“It’s not the same. I don’t need to see my patients again and again. My job is to take care of them to the best of my ability, get them back to as healthy as they can be, and send them back home. I don’t need to know whether they are improving or not.”
“I do it mostly to know if my treatment was effective. The same reason I follow up on patients I admit to the hospital.”
We had reached the front door and I hesitated. Was I really about to have Brad come in? There wasn’t any real harm in it, and having company wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I could always kick him out when I was getting tired—or tired of him. “Listen. If I let you in, you promise you will leave when I tell you it’s time to go?”
“I’m not forcing myself on you, Stone.”
“You’d better not.”
I punched in the code to the door and pushed it open. On the other side, the wide lobby opened up, and we headed up the stairs. There was an elevator leading to the second floor, but I never took it. Even most of the older people who lived in the building didn’t take the elevator. It was small and cramped, and a remnant from an earlier time.
The hallway here was wide and well maintained. The condo association had someone who took care of cleaning, and I had to admit they did a good job. I never saw them. In all the time I’d been living in the building, I had never seen anyone else other than the other tenants. It was almost enough to make me believe there was some magical cleaning service, though if there had been, I would have expected Kate to have alerted me to that.
When we reached the door, I paused with my hand on it for a moment. There was power in the bracelet I wore, and it was that power which released the protections on the room long enough for me to unlock it and enter. Without it, I would find it incredibly difficult to get in. Barden had made it seem as if I would still be able to enter, but I would need to have a greater mastery of my magic in order for that to be the case. So far, my connection to my magic wasn’t enough for me to feel confident I wouldn’t get locked out.
“Are you going to open the door?” Brad asked.
“Eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“I’m still deciding whether or not I want to let you in.”
“Come on, Stone.”
I glanced over at him, grinning. “You know, it is nice to have you beg.”
Brad just shook his head. I twisted the key in the lock and listened to it click, before throwing open the door and stepping inside. Once there, I paused as I often did, drawing power around me, using it as quickly as I could. The technique was difficult. I had to focus on a buried part of myself, one that didn’t come easily, though more so now than it used to. As I did, I was able to push it out in a faint protective circle that helped me detect whether or not there was anyone with any magical tendencies here.
It was an extra step, but it was one Barden had told me was essential to ensuring my safety. He wanted me to be smart about power, and part of being smart about power meant I was cautious with places I considered safe.
Detecting nothing, I closed the door. As I did, I knew there was a surge of power that formed, but I wasn’t able to determine what exactly it was. There was something to the protections that were placed here, and there were many nights when I would sit in the condo, trying to determine if there was anything I could detect, but I had never managed to do so. Eventually, I hoped to learn enough magic that I could pick apart the nature of the spells placed on the building, but so far I had not been able to do it.
“What’s been going on in here?” Brad asked.
I glanced over at him. “Why?”
“I don’t know. There’s something weird.” He shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I guess it’s a feeling more than anything else.”
“
If it’s too weird for you, you can leave.”
“Leave now? Hell, Stone, I’m just happy you allowed me to follow you back here. Michaels never let me, you know.”
“She has better sense than I do.”
“We both know that’s not true.”
“Do you want a glass of wine?”
He shrugged. “I prefer a beer, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”
“And we’ve already established that you have to beg.”
I made my way to the kitchen, and Lucy came out of Kate’s room, meowing softly and rubbing up against me. I crouched down, scratching her chin for a moment and glancing over at the food and water dish. Both still had enough of a supply, so I knew I wasn’t ignoring my cat parent duties. If I were, Lucy would be the first one to make sure I knew. She had no qualms about jumping on me and waking me up and giving me a sharp meow in the face if she were hungry.
“Not hungry but lonely?”
She meowed again, and turned, heading back toward Kate’s room, disappearing inside.
“I didn’t know you had a cat.”
I got to my feet, making my way into the kitchen and taking a pair of wine glasses from the cabinet. They were far nicer than the ones I had lost in the fire. Then again, Kate enjoyed wine more than I did. She was passionate about it, in what I once would have said was an almost unhealthy way.
“She’s not mine, but I make sure to treat her well. I don’t want her to tell Kate I did anything otherwise.”
“I didn’t see you as the kind to be worried about Michaels.”
“She’s my friend,” I said as I uncorked the wine. “And I don’t want to take her hospitality for granted.”
Brad took a seat at the table, leaning across and watching me. When I handed him the wine, he took it. I had poured a cheap Pinot Noir I’d picked up at Costco, my favorite place to get cheap booze, and he brought it to his nose, sniffing it.
“Don’t tell me you’re some sort of wine snob.”
“A gentleman needs to understand his wines, Dr. Stone.” He swirled the wine around in the glass before tipping it up and taking a dainty sip. He glanced over at me, grinning. “Not bad. It has earthy notes, and I can almost taste the oak they used to age it. I imagine this comes from the Willamette Valley—”
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