Love, Autumn

by Bloom, Nikki

  I stayed there for quite a while, mulling over her words. I had to imagine that there were some people in this world who suffered so much and did so with such humility. If Melissa could handle her situation with such poise then I could certainly do the same.

  Sara would turn out okay. All I needed to do was keep my head held high and pray for the best. Worrying myself to death wouldn’t accomplish anything.

  * * *

  Minutes turned into hours. My eyelids were starting to feel heavy as I attempted to focus on the overhead TV. It was some game show where the contestant had the opportunity to win ten-thousand dollars in exchange for some trivia knowledge. The only problem was that the TV was muted and it proved incredibly boring to read subtitles for the better part of an hour.

  Slowly, I rose to my feet and stretched. I felt like a 90-year-old woman crawling out of bed in the morning. As I approached the coffee station, I noticed a familiar face.

  Terry.

  She waved and smiled, head tilted slightly like she was greeting me at a strip mall instead of a hospital ER. In her hands were a couple of coffees from the local café. She placed one on the counter and it was snatched by the nurse who seemed to be on the phone. The other, she kept for herself.

  “Hey!”

  “Hi…” I wasn’t very fond of her tone or her attitude for that matter. She was so fake that I could have reported her for fraud.

  “I heard the news about your friend. Leo called me in.”

  “Um… if he needs the extra set of hands, shouldn’t you be in there trying to help my friend instead of chitchatting over coffee?” My words were clipped. If this woman thought she could put my friend’s health in jeopardy–

  My thought was interrupted by her high-pitched voice. “Oh, you have nothing to worry about.” She rested her hand on my arm as she spoke and gave it a little squeeze. “I promise we will do everything we can for her. You have my word.” Her lips stretched so thin that I swear they were about to disappear. “In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?”

  “In the meantime?” I snapped. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be rude here but my friend is on the operating table. It’s not me you should be worrying about.” I looked over at the nurse behind the counter hoping she would take my side or something, but she was still much too preoccupied with her phone call. Seriously, was the receiver glued to her ear?

  “I understand that you’re worried about your friend–”

  “All I understand is that you don’t give a rat’s ass about my friend because you’re out here instead of in there.” I pointed at the set of swinging doors. “Now, if you don’t proceed to do your job as you’re supposed to, we’re going to have a problem here.” My voice was rising higher and higher, so much so that I had the attention of the entire waiting room. Maybe I was taking things a bit too far, but I just couldn’t stand this woman’s attitude. It was as if my friend’s life didn’t even matter to her. And she dared call herself a nurse.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you had been promoted to a managerial position here at the hospital and that you’re now qualified to tell me when to do my job. That dinky job of yours at the gym just wasn’t enough, huh? Well, good for you,” she said with a sneer as she waved her hand in dismissal. The motion drove my attention to the glint of a large diamond ring on her finger.

  The gem was so large that it looked rather ridiculous. In all honesty, it was probably fake – something you pick up at the dollar store for your kids. Fitting, I suppose. Tacky jewelry for a tacky woman. “You might want to get rid of that thing. I don’t want it getting lost inside my friend.” I added right before she could reach the doors.

  “Don’t worry,” she said as she placed her hand strategically against the doorframe as if to show off her costume ring. “I’ll keep it nice and safe. After all, you can really only get a handsome doctor like Leo to propose to you once.” With a flick of her hair, she disappeared.

  She probably thought that would get to me –that I would believe her blatant lie– but c’mon, Leo had much more class than that stupid ring. If he really were to propose to that woman, he at least would have picked up something that looked halfway decent.

  But either way, the whole thing was ridiculous. Leo was committed. For the better part of our relationship, we’d spent every free moment together outside of work and errands. So, there was no way he was cheating on me. No way.

  Convinced that my romantic life was still intact, I returned to more important things: my best friend. The nurse had finally hung up the phone. “Excuse me.”

  She looked up. “Yes?”

  “Do you have an information on my friend? She’s in surgery right now.”

  “Sara, isn’t it?” she said, remembering me from earlier that evening. “I’ll call the ER and get some information in just a jiffy. In the meantime, why don’t you take a seat and enjoy some of our complimentary beverages?” She offered a soft smile before picking up the phone receiver.

  I did as she suggested and brewed myself another cup of tea. With it clasped between my hands, I prayed for her health. I couldn’t afford to lose my best friend.

  14

  Leo

  I came out of surgery and wiped the sweat from my brow. I took a minute to collect myself, eyes closed. Out of habit, I pinched the bridge of my nose as I replayed the procedure in my mind.

  As far as I could tell, everything went as planned. We had removed the tumor blocking her airway and clipped back some of the spreading with acute radiology. Now, only test results would tell whether the emergency treatment would prove enough or whether she was still in danger of succumbing to the dreaded disease.

  “Leo.” A shrill voice broke my train of thought. I opened my eyes to see Terry. She laid a hand on my chest and offered a sensual smile that wasn’t at all appropriate for a hospital hallway. “I must admit… that was impressive. You certainly know how to take command of an OR.”

  “Thanks.” It was an awkward sort of compliment. Honestly, I didn’t know what to make of it. So, I tried brushing her off by walking toward the waiting room where I was sure Autumn was still waiting for news regarding her friend.

  “Oh, don’t bother.” Terry halted my progress by blocking me with her body. “I already updated her.”

  I pushed past her. “Well, I’d like to tell her myself. After all, Sara is her roommate. So, she deserves to know.”

  “Well… I already sent her home,” she said. “I mean, there’s no point in her sleeping in the waiting room when she can just come back in the morning.”

  “And she took your advice?” I asked, studying her face.

  “Yes.” She spoke much too quickly. I could tell that she was lying and I didn’t like it. “I offered to get her a taxi, but she told me that she felt comfortable getting one herself. I reckon she’s halfway home by now.”

  “You know, for some reason, I don’t believe you.” Again, I tried to push past her and again, she stood as a human roadblock. “Terry. I’m not here to play games with you.” My tone was clipped and held enough force behind it that her resistance faltered. She took a step back, her eyes darkening. “You already arrived extremely late to the surgery. We could have lost that girl because of you and frankly, it’s unacceptable.”

  “There was traffic!” she protested.

  “And more than enough time for you to stop and pick up a couple of coffees,” I snarled. “These people rely on us. They trust in our abilities and you act as if this is high school PE and you can just waltz in whenever you feel like it.” Usually, I had a much better hold on my temper but right now my patience for this woman was stretching thin. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I need you to step aside so I can talk to Autumn.”

  But Terry wasn’t so easily intimidated. Instead of doing as I asked her to, she stepped forward, her body nearly pressed to mine. “I think you’re just stressed… That’s why you’re saying all of these mean things…” Her voice was low and purr-like as she rested her hand on my chest
.

  I immediately pushed her away. I had just performed life-saving surgery and she was more concerned with getting inside my pants than she was with doing her job. On a certain degree, it made me sick.

  “Just get out of my way,” I said through gritted teeth. Oh, there was so much more I wanted to say to her but I managed to hold my tongue for the sake of my job.

  Terry frowned but I thought this time, she would let me go. I wasn’t nearly as lucky. After a few steps, she grabbed me by the arm. “Let me do it. You needn’t waste your time. It’s much more valuable than mine…”

  “I wouldn’t be wasting my time,” I returned with a sharp tone. “Now, I won’t ask you again. Get out of my way.”

  The iciness in my voice must have turned her off because her arm dropped to the side. It was then that I noticed the ring on her finger. Who was she trying to fool? That piece of plastic didn’t even look real.

  This thought lingered at the back of my mind as I stepped into the waiting room. I spotted Autumn sitting toward the back. Her face was drained of color. Surely, she was worried sick about her best friend.

  “How is she?” she asked the second she saw me.

  “She should be fine,” I answered. “With a bit of recovery, I suspect she’ll be home in a couple of weeks. Although, honestly, only the test results will tell us for sure, but I have high hopes for her.”

  “That’s good…” She sighed with relief. “To be honest… I was a little worried about the whole thing.”

  “That’s to be expected,” I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder. “This was a major operation; there was no telling what could have happened.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “And then with that nurse of yours… she doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does she?”

  “Who? Terry?” I asked.

  “Who else?” she countered. “Came in here with a couple of coffees and a ‘diamond ring.’ Did she really think that was going to trick me into thinking you had proposed to her?”

  “What?” I spat. “She actually said that to you?”

  “Mhm.”

  “You didn’t believe her, did you?” For a second, I was fearful that Terry had gotten under Autumn’s skin.

  “Of course not,” she answered. “I know you wouldn’t do that to me. You’d be a fool to try because as far as I’m concerned, I could kick your ass.”

  I chuckled. I should have known that Autumn was stronger than Terry’s manipulation games. “You’re right,” I admitted, holding up my hands in defeat. “But just you watch out. A bit more time in the gym and you’ll have a legitimate challenge on your hands.”

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “I’ll still have you on the floor crying uncle in the matter of minutes.”

  “Alright, alright. You win. For now.”

  “So, when do I get to see her?” Autumn asked. It was heartwarming to know that she cared this much about her friend and that I had the opportunity to help her.

  “Technically, you’re supposed to wait until she wakes up, but I think I can bend some rules for your sake,” I said with a wink.

  “No. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” she protested.

  “It’s no big deal.” I wasn’t going to take no for an answer so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and guided her into the ICU. “Now, I want to warn you. What you’re about to see isn’t going to be pretty. She’s going to be hooked up to a bunch of machines but that’s normal.”

  “Okay.” Autumn took a deep breath and followed me into the room. I pulled back the curtain.

  “Oh my God…” Autumn gasped. Her hands covered her mouth.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay.” I ran my hand along her hair and smoothed it down in a comforting gesture. “In a couple of days, she’ll be back to her normal self. Oh, and you might even get a few laughs while she’s on her pain meds. Be sure to video tape some of it so she can have a good laugh.” I smiled down at my girlfriend. “But as I said, for now, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “For saving my friend.”

  “Don’t mention it. I was only doing my job.” I paused and looked down at her. She was obviously tired from a stressful day of waiting. “Why don’t you go home and get yourself some rest?”

  “You’re probably right.” She nodded.

  “I wish I could go home with you and provide some company, but I have a bit of paperwork I need to finish up. My team is probably already waiting for me.”

  “And you wouldn’t want to keep your new fiancée waiting,” she said with a snicker.

  “Absolutely not.” I agreed. “There’s nothing worse than a woman scorned.”

  Autumn was about to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist at the last moment. “Hey, I just wanted to say thank you.”

  “Thank you?” She knitted her brows together. “What for?”

  “Well, you could have easily believed Terry but instead you trusted in me. That means a lot considering what I did to you in the past.” I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “I guess it just makes me feel better that you aren’t the jealous type because there’s always going to be a headstrong nurse or a patient who tries to flirt with me, but I want you to know where my heart lies.”

  “I know,” she said as she squeezed my hands, her eyes starting to water. “I know that you love me.” And with that, she lifted herself onto her tippy toes and kissed me. The kiss was everything I wanted it to be: passionate and real. Autumn truly did care about me and that meant the world to me.

  “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow and be sure to take good care of my friend or you’re going to be in some major trouble, mister.”

  I gulped for dramatic effect before walking her to the door. I couldn’t let her leave without one more kiss and that kiss was enough to hold me over for the rest of the night.

  * * *

  Later that night, I found myself at a bar. I always liked to enjoy a drink after a successful operation. It helped take the edge off.

  For the most part, the bar was relatively quiet. There were a few people enjoying their drinks while a couple others played a fair game of pool.

  Occasionally, I’d hear a clink! or a thud! as the balls clapped together. I turned in my stool and watched as a biker chick made her shot. The cue ball shot across the table and launched a solid right into a corner pocket. From the looks of it, she was pretty good.

  Beyond her, I spotted Terry.

  How odd that we would end up at the same bar. Sometimes the world is just full of coincidences. You know what they say? Reality is stranger than fiction.

  I was about to look away when I heard her giggle. It pierced through the bar and the aftermath it brought was a pocket of silence.

  Terry didn’t seem to mind because she just kept on flirting.

  I rolled my eyes and returned to my drink.

  A few minutes later, she saddled up in the seat beside me, a bright smile on her face like nothing had happened.

  “Hey…” she spoke with a sultry voice. That, combined with the puppy dog eyes she was throwing my way, I could tell she wanted a free drink. Well, she wasn’t about to get one from me, not after the shit she pulled with my girlfriend. Did she really think she could break us up with a fake diamond ring? I’m sorry, but the woman was clearly delusional. “Funny seeing you here…” She hiccupped and the smell of booze rolled off her breath.

  Swaying slightly, she steadied herself by placing her hands on my thighs.

  “Terry, I think it’s time for you to go home.”

  She shook her head to a violent degree. “I can’t go home yet! You haven’t offered to give me a ride in your fancy sports car. And, besides, you haven’t even bought me a drink yet.” She giggled. “You’ll do that, won’t you? I mean, I’m your favorite nurse, aren’t I? I think I deserve to be a little pampered, don’t you think?” This time she snickered and threw her head back like she had just told the funniest joke on the planet.

  “A water,” I told the
bartender.

  He nodded.

  I handed it over to Terry. “Drink this.”

  “What is it?” she said with a sniff. “This doesn’t smell like alcohol.”

  “That’s because it’s not,” I answered, trying to remain patient with her but I was no saint. Even my patience wears thin sometimes.

  She pouted. “Well, that’s not any fun.” Suddenly, she threw her arms around my neck and practically jumped into my lap. “Don’t you want to have some fun?”

  “Actually, no.” I peeled her away.

  “Why not?” she said in protest. “Why are you being such a buzzkill right now?”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Terry.”

  “It’s because of that girl, isn’t it?” Her voice suddenly took a tone of sobriety. Her eyes narrowed with hatred. “Well, you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

  “Terry, that little stunt of yours didn’t work.”

  “What do you mean, it didn’t work?”

  “She knows the ring is fake. She didn’t fall for it.” I got up from my stool and fished my phone out of my pocket. “Now, it’s about time you get yourself home or you’re going to end up hurting yourself or worse, someone else.”

  She didn’t particularly like me escorting her out of the bar but in the end, I got her into the back of a taxi and safely on her way home. Maybe I didn’t like the woman but I was a doctor and that meant being the better person.

  15

  Autumn

  The next morning.

  My alarm screamed at me to get out of bed, but my body felt so heavy I could barely move. I groaned and crushed the pillow over my head. “Shut up,” I said as if that would be enough to turn it off. I didn’t even have the strength to reach over and press the ‘off’ button.