Opening the refrigerator, however, only revealed a gallon of expired milk and a tub of butter. This discovery made him appreciate Carrie’s visit even more as he would have surely starved to death had she not come to see him. He let out a disgusted sigh, deciding that was probably his cue to go to bed instead, but when walked back into the living room he heard a knock at the door.
“Hey, man.” Trey greeted him.
Chase’s eyes darted from Trey, switching focus to the case of beer gripped firmly between his fingers.
“Man, you’re a life saver,” he said, lunging for the case and whisking it off into the kitchen.
“I’m happy to see you, too.”
Chase cracked a can open and chuckled. “Sorry, you just have no idea how badly this is hitting the spot right now.”
“Well, it’s good to see you up and actually laughing a little. I was starting to wonder whether I was going to have to drag your sorry ass out of bed and beat you back to reality.”
“Funny, my mom said the same thing.”
“Really? I always knew Carrie and I were perfect for each other. It’s too bad your dad got in the way.”
“Hey… hey, man, not cool.”
“What? Your mom’s hot.”
“Would you shut up?”
“Okay, okay, but seriously, it’s good to have my best friend back, even if he is turning into a raging alcoholic.”
“You’re funny.”
“Wow,” Trey said after noticing the apartment’s barren walls. “Did your mom take all of your pictures with her?”
“No, I took them down just before you got here.”
“Well, that explains the beer craving.”
“Yep.”
“So, do you think she’s still around here?”
“You know, it’s funny because a part of me still feels that she’s close, even though she told me she was moving to the other side of the country. You can’t be as close to someone as her and I were without developing a sort of sixth sense about them. I always felt like our souls were connected…that we always knew what the other was thinking. I just know there was something she wasn’t telling me. The pain in her eyes was so real. I think it was even worse than mine.”
“Was your mom upset about the necklace?”
“The strange thing about that is…no, she wasn’t. I expected to be all but disowned by her after I told her. I mean…you know that necklace had been in her family for a couple of generations, but, she wasn’t even concerned about it. It’s like she loved Celaine so much that she felt like the necklace belonged to her…like it didn’t belong around anyone else’s neck but hers.” Chase placed the empty beer can on the coffee table where it made a sharp clang as it struck the surface. Standing up, he headed back to the kitchen for round two.
“Pace yourself, man. This isn’t a drinking marathon,” Trey mused.
“I’m just grabbing one more, then I’m done. Besides, I have to return to the hospital tomorrow afternoon. And I’m pretty sure my patients wouldn’t appreciate their doctor being hung over while he’s examining them.”
“Yeah, that would put a whole new meaning to the term turn your head and cough.” Trey repositioned himself, resting his feet on the coffee table. “You’re going back? I thought you were out on sick leave the rest of the week?”
“Actually, it’s called mental health leave or, in layman’s terms, ‘get your sanity back and don’t return until then, you poor, crazy bastard’ leave.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it. You wouldn’t believe the looks I received in the break room after I told the chief about it. Everyone was whispering and looking at me like they weren’t sure whether or not to pat me on the back, offer their condolences, or leave me the hell alone to sulk in my own sorrow. Not to mention, I’m now known as the crazy resident.”
“I think that nickname will go away once they’ve seen how far you’ve come in only a matter of a couple of days. Which, speaking of, how about you and I hit the bar up next weekend? We could find us some girls to dance with and have a good time like we used to.”
Chase looked up from his can of beer. “No, I don’t think I’m quite that healed yet.”
“Your loss.”
Another knock at the door startled them.
“You expecting a hot date or something?” Trey asked.
“Not that I’m aware of. Maybe it’s my mom coming back to check on me.”
“Well, in that case, send her over my way. I’ll make her comfortable.”
“Don’t make me hurt you.” Chase looked through the peephole which revealed Lucy standing nervously on the other side of the door in her oversized jogging pants and her long, blonde hair pulled back in a tight pony tail. She’d been out jogging, and it appeared as though coming to his apartment had been an afterthought.
“It’s Lucy,” Chase called to Trey in a hushed tone.
“Really? Is she still with Luke because if not, you can send her over here, too.”
“Down, boy.” Chase shook his head and unlatched the door.
“Hey, Chase,” Lucy greeted him, giving him a hug as she stepped into the apartment, where she spotted Trey sitting on the couch.”
“Hey you, too, Trey,” she said.
“Hey, Lucy. What’s up?”
“I was just out and about for my nightly jog and thought I would drop by to see how you’re holding up.” She looked sheepishly at Chase.
“Lucy, it’s past curfew. What are you doing out?” Chase asked.
Lucy extracted her badge from its perch, tucked in her shirt on a chain around her neck. “I’m a doctor,” she announced. “Curfew doesn’t apply to me.”
“I thought you were a psychiatrist?” Trey asked in a confused tone.
“Same difference. I can prescribe medications, I just can’t perform surgery. Although, I would like to do some mean work with a scalpel on some of the whack jobs I have to deal with.”
“So, what’s your excuse when you’re stopped on the street by the law? ‘Oh, I’m sorry officer. I just had to go out and talk a guy out of throwing himself off a bridge’.”
“Actually, I’ve used that one before, and you would be surprised by how effective it is.”
Trey laughed. “Man, I am in the wrong profession.”
Lucy turned to Chase. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m better than I was three days ago.”
“Wow, you’re going through the stages of grief faster than a lot of individuals I counsel. Have you hit anger yet? Because I see it in a lot of my patients who’ve recently separated with their…”
“Please don’t use any of your psycho-babble bullshit on me right now, Lucy.”
“I’m sorry, Chase…it’s…it’s just that I’m not holding up well and my psycho-babble bullshit is the only way I know how to cope with it.”
Chase sighed, placing his hand on Lucy‘s shoulder. “Sorry, Luce, I didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it did.”
“It’s okay.” Tears cascaded from the corners of her eyes.
“Luce…look, I didn’t mean to offend you…don’t…don’t cry, please.”
“Chase, it’s not you. Look, the reason I came over is two-fold.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s guilt, Chase. I feel so incredibly guilty. Ever since I received that letter in the mail, I’ve done nothing but beat myself up.” She looked up at Chase’s confused face with tears past the realm of controllable. “Before she left, Celaine called me. It was obvious she was very conflicted about something. She mentioned some sort of opportunity…she was extremely vague about it. She said that this new opportunity may or may not give her everything she’s ever wanted and I told her to…to…” She could barely make out the last words. “I told her to go for it. Trust me, had I known she was talking about disappearing from the face of this planet, I never would have told her to go ahead with it. On the contrary, I would have done all I could to talk her out of it, to
tell her she was crazy and that she already had everything she ever looked for or wanted right here. I would have told her to stay here with the people who loved and cared about her.”
Chase slumped down onto the couch with his head in his hands. “It’s funny. I always thought the only thing she ever wanted was me. I guess I wasn’t enough. Now, I feel stupid for proposing to her.”
“Wait. You what? Oh, my God, Chase. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“That’s okay, neither did she.”
“What happened? What did she say?”
“She said ‘no’ and ran like hell.”
“Gosh…I never in a million years would have thought it would have ended like this. Heck, I never in a million years thought it would ever end, for that matter. I thought I would be putting up with you for the rest of my life.”
“It’s nifty how life works out sometimes, huh.”
Lucy’s eyes caught sight of the beer cans on the coffee table. “You have any more of those?”
“He sure does.” Trey sprang from the couch to fetch Lucy a drink.
“What’s his deal?” she asked.
“He’s a lonely, lonely man.”
“I guess I can relate. Luke broke up with me about a month ago.”
“Aw, that’s a shame.” Trey re-appeared from the kitchen, beer in hand, and placed an arm around Lucy’s shoulders.
“You have no shame, do you?” she retorted.
“None whatsoever.”
She took a seat on the couch. “Well, aren’t we just a sad, sad trio.”
“You can say that again,” Chase replied.
“Speak for yourselves,” Trey said, lifting his shirt up to reveal his perfectly sculpted abs. “I’m not sad. A little sick, perhaps, but certainly not sad.” Lucy nearly choked on a swig of beer and began coughing relentlessly.
Chase rolled his eyes. “Man, put those away before you hurt someone.”
“I’m going to find her,” Lucy began after reclaiming her composure.
“How do you purport to do that?” Chase asked.
“Our government. I’m sure you’ve noticed how everything went to hell as soon as President Brooks took over. Unfortunately, no one else seems to.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I don’t think Celaine is on the other side of the country. In fact, I don’t think she’s even on the other side of the state for that matter.” Chase’s eyebrows perked up. “This new job that Celaine supposedly has…I think it has something to do with the Brooks’ Administration. That’s why she was so secretive. I mean, think about it, Chase. She just left everything and everyone. I’d like to think I know Celaine better than anyone, and the Celaine I know would never agree to do that unless she had no other choice or was threatened in some way.”
“As crazy as your conspiracy theory sounds, it does make an iota of sense, I suppose.”
“Thanks. I think.”
“I’m thinking the alcohol has already kicked in,” Trey announced.
Lucy gave Trey a dirty look, glancing at the clock. “Oh, it’s already past midnight. I have to get going. I have a couple of early morning nut bags…I mean patients coming in.” She slammed down the rest of her beer, setting the can down on the table. Trey stared at the empty can in disbelief. “Just know that I will do what I can to find her and try to talk some sense into her for you.”
“Thanks, Lucy. I truly appreciate it. It was good seeing you again.”
“I’m just happy you don’t hate me,” she said, opening the door to Chase’s apartment.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said with a wink.
“I’ll keep in touch.” she smiled. The door shut with a thud and she was gone.
“Has that girl gone crazy?”
“I don’t know, Trey. I think she’s grasping at straws. After all, she and Celaine have known each other for over ten years. Lucy’s the type who always has to find reasoning and hidden meanings behind the way people think and how they act. That’s what makes her one hell of a psychiatrist.”
“Well, she better be careful taking on President Brooks. The second she starts becoming vocal with questioning his motives is the second we can say sayonara to her.”
“I didn’t know you were such a Brooks detractor.”
“Dude’s crazy like a fox. But, he’s doing what he can to keep us safe, I guess.”
“Sure. Safe.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Road to Recovery
From the moment the anesthesia wore off, I was in pain. My muffled, internal screams of pain were actually what brought me back into semi-consciousness from the depths of an unconscious darkness. Never had I been so sore. From the tips of my toes to the roots of every hair in my scalp, it was as though I’d been run over repeatedly. But, although intense, it wasn’t the pain that worried me as much as the rapid beating of my heart within my chest. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I was going into cardiac arrest.
“Give her another dose of the beta blockers,” Dr. Martin ordered. A hint of concern was present in his voice.
I felt the prick of a needle piercing my skin, followed by the rush of liquid flowing into my arm. A couple of minutes later, the pounding in my chest subsided to just a slightly more faster-than-normal rhythm. However, just as my heart was pacified, a far more intense pain overtook the rest of my body. Is this what it feels like to die? I wondered.
“Damn it,” I recognized Dr. Harris’ voice. “Why did we have to pick a woman? They’re much more susceptible to cardiac arrest.”
“What Victor wants, Victor gets,” Dr. Martin answered, sticking another needle into my veins. “Although, you have to admit, she’s done amazingly well despite the slight heart issues. Blake didn’t even do this well.”
“My guess is that she’ll be up and around in the next couple of days.” Dr. Harris agreed.
“Definitely, if not sooner. Her vitals are fantastic.”
It was all too surreal, hearing people talk about you while they prodded your body without you being able to do anything about it or speak up in your own defense. I felt them examining my body, pushing on my limbs, tapping my joints. Being treated like a lab rat was not something I was too fond of. With each tap, I could feel my irritation increasing exponentially, growing with intensity when they reached my legs. Tap…tap…tap. My irritation grew into outright rage, rendering me powerless in controlling my body’s response any longer. When Dr. Martin tapped my knee once more, suddenly and without hesitation, my leg sprang up and struck him. As his face impacted on my knee, he let out a painful grunt. Seconds later, I heard the thunderous crash of his body impacting with the floor.
“Holy!” Dr. Harris exclaimed, eyes wide in amazement. My eyes fluttered open to survey the damage I’d created. I expected to see Dr. Martin lying at the base of the gurney and was confused when he wasn’t on the floor where I thought he should be. “Hold on, let me help you,” Dr. Harris called out next to me. “Don’t try to get up on your own. You may have broken something.”
I followed Dr. Harris with my eyes across the room until he reached Dr. Martin…on the opposite side. No…that wasn’t possible. There was no way my kick could have thrown him across the room.
“She has one hell of a reflex,” Dr. Harris remarked, pulling Dr. Martin from the table of surgical equipment he’d landed on.
“Reflex, my ass!” he exclaimed. “She meant to do that.”
“Are you injured?”
“Just my pride, and I think my nose as well.” Blood trickled out of Dr. Martin’s left nostril, dripping onto the collar of his lab coat.
“Remarkable…absolutely remarkable.” I looked up and saw Victor standing over me. A strange look of triumph adorned his face. He looked down at me, noticing that I was conscious. “Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“I’m in pain,” my voice was barely audible. “Lots of pain.”
“Yes, well, that’s to be expected until your body gets used to the
effects of the adrenaline and medications invading your system. With the progress you’ve displayed thus far, I would imagine you to be up and around and feeling just fine within the next couple of days.”
“I heard.”
“See! I told you she meant to almost kill me,” Dr. Martin grumbled, limping his way back to the gurney.
“Sorry.” I said, unconvincingly. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
“Indeed you don’t,” Victor laughed. “Indeed you don’t.”
I attempted to sit up, but my entire body felt like dead weight in my efforts and it took me a couple of attempts until I was able to sit up straight enough to see around the room. Once up, I felt myself become overwhelmed by dizziness. Behind me, a machine went off.
“Take it easy, Celaine,” Dr. Harris said. “That noise you hear is your heart monitor. We never want to hear it go off like that. From now on, you’ll be wearing monitors so we can ensure that you aren’t going into cardiac arrest.”
“Like I did just a few minutes ago.”
“You came close, but the medications were able to regulate your body.”
“Will it happen again?”
“It’s always a possibility.”
“Good to know you turned me into a walking, ticking time bomb.”
Kara appeared, pushing a wheelchair. A smile blazed across her perfect alabaster complexion when she saw me. “It’s good to see you awake,” she said. “I hear you’re making outstanding progress. I guess we women really are stronger than men in every way.” She shot a sly smile at Dr. Martin, who mumbled something inaudible under his breath.
I forced a smile for Kara’s sake. Her attempts at making me feel welcome had been very much appreciated. Plus, I still couldn’t shake the I-know-her-from-somewhere thought that repeated over and over again in my head like a broken record. Dr. Harris and Kara helped me off the gurney and into the wheelchair. As much as I hated the thought of someone helping me that way, I was still feeling dizzy and would’ve probably fallen flat on my face if I’d tried to do it myself.
“I don’t know why you think she needs the help,” Dr. Martin fumed. “It’s not like she’s weak or anything.” Kara gave him the look of death.
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