by Barbara Ebel
“What are you doing?” Jonathon asked.
“My mom recycles boxes she gets in the mail. I’m looking for a small one.”
He backed out, being careful of his cast, and lined the bottom of a tiny box with a baggie. “Coming with me?” he asked as he opened the back door.
Toby picked the ground and grass behind his basketball hoop to begin his search. Jonathon was impressed. Toby knew when and where to find wormlike gastropods in his own backyard.
He put a slug, almost an inch long, on top of the plastic bag. After the boys went back inside, he wrote a note, inserted it, and closed the box.
Jonathon began laughing so hard, it was infectious. Toby joined in.
“You gotta wrap up the box,” Jonathon managed to say.
“No way. We gotta get this to the police station before my mom comes home. We can take the bus.”
“I’m in. Let’s go.”
Even though Toby fought off taking a nap during the bus ride, the two boys schemed the whole time. Either the box would end up in Gillespie’s hands or not. In any case, it was diverting Toby’s boredom and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
They pulled the cord for their bus stop and walked a half block with Toby skillfully using his crutches. He held on to the box like it contained a diamond ring as they stepped to the front desk inside the police station.
“We heard our favorite doctor is here.” Toby stared over the desk to the uniformed man. “We’d like to leave him a present.”
Dustin passed in the hallway behind the front desk. He was still handling the aftermath of the Gillespie case with Kendrick and they were mostly bound to the office for the day. He popped his head in to see the two boys.
“I’ll handle this,” he said to the officer. “What can I do for you two boys?” He noticed the cast on Toby’s leg.
“We heard,” Toby said, “that Dr. Gillespie’s in jail. He’s my doctor and we want to give him a present. He must be down in the dumps.”
“Like Monopoly,” Jonathon said. “You can tell him it’s a get-out-of-jail free pass. But you don’t have to worry because it really won’t break him out of jail.”
Dustin narrowed his eyes. “I suppose so, boys. That’s awfully kind of you, but he isn’t going to be your doctor anymore, at least for a while. Sure you still want to give it to him?”
Both boys nodded.
“All right, then. Be on your way and I’ll personally hand it to him.”
Sitting on the bus stop bench, both boys again cackled. “It is a get-out-of-jail pass,” Toby said. “If he gets rat lung worm, it’ll be straight from jail to the hospital.”
“Thanks for the fun afternoon, Toby, even though we didn’t accomplish anything except for our own amusement.”
“I needed it more than you. Who knows? I bet Dr. Gillespie is weird enough to eat it.”
-----
George Gillespie was never so aggravated in his whole life. He sat in a jail cell circling his stubby thumbs around each other. His stupid attorney was taking forever to take care of the bond money payment needed for his immediate release. In addition, the Board of Medical Licensure had put a temporary suspension on his license and his office was shut down.
Before he could fix the problem with his license or his office closure, he needed to get the hell out of jail. He suspected the cops had found his video cameras and maybe his pornography. However, lots of adults were into porn. In time, the whole mess might subside, and he could go back to doing what he loved. Taking care of kids.
Footsteps approached and he stood up. But it wasn’t his attorney. It was the police officer named Dustin Lowe.
“There were two boys around twelve years old out front. They left this little box, a present, for you. One of them said you’re his doctor. They sure are sweet kids to do that for the likes of you.”
Dustin handed it through the bars and thought best to wait until he opened the package.
George half ignored Dustin and sat back down to savor the opening of a gift. He opened the lid and pulled out a little note.
“The food must be terrible in jail. This raw, delectable slug should provide additional protein until they let you out. We guarantee its freshness because we found it for you today. Enjoy.”
Dr. Gillespie scrunched his face up as he peered down. Sure enough, a moist slug clung to a plastic bag like it was glued there with rubber cement.
“This must be some kind of joke,” Gillespie said.
“I hope it’s a good one.” Dustin strutted away from the cell and went next door to finish his shift.
EPILOGUE
Nine Months Later
“This is the last major trip,” Annabel said, “hauling my things out of here.” A cardboard box and plastic container were stacked against the kitchen wall and she let out a big sigh.
Bob hoisted the box in his arms and disappeared down the flight of stairs to the rented U-Haul truck they had attached to her car. She followed him with the container and left Oliver in her apartment.
At the curb, Bob opened the back door and they slid their things in. “There will be plenty of space left over,” he said. “I can’t believe the smart deal you made with your landlord.”
“Helped him and helped me.” She was leaving her furniture to him, which wasn’t much anyway, and he was going to now rent out her place as a furnished unit. In return, he granted her last month of rent free. All she had to move were her smaller personal belongings.
She sat on the edge of the truck. For a spring day in May, it already felt like summer. Annabel wore a cotton long-sleeved top, light capris, and summery footwear. She glanced up at her favorite tree.
“I’m going to miss the entertaining squirrel up this tree, Pete’s Café, and the upstairs floor of this house where I’ve lived for four years.”
“But you’re going to a place that holds many more memories. And leaving Cincinnati may help you finally move forward after Dustin.”
“It’s been a challenge to get over him, but you’re right.”
She jumped off and Bob closed the doors.
“I’m a bit envious,” Bob said, changing the subject. They single-filed up the staircase and opened the door. “Envious that you have nothing to do to set up a new residence in Nashville. That you can go straight to your parents and aunt’s place for however long you want before getting your own place.”
Inside, Oliver didn’t bother to get up. Their coming in and out with boxes for the last hour had become a routine.
“You are not envious. You don’t have an envious bone in your body. And I can’t thank you enough for driving all the way up here to help me out.”
“I packed and moved before graduation because I had an extra week off after my last elective. You weren’t so fortunate.”
“Graduation proved to be the best, most memorable, and hard-earned graduation and commencement ceremony I ever had. Plus, my sister and I started talking again that weekend.”
“I agree about graduation. But, sadly, most students are going their separate ways.”
“But at least we’ll be in the same city.”
“I’m going to like Nashville. I couldn’t have been luckier to match there in an orthopedic residency. I still wonder if a recommendation from your dad was influential, especially when they were down to their last medical student candidates. Maybe his vote of confidence pushed me to the top of the list.”
“We’ll never know, but you earned it anyway. Your academic and clinical assessments were all stellar.”
“So were yours.”
“And Stuart. He made us proud finishing first in the class.”
“I hope he’s happy with the pediatric residency he snagged here in Cincinnati.”
Annabel hooked Oliver to his leash and she and Bob each picked up a small suitcase. “Go ahead,” she said. Bob stepped out the door and she stayed still, sweeping her eyes over the bedroom and kitchen. She would miss the place where she studied like a fiend late into the nights. T
he place she called home for four years.
Downstairs, they loaded the last items into the truck and Oliver took his last pee on the tree out front.
“How about we stop in two hours when we get to the outskirts of Louisville?” Annabel said. “Get a cup of coffee and gas somewhere?”
“Okay. I’ll follow you. If we get separated, just give me a buzz.”
With Oliver all the way in the back, Annabel started her SUV and pulled away from the curb. She glanced in the mirrors at the U-Haul and Bob’s Honda behind her. It was time to go home to Tennessee.
-----
They soon passed into Kentucky and Annabel set the music volume on low. Her graduation from medical school and becoming a doctor soared her spirits high during the drive. But before that day, she had passed another infamous day in her medical career … Match Day.
Match Day in the fourth year of medical school always takes place on the same date - the third Friday in March. It had been a nail-biting experience for the students, the day in which residency candidates and residency programs “match” to fill the first and second year post-graduate training positions.
There had been lots of preparation for that day beforehand. For Annabel, it included making a decision. One that her friends had already made. What would she specialize in? What specialty would she apply for and where?
It never went away. The curiosity and interest she developed for anesthesiology during her first rotation of surgery never left. Most rotations were interesting, but she finally did more electives in anesthesia in her fourth year and she needed no convincing.
Anesthesiology was crazy, sometimes full of heart-throbbing crises and other times nice and easy. That is, if you knew tons of pharmacology, medicine, machinery, and hands-on skills like putting breathing tubes in tracheas when a patient’s anatomy almost forbade it. She also liked the dynamics of being in the operating room.
She applied to Nashville’s University residency program as her top choice and she was not the only one worried and restless over the outcome. Her family wanted her back in Nashville as much as she did.
Like her father would have done, she threw up a silent prayer to the heavens that Match Day morning, and also crossed her fingers. Perhaps none of the wishful thinking and methods helped, but she won her own lottery when she “matched” with Nashville’s program on the third Friday in March.
Since Bob also “matched,” she and Bob would both be in a “surgical” field and at the same University. They would certainly cross paths once in a while. Maybe even the same cases in the operating room. Their friendship would not die, at least for the next four years.
Annabel drove along with a smile on her face and a happy dog in the back when a hands-free call rang through. She pressed the plastic button on her steering wheel to answer. It must be Bob, she thought. His vehicle was two cars behind her.
“Hello?”
“Annabel, hey, I’m glad I caught you.” Her heart squeezed in her chest. It was Dustin. Why was he calling? She could do without hearing his voice; the pain of their breakup was finally settling in and she was ready to move on.
“Dustin, I’m driving. Going back home to Tennessee. I graduated from medical school.”
“How about that?! Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
There was a pregnant pause and she held her breath.
“The reason I’m calling is because of a development. I called the Chairman of the Pediatric Department just now, Dr. Fisher, thinking many of the doctors might not know the big news yet. We both thought you would also like to be told.”
“You have my attention.”
“The total resolution of the criminal charges against Dr. Gillespie were still pending. If you remember, there was a temporary suspension of his license by the State Board of Medical Examiners, but he’s now totally agreed to surrender his medical license. We were pulling up more dirt on him from before he started working here in Cincinnati, so his lawyer advised him to throw in the towel.”
“Wow, no more Dr. Gillespie doing pediatric exams or getting his jollies by spying on children. His whole career is actually a real shame, Dustin. Every once in a while, I did watch him adequately treat a few kids.” She thought back to some, like Stephanie Miller, the three-year-old he diagnosed with a neuroblastoma.
“However,” she added, “this is the best possible outcome. Thanks for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey, give Solar a treat for me.”
“Do the same with Oliver. Bye, then. Good luck.”
“Bye,” Annabel said and clicked off the call. Emotion welled up in her chest and she sighed heavily. She was glad he called to tell her the news, but also happy the call came before she arrived in Tennessee. She wanted a new start back home, including with men.
-----
The sunshine was voluminous and the traffic light as Bob kept tabs on the U-Haul truck and Annabel’s Nissan with a “Dog on Board” bumper sticker. The five-hour drive was giving him plenty of opportunity to decide how he wanted to proceed with Annabel.
Based on his perception of her, he thought she was over the main hurdle of getting Dustin out of her system. He wanted to take the plunge and ask her out; change the nature of their relationship. Otherwise, he would never know if he had any kind of future with her.
From a guy’s perspective, he had waited long enough. What if she got to Nashville and, boom, some new fellow asked her out, she accepted, and there he was again watching her date some other guy.
And what if she didn’t want to date him? That would be embarrassing and hard to digest. Plus, it would make things uncomfortable when and if he bumped into her during residency.
But, it was now or never. He had to take the plunge.
His apartment was all set up in Nashville, and when they arrived, the day would be slipping away and he would need to get home after helping her unload at her parents’ house.
But he needed to ask her. His mind was made up. No more excuses.
They stopped for coffee and food, gas, and an Oliver walk on the other side of Louisville, and then they both scurried to get back on the road. Their spirits were high and Oliver was as happy to jump back in the car as to take the stroll. The long car ride was amazing.
The next two hours, they polished off fast food sandwiches in their own vehicles, and directed their cars southeast when they hit the city. Annabel loved it when she finally turned on the street she knew so well … her grandparents’ street and to their house where her mom and dad, sister, and aunt and uncle now lived. The sprawling house accommodated everyone.
She parked in the driveway, stepped out, and stretched her legs. The last of the sunshine beamed down on the walkway and the greenery that her grandmother, years ago, made sure encircled the house. She let Oliver jump out, but leashed him only because it was a permanent new place and she wanted him to get used to the boundaries.
Bob pulled into the double driveway and pushed open the driver’s door. “I lost you for a bit back there. Luckily, I remembered the way from the trip we took when Dakota died.”
“Yes, that was a sad trip after losing our family dog. But now my whole family will also have Oliver when he’s with me. He’s going to have so many people loving him and taking care of him.”
“Ha, when he’s with me, he’ll need to catch up on his rest.”
“I’m sorry. I hope that’s not the case.”
“I’m yanking your chain. His back and forth will be wonderful, just like in Cincinnati.”
Annabel walked to the front step and sat down with Oliver. Bob lowered himself as well. Perfect, he thought.
“Dustin called me along the way,” she said, which prompted a frown from Bob. “Only to give me an update on George Gillespie. He surrendered his medical license.”
“Awesome. However, did Dustin try to open up old wounds with you?”
“No. It’s okay. I’m glad he called.”
The front door ope
ned and they both turned.
“Welcome home, honey. Hi, Bob.” Danny Tilson, her father, stepped forward and petted Oliver. He had met the dog when he was in Ohio for his daughter’s medical school graduation. “You two have a decent drive?”
“We did.” She stood up and hugged her father. “We’ll be in after we take Oliver for a little spin.”
“I’ll tell everyone else you’re here. By the way, which bedroom do you want?”
“Melissa’s old room.”
“You got it.” Danny disappeared back inside and closed the door.
Bob stood. He signaled to take Oliver’s leash, but he didn’t want to start walking the dog yet. Annabel handed it over and looked at him.
Bob seized the opportunity to lock eyes with her. “Don’t worry, we’re super good friends in case you would rather not. Go out with me, that is.”
“Go out? As in changing our relationship to more than a friendship?”
His eyes held. She couldn’t resist his cheerful expression and those blue eyes.
He kept his mouth shut and nodded.
“I can’t think of a nicer guy. Plus, you’ve been my dearest companion the whole time.”
Bob’s apprehension turned into a smile.
They narrowed the gap between them and had their first kiss in front of her family’s home.
End
FROM THE AUTHOR
If you’d like a release alert for when Barbara Ebel has new books available, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/cKrn0D This is intended only to let you know about new releases as soon as they are out.
Barbara Ebel is a physician and an author. Since she practiced anesthesia, she brings credibility to the medical background of her plots. She lives with her husband and pets in a wildlife corridor in Tennessee but has lived up and down the East Coast.
Visit or contact her at her website: http://barbaraebel.weebly.com
The following books are written by Dr. Barbara:
