Truths Unveiled

by Kimberly Alan

  From the looks of it now, Tom and Eddie must have gutted the place with the intent of restoring much of its earlier charm. Gleaming mahogany planks had replaced worn carpets. And ornate stained woodwork replaced chipped paint. The new wallpaper looked like silk tapestries, alive with blues and reds and greens, accented with antique brass lamps and fixtures. “This must have taken a ton of work!” she marveled.

  Both men whistled and rolled their eyes. “It did!”

  Then Eddie headed for the stairs. “And it’s packed. So since it’s my night to man the place, I’ve got to go. I’ll pop up again later.”

  “Thanks, Ed,” Tom said, then looked to Pam. “So what do you think?”

  The question sounded simple enough, but his close proximity, a mere few feet across the table, eyes intent upon her, sent Pam’s senses wheeling. We are not on a date, she reminded herself again. It can’t be. To her relief, she saw the waiter approach. She looked at Tom. “Should we order?”

  Tom arched a suspicious eyebrow. To his credit, he held off further questions until they were again alone. Passing her the bread basket, he asked, “So?”

  Taking her time, Pam selected a piece of banana nut bread. “I think that’s a loaded question.”

  Tom’s burst of laughter instantly lightened the mood. “You got that right. So what’s the answer?”

  “Answer to what?”

  “To everything.”

  Tossing him an exasperated smile, she joined him in sampling the various types of cheeses and crackers. “I don’t know. I just got here.”

  “Oh yes you do. I can tell.”

  Sighing, Pam placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands. Giving him her full attention, she shook her head. “Actually, I really don’t know. From what little I saw tonight, the medical center and staff seem phenomenal. And, unless you really did stage that little explosion for my benefit, which I seriously doubt, your rescue operations are tops. Good response times, good organization. You should be very proud of the teams. They knew exactly what they were doing.”

  Tom leaned back and slapped the table with the palm of his hand. “Excellent! Then it’s settled. You’ll take the job and move back here.”

  Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Pam took the plunge. “What is it to you? Do you get a finder’s fee or something? In fact, though I don’t want to seem like I’m kicking a gift horse in the mouth, what made you consider recommending me for the job?”

  Before Tom could answer, the waiter appeared with their steaks. Tom waited several seconds before responding. When he did, both his expression and his tone turned serious.

  “I want you to know that a lot has changed around here. The town’s development and the new medical center are only part of it.”

  Pam fingered the stem of her water glass. “I can see that,” she answered quietly. “You’ve done very well for yourself.”

  Tom shrugged. “Not too bad for a country bumpkin. And I can say the same for you, Dr. Harrington. But that’s not all I’m referring to.”

  Pam’s eyes dropped to the candle’s flame. Her stomach followed, sending her toward the downward slope of a huge roller coaster, at record-breaking speed. She didn’t know what to say. Nor did she feel comfortable with the road this conversation was taking. Usually so carefree, so cavalier, with his I do as I please attitude, she now heard an undercurrent of something else in Tom’s voice. What it was, she wasn’t sure. He seemed so intense. More so than she’d ever known him to be.

  “I have two sons,” he told her, breaking the silence. “A.J., who will be fourteen in a few months, and Mark who’s nine.”

  Pam noticed his expression soften slightly at the mention of his children. But not as much as she expected. She repeated the eldest son’s name to herself. Fate’s twists and turns were so ironic, she mused. Fourteen years ago, her life and Tom’s had been dramatically altered by that innocent child’s very existence. For an instant, a picture of what could have been flashed before her eyes. She blinked it away.

  She had no right to indulge in such fantasies. Heck, she was a kid back then. So was Tom, for that matter. Neither one of them had expected their little spring-summer romance to blossom into something more.

  “I wrote you.”

  Slowly, Pam nodded. “Yes. You did.” She turned to look out over the street.

  “And called.”

  She didn’t hear any accusation in his voice. But she would have understood if there were. She neither wrote back nor returned any of his calls. She saw no point.

  Eventually, she summoned the courage to meet his serious gaze.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d agree to take the trip down here.”

  She gave him a guilty smile. “Me either. Not until I stepped foot on the plane. And then I still debated turning around. Even during that long drive from the airport.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. And Marlene is right.”

  “About what?”

  “You’re perfect for the job. I thought a lot about you over the years. When Marlene mentioned your name and I read through your resume and file, I felt really happy for you. Every goal you set, from the time you were a sixteen-year-old, you accomplished.”

  It warmed Pam to hear his compliment. At the same time, she wanted to disappear. She’d acted like such a lovesick puppy over him back then. She hoped he didn’t remember some of the crazy things she’d done to get his attention.

  Let’s close that door, she told herself. Back to the present. “Thank you for making the suggestion. The whole situation came as quite a shock at first. Chicago General offered me a job just minutes before I learned that Marlene left there to become the director here.”

  “You’re welcome, but like she told you, she planned to call you anyway. Believe me, you’re that good.”

  Pam felt her cheeks burn. She speared a mushroom from the sauce covering her filet mignon. On paper, he was right. She’d earned the highest credentials available at this level of her profession. Still working on the threshold of life and death on a daily basis, there were always those nagging doubts. If only she had done this procedure. Maybe she should have done that one instead. She constantly questioned herself. Constantly wrestled with feelings of inadequacy.

  God gave her a gift. She’d realized that years ago. Yet, at times it felt more like a curse. There was still so much she didn’t know. So much that was out of her reach. Out of her control. How could she be sure, really sure, when she lost a patient, whether it was God’s will or her own ineptness that caused that straight line on the heart monitor?

  “Do you think you’re at all interested in the job?”

  Pam wiped cracker crumbs from her mouth with the cloth napkin and settled back in the chair. “I haven’t received a formal offer yet.”

  “Fair enough. You haven’t opened the folder Marlene gave you. So presume it’s offered. Will you take it?”

  Truths Unveiled

  Truths Unveiled

  Chapter Eight

  No, Pam’s inner voice responded. Yet she found her mouth glued shut.

  Tom’s mouth formed a straight line. “Well, at least you didn’t say no. Just tell me this?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Are you hesitating because of me?”

  Pam nearly gagged. Of course it’s because of you, she almost blurted out. Then corrected herself. No, it wasn’t entirely his fault. But she still marveled at the bottomless pit of the male ego. Did he really think she would turn down a fantastic professional opportunity because of a little crush gone bad when she was a teenager? If so, he’d be right, of course. At least partly. But she’d never admit it aloud.

  She bit back the sarcasm and the impulse to roll her eyes. No. Other reasons made her want to turn down the offer. And though Tom hadn’t mentioned them, she expected him to know what they were.

  “I thought we made a really good couple back then,” he continued when she didn’t answer. “Was I right?”

  That statement too
k Pam by surprise. Yes, she did too. At the time. But only until she found out about the extent of his relationship with Susan Murphy. At that instant, Pam’s entire fantasy blew up in her face.

  With that memory in mind, Pam’s thoughts rewound back to that one fate-filled night. She was at a cast party with a bunch of students from the high school. They had just finished the opening night of their senior class play. Hanging out in a cast member’s basement, they rehashed their performances and reminisced about their antics at Middleton High.

  Moving there during her sophomore year had been a difficult adjustment. While living in Boston, Pam rode with the ambulance squad, volunteered in Boston General Hospital’s emergency room and took science classes at one of the colleges as part of a special program. Middleton had no such program. Nor did it have public transportation to get her to the area hospital to volunteer. For her, it was a very lonely time, even when she joined Hopewell’s rescue team. Then she met Megan Fitzpatrick.

  Originally from Philadelphia, Megan had moved to Middleton in junior high. Like Pam, her father had been transferred there. Quickly, they became great friends and together they muddled through.

  In June of her senior year, with graduation swiftly approaching, Pam’s one hundred class members seemed to join together. Most of the cliques had dissolved and overall, they became a unified group.

  A handful of the class knew Pam and Tom were dating. It was okay with them. To their knowledge, Tom had never dated a student before, so it wasn’t as if it was a yearly pattern for him. And he’d stopped working for the high school in order to avoid a scandal or the appearance of impropriety.

  A lot of the girls dated older boys. And many boys in her class dated younger girls. Michael Presley was one of them. His girlfriend, Jennifer Murphy, was a sophomore. She was also Susan Murphy’s younger sister.

  Pam recalled checking the clock on the wall. Twenty after midnight. She still hadn’t heard from Tom. She had expected him to attend the play that evening. When he didn’t, she presumed he got called out on ambulance duty. She tried to ignore the uneasiness brewing in her stomach. Then she overhead Jennifer, who had recently arrived at the party.

  “My sister is pregnant.”

  It came out like a declaration. Pam turned to the young girl and found her dark eyes, defiant, staring at her. “And Tom Jarrod is the father. They’re getting married at the end of this month.”

  Instantly, everything stopped. The room became silent. Everyone’s eyes fell on Pam. A few snickers followed. Megan grabbed her hand and urged her up the stairs and out of the house.

  “Don’t think about it,” she told Pam. “Jennifer is a horrible little girl. Her sister is even worse. Let’s go home and call Tom. I know I said he was bad news, but once you two started dating and I got to know him, I sort of changed my mind. It seems like he really grew up. He really likes you. I can’t believe he would two-time you with …with Susan Murphy.” She scrunched up her nose. “How icky!”

  Though Pam wanted to agree, she also knew Tom and Susan had dated earlier in the year. Susan was beautiful, rich and close to Tom’s age. Whether she was still a virgin didn’t matter. She certainly had more experience with men than Pam. Though Tom never pressured her sexually, she knew enough to understand he had desires she wasn’t ready to satisfy. Adding that to Jennifer’s statement and Tom’s unexpected absence filled Pam with a sense of dread. The rest of the night and the several months afterward whizzed by in a blur.

  Pam didn’t get a chance to hear the whole story from Tom. Intervening incidents prevented that. Instead, her parents confirmed the marriage a few months after it took place.

  “Pam?”

  She blinked, startled to find Tom sitting across from her. Absolutely amazing. “Do you have any pictures of your boys?” she asked, determined to switch her thoughts to more pleasant topics.

  Tom kept his eyes on her while retrieving his wallet from his back pocket. “Sure. But you didn’t answer my question.”

  Pam really didn’t feel like rehashing the past, but if he did… She released a low exhale. “Of course I think we made a good couple. But I was so young. And I had such a big crush on you. I cringe now, looking back.”

  Handing her a photograph, Tom countered, “Think about the razzing I took about you. You were jail bait all the way. All my friends said so. And a preppy high school senior going to Harvard in the fall. They took bets about you leaving me in the dust in no time flat.”

  Pam studied the boys’ faces. “They look like great kids.” And she sincerely meant it. While A.J. favored his mother’s features, Mark looked like the spitting image of Tom.

  “Oh they are,” Tom agreed, replacing the picture. “Would you?”

  Pam frowned. “Would I what?”

  He gave her an exasperated glare. “Have left me in the dust in no time flat?”

  “Certainly not,” she insisted, noting again the controlled way in which Tom handled the topic of his children.

  Why? she wondered. Should she ask? No, she decided.

  First of all, it was another topic that was none of her business. Second, she knew him well enough to understand that if he wanted to talk about them, he would. Going along with his choice of topic, she shook her head.

  “No. I think you would have dumped me first. You were ready to start your life. I needed at least eight more years of school, then a hospital residency. Maybe it was self-preservation, but I used to tell myself that the long-distance relationship wouldn’t have worked out anyway. Sure we’d try, but eventually we’d fizzle out.”

  “That’s what you really thought?”

  Oh, dear. He really seemed miffed. But why? No doubt he knew statistics proved she was right. And besides, he’s the one who screwed up. Then she realized she was slightly pleased at his reaction. In a way, it was flattering. Unexpectedly, a giggle escaped her.

  “Who cares what she thought back then?” Eddie bellowed. He appeared out of nowhere and filled their water glasses. “Or what you thought, Tommy Boy. What matters is now. You’re both here, together. Finally. So don’t blow it.” Then he added, “Of course, that’s presuming Pam isn’t married. Or hooked up with anybody serious.” He looked at her. “Are you?”

  Tom released an exaggerated cough. “Let’s not beat around the bush now, Eddie. Feel free to say whatever’s on your mind.”

  “Just helping out, Buddy.” Eddie clamped a large, powerful hand on Tom’s shoulder. “It took you two more than a decade to get this far. I’m just trying to move things long.”

  Dismayed, Pam looked to Tom, then Eddie, then back to Tom. Romance was absolutely the last thing on her mind when she’d reluctantly decided to make this trip. Is that what they were hinting at?

  “Well are you?” Eddie repeated.

  “What?”

  “Married?” both men answered in unison.

  “Or dating,” Tom added.

  “She’s not wearing a ring.” Eddie offered.

  Tom shook his head. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “No,” Pam confirmed, laughing. “I’m not married, but I’d like to get a dog. Living in the city and working so much at the hospital, it didn’t seem fair to keep one locked up all the time. Here? Who knows?”

  As the words flew from her mouth, she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Sure, it was true. She loved animals. But she didn’t intend to move to Middleton just to have one!

  Suddenly, Pam found herself needing to do something with her hands. Gathering up the plates, she said, “Point me to the kitchen.”

  Instantly, Tom sprang to his feet and tried to take them from her. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know. And believe me. I’m one of the least domesticated people you’ll ever meet. But this is your place. Right? And we’re…” She searched for the right word. “Friends. Right?”

  Relenting, he smiled and picked up the remaining dishes. “Right.”

  “Has Tom told you about tomorrow?” Eddie asked Pam, le
ading her into the kitchen.

  Tom shook his head. “Haven’t had a chance yet.”

  “He’s invited me and my wife over to his place for dinner in your honor. Rebecca makes great desserts. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”

  “I could pick you up at around six,” Tom told her. “After you finish at the hospital.”

  Pam felt the weight of his cool, blue eyes, watching her intently. For a second, she experienced a wave of déjà vu. He wore that same expression that night when he asked her father’s permission to take her out.

  She nodded to him, then Eddie. “It sounds like fun. I’ll look forward to it.” Saying the words, she realized she meant it. What’s happening here? she wondered. Why does it feel so comfortable? And why is Tom here? With me? Sure, she still found him attractive. More than attractive. But everything was so different now. Why go on with the charade that she might actually take this job?