When I exit the bathroom, I find Aaron standing there looking pissed off. Great. This will be a fun ride home. I don’t acknowledge him, choosing instead to walk past him and out to the car. Like I thought, the ride home is epically uncomfortable. We don’t speak to each other at all. His jaw stays clenched and his fingers are tight around the steering wheel. I can’t stop bouncing my uninjured leg, because when I get mad, I get fidgety.
At home, I go upstairs and change into my pajamas. The clock reads ten past eight. It’s still early, and I never got to finish my dinner, but I’m unwilling to go into the kitchen and possibly have to interact with Aaron, so I sit on the bed and hope he doesn’t come in here.
After about ten minutes, I hear the door slam closed and then the faint sound of the garage opening. I rush out of the bedroom and onto the landing of the stairs where I have a perfect visual of the front yard through the large windows.
With the sun still out, I have a clear shot of Aaron’s black Denali backing out of the driveway. He looks up, and I swear our eyes meet.
With only a slight pause, he continues to back up until he hits the street and zooms off.
I call Scott and tell him that I don’t think I’ll make it in to work after all. I lie about accidentally hitting my ankle on something and making it worse. In all honesty, I just don’t feel up to being a happy-go-lucky nurse who’s supposed to be friendly to all the patients, and I don’t want to talk to Chris about my evening with Aaron. Plus, Janna sent me a text letting me know she’s off tomorrow, and what I really need is to talk to my friend and get some perspective.
After finding something to snack on, I make my way back into my bedroom and try to fall asleep. My brain has a different idea, keeping me up for hours instead, thoughts of what my future holds running through my head.
Even though I stayed up fairly late, I never heard Aaron come back home. It isn’t until I wake up and walk through the house that I find evidence of him having slept in a spare bedroom.
Once I’m showered and dressed, I call Janna and tell her to come pick me up. Instead of waiting inside, I choose to sit in one of the wooden chairs we keep on the small porch in front of our house. I rest my good leg on the railing in front of me, watching the road for her car.
The weather seems to be reflecting my mood today with its cloudy, gray skies. It’s not the most beautiful day, but that’s okay. It’s days like these that make you appreciate the good weather when you get it. Same goes for the gray moments in your life. You need to experience the bad sometimes in order to be grateful for the good days.
I pick at the threads in my ripped jeans, and take notice of my chipped toenail polish as I shove my feet back into my flip flops. Janna’s car is coming up the driveway, so I stand up and make my way to her gold Mazda Protégé.
“Hey, chickee,” she says when I open the door. “I see you’re still a little slow on your feet. You okay?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s just a little sore still. Nothing too bad.”
“Where do you want to go? Moose’s Tooth?”
I think of Chris. “No. Let’s go to Humpy’s.”
Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse is a laid back place that has live music, great food, and a wide beer selection. It’s downtown on Sixth Avenue, requiring us to either park in a parking garage at the mall on Fifth Avenue, or find a parking lot along the road somewhere. Either way, we have to walk to the restaurant, but it’s nothing we’re not used to. Janna decides to just park at the mall because it’s a tiny bit cheaper.
When we walk inside Humpy’s, the bar is the first thing we see, and multi-colored lights are strewn about the ceiling. Instead of going left where the tables with stools are, we seek comfort in their bright-colored booths alongside the right side.
“Dammit. I knew I shouldn’t have worn shorts,” Janna complains as she slides across the leather.
She takes the blue and white plaid, long-sleeved shirt off and sits on top of it to keep her legs from sticking to the seat. She’s left wearing only a white tank top that showcases her large boobs. Janna uses the rubber band from her wrist to secure her wild hair into a messy ponytail. She’s one of those girls who always leaves the house with her hair down, but as soon as she gets to where she’s going, ends up putting it up.
“All right,” she says, taking a deep breath. “I’m ready to hear all about your life.”
I laugh. “Let’s order first. It’s gonna be a long one.”
We end up ordering some alehouse nachos. The tri-colored chips are topped with cheese, black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. It’s as delicious as it sounds. We also get an order of Humpy’s wings, tossed in Farley’s Famous Hot Hot Sauce. Yes, they’re fucking hot, but oh so good. Me and Janna always share food, so we get these types of things that are easy to split between the two of us.
“Spill it,” she says as soon as the waiter leaves.
“God, where do I start?”
“Don’t skip anything.”
I tell her everything, starting from when I first met Chris and how he’s always been flirtatious and tossing around sexual innuendos like nobody’s business, to him asking me to lunch after work on Saturday and inviting himself to go hiking with me. I tell her how he said he wanted to fuck me in the restaurant, but then pretended it was a joke until later. When I get to the part where I hurt my ankle and he was sure to take me home and make sure I was taken care of, she gasps, almost choking on her food.
“What? He went home with you?”
“Yeah, he refused to leave me alone, because he knew I’d need help, and Aaron wasn’t there.”
“Aww.”
I tell her about needing help getting out of the bathtub, and she lets out a loud cackle of a laugh.
“Sshh. It’s not funny.”
“You dumbass. Why did you get in the tub in the first place?”
“I was all sweaty and gross. I wasn’t about to stay like that.”
“So, he helped you get dressed?” she asks with wide eyes.
“Yes, but he didn’t see anything. I was very careful and everything stayed covered up.”
“Boo.”
“Shut up,” I say with a laugh.
I tell her about the sexually charged moment when he pulled my underwear up, leaving his hands on my hips, and then confessed to the kiss on the couch after he admitted to how he felt about me.
“Wow, Aria,” she breathes, wiping her hands on a napkin. “This is . . . crazy.”
“It was even crazier when Aaron showed up!”
“No!” she shrieks. “What happened?”
“Chris was so calm about it. He played the part of the helpful doctor who was just making sure I was okay, but Aaron didn’t like him being there.” She nods her head and waits for more. “When Chris left, Aaron had a bit of an attitude, being a dick about the whole thing, and didn’t really seem to care that I was hurt. He put on a show while Chris was there, but he thought I should’ve been able to handle everything on my own.”
Janna rolls her eyes. “Of course.”
“Anyway,” I say, moving on to just last night when I saw Chris again at his hotel.
“You went to his hotel?” she asks in disbelief. “I didn’t know you had it in you!”
“Please believe, I had nothing in me when I was at the hotel.”
We both burst into laughter. “Well, what happened?”
“Not a whole lot. He told me all the things he wants to do to me, and told me how he wants to show me how a man should worship my body.”
Janna lets out a whistle. “Yowza.”
“Right? He also said he doesn’t like me wearing my ring when I’m with him. He knows my situation, but he says he’s finding it hard to care, basically. Chris is aware of the shit Aaron’s done, plus, oh I forgot to tell you this, but Aaron told me he was going out of town for work, but Carm saw him at the bar in the hotel with some chick.”
“What in the actual fuck?” she says, looking as pissed as I feel abo
ut it.
“Yeah, well, he told me last night that it was for work, and pretty much had a whole excuse lined up. I mean, it seems legit, but who knows.”
Janna shakes her head. “This is too much. I don’t know how you’re not drinking all the time.”
“It seemed like Aaron was going to confess to some shit last night, but after Chris and Scott showed up, he let his jealousy show, and I got mad and told him how I think he’s still cheating on me. I cursed at him and then fled to the bathroom. We haven’t spoken since then. He left the house after we got home and slept in another room when he returned.”
“Jesus. Where the fuck did he go?”
I shrug. “Who knows?”
“He didn’t defend himself against your allegation of him cheating again?”
“Nope.”
“Someone who was innocent would.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Are you still wanting to get proof of all of his shit?”
“I don’t even know at this point. I mean, I have the website receipts and a couple old messages between him and some girl named Trish. The emails weren’t bad, though. It could’ve been a work friend or something, so I don’t really know that that was anything to worry about.”
“But he does have a secret checking account, and you did find a statement that proves he’s paid for that hotel room several times. That in itself is shady as fuck.”
“I know.”
“Say he confesses, apologizes, and says he’ll stop and get help, or see a counselor, would you consider staying with him?”
I think about that for a little bit. “I really don’t know. I feel like I’d never trust him again. How can I live the rest of my life always wondering if he’s going to cheat on me again?”
“Look, you know I don’t like Aaron. I’ve hated him since he cheated on you a while back, and I don’t get a good vibe from him at all. I’m not judging you for whatever you do with Chris. Karma is a bitch, and Aaron deserves to go through what you did, but does that mean you’re using Chris just to piss Aaron off?”
“No,” I answer immediately. “I really like Chris. He’s funny, smart, caring, and so goddamn good looking it’s crazy. I didn’t seek him out as a pawn in this whole thing. He just popped up into my life.”
“So, if you actually like him, what does that mean? You’re going to carry on this affair or whatever it may be, just because you want to?”
“Well, that sounds bad.”
She shrugs. “That’s what it would be. Again, I’m not judging you. You know that.”
“I guess you’re right. I’m turning into Aaron.”
“I think that if you and Aaron were still happily married, and never went through all the shit you’ve been through, then you’d never think of stepping out on him. Men can push women to do crazy things, but lust can also make women do crazy things, things they never thought they’d do.”
“And I have one who’s pushing me over the edge while the other one is down below, waiting to catch me.”
“What’re you gonna do?”
“I don’t know.”
When Janna dropped me off at home after a long lunch, she made me promise to keep her up-to-date with everything. She even offered her apartment up to me if I needed a place to stay, but it’s only a one bedroom, and she has a cat. I’m allergic to cats.
I was surprised I didn’t get a text from Chris wondering why I wasn’t at work, but I assume that Scott passed on the lie that I told him.
The rest of the day is slow, and by the time eight o’clock rolls around, I feel exhausted. I don’t even know what from. I didn’t do much of anything. Perhaps it’s just exhaustion from stress and worry.
There’s been no word from Aaron, so I don’t expect to see him tonight. I crawl into bed alone, falling asleep almost instantly.
When I wake up and ready myself for work, I find Aaron sleeping in the spare bedroom. This is what it’s come to. No words exchanged between us and sleeping in separate rooms. Dressed and ready to go with coffee in hand, I make my way to my car and begin my drive to work. By the time I arrive, I’ve finished drinking my perk-me-up in a cup, and feel ready for the day. I refuse to put a damper on everybody else’s mood by being down in the dumps about my personal life. With a smile plastered on my face, and the happy façade back in place, I step into the clinic.
“Good morning,” I greet cheerfully.
“Hey! How ya feeling?” Anne asks.
I make a face as I limp my way towards her. “Still a bit sore, but it’s getting better.”
“That’s good. Oh, Scott hired another receptionist.”
“Oh yeah? Is she cool?”
“I guess. She’s pretty quiet, but it was probably just nerves. You’ll meet her today.”
I nod. “So, I guess that means I won’t be able to be out here with you anymore.”
She pouts. “I’ll think about you the whole time,” she says dramatically.
I laugh. “And I you, my darling,” I respond with a faux English accent, touching her shoulder as I walk by.
“Oh. With Chris being here now, he has an office at the end of the hall on the right. His patients will be seen on that side, and Scott has the left side.”
When a patient gets called back, they go through a door on the right of the front desk, and it opens up into a short hall before reaching a perpendicular hall that runs the length of the building. There are six patient rooms, two offices, two bathrooms, a janitor’s closet, supply room, and a small break room. If you pass the patient hall—as I like to call it—that’s where you’ll find everything else except the offices. Those are at each end of the patient hall.
“Okay.”
When I enter the hall, I turn to the left and find Scott at his desk.
“Hey, Aria. It’s good to see your face around here again.”
I playfully roll my eyes. “It’s only been a day.”
“Well, you’re my favorite nurse,” he whispers. “Don’t tell the others.”
I laugh. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
He slaps his hands on his desk and stands up. “I guess we should get this day started.”
“I guess so.”
Scott grabs his lab coat from the hook on his door and puts it on over his blue polo shirt. His khakis have a perfect crease down the center, and his white tennis shoes are well worn.
“Have you seen Chris this morning?” Scott asks.
“Nope.”
“He’s probably still trying to get his office set up. How was your dinner Sunday night?”
“Oh. It was good,” I lie. “Yours?”
“Phenomenal. I ate way too much,” he says with a laugh.
Sharon pops her head into the office. “Hey, Doc. I have your first patient in room three. Morning, Aria.”
“Hey, Sharon.”
She disappears down the hall and I realize I’ll be taking the next patient to Chris.
“Guess I should go do my job before I get fired,” I joke.
“Yeah, I hear the boss is a grumpy old man,” he replies with a grin.
I laugh and head to the front desk. There’s a small window on the side where I can talk to the receptionists without going inside their area, and without going into the waiting area.
“Hey, Anne. Whatcha got for me?”
She hands me a file. “Lily. Complaining of cold-like symptoms, but says she’s been having massive headaches as well.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I open the door and call out Lily’s name. A woman in her early forties approaches, and honestly, I feel terrible for her. She looks absolutely miserable.
“Hi,” she says, holding a tissue to her nose.
“Good morning, Lily. Not feeling too great, huh?”
“I feel like death,” she says before blowing her nose.
“Let’s see if we can fix that for you.”
I escort her into room number four, and begin my routine; taking her temperature, blood press
ure, and asking her for details about her sickness.
“I’ve been sick for over a week already. My head is killing me. Not just like a regular headache, but my face hurts. Like around my eyes,” she says. “I have the grossest snot coming from my nose, and I just can’t take it. Nothing is helping.”
I write everything down and then finish my initial exam. “Okay, Lily. Let me go get Dr. Callahan for you. Sit tight.”
She nods, blowing her nose again.
I walk to the end of the hall and peek into Chris’s office.
“Hey,” I say meekly.
His head comes up from whatever he was working on at his desk. “Hello.”
“You have a patient in room four. Lily, forty-two, cold-like symptoms, but it’s possibly a sinus infection. She’s complaining of pain around her eyes as well as headaches. She described having discharge from her nose, and her temp is a hundred point eight. She’s been sick for a little over a week and says nothing is helping her,” I explain as I hand him the file.
He opens it up and reads through it. “Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Can I?” I ask, gesturing to the hand sanitizer on his desk.
“Of course.”
I take note of his baby blue button up, dark blue and white tie, and navy blue pants. The lab coat is already on and hiding his impressive body underneath.
“Did you have a good night on Sunday?” he asks coolly.
“No, I did not,” I state plainly, unwilling to go into this further.
“Hmm.”
“We can talk later. Find me after you see the patient.”
I walk down the hall and see Roberta taking another patient into Scott’s side of the hall. I stop to talk to Anne through the side window.
“Next patient for Chris?”
She checks the computer. “Not for another fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.”
I take a few minutes to sit down in the break room just to get off of my foot for a little bit. After I think Chris has had sufficient enough time to visit with Lily, I go back in and wait for instruction.
Chris glances at me as I walk in, but continues to talk to Lily. “So, if these pills don’t work after ten days, then I’m going to need you to come back and see me, okay? There are two different kinds of a sinus infection; acute and chronic. Right now, I believe it’s acute. The antibiotics should help, but also make sure to do some steam inhalations, and you can take some decongestants when needed.”
Think Again Page 13
