“Please Nolan. I ask your help as a friend. If you do this one big favor for me, I’ll be in your debt forever, and you know I always pay my debt.”
He held his intent gaze on me for a long minute, probably judging what to make of this unusual task. I was getting more nervous every passing second. I was praying inwardly that he wouldn’t reject my offer when he finally uttered. “Okay!”
“You mean… you will help me find Emma.”
“Yes, I’ll take your case. Do you have any gut feeling where we should start our search?”
“No, not really,” I said at first. “Oh, wait. She is a very smart girl. Maybe you should start with the top medical schools. Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins…”
“Alright, Dylan. I will let you know as soon as I find something.”
“Thank you,” I replied joyfully, without hiding my excitement. Instead of a formal handshake, I gave him a big hug and a pat on his shoulder. Nolan shook his head and couldn’t hide his smile. “She’s gotta be one special girl,” he mumbled with an insinuating expression.
My excitement was too obvious. “Yes, she is…” I smiled and replied tersely.
Five long and tortuous months passed after my first meeting with Nolan. Every week on Tuesday, we met in my office overlooking Hudson River, to go over his results and recent findings. Before long, I learned that there were over 140 accredited MD granting institutions in United States. Finding Emma in a pool of thousands of med students was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Every passing week, I was getting more despondent. I was losing hope, and my despair was making me gruff and edgy. Even my sister was getting wind of my irrepressible fury, and unfortunately, I didn’t know what to do with myself or how to keep myself calm.
Besides Nolan, my partner, Max also helped me in the first couple months. I was like a modern day Romeo, trying to find his Juliet. My impossible search for Emma intrigued him so much that he even joined me on my trips when Nolan came up with a new lead. Our first trip together was to Boston to check out Emmanuelle Pierre. However, the girl turned out to be from France. She was not my Emma. Our second trip happened the week after Labor Day when we drove to Pennsylvania to check out Emma Bailey who turned out to be married with two kids. Definitely, not my Emma.
My worst day and my biggest disappointment, however, happened on the fourth month of our search. It all started with great news when Nolan found a girl named ‘Emma Roselyn Conner’, studying in UCLA. She was a senior med student. The vague picture of the girl that Nolan showed me matched my description of Emma. She had similar hair, curvy body but her face wasn’t clear. Even the tiny bit of hope was enough to get me excited. I flew to California, the next day. I traveled six long hours on the plane and then I waited two hours outside of the medical building for her class to be over. My heart was pounding like a drum with the possibility of finding her at last. I smoked almost an entire pack waiting for my long anticipated union. I was down to my last cigarette when I saw her coming out of the building. She was talking to her friends. Her face was not visible. I yelled “Emma” and I rushed to the stairs to turn her around so I could see her face. She lifted her head slowly, and I stumbled on the stairs, almost fell when I realized with an obvious disappointment that she wasn’t my Emma.
After a couple more unsuccessful attempts and fruitless travels, Max’s enthusiasm dwindled. He couldn’t comprehend why I was so obsessed with this girl whom I met five months ago and spent less than sixteen hours with. He did not understand why she was so special and why I had to find her. Before long, he started giving me advice on how to get over her.
It was one rainy Saturday evening when Max came to my apartment and caught me staring at her drawing again.
“You look terrible Dylan. Come to your senses! Snap out of this and let it go.” He scolded me.
“I can’t help it, Max. I am in love with a ghost.”
“Maybe, it was not meant to be. Have you ever thought of it that way?”
“No, I don’t want to think of it that way, and please stop bothering me.” I snickered back in annoyance. Why couldn’t he leave me alone?
“I will stop bothering you f you agree to come to a party with me.”
“I am going to work on Mr. Hampstead’s portfolio tonight. You can suit yourself and go to whatever party you want.”
“You don’t understand. Parties are not the same without my best buddy. I miss my wing man.” He whined.
“Max, you can score any chick you want at any time. You definitely do not need me…Didn’t you just bring two girls to the penthouse last night? I don’t think you have any problems luring your admirers. Girls can’t say –no– to Maximilian Donavon. Just go and leave me alone.”
“Dylan, this stupid search is useless. It is eating your brain and you are turning into this incurable, dumbfounded, love struck idiot.”
“Thanks for your kind words, man…I really wanna join you now.”
“God damn it man! I am tired of your shitty attitude. I cannot stand it anymore. You either get your sorry ass out of this apartment, or I am done talking to you.”
“I am not coming with you Max. You have a great night.”
“Whatever… T hell with you and your stupid quest!” He murmured.
“Great!” I replied back, but he didn’t hear me. He was out of my living room in a fury. I heard him cursing more as he left the apartment.
Just as I expected, Max kept calling me all night, and I hit ignore each time. I was about to turn off my cell phone, when I remembered Rachel was supposed to call as soon as she got back from her trip. I was happy that she was living like a normal college student, not like a handicapped person, but on the other hand, every time she was out doing something unusual, I was worried like crazy. I wanted to hear that she was alright before I went to bed.
While waiting for Rachel’s call, I headed to the kitchen to find something worth eating other than junk food, but all I found in the fridge was bottles of beer and a rotten apple. Since Rachel moved out to live in the dorms, my apartment didn’t feel like home. It became a bachelor pad, especially worse now that Max was living with me. Looking at the empty shelves, I made a mental note to get Martha, my kind housekeeper, to buy some fresh groceries. Tired and exhausted, I picked up my cell phone to order Chinese. I saw Rachel’s text that she arrived safely in NY, and then Max called again.
“God, Max! You are worse than your girls nagging incessantly after a one night stand. No means no…” I answered angrily.
“Get your lazy ass up here! Now! You don’t wanna miss this!” Max yelled, ignoring all my comments. In the background, loud urban music reverberated.
“Stop yelling. I can hear you. I am still not in the mood to party.”
“Can’t hear you. It is so loud in here.” He explained uselessly. “Dylan, this place is swarming with hot girls. You wouldn’t believe it. It is the party of the year. I need my wing man.”
“I am not interested in hot stupid girls. You already know that.”
“Believe me these girls are not dumb bimbos. This is something different about this party…I am telling you.” Then, there were more loud voices in the back ground. A happy birthday song chimed in my ear. I was bored of listening to the birthday party of a typical rich and spoiled Upper East Side girl.
“I am sure there is nothing I haven’t seen before. I am still not interested.” I said. I was ready to hang up, when Max interrupted me nervously.
“Hey, Dylan! Don’t hang-up. Somebody just came in.” He bawled. “They are all over her. I thought, she was a celebrity or something but she is not. This girl who just walked in, she looks like your girl.”
“What girl?”
“Your girl. Emma. She looks like Emma.”
“You saw Emma walk into a party in Manhattan?”
“Yeah man. About five foot four, light auburn hair, and gorgeous body! If it ain’t her, then she has a twin in Manhattan.
“Don’t fuck with me, Max.” I shouted at the
wireless headphones tucked in my ear. I was nervous and panting over the possibility that I might have found Emma. In New York, of all places. Still, I didn’t want to get my hopes too high. I had this uneasy feeling that Max was playing a game with me to get me down there. I had to be sure. I couldn’t handle another Emma look alike.
“Just walk over there and check her out. Does she have big green eyes and an infinity tattoo in her wrist?”
“Give me a sec. They are at the far corner. I cannot tell.”
“Just hurry up, and check it out. Damn it!” I burst out impatiently.
“Damn you, Dylan. I am not your private investigator. Why don’t you get your lazy ass up here and check for yourself! She is your girl, not mine.” At that instant, I heard someone shouting out Emma’s name in the back ground again and her familiar voice. My heart squeezed even more.
“Max, text me the address of this party right away. Listen to me! Lay low, but do not let her out of your sight. I will be there as soon as possible!”
“Yes, sir!” Max answered mockingly.
I rushed into my bedroom to change as soon as I hung up the phone. Could it be possible that all this time while I was searching for her all over the United States, she was right here in New York, living within a few miles of me? I was so nervous that it took three times to correctly button my shirt. I wished I had the time to shower and dress up nicely, but I couldn’t risk running late and missing her. If indeed she was my Emma, I had to get to that party quickly. I put on my old jeans, wet my hair and put my fingers through it a few times. I was out the door in less than five minutes and without even checking myself in the mirror, I hoped I looked decent enough.
As soon as I was out the building, I cursed myself. It was still raining, which meant there was no way to get a taxi quick enough. After a twenty minute wait and torturous forty minutes in traffic, I arrived at the night club close to eleven o’clock. I found Max, waiting for me nervously at the door.
“Finally! What took you so long?” Max yelled in a fury.
“It’s Saturday night and raining. I couldn’t get a taxi.” I explained in a peremptory tone. “Anyways… where is Emma?” I asked curiously.
“They left… about twenty minutes ago.”
“What do you mean they left? You just let her leave. Who was she with? Where did they go? Why did you let her leave?”
“Easy there, man. One question at a time. You told me to lay low. So I did! I watched her closely, hoping you’d make it here quick enough, but I saw her leaving with a guy.”
“A guy... like a boyfriend?”
“I don’t know, maybe. They looked close.”
“God damn it! …” I cursed. “Now, what I am going to do?” I asked uselessly. I was frustrated and needed a drink right away. I walked to the bar, Max by my side.
“Just get me the same!” I said to the bartender, pointing to the drink at Max’s hand.
“Macallan 18, on the rocks!” Max ordered for me.
I grabbed my Scotch and drank it gratefully right away. I hoped the burning sensation of Scotch in my throat would ease the ache in my heart. But it didn’t. I was twenty minutes late and she was gone. I inhaled sharply, peering into Max’s eyes, looking for some answers. Some help.
“Chill out, Dylan! I wasn’t just waiting idly for you to get here. ” He replied calmly, sensing my desperate situation. “I asked about her to some other girls in the party when I saw that she was leaving. I found out her last name for you and where she works. See, I am not as useless as you think.” He laughed.
“Are you serious?” I exclaimed happily. “You are the best! So… tell me!”
“Not so quick. You have to promise me that when you find her, if she is with someone else, you’ll give up on her. This obsession of yours needs to end. Happy or not.”
I glared at him while he sipped his Scotch and smiled smugly, waiting for my response. The mere idea of Emma with someone else was enough to make me furious. I forced myself to keep my temper down in front of people who could possibly be her friends. “Max! Please!” I demanded unwaveringly.
“Fine,” he knitted his brows and replied. “Her name is Emma Collins. She works at Harlem Hospital. She’s there tonight, working in the ER. I’m not sure of her schedule for the rest of the week. That, you need to find out yourself. Are you happy now?”
I pulled him into a tight embrace and said. “Yes, I am!”
Max shook his head. “Get your hands off me, dude!” He chuckled. “Go, find her. Never forget who helped you …”
“Yeah…whatever!” I said and left the night club with a huge smile on my face. Finally, I was minutes away from seeing Emma. All I needed now, was a quick and affective plan.
CHAPTER 10
EMMA
I was about to change into my bleached scrubs when Amy entered the locker room. “Hi Emma,” she greeted me happily, and smiled. A tiny dimple appeared in her left cheek. She was her usual, cheerful self. I didn’t know how she kept her positive and joyful attitude all the time while I felt completely exhausted and mirthless.
Amy and I had been taking classes together for five years, however this was the first time we were in the same clinical rotation group. We both picked Harlem to do our four week emergency medicine rotation. It is one of the core, but also the most difficult rotations of the program. We were in our third week and I was so exhausted after our twelve hour long shifts. I was glad Amy was there with me. She was a good friend and a great study partner. She was also one of the best med students in Columbia. She was going to be a great doctor and probably get accepted to the Mayo Clinic for her residency.
Amy took off her rain sodden jacket, scarf and hat and then turned around, studying me a full minute, checking out my dress, my shoes and my hair before she changed into her scrubs. “You look different. Ems! Actually, you look great! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before. Look at you, all foxy.” She complimented me.
“I had to attend a party.” I replied.
“A party? How nice! What was the occasion?”
“My brother’s birthday. Also, it was a celebration of completing his mandatory community service, as if it was something worth celebrating.”
“You sound like you didn’t want to be there.”
“Honestly, I didn’t. He doesn’t deserve a party. You know he was charged with DUI for the second time this year. He is only eighteen. He shouldn’t be drinking.”
“He is just a kid Emma. He makes mistakes. We all make mistakes.”
“Not like his mistakes. This one could have cost him his life or he could have killed someone.”
“But he didn’t… I think you are exaggerating.”
“No I am not. He is always in so much trouble. After his accident, when the police reports got out, my father tried to keep it quiet, you know his usual way, handling everything with money, but it back fired this time. If my aunt didn’t interfere, he was going to get a minimum of four weeks jail time, but he got away with community service only. I hope he learned from his mistake, but I know him well enough not to get my hopes up too high for him.”
“Give him a break Emma, he has been through a lot this year. He lost his girlfriend. That’s not something easy to deal with at his age.” She said empathically.
“His girlfriend overdosed on drugs, Amy. Why doesn’t he hang out with normal people and have a normal relationship? I don’t care about all the drama in his life anymore. He brings it all on himself. If it happens again, I won’t help him. I am done with cleaning up his messes.”
“Okay, big sister! Calm down and lose that temper of yours right away. We have twelve long hours ahead of us. Our attendings are Dr. Marshall and Dr. Kim today. If you get Dr. Marshall, you are in for a rough night. He’s not in a good mood, I’m telling you.”
“Oh, tell me that you are kidding. I thought he was on vacation.”
“Nuh-uh! It’s the holiday season. All vacations are cancelled. Have you seen the emergency room? We are b
usy as hell.”
“Or heaven. Don’t you wish heaven would be busier than hell?” I replied with a smile.
“There you go…I like happy Emma better. Keep up that smile, and our shift will be over before you know it. Now let’s go.”
When we were out the door, I saw a swarm of grumpy people sulking, reading or chitchatting in the waiting area. Many coughs, sneezes and murmurs filled the room which was crowded to more than its capacity. I approached the head nurse, Mrs. Dorian. “Here we are,” I said, already dreading showing up early.
“Great, you guys are here early. We need you to start immediately. The waiting room is full with not-so-happy patients.” She spoke fast, moving around with a stack of yellow folders and registration forms piled up in her arms. “Emma, you are following Dr. Marshall. Amy, you are with Dr. Kim. And Emma, Dr. Marshall wants you to do the first assessments on all cases tonight. He will review your notes and then go in to see the patient after. We are trying to save time. We have over twenty patients waiting to be seen already. Let’s go girls.” She explained and hurried to the admittance counter as we followed her like little ducklings.
When I saw the tall stack of folders and admittance forms waiting to be processed, I exclaimed in shock. “Oh, my god! What happened? Is there a natural disaster that I don’t know about?”
“Welcome to the holiday season in the ER, Emma. Wait till you see Christmas Day.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Okay. Who is first?”
“Four year old boy. Joshua Tanner. Unknown object lodged in his nose.”
“Stuffed nose again!” I chuckled. “Didn’t we have a girl who stuck a Barbie shoe up her nose two weeks ago? Why do kids like to stuff things in places where they don’t belong? I wonder what this boy stuck in there.”
“Ten dollars for peas.” Nurse Dorian said smilingly. “Or french fries,” the younger Nurse Johnson chimed in.
“I bet it is another toy. I’d go with a Lego piece,” I said and took his folder.
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