Beth turns around and drags Kate into my office. She’s blushing and smiling. Her nipples are huge! Their tenting her scrubs. I know this lady; it’s Kate. What is she…? Then it hit me.
I burst from my chair and embraced her in a huge hug. She’s laughing, crying, and very excited as she kisses me on the lips. That caused a deeper blush and a comment from Beth.
Beth sounds serious as she says, “I wanted you to thank Peter, not try to steal him from me.”
Everything stopped for a good ten seconds. It seemed more like ten minutes of uncomfortable staring.
Beth ends it by hugging Kate and happily saying, “I’m very proud of you, Kate. Your dreams are going to come true now.”
This morning, she took the test and passed with an 88%, which is well above her previous best of 53%. HR transferred her immediately, and she will finish her day as a nurse. It’s easy to see how happy this woman is. While she is there, I dial Jim, then set my phone down.
Jim answers, “Hi, Peter. I’m in a board meeting; this needs to be quick.”
I point at Kate, and she says, “Hi, Jim. This is Kate, the nursing test triple loser. I just passed my test! Thirty-five points better than my previous best score.”
All we hear is a “Yaaaaaahhhhhhooooooooo!!!!!” on the phone.
Jim is exceptionally excited two seconds later, “That’s awesome news, Kate. THANK YOU for calling. YOU just validated the whole program. Not enough data, but damn, that’s good to hear!”
We then heard him tell his board of directors the news, and they all applauded.
Jim comes back, “Thank you, my dear. That’s excellent news. I have to run. Bye! YAHOOOOO!” Click.
I comment, “This is great news.”
+++++
It’s the next day, and I’m entirely drained in my office. The stint that I planned yesterday turned into open-heart surgery. It’s 4:00, and I’m wiped out. I’m full of sweat, and my head is in my hands as I listen to my classical music that helps me calm down.
Beth knocks on the door. I wonder if Pearls passed her nursing test as well. I receive a kiss on my cheek, a giggle on my other side, and then my head is smashed in between two mountains. This is my first time touching the mountains. My, oh, my, they are fantastic. I don’t love their owner, but I can appreciate two massive breasts. I know I’m smiling too much because Beth says, “I’m over here, you know.”
I should only smile at the situation, but I say, “I didn’t ask for this. I’m the victim here.”
Beth walks out, “Victim, my ass.”
Pearls move away from me, “Sorry. I’ll talk to her, or she will ignore you for a month.”
As I pick up my phone, I say, “Let’s see how she handles it. This is a learning opportunity for me.”
Pearls say, “Thirty-eight points better, ninety-two.”
Jim answers, “More good news Peter?”
I happily reply, “We’re two for two now. Pearls got a ninety-two percent and were up thirty-eight points.”
Jim sounds excited as he says, “Sometime after the first of the year, the school will start advertising us as an option in inner-city schools. We’re looking for good students in bad neighborhoods who want to be nurses. The buildings will be done around May or so.” I hear Jim’s name gets called. “Sorry, got to run. Bye, Peter!”
I look at Pearl, and she’s thrilled, “You’re not dressed? Starting tomorrow?”
Pearls say, “I owe it to them to give a two-week notice. They’ve been good to me, so I don’t want any enemies in a small town. Kate already worked here; she was lucky.”
I reply, “You’re a good woman, Pearls.”
The smile on her face is fantastic. She has tears in her eyes because her dreams are finally coming true. I’m happy for her.
Unfortunately, Beth really was upset. That meant that Cara would also be upset with me. They won’t spend time with me and walk away when I walk near them. They won’t respond to my text messages. That starts a dark time in my life. As my depression sets in on me from losing the two women I love, I’m getting closer and closer to the one-year anniversary of my life’s implosion. My mood is somber and tear-filled.
I stay in my office or my apartment, rarely going out. What’s worse, nobody cares. I’ve done a bunch of my surgeries, and Jim has the website looking awesome. I don’t even watch the construction anymore. Lunch is by myself again, in a corner, alone. The hospital is busy now due to my extra patients and all the work going on. More people equal more needs, and many people are building the three buildings. They did upgrade the airport, and we now have a traffic light in town.
After another brain-numbing lunch, my feet take me to HR. They’re busy trying to hire more people.
Tala stops her conversation as she’s curious about me. I reach out my fist, palm down to her. She cups both hands below my hand. I open my hand, and my ID badge drops into her hand. Instantly, there are tears in her eyes, but she can’t talk.
I have no clue if this is permanent, so I say, “This isn’t working. I need to go. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
I turn around and walk out. I walk out of the building. Everyone looks at me, yet nobody tries to stop me. Did I lock my room? I don’t care. I get in my car, and rather than driving east, I go north. I came from the east; I need to go north.
+++++
Tala’s point of view:
Arggggg. It took ten minutes to find Julie, so I could go after Peter. I’m afraid of what he might do. He looked dreadful. Those bitches sure messed him up. I run down the hallway, trying to follow his footsteps back to his apartment. I almost knocked Beth over when she came out of her office to investigate the noise. I ignore her and continue running.
At the ER entrance, I stop to ask Kate, “Did Peter go past here in the last few minutes?”
Kate looks startled, “No. Why? What’s wrong? You look worried.”
I show her his badge, “He said he was leaving.”
Kate is an intelligent girl. She works in the ER now as a nurse at the front desk. She’s training the new girl and triaging patients. She pushes the new girl aside, picks up the phone, and dials a code.
I then hear Kate’s voice over the PA system, “There is a delivery at the ER entrance for Peter Chapman. Could someone please call us with his location?”
Dummy me, I call Peter’s cell phone. It goes to voicemail, so I leave him a message to contact me. I start calling everyone I know. When Beth and Cara say they have not seen him, I hang upon them. I am pissed at them and incredibly sad.
The phone rings, and Kate answers excitedly, “Hello!”
“I saw him walk out the side door. He was on his way to the parking lot,” says a deep voice over the speakerphone.
Kate asks, “Did he have any suitcases or clothes with him?”
“I didn’t see anything. He was just slowly walking. Sorry,” says the voice before he hangs up.
Cara comes around the corner, not knowing the conversations.
One look at her, and I’m furious, “Fuck you!”
I stomp out of the ER, go across the street, into Peter’s apartment, and look through his house. His clothes are here, his shaver, his toothbrush, his laundry, a few dirty dishes, and a roast is defrosting on the counter.
Roast goes back in the refrigerator, then I sit in the living room, waiting for him to return. I can’t imagine what’s ticked him off today, but I know those two have been very dumb lately. Pearls does one thing, he smiles, and they condemn him for life. Utter stupidity.