Geez, Megan.
“Roman can be very intimidating if he wants to.
People can’t ignore him.” I was aware.
He was too handsome to be ignored.
Unfortunately and ridiculously so.
I pressed my lips together when something strange moved through my stomach.
Hunger.
It had to be hunger.
I had skipped lunch after all, and the reason was still sitting on my desk, staring at me, asking for my attention.
I jerked, pushing my pen to the ground when Taylor knocked on my half-open door.
She added another couple charts to the ones on my desk, replaced my pen, and gave an apologetic smile when I frowned before leaving.
Beyond the door, phones rang, carts squeaked across the floor, and somewhere down the hall someone was arguing about a missing lab result.
Just the normal hospital chaos.
“Um, Miss Sterling, is there something I can help you with?” “Oh, um… sorry.
It’s just…” A pause.
“Are you busy this weekend?” “Why?” I asked, my suspicion building.
“There’s a fundraising coming up, and my best friend is out of town visiting her boyfriend.” My eyebrows lifted.
“I was wondering if you would like to accompany me?” That totally caught me off guard.
I mean, I knew we clicked easily that day in the cubicle, but I didn’t think it was enough to accompany each other to places.
Besides, she was a rich girl—she had to be, with Roman being all fancy and snobby—and wherever this fundraiser was going to be would be filled with people like her.
It was no place for someone like me.
Plus, I was not a replacement to tackle boredom.
“I can’t.
I have my shifts.” There was a small silence.
“Oh.
I totally forgot about that.” She sounded disappointed.
“Alright then.
I guess I should let you get back to work.” “Thank you.” She didn’t end the call.
Neither did I.
“Um, is there anything else, Miss Sterling?” “No… just,” she exhaled, “Will it be okay to call another day?
I mean, if it’s not too much of an intrusion.” “Why?” “Just because.” “No, please,” I refused immediately.
It was wrong to make friends with patients.
Wrong to get involved with their families.
And completely wrong to attend fundraisers with people I’d treated in the emergency department.
Allowing them would lead to even more trouble.
This was clearly a case of Transference I was not about to encourage.
Another major opposition was my mother.
I knew one day or another she’d surface and my life would retrogress into the life she had always wanted for me.
Having other people would just make it worse.
I could not bring myself to survive that kind of humiliation again.
“It’s not right.
You were my patient.” “Technically, I was someone else’s patient.
You only helped to discharge me.” “Still—” “Please.
I really am a fun person.” I chuckled.
I should refuse here and now, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it again.
There was something about Riley.
Something warm and uncomplicated.
Something that made me feel like I’d known her longer than the minutes we’d spent together in the cubicle.
“Dr Holt?” She asked.
I sighed.
“Alright, Miss Sterling.” What was I doing?
A shriek exploded from the other end of the line, shocking me.
I pulled the receiver away from my ear, smiling.
“This is great!
And please, just call me Riley.” In that case, “Megan.” She shrieked again.
“I’ll call tomorrow and tell you all about my day.
But I won’t bother you, I promise.” Somehow, I found that hard to believe.
“I’ll introduce you to Avery.
She is such a sweet soul that has recently become love locked with her new boyfriend.
Nauseating, I tell you.” And then she made a dramatic gagging sound.
I chuckled.
“Sounds to me like you don’t like this guy.” “As long as he treats her well, he can be as weird as he likes.
Do you have a boyfriend?” “Um, no.” “Hmm.
I guess that’s our trouble, the both of us.
For me—” “Um, Riley,” I interrupted, the lingering smile fading.
“I should really get back to work.” “Oh, I’m so sorry.
Look at me doing the exact thing I promised not to do.” She laughed.
“I’ll let you go save lives now.
If your schedule ever clears up, call me.
I’ll leave my contact at the reception.” “All right.” “Bye, Megan.” The line clicked.
I slowly returned the receiver to its cradle, and stared at it.
What had just happened?
My fingers played with the pen.
Did I just agree to let Riley Sterling call me again?
After that last stunt my mother pulled when I was in college, I refused everything called friendship.
It was easier that way.
Safer.
This way, she’d have no leverage over me, nor the power to hurt other people just to get to me.
But I wanted to be friends with someone.
I wanted friendship outside of work.
I just wanted a normal life.
Or one close to it, because I knew normal was not in the cards for me.
My life was a mess and my mother was the architect of the said mess.
She gave me life then stole every single day from me.
No.
She had stolen much more than that.
My peace, my joy, my freedom.
She would not steal this one.
For once, I wanted my greed to own something, anything at all.
If—and unfortunately, when—my mother showed up, I’ll make sure she did not repeat the scene from college.
Riley and my mother would never meet.
It should not be so hard, right?
I mean, they lived on opposite sides of life anyways.
My cold coffee tasted even more terrible now with my mother still in my thoughts.
She had a talent for doing that—making herself present even when she wasn’t, and hovering around me from a thousand miles between us.
“Get yourself together, Megan.” I whispered.
“She is not here.” Forcing myself back to the charts, I examined and signed off on all of them, including Dr Peterson’s.
Twenty minutes later, as I prepared to go down for a late lunch, reception called with Riley’s phone number, the address to the fundraiser, and a note that read: In case you change your mind.