Page 13 of Cat's Outta the Bag

“Oooooh, she has a name! Partick!” I hear her smack her boyfriend in the background, “did you hear that? Her name is Alexis!” I have to hold the phone away from my ear to save my eardrums. Her little sister screech never fails to hurt.

“Yes, Isla, believe it or not, she has a name.” Despite the shrieking, I’m excited that she called. I love my sister, and we’re pretty close, so getting to finally tell her about Alexis is fun.

“Gah! I’m so happy for you! I know it’s not official, or anything, otherwise you would have told me, but do you like her?”

“Yeah, I do. I really do. She’s so smart. And funny, and kind, and she has a cat who is the devil incarnate and somehow also the sweetest thing you’ll ever meet. I think… I don’t know, but I think we could be something.” I leave it there, not sure what to say next. Alexis and I still need to talk seriously about what we want out of our fledgling relationship. Hell, she might not even want to date me, considering all the media shit she’s going to have to deal with.

“She sounds amazing! What’s her last name? I want to stalk her socials.” The phone suddenly muffles, like someone grabbed it. In the background, I can just make out Patrick saying, “Babe, you can’t just go stalk her socials. Just wait until you meet her. Don’t be creepy.” I laugh. Patrick is the calm to my sister’s storm. He keeps her grounded in a way she’s never had before.

Growing up, we had a hard time with our parents’ near constant travel. I dealt with it by basically inhaling books, doubling down on school, and trying my best to emulate them. Isla, in classic baby of the family fashion, acted out whenever possible. She evened out as she became an adult and started working on more projects, but it wasn’t really until she met her patent attorney boyfriend that she really started to settle. Two years ago, she wouldn’t have been caught dead sleeping in a tent somewhere in the mountains with no access to running water. Now they spend every chance they get out in the wilderness.

“Hey guys?” I wait until I hear that they’ve put me on speaker phone and are listening instead of bickering. “How did you handle Patrick being shoved into the spotlight?”

“Hmmm, Partick can chime in with his own thoughts, but for me, it was most important to make sure he knew I was here for him. That I was willing to go to bat for him with the media, no matter what. Do you remember early on, when they tried to dig up his family history and make it look like I was somehow too good for him? And then I went on my TikTok account and made sure they all knew that I supported him, period. And that I was willing to sue anyone who tried to say even one bad thing about him?” I nod, even though I know she can’t see me.

“I’m going to assume you just nodded. But anyway, I did that not just to show people they would need to go through me to get to my man, but it was also to show Patrick that I wasn’t ashamed of his family, or him. That I… I love him more than anything and would do anything to make sure he’s safe and happy.” There’s a hitch in her voice as she finishes her story. That was a dark time for them. They almost didn’t make it through, but now they’re well on their way to being the most nauseatingly in love couple I’ve ever met.

“Honestly, I was more worried about how my family’s past might hurt Isla than how it affected me. But knowing that your sister didn’t care what anyone thought, and she just wanted me for me, helped a lot with handling the media. Now, of course, they mostly ignore me, since being a patent attorney is pretty much the most boring thing people can think of. Things will even out. You just need to make sure you’re checking in with Alexis, and giving her whatever support she needs.” Patrick is probably one of the most logical people I’ve ever met, and his steady, confident voice soothes some of my worry.

“Thanks, Pat. And you too, Isla. I feel better. I just hope I can be what she needs.” We chat a little longer about their plans for the next leg of their hike and when they’ll be back in L.A. After we say our goodbyes, I hang up, feeling a lot lighter.

Chapter 11

Alexis

"Dr. Masters, can you sign these discharge papers for me, please?"

I accept the tablet from one of the floor nurses and dot my i's and cross my t's. This patient managed the sprain their ankle on a swing. They were trying to get enough momentum to go all the way around like they did as children, but didn't consider how much bigger they were and, therefore, how much muscle strength was needed for the trick. They literally strained the muscles in their calf, ankle, and foot so much that it caused the same injury as twisting your ankle while walking. Needless to say, they will not be trying that again.

I have two hours left for my last night shift, and I am so ready to be done. Thankfully it's been a relatively quiet few days, so I'm not as mentally cooked as I usually am.

I approach the nurse's station and smile when I see who just started their shifts. These women are not only amazing nurses, but they are some of my best friends too. Not every doctor gets along with nurses, and I’ve certainly had a clash or two with the older ones who think they know more than me simply because of their age and experience. And honestly, sometimes they do. But these ladies, they are simply the best.

Nique is my age and honestly the best phlebotomist I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Plus, she makes fantastic paella that would beat anything you could find in a restaurant. She was the first person who actually tried to be friends with me when I was matched here for residency.

Allison is one of those nurses who soothes you the second you're in her presence. She's a bit older and has three kids, which is possibly why I prefer her when I'm working with pediatric patients. She just always knows what to say to both the parents and the kids to put them at ease. Something I'm still learning, to be honest.

Last is Tristan, who rounds out our group of four. Younger than me and Nique, she excels at ortho cases. Truthfully, she should specialize and be on the orthopedic floor, but she always says that she enjoys the E.R. more. She was assigned male at birth and struggled, landing herself in the E.R. more than once. She feels like so much may have been different for her back then if she had a nurse like her in the E.R., someone who could see the pain and understand it, not dismiss or ridicule it. She might have been able to get better help and start living her truth sooner.

All three are absolute rockstars, and I am so fortunate to know them.

"Hello, ladies! Did you see the baked goodies I brought in at the start of my shift? I tried to bring enough so the day nurses would get some too." I'm looking down at my tablet, scanning the intake information for my next patient, so I don't immediately notice that my friends are staring.

It’s the complete silence in response to my greeting that clues me in.

I look up and find three pairs of eyes looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and frustration.

“What?”

All three blink at me as if I should know why they are giving me these looks. What the hell is happening?

Nique is the first to crack.

"Don't you dare 'what' us, Alexis Sophia Masters. You damn well know what!" She opens her eyes even wider as if that's supposed to make it clearer.

“Nique, seriously, I don’t know. I’m on my last overnight shift out of six, and I am running on fumes. Why are the three of you looking at me like that?”

They all gasp, as if I’m the dumbest person they’ve ever met. I’m usually not this dense. I think.

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