Page 7 of My December Darling

“You know what? I’m going to make sure you have such a good time here that you’ll never want to leave again.”

“Best of luck,” I say with a tight throat. I wouldn’t put it past Gabriela to try, but there is no way I’m sticking around after she gets married.

No matter how much she wants me to.

4

LUKE

Ifinish wrapping up with a patient’s chart when my phone vibrates in my pocket. Before I answer, I head to the nurse’s station that was recently decorated with red-and-white striped wrapping paper. In the process of returning the chart, I trip over a mini pine tree someone bought at the local grocery store but thankfully, none of the ornaments break.

“Hey, man,” Aiden says as soon as I pick up the call.

“What’s up?” I turn away from the counter.

“I need a favor.”

Someone who sounds a lot like Gabriela is panicking in the background, spouting off about family members causing trouble and a cake.

“Everything okay?”

“Not really, but I’m hoping it will be. Can you cover my shift tomorrow? Please.”

Fuck. The last thing I want to do after an all-nighter tonight is repeat it tomorrow, but Aiden would do the same for me, no questions asked, so I nod. “Sure.”

“Thanks. I’ll return the favor whenever you want.”

“Don’t worry about it. Do you need any help? Besides the obvious I mean.”

He sighs. “No, but I appreciate it. Gabriela and I just need to sort out a little issue.”

“Little?” Gabriela’s voice gets louder. “The bakery lost our cake order!”

I wince. “Sounds like you’ve got it all covered.”

“Wish me luck?”

“Forget luck. You need patience and a six-pack of beer ASAP.”

Two back-to-back night shifts is killing me. My exhaustion worsens from one hour to the next, so I take a much-needed break and head to the coffee vending machine. There are a few strategically placed throughout the hospital, but my favorite one happens to be located on the fourth floor near the NICU.

It’s quiet up here and far removed from the emergency room, so I can take a breather without worrying about a nurse coming to find me or someone yelling out codes in the background.

“Only a few more hours,” I remind myself as I check for any updates from the nurses before taking a quick glance at my unopened messages on my phone.

The text thread I share with my parents is hardly used throughout the year, unlike the one I was added to when Aiden’s family unofficially adopted me a few years back. That chat is full of love, jokes poking fun at each other, and too many videos sent by Aiden’s mother, covering a range of medical topics from the importance of gut health to cutting sugar from our diets.

Mom

Your father and I wanted to let you know that we won’t be home for Christmas this year.

Of course not.My parents are rarely at the house I grew up in. Whether they are pulling long hours at their competing law firms or traveling for a conference, they have spent a majority of my life outside of the house, so I’m used to their absence.

More often than not, I wish my parents were more like Aiden’s. They didn’t have a lot of money, but they made up for it with enough love to make their kidswantto return home for the holidays.

Me

Where are you going?

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