Page 1 of The Marriage Negotiation

Chapter One

~ Patrick ~

"Okay." I smiled as I set the pen down and closed the file I'd been working on. "I think that's everything."

I was so glad this was all over. After all the papers I had signed, my hand was close to cramping. Who knew it took so much paperwork to change your life?

My friend and lawyer, Joseph Navarro, grabbed the file and flipped it open, starting to go over the stack of papers inside. Luckily, he had already read through them so it didn't take long for him to finish reading the huge stack.

After about ten minutes, Joe closed the file and then glanced at me. "Is this what you really want to do, Patty?"

I nodded. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, Joe. That whole situation with Scotty just kind of brought it home for me."

"Once I turned these papers in, it's done. You get that right? You'll no longer be the hospital administrator."

"I do." It had taken me a long time to get to this point. "Scotty and Beck were doing everything that they could to pursue the life they wanted. I think it's about time that I did the same."

"Do you know where you're going to go?"

"I do." I smiled again, elation and a bit of anxiety hitting me all at once. "I think we're going to be neighbors."

Joe's jaw dropped for just a moment. "You're moving to New York?"

I nodded.

"Do you have a job waiting for you? Are you going to work at one of the hospitals there?"

"Not for awhile," I replied. "I went straight from high school to the university and straight from there to working. I think I'm going to take a little time off and think about where I want my life to go."

I was no longer sure.

I'd dreamed of being a doctor since I received my first play doctor kit when I was five years old. That thought had never wavered in my mind. I had studied hard and worked my way quickly up through the ranks. Now, as a hospital administrator, I should have been ecstatic.

I wasn't.

I spent more time on paperwork and in budget meetings than I did practicing medicine and that had not been my dream. I needed to do something else with my life or I was going to lose myself.

"With the investments you and your father helped me with, I have enough money saved up to last me for awhile, and I don't plan on being out of work forever. Just a few months. That will give me time for the move and to get settled." I smiled ruefully. "And maybe think about what I want to do with the rest of my life."

"Well, if you need anything, be sure to let us know. We're always there for you if you need us. You know that, right?"

I smiled as I nodded. "I do."

The bond between us had been set in stone fifteen years ago when we'd all become frat brothers. It was solid to this day.

"How are Scotty and Beck settling in?" I asked. "Is his father doing okay?"

"He is," Joe replied. "They all are. Once Scotty and Beck got settled, they got his father into physical therapy. He's now able to walk with a cane."

"That's good to hear."

I'd been worried about the old man when Jake had called and asked for my help. I had been more concerned when I'd actually seen the man. He'd been so pale, I'd taken his vitals just to make sure he wasn't on the edge of dying. It was good to hear he was okay.

"They still live in that condo Jake got for them after they left Texas," Joe stated. "You'll be neighbors with them so I'm sure you can check in on them any time you want."

Might not be a bad idea.

"Well, it'll be a few weeks until I check in on anyone. I still need to get packed and then get all of my stuff shipped to my new place. Plus, I have to work my last two weeks after those papers are turned in."

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