Page 88 of Right in Front of You

MOLLY

My one-monthanniversary as a doctor started with the chief of surgery buying me coffee at the Starbucks downstairs. This was going to be a good day. We chatted about a few patients I’d seen earlier in the week, both of whom had emergency appendicitis, one that burst and almost cost my patient his life.

I did my rounds before going downstairs to the emergency department for my twelve-hour shift. The nurse updated me on the current cases as she prepped me to take over. I had barely started when a familiar voice called my name.

“Mom? What are you doing here?”

“Are you busy?” she asked. I saw someone standing behind her and peeked over, but couldn’t see whom she was with. Hopefully it wasn’t father. That would have been disastrous.

“A little.”

Doctor Burke appeared from behind her.

“Oh. Hi, Doctor Burke. What are you doing here?”

“I had a consultation with an old patient and we thought we could catch up with you.”

“Catch up?”

“Honey, there’s something we need to talk to you about, and it’s important.”

“Is Nathan okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. Everything’s fine. It’s just now that you’re a doctor, have a stable career, and are dating from what I hear—”

“How do you know I’m dating?”

“I ran into Mrs. Clark at the store and she couldn’t stop talking about you and Carter. I wish I’d heard it from you.” There were both disappointment and understanding in my mother’s eyes. Of course Carter would have told his parents about us. He’d been hinting about going to dinner for his mother’s upcoming birthday as well, which meant I’d need to make a trip to Hope Bay.

“I’m sorry. It just happened so quickly.”

Truth be told, it had been happening for years, but it was only now that we were able to take our friendship to the next level.

“He’s a very good man, and he comes from a wonderful family. We’re happy for you, honey.”

We. The way they’d been referring to themselves had me wondering whether my mother and Doctor Burke had finally taken a step forward and were a couple themselves.

“I promise to have you over when these shifts calm down. You wanted to tell me something important?” I asked.

“Yes, well, there’s no easy way to tell you, but…”

“Doctor Fowler?” a nurse called out. “You’re needed in room four.”

“Mom, I’m sorry, but I gotta go. Are you staying for a while?” I asked, already backing away, my focus switching to room four.

“We were planning on heading back home early afternoon,” she called from halfway across the hall.

“Good, how about a coffee, then? One o’clock? Downstairs?”

“You got it.”

I pulled the curtains back to room four to check on a patient who was having chest pains. If there was anything you never joked about, it was chest pains.

The next few hours passed in a flash, and thankfully, the first rush of patients calmed by the time I had a half-hour break for lunch. I went downstairs where my mother and Doctor Burke were sitting at a corner table, holding hands. I froze in the doorway, observing the way they were looking at each other, and then it hit me.

They’re together.

They pulled their hands apart the moment they saw me walk toward them, as if they’d been burnt.

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