Page 4 of Wolf

“Can you go to my house to pack me a bag? I need like two weeks’ worth of clothes and my toiletries.”

“Are you going on vacation without me? Why would you need two weeks’ worth of clothes?”

“Abel and Wolf got into some shit that I can’t tell you over the phone. When you drop the stuff off to the hospital, I will fill you in. I hate to rush you, but if you could get here within the next hour or so I would owe you.”

“Abel and Wolf, huh? Okay, girl, I got you. Let me head over to your spot. See you soon.”

I disconnected the phone then took a deep breath. While I asked Joy for two weeks’ worth of clothes, truthfully, I had no idea how long I would be stuck with Wolf. He was in no condition to leave the hospital, but I understood why he needed to leave. With his memory a little foggy, his shooter could come to try to finish the job. Wolf may not recognize the person that shot him if he saw them again. It was common for people to forget traumatic experiences.

With some time and him being in an environment that was familiar to him it should come back. Wolf didn’t present with a head trauma when he came into the hospital. My biggest challenge would be to prevent infection. He was alert so that was one less thing to worry about. I just needed to focus on not losing my mind while being tucked away.

I walked into the office that the attendings shared and sat at the computer. It was late notice, but I needed to formally let my director know that I needed a leave of absence. I hated to put my colleagues in a predicament of having to cover for me but that was part of the job. As I drafted my email it was surreal that I was even doing this.

I never missed work unless I was sick. My routine was important to me. Part of me was very nervous about how I would adjust shifting my routine in such a drastic way. It was one thing to be out of work and in the comfort of my home. Yet being in a home in the middle of nowhere with Wolf left my stomach in a ball of knots.

My phone dinged with a text from Joy.

Joy:

I’m at your place, I guess you need some lounge wear.

Me:

Yeah, I want to be as comfortable as possible. Don’t forget my fuzzy socks.

Joy:

Really out of all the things you need. You’re worried about some damn fuzzy socks.

Me:

Whatever pack my socks please

I put the phone down. Joy needed to do more packing and less worrying about Wolf. This arrangement was not personal. This was him keeping a promise to my brother. Since Joy was at my place she would be here soon. I walked back down to Wolf’s room to check on him. It was time to check his complete blood count to make sure everything was normal before we left. As I approached his room, I noticed a few familiar faces in the hall guarding the door.

“Well look who it is. Baby girl, you have grown up.” Wolf’s Uncle Will greeted me.

I greeted Will with a hug. “Hey, Will, it’s good to see you. Wish it was under better circumstances.”

“You’re right about that. I’m so proud of you. Our very own doctor. Thank you for saving my nephew.”

“No thank you necessary. You know family looks out for family. Let me go check on him. I’m sure I will be seeing you soon.”

We separated from our hug as I entered Wolf’s room. He sat up straight and was alert which was a good thing. A stark difference from the man that was rushed into the hospital last night.

“How are you feeling, Wolf?”

“Look at you being all professional in doctor mode.” He and Abel both snickered at his joke.

I, however, looked at him sternly. This version of me was foreign to both of them but I didn’t play about my patients. When I took my oath to save lives, I meant every word of the words I recited. I guess they sensed that I wasn’t joking.

“I feel good. My arm is sore but other than that I’m ready to head out.”

“Good, but before we do that, I need to run some tests on you.”

“Do what you gotta do, Doc. I’ll be a good patient, I promise.” I felt my eyes roll at him.

“I thought we talked about that earlier, Alexis.”

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