Page 56 of Three for a Girl

“I’m a doctor, but I smoke. I tell patients it’s bad for them, yet I do it in my own time.”

Chad sniffed. The smell irritated his nostrils, and he scrunched his brow.

“Do you smoke?”

“No.”

“Best to keep it that way. Although, there’s nothing better than a fast car, and a good quality pack of cigarettes.”

“Bet your wife’s happy to hear you say that.”

“Ex-wife.”

Chad pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why I assumed.”

“It’s all right, we’ve been divorced ten years, she dragged her heels, fought to take everything from me, nearly did and now my life exists around three things, cars, cigarettes, and doctoring. Sometimes I need the cars and cigarettes to help with the doctoring.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I have a bad day. When a patient dies.” He looked down the road. “Sometimes a drive, and a smoke are all that help.”

His brow folded, and he looked off into the distance.

“Marcy.” Chad gasped.

“No, not Marcy, she’s … still in the ICU. She’s still hanging on. Waiting and I’m still hoping for the chance to save her.” He shook his head. “It’s a terrible thing to hope for isn’t it, someone needs to die to save Marcy’s life.”

“It’s … a grey area.”

“Yes it is. How’s your investigation going?”

“We’re following leads.” Chad said.

Carter nodded. “Is it the same for you, does work follow you home?”

Chad’s mind went to Romeo, and he snorted. “Yeah.”

“All you can do is try your best, but when your best isn’t good enough … it’s the worst feeling in the world. I’m supposed to save people, but sometimes I can’t.” he exhaled hard, and looked at Chad. “Will you let me check out your neck?”

“It’s fine.”

“I’d feel better if I at least had a look.”

Chad swallowed, the swelling from the monster’s hands throbbed, reminding him it was a bad idea, but Carter’s eyes bore into him, and the edge of his lips lifted into a reassuring smile.

“Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

Chad snorted. “Can’t believe you just said that.”

“Me, neither.”

Carter approached, and Chad didn’t back off. He glued his feet to the floor, and held steady as Carter came closer.

He nodded, and Carter’s smile grew bigger.

He lifted his hands to Chad’s neck, pressing the flesh at the back, asking whether it hurt. It didn’t, his neck felt fine, and his shoulder only ached from Ally’s hard breaking earlier, but when Carter’s fingers roamed to the front of his neck, he stiffened. His hands were so close to Chad’s face he thought he could smell the hospital, bleach—it reminded him of his desperate state when he lay there day after day waiting to feel like his normal self again.

He never did.

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