Page 41 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

She hadn’t even realized they were shut.

“That was more than nice,” she said.

“Pleasurable?” he asked.

“Definitely that,” she said, smirking.

They dropped it after that and Garrett pulled off the ferry and they were on their way.

She let him take the lead as they drove around and visited museums, ships, and Plymouth Rock. They stopped for lunch, went sightseeing some more, and then ended up at Burial Hill.

“Does it bother you to be here?”

She weighed his words. “Yes and no. It’s still fresh in my head with my father, but I also know he’s not here. That this is steeped in history and that is what we are doing and why we are here. I don’t know anyone here, though it almost feels as if their presence is felt. How about you? I know you’ve seen a lot more death than me in your job.”

If anything, she would have expected he’d struggle more with this than her.

“It’s hard,” he said. “I try not to get attached, but it’s not possible. I feel if I don’t open up to them, they won’t open up to me. I want to do what my patients need. I want to give them that too. At least while they are in my care.”

“And that makes you a wonderful doctor,” she said. “You told me you were here to reevaluate your life and career. Do you want to talk about that, or would you rather not?”

“Not sure it’s fantastic date material,” he said, laughing. “But I’m sure you get the gist of it. This job can take a toll on you. All medical professionals have this at some point in their lives.”

“You’re young,” she said.

“And in one of the hardest medical fields a doctor could be in,” he said. “On an emotional level.”

“I’ve always heard that ER doctors have the highest level of burnout just because it’s so physically and mentally draining. The hours and the range of patients that you see. But oncology has to be right up there too.”

“It’s true,” he said. “I’m not sure how Hudson does it, but he has a good handle on it. But I think, like me, Boston got to him. He wants to do everything he can for his patients. But when you are seeing them for a few hours and pushing them out the door, you aren’t building any kind of connection or getting the full story of their lives to see what could cause more issues.”

“But it’s slower on the island,” she said.

“Exactly. We are known here. People tell us more than we ask and it’s not a bad thing. Not if you want to help.”

“I’m learning that,” she said. “Everyone likes to talk around here.”

For someone who was always quiet and kept to herself at work, it was hard to get a handle on this without coming off like a cold bitch because she didn’t contribute.

She had to take the good with the bad.

Garrett was right. If you wanted to help, sometimes you had to open up to get others to do the same.

“I think in any small area you get that,” he said. “It can be annoying and when you’re new to the island you have to weed out who is being helpful and who is being nosy.”

She laughed. “Right now I think I’m getting a combination of both at work.”

They walked back to his vehicle as they’d been moving around the cemetery as they talked.

It was oddly peaceful and she’d carry that with her when she visited her father again.

“Anyone new to the island draws a lot of curiosity,” he said. “I think there are plenty that are being helpful for sure, but more that are nosy.”

She nodded. “In a nice way. At least from what I’ve seen.” She reached for his hand and held it.

He squeezed her fingers. “I’m not being helpful or nosy,” he said.

“Curiosity,” she said. “On both our parts. But you’re helping more than you know.”

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