Page 8 of Keep This Promise
No one loves me. I’m a divorced workaholic who refuses to accept love or take a break. At least, that’s what Mama James, the world’s best aunt, says whenever she brings it up, which is daily.
“Did you save the box?” I ask, taking it from her.
She gives me a look that would wither a flower. “Do I look like I work in the receiving department?”
I sigh. “You have a lot of spunk.”
“Dr. James, I am the charge nurse on one of the most active floors in this hospital. I manage the staff, the doctors, patients, and their families. My responsibilities are legion, and my pay . . . is not. Not to mention most of the doctors here treat my staff like the shit on their shoes. The spunk coming out of me is years’ worth of pent-up hostility toward people around here thinking I have ample time to run errands. However, what you’re getting now is my refusal to worry about the packaging a gift came in.”
I try not to find this tongue lashing comical because most of what she’s saying is right. She’s shit on at every turn. I am one of those doctors who respects and admires the nurses. They work harder than most and don’t receive the credit. Still, I’m new here, and I need to make sure people don’t shit on me.
“I understand, it was a simple question. I do not treat you or your staff like anything on my shoes. I value the nursing staff, and I’d appreciate the same in return. I don’t devalue your job. I know what each one of you do for me and the other doctors.”
Her shoulders drop a touch. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I mean it, Trina, you are what keep this hospital running and make the doctors look good.”
She smiles a little. “I’ll inquire about the box.”
I lift my hand. “No need. I’m sure it won’t tell us anything, and you have . . .” I try to recall what she said and then grin when it comes back. “Legions of responsibility. This is not one to add to your list.”
Trina’s eyes mist over, but it must be a trick of the light because all anyone talks about is how she has one emotion . . . annoyed. She shakes her head, and it’s gone. “You’re the smartest man I know, Dr. James.”
“Can you repeat that in about thirty seconds?” I ask as I rummage through my desk.
“What? Why?”
“I need to find my voice recorder so I can just play that anytime someone says otherwise.”
She laughs, and I smile at her. Mama James’s advice about attracting flies with honey has never left me. I treat everyone with respect and hope it comes back. I also learned as an intern that the nurses are your best ally. They hear everything, remember everyone, and can save your ass when you need it. I have needed it.
I have never won over a charge nurse this easy, though. They’re tough nuts to crack, but...hey, I’ll take this victory.
“I should get back,” she says, glancing at the door.
“Thanks for bringing this to me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Trina leaves, and I sit at my desk, reading the postcard again. Since moving back to Rose Canyon, my life has been . . . strange. First, my best friend was murdered, his sister lost her memory, got it back, and then married my other best friend, Spencer. That was a shock to all of us, as no one even knew they had been dating. A few weeks later, I found out my other best friend, Emmett, was also keeping secrets when his freaking wife showed up.
If all that weren’t strange enough, I started getting these weird packages.
The first was the Eiffel Tower figurine and a postcard of the Grand Canyon. The second gift, which showed up after the fiasco where Emmett was shot, was a Las Vegas postcard and a small statue of an Egyptian pyramid with the exact same wording from the first postcard. This one. This one is not the same. It’s a trinket of Big Ben, which has nothing in common with the other two trinkets aside from the fact that none of them make any sense at all, and a postcard that reads:
Your package is arriving, and you need to pick it up.
8675300183
What fucking package? I groan and toss the postcard onto the desk.
“Everything okay?” a feminine voice asks from the entryway.
“Hey, Kate. Yeah, I’m fine.”
Dr. Kate Dehring is the new head of the mental health department. I tried to get my friend Dr. Mike Girardo, the doctor who helped Brielle after her memory loss, to stay, but the hospital could never meet his salary requirements. Thankfully, Kate came in, and she’s made a ton of changes, all for the better.
The hospital isn’t bad, just underfunded.
