Page 4 of Secret Seduction
“That bad?” I turn around to see my partner, Antonio Gallo. We both worked at the hospital today. His schedule consisted of surgeries, and I was in labor and delivery.
Lately, he’s been gone more than here, not that I begrudge him. His dad is getting up there in age, always in and out of the hospital for one thing or another. His folks need him. They’re close. They’re also Italian, which makes it a whole other level of how tight knit they are.
“Eh, transcriptions and cleaning up this mess. At least I’m done with rounds for the day. You?” I’ll probably be here another hour or so, get what I can done, and deal with the rest tomorrow before I start seeing patients in office.
“I’m out of here. All of mine were outpatient today except for one. Thought I’d be in and out, but it took longer, even doing it laparoscopically. Imaging didn’t show everything.” Gallo runs his hand down his face, the toll of the day hitting him all at once.
“Shit, hate when that happens,” I tell him, grabbing the empty bottles and cans to toss them in the trash. I’ll deal with the others once our conversation is through.
“Me, too. How much longer will you be here?” he asks. I already know where this is going, and I’m more than prepared. It’s not like I’ve made any plans. Asher is with Lennie, Trent has Kennedy and Briar, Johnny is more than likely at the club for a couple of hours before he’ll head home to be with Winnie and their son, Sebastian. Tysen is on a flight, and Maci is more than likely with him. There’s no telling what Jagger and Lyric are getting into. Our group is dropping like flies; not in a bad way, more in the way of settling down. As it is, the only single ones left are Jude, Crew, Matthew, and me. Though, I don’t think Matthew would take kindly if his housekeeper started dating any time soon.
“A while. You need me to check on your patient before heading out?” I may as well open up the conversation for it.
“If you don’t mind. The patient’s name is Shaelynn Parker. I’ll forward you her chart. As long as everything looks good tonight, I’ll swing by in the morning to do her discharge paperwork.” He’s heading to his parents’ this weekend, and there are only two more days left in the work week. It doesn’t much matter; one of us will be on call regarding our patients, and unless it’s labor and delivery, we’ll have one of the other doctors on rotation help out. We’ve made a few changes lately, that being one of them.
“Don’t come back around in the morning. I’ll call you in the morning to let you know what’s going on, and as long as everything’s good, we’ll send her home.” There’s no sense for him to come back in. He’ll never fucking leave, especially if another colleague sidetracks him.
“You sure? I know you’ve been picking up a lot of my slack. Fucking hate it, and I’m damn sorry.” Ah fuck, shit must have gotten worse, and Gallo hasn’t said anything about it.
“I’m positive. There’s no reason to apologize. This is life. We help where we can. You’d do the same. Go be with your parents, man. They need you. Take whatever time you need. We’ll figure it out, yeah?” He nods, breathing out a heavy sigh. Hopefully, it gives him some relief from the overwhelming pressure he’s under in his personal life.
“Thanks, appreciate it. I’ll let you get back to this and keep you posted about everything else.” We shake hands, and I pull him in for a quick, one-armed hug, clapping him on the back, before he heads out the door. I go about my taskof tidying up my office, thankful for the attached bathroom so I can make quick work of emptying the bullshit I’ve let pile up. A few trips later, and I’ve got the place in a semi cleaner state. There are still piles here and there, a package from a patient, and then mail to open up.
Usually, they’ll bring in food of some kind—doughnuts, cupcakes, and the likes. The mail consists of birth announcements or a thank-you card, which the front staff will display on a peg board. Sometimes, money and gift cards will be slipped inside. Gallo and I will put whatever we get in a jar, check what we have once a month, and we’ll add to it if there isn’t enough to take our office out to lunch. This place is very much a team, even if we have an employee or two who give us a massive headache with their drama.
I shuffle shit around, moving things off my desk and putting the shit in order to take care of right away rather than move it to another day. I’m finally done with picking everything up, sitting in my office chair, and bringing my computer to life, when my phone goes off. Thankfully, it’s not ringing. Having any other sort of interaction that requires talking today might make me throw the damn thing in the trash.
I’m half tempted to push myself away from my desk, gather my laptop, my digital voice recorder, check on Gallo’s patient, and then head the fuck home. It’d be a hell of a lot better than staring at these four walls. Only I know myself better than that. I’d get home, take a long-as-fuck hot shower, grab a beer, make some food, and abandon my work. Then it’d be stacked up even more tomorrow.
I grab my phone, glance down at the screen, and see there are notifications from the group chat.
Asher: You all good with us hosting Sunday? Lennie is adamant about being fine and wants her girls around before she gives birth.
Johnny: We’ll be there. You grilling?
Jagger: We’re there. I think Lyric is bringing a friend. Keep your paws to yourself (directly from Lyric).
Tysen: Wouldn’t miss it. We’ve got an overnight and might be late.
Trent: We’re in. Briar isn’t missing an activity where there’s a pool and desserts involved.
Jude: I’ll supply the candy.
Matthew: I’ve got the appetizers covered.
Crew: Fine, I’ll bring the drinks. Beer, wine, and juice boxes?
Asher: Only person left to hear from is Luke. We all know he’ll be here. If not, I’ll have Lennie call him. That’ll light a fire under his ass.
Johnny: Pregnancy hormones are not something to play around with.
Jagger: Learned that recently, did you? Must suck to be you.
Tysen: Just wait, Jag. Your time is coming.
Jagger didn’t think he’d ever settle down, but when Lyric blew back into town, the script was flipped. As for me, I’m not against it, just haven’t met a woman who makes me wantto think about not working long hours or finding the person I want to come home to day in and day out.
Me: I’m there. I’ve got the weekend off. I’ll bring whatever no one else does, sides or the meat to grill. Just let me know. Anyone want to grab dinner tonight?
