Page 7 of Dirty Doctor
CHAPTERSIX
LANGLEY
I callBella first thing in the morning and ask her to come pick me up. She answers on the fourth ring, and I have to hold the phone away from my ear as the sound of an electric saw floats through the speakers.
“Where the hell are you?” I ask, glancing at the clock in the room. It’s just before nine in the morning, and I am waiting for Doctor Jones to officially discharge me.
“Oh, um, hi!” she answers, her voice a little more saccharine than normal. “How are you?”
I groan. “Finally being discharged. Would you be able to come pick me up?”
There’s the sound of men’s voices in the background. She must be walking to work—passing a construction site or something.
“Sure, I can pick you up…” she trails off. “There’s something you should know, though.”
“Bella, what’s going on?”
I can literally hear the wheels turning in her mind. “We, um, had a little bit of an issue at the apartment,” she says quickly. “I didn’t want to worry you. I was hoping it would be done before you got home—you already have so much on your plate, you know? But now they’re saying next week, and—”
“What kind of issue?” I press, staring down at my nails nervously.
“The upstairs neighbors sort of… flooded their place.”
“What?! How did that happen?”
“A pipe burst, and the ceiling in our kitchen needs to be replaced. They’ve already removed the drywall, but they need to let it air out for a few days so that there’s no mold growth, and—”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Will you be able to pick me up or not?”
“Sure, I can pick you up. But we can’t come back here. I’m staying at Will’s house. I can ask if you can stay too?”
“As a third wheel?” I screech, laughing. “No, thanks. It’s fine. I’ll just call my mom.”
“I’m so sorry, Langley. I can bring you some clothes and toiletries if you want. Maybe your computer? It’s all fine, I promise. Just the kitchen.”
“Sure. Thank you. I’ll let you know when I get there and we can figure something out.” I fidget with the loose threads on the blanket. “So they’re saying next week?”
“Yes. You just need a place to stay for a few days.” I sigh loudly. “And my offer still stands. I’m sure Will would love to have you.”
I groan. Bella and Will have been dating for three months, and they’re in their can’t-get-enough-of-you honeymoon phase.
“No, but thank you.”
We say a quick goodbye, and I try my mom. “Hi, sweetie! How are you feeling? Luke says you’re being discharged today. That’s great!”
“Yeah, it’s good news,” I say quickly. “So, my apartment flooded, and I need somewhere to stay this weekend. Would I be able to stay with you and Howard?” The prospect is less than ideal, but then again, maybe it would be nice to be doted on. My mom loves to take care of me. A weekend at her place would mean lots of soup, Netflix, and ice cream. Luke wants me to recuperate—being there might be just the ticket.
“Oh, no! That’s awful.” I hear her mutter something to someone—presumably Howard. Talk about attached at the hip. My mom and Howard never really grew out of the can’t-keep-my-hands-off-of-you phase. It used to drive Luke and I mad as kids—the one thing we could always commiserate about. I smile as I think about those days.
“So it’s okay if I stay with you?”
She sighs, and my stomach drops. “Honey, I’m so sorry, but Howard and I are heading to Cabo the day after tomorrow, and—”
“Oh, right!” I smack my forehead. It’s their twentieth anniversary, and they’ve had the trip booked for months. “I totally forgot that was this weekend. I’ll just stay at the house and get an Uber there—”
“Shit,” my mom swears. “We already rented the house out. Since we’ll be gone for two weeks, Howard wanted to list it as a vacation property, and since Eastport is so touristy this time of year—” She’s cut off by Howard mumbling something to her. “You know what? I’ll cancel the renters. Of course you can stay here.”
I shake my head. “No, no, it’s fine. It’s just for a couple of days, and then I can go back to my place. I’ll figure something out.”
