Page 102 of Doc Showmance
“For animal welfare it’s Congress in Washington D.C. They’d want me to make appearances and maybe even testify in front of Congress.”
“Oh my God. You have to do it. All this pain of being on TV has to be worth it for something other than finding out the person you thought you hated is actually the one you need. I’ve heard you ranting too many times on there not being enough protections for abused pets.”
I nodded. “I didn’t say no to helping the senator.”
“What’s the problem, then?” She folded her arms.
“I’ve worked so hard for this residency and to get my board certification, which I can sit for in the spring. If I lose my steady income, I can’t take care of you guys.”
“We’re stable. If you lost your job tomorrow the three of us could pay for this house and survive, even though San Diego is insanely expensive. We’re going to be fine because of all you’ve done for us.”
“I don’t know if I can do it all—ER medicine, fight for animal rights, and guest star on Ian’s show.”
“Again, who is this person who’s sayingI can’t? You’re the one who sat me down last year and told me I can do whatever I put my mind to doing if I wanted it hard enough. Look at me now. I’m almost done with my first year of hygienist school. I’m up for a promotion at the company, into potential reception management. At least it’s more than phone work. That’ll come with a huge salary boost so that I can even pay for my own school soon.”
“I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished, Joley.”
“All of us have gotten here because you pushed us. Your drive, you being a hardass on us…all of it inspired us to be better. It showed us a bit of hard work is needed to make a difference. Now it’s time for you to fly. We’re going to be okay. We’ll be here.”
“I don’t know how to arrange that much time off work. Plus, Christmas is coming up. They’ll want me covering more on the holiday. I want to be here.”
“Don’t you have an uber cool agent now? Isn’t that his job to figure out your time off if he wants you to be on another TV show, and how to balance all this? Make him organize the details.”
“How’d you get so smart?” I grinned.
“I have a sister who’s told me I’ve always been the smartest one. I just had to learn to use my noggin instead of my boobs to get things done.”
“My agent warned me I’d have to do a late show interview on my flight to Africa. To PR it you know.”
“What the hell are you waiting for, Amber? That’s super cool. Life is calling you. This is incredible. You can always fall back to small potatoes in the ER here or somewhere else when the world comes crashing down.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll help the senator and do the interview, but I’m not sure about Ian and Africa yet. That’s more complicated.”
“Just think about the sex. In Africa.” She grinned into the mirror and met my gaze. “Let your girl parts decide one thing for once in your life. Sometimes, they know what they want more than your head.”
“You know I love you, Joley.”
“I know. Now get out of here so you can be back for Christmas. You’re the only one who can organize the craziness of the rescheduled dinner when all the most difficult foster kids you’ve mentored over the years come over. They look forward to it all year. I’m sure they were bummed to miss it on Thanksgiving but it has to happen.”
40
Ian
Dirt scattered into dust clouds behind the van as we sped over a lesser-used dirt road toward the veterinary facility deep in the heart of Kruger National Park in South Africa. The wildlife teams rehabbed injured animals at the giant facility and used it as a base of operations for capture and release programs. In the distance, a herd of elephants picked at the few trees on the savannah. Zebra watched us from a few hundred yards off the side of the road.
I should be enthused about the wildlife and the place. But I felt hollow.
The TV team around me buzzed with excitement this morning. They seem pumped about something. Maybe there was a new orphan at the facility. Obviously, something happened overnight and they planned to use it on the show. They were ready to work. I needed to get my head into that space, too.
With my life in shambles, though, enthusiasm didn’t come easy. I had a harder time drumming up passion for the incredible animals we filmed and the breathtaking location.
Stop thinking about her.
An assistant crowded me as I exited. “We’re filming mostly in an enclosure today. The vet team is sedating a hippo for an exam.”
“That sounds interesting.” I checked my phone like I did every thirty seconds of every day out of the unending hope Amber might send me a message. Even a brief “hi” or, hell, anything.
Still nothing from her. Of course, it would help if I texted her first. But I wanted her to make the first move.
