Page 33 of Heal Me

Stepping outside, I spot Gabe on the bench across the street waiting for me. He silently stands and walks over, escorting me the short distance to my parked car. “I won’t be needing the security detail anymore,” I tell him.

He gives me a penetrating look. “I’m glad,” he says with a soft smile.

“Me too,” I say as I stand on my tiptoes and pull him down by his shirt and give him a chaste kiss. “Good night,” I say with a triumphant smile as I drive to my apartment at night. Alone.

Chapter 14

Charlotte

Waking up with a big smile on my face, Doogie gives me a not-so-happy look from the foot of the bed when I fling back the covers. “Sorry. It’s just that I feel so amazing,” I say with a laugh.

Grabbing my phone, I see I’ve missed a text from Aubry asking how I’m feeling. I send a reply, throwing on my running clothes and making my way to the kitchen.

A knock on the door startles me, and I go check the peephole and open the door. “Hey,” I greet the neighbor.

“Morning. This accidentally got put into my mailbox.”

“Thanks,” I say, taking the letter.

Closing the door, I open the envelope. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard—it’s my acceptance letter to the midwifery program here in Memphis.

Walking to the kitchen—or more like gliding on air to the kitchen—I down some orange juice when I hear the front door open. “Charlotte?” Jen calls.

Meeting her in the living room, I say, “Hey Jen, how’s it going.” I’m hoping for a friendly conversation as opposed to the tense one we had last night. We’ve really grown apart these past few months. Or maybe we never really had anything in common except for our ambitions, and now that mine have changed, there’s not much left to cement our friendship.

“Guess what just came in the mail?” She holds up a letter and gives it a shake. “My acceptance to Harvard!” she squeals, jumping up and down. “Let’s go this weekend to Boston and lock down our apartment!”

“Jen, I’ve decided I’m not going to med school.” Wow. Saying that out loud feels good. “I’ve applied to a midwifery program here in Memphis and I’ve been accepted.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Gone is her playful mood; now, she’s looking like a volcano about to erupt.

“I’m not going to medical school,” I repeat calmly.

“Are you kidding me?” she hisses. “You’re telling me all of that work you put in these past four years has been for nothing? You’re already accepted! Do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes? And you’re going to throw it away to be some hippie homebirther?”

“Homebirther is the mother, not the midwife,” I correct her. “And yes, I do know how many people want that spot. And by me turning it down, that means one person who wants it now has a chance.”

“How selfish of you to do this to me at the last minute!” Now’s not the time to point out she was waitlisted, and had she not gotten in, I’d be the one looking for a new roommate at the last minute. “I blame that weirdo friend you made after your incident. ‘Metaphysical shop.’ What the hell does that even mean? And now you’ve got all that satanic stuff in your room.”

“If you’re going to be a doctor, you need to work on your bedside manner—it wasn’t an ‘incident.’ I was kidnapped and raped!” I shout. “And I would have never been in that position if you hadn’t hounded me about going out, and then ditched me at the bar!” Okay, so maybe I’m losing my cool, but not once has Jen ever said she’s sorry. What Brad did wasn’t her fault, but a decent person would have at least been more supportive after the “incident.”

“You seriously cannot blame me for choosing to leave a bar with a guy you just met!” she fires back.

I take a deep breath and center myself. Arguing with her is pointless, and I’ve never been one for futility. “I’m not sure why you were in my room, but I’d hardly call crystals and candles satanic stuff. But I’m going to ask you to respect my privacy, and stay out of my room from now on.”

“Whatever,” she says, storming past me up to her room. Her door slams, and I finish lacing my shoes and go for a run. Maybe I should try to ward Jen out of my room? I don’t want her negative energy in there. Of course I could add a keyed lock, but the lease on this apartment is up soon, and that seems extreme. I make a mental note to smudge the whole apartment when she goes over to Elliot’s. Hopefully, she’ll stay at her boyfriend’s place the rest of the weekend.

Stepping outside, I run my regular three-mile loop, and by the time I return to the apartment nice and sweaty, Jen’s long gone. Still feeling stressed, even after my run, I find myself reaching mindlessly for a donut. Or two. Okay, three.

I take a quick shower and step out, trying my best not to look at myself naked in the full-length mirror as I’m toweling off. I’d already put on a few pounds last year, thanks to the stress of med-school applications and interviews—my unhealthy coping mechanism has always been sweets. Those few pounds I could ignore, but I’ve added more since the abduction, and the weight gain is noticeable on my petite frame. Frustrated with myself, I throw on my scrubs and dry my short hair. Adding some light makeup, I try to get back to the high vibes I was feeling earlier this morning.

Glancing at the clock, I have time to give the apartment a quick cleansing. I light my sage bundle and state my intention:

All negative energy be gone.

Aubry likes to use a rhyming chant, but I can’t seem to come up with rhymes on the fly like she does. It’s the intent that matters, anyway, or so I’m learning.

I start downstairs in the living room and move to the kitchen, and then make my way upstairs to my room and bathroom. In the hallway, I stop in front of Jen’s door. Since I don’t want her in my room, I shouldn’t intrude in hers, but I do hold the sage bundle low to the carpet and blow it under the crack in her door. That will just have to do.

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