Chapter 28

Candice
I lean down a little so that I am eye to eye with little Jeffrey. The emergency room is especially busy today. My shift has been over for about half an hour now but Dr. Toring asked me to stay and help this last patient. Little Jeffrey Dillons has broken his arm. He cannot be more than six years old and is being very brave.
"Okay buddy, how does that feel?" I ask patting softly at his cast.
His mother informed me when they first arrived, that he and his big brother were playing on their new bunkbeds, when Jeffrey fell off the top bunk. She was more hysterical than he was. We get that a lot. Most of the time when the child comes in they are more concerned with getting in trouble. It wasn't until he was being pulled and yanked on by Dr. Toring that he actually started crying.
"Feels better, but itchy. Do I have to wear this?" He asks. We get that a lot too. Although most of the time it's from people twice his age whom have broken their arm from a skateboarding accident.
"Afraid so buddy, but do you want to know the cool thing about this thing?" I ask watching his little head go up and down. "People can sign your cast with a permanent parker and it will stay on there forever. Like this." I pull out my green sharpie that I carry with me everywhere and sign my name on his small white cast protecting his forearm.
His eyes get so large I can't contain the laugh that bubbles out of me. This kid is seriously cute. I see in the corner of my eye his older brother looking down. He has been that way since they first arrived. I lean up, my back aching from the previous position, and walk over to him.
"Hey, you must be big brother. Just so you know, the role of a big brother is to look out for their little brother. I saw the way you were holding his hand when the doctor was taking a look at his arm. I saw how you whispered in his ear as he was getting ready for his x-ray. I don't think he could have asked for a better big brother." I say sincerely.
He lifts his head and meets my eyes. I see a small smile growing on his lips. He gets ready to say something, but we are interrupted by the door opening. At first, I think it's Dr. Toring but when I see big brother's eyes go to the floor quickly I turn around myself. We get this a lot as well.
"What the fuck happened? Why is Jeff in a cast Susan? I swear to God I can't even go to work for a few hours without something happening." The father shouts as he closes the door.
"Fuck you Carlos. I heard Tony shouting my name and when I opened the door, Jeff was lying on the floor holding his arm. I got here as fast as I could. I only called you to let you know because you're their father. You can go back to work now and go screw your little whore. Isn't that how you met her anyways?" The mother, Susan shouts.
I close my eyes as the two go back and forth. I do not want to lose my cool, but I am going on thirteen hours of work and my patience is just about at its breaking point. I'm just about to say something when the door opens again and Dr. Toring walks in. Thank God.
"I'm not sure what's going on here, but I need you two to calm down. You are all free to leave right after nurse Lyla gives you your discharge paperwork, but until then you need to keep it down." He demands.
I give Dr. Toring a look of gratitude then walk out the door with him. I turn back around before the door closes and see Susan and Carlos going at it again. I cannot believe some people do that in front of their children. It's obvious that they are separated but they still cannot speak to each other without arguing. Poor kids.
"Thanks Ben, I owe you one." I say with a yawn. I am completely exhausted. I wonder if I should sleep a couple hours in the nurse's breakroom before endeavoring the drive home.
"No worries Candy. Besides I technically owe you since you're still here helping out. Lyla just got here so you can head home now." He says.
Benjamin Toring is what some may call a boy scout. He is sweet and funny and a total gentleman. If I weren't so in love with the bad boy type I would have totally accepted his dinner invitation a few months ago. He deserves to be with someone amazing and nice and just as boring as he is.
I walk into the nurse's station where Lyla is standing next to the computer looking over the patient files. I see her hair is a little frumpy, we nicknamed Lyla, Merida from Brave, when she first started working here. Her hair is so big and curly, she hates the nickname and the hair. Lyla is a southern bell. She moved out to New York a couple years ago from Texas. When she first got here I was shy around her. I didn't have many friends and was never the kind of girl that was outspoken. Lyla wasn't going to have any of that. She brought me out of my shell and since then we have been good friends.
"Hey Lyla. Everything okay with Mr. and Mrs. Phillips?" I ask.
"Oh ya, I set them right. Told em' if they plan on making it to the parking lot without security being called, they needed to quit arguin' in front of their kids. Can you imagine havin' your parents fight like that in public? How embarrassing." She says. I don't mention to her that it wasn't too long ago I wished I had two parents, even if they did fight in front of people.
"Well I'm out of here. Going to go home and rest for a few hours before I have to drop mom off at P.T." I say with my head down.
"It's been a year now hasn't it Candy? You think they would have just done another surgery." She states. I don't bother telling her that they have. Mom's leg isn't getting any better. Something that is continuing to break her.
"She will be alright. She is too strong and stubborn to give up." I say with a fake laugh. I am getting tired of faking it.
Before Lyla can respond, Ben comes out of his office and asks why I'm still there. I make a show of me putting my purse around my shoulder, so he can get off my case. I say goodbye to them all and head out of the door. When I get home twenty minutes later I call out for mom. I don't see her anywhere in the house, it's only a two-bedroom one-bathroom cottage home, that I am currently renting. When I first moved my mother into the house with me, she was extremely depressed. Between her restaurant permanently closing and the cost of everything adding up, she couldn't afford her house mortgage anymore. My grandmother had come up with a way of making her happy without exerting herself too much. With that, we built a deck and started a garden. Now there are over thirty different fruit and veggies with a few trees bearing fruit as well.
I take my shoes off and lay my purse on the couch. I can smell some type of stew simmering on the stove. Mom has always loved to cook. When I was little she worked at a Roxy's café. It was her dream to own her own diner, so when Miss Hattie, the owner died, it was a shock to us all that she left mom the café. Mom's dream was able to come true without putting down a down payment. Instead, she used the money she had been saving up, and put me through medical school. I was so grateful to her, and after the fire last year, I knew I had to help her out. After all, it was my fault she wasn't ever able to ever re open it.
I come out to the backyard and stand on the deck admiring the woman that has done everything in her power to be both mom and dad for me. Mom notices me standing there with a smile on my face because she stops pulling on her tomatoes and turns towards me.
"Hey sweetheart, how was your day? I thought you would be home a few hours ago so I made some vegie stew. There is also some garlic bread in the oven." She states with her hand shielding her eyes from the sun. It's a gloomy day but the sun is currently peeking out of the clouds right at her. It's almost serene.
"Yeah, sorry mom, it got pretty busy today. I had to cover the beginning of another nurse's shift before I left. What you doing out here? Need some help?" I ask.
Mom starts wobbling over to the deck and I go to meet her half way, but she puts her palm up to stop me. This is how it has been the last few weeks. Ever since her last surgery where the doctor determined that we were at the end of the coverage for her insurance, she has been a little off. She has been getting to be very stubborn. It's as if she's out to prove that she can do everything herself. She says certain things like "There is no need to help me" or "Don't waste your time with me." I tried to talk with my grandma over it, but she just tells me to let mom figure it out for herself.
I turn around and head back into the house with mom in tow. When we get inside she heads to the stove top while I go over to the cabinets to get out the bowls. When I hear a gasp from my right side I turn too quickly and bump my head on the cabinet door.
"Ah, dammit. Yeesh that hurts. You alright mom?" I ask rubbing the left side of head.
"I'm fine Candice. For God's sake, all I did was burn myself a little on the pot. I am not a child, I used to have my own restaurant you know. Not the only time I've burned myself." She scolds.
This is the problem we have been having lately. Every little concern for her she either flips out on me with exasperation or she says something depressing. It's been an emotional roller coaster with her. My mom finishes her rant then looks down and blows out a much-needed breath. I'm getting ready to apologize to her when she shakes her and walks away. I take a deep breath of my own, walk over to the stove top to turn off the fire, then go to my room. I am no longer feeling hungry.