Chapter 30

Brooke

Here goes nothing. As I drove to work, I tried to ignore my thundering heartbeat that was making a racket similar to gunfire.

Their decision had upset me, there was no denying it. I’d come home utterly unmotivated to do anything. After I hadn’t responded to Karly’s text, she’d popped up at my door. I’d let her in, and broken down right in front of her. And she’d comforted me in the best-friend way, with a whole tub of Smarties, ice cream, and a Kill Bill marathon. Monday after work they’d showed up, too—but she’d protected me, Karly had told them to get lost. She was a true friend. But she couldn’t protect me day after day. I had responsibilities.

I had to go to work. And not just because it already bothered me that I missed a day. Today Deidre had scheduled a consultation for a child, a boy of twelve, who needed to have facial reconstruction done—Mrs. McTavish and her son, Bobby. I had to be there and give him my story, to let him know it was going to be fine. Screw my interpersonal work difficulties, screw my broken heart, I wasn’t going to let this kid down because I’d made a terrible mistake. Two actually.

If Mark and Jake wanted to fire me over what happened, let them. But, in the meantime, I was going to do my job the best damn way I could.

I arrived about the same time the little boy and his mom did. They’d come early, they were so excited. Sitting in the office, the boy’s eager eyes darted around the office behind his horn-rim glasses, so full of life. And yet, there was something undeniably mature about the way he sat up straight, with his hands folded in his lap. It was as though he was mature beyond his years—or he had been made that way.

“It was bullies,” his mom thundered, throwing out her chubby little fists at the same time, “Little monsters who targeted him because he wouldn’t let them cheat off his test.”

She was so upset, her whole broad form was shaking. Furiously, she wiped tears out of her eyes.

“They pinned him down and held a lighter to his face. We couldn’t prove it—it was their word against Bobby’s, and their parents are more influential then I’ll ever be. On the board of directors, and all that. So they got off scot free, while my Bobby—” she trailed off, her voice trembling. “I mean, just look at him, my Bobby,” she gestured a stubbed nail at her son’s face.

It was pretty horrific. So bad that I had to look away after a few seconds. The skin was all black and badly puckered and twisted. As if it had actually almost dropped off his face.

“It’s hard, going to school now,” the boy said, in a monotone voice.

“I’ve pulled him out,” the mother declared, “He can hardly go anywhere as it is—it’s horrible. No one should have to go through that.”

“You’re right,” Jake said, clasping the woman’s hand warmly, “No one should. But we’re going to make it better. Mrs. McTavish, Mark and I will be doing the surgery at no cost to you. You all have been through enough already.”

For a few seconds the woman’s small close-set eyes gaped at him, then, she burst into tears, sobbing loudly.

“Oh God, this is more than we could’ve hoped for, more then we could’ve dreamed up.”

Now she was the one clasping Jake’s hand warmly.

“Dr. Teller, you are a good man, a great one. Thank you,” she shook Mark’s hand furiously, “Thank you both.”

Bobby was beaming. Mark gave him a high-five before turning his gaze to me.

“So Bobby, our nurse here, Brooke, she actually went through a similar procedure to what you’ll be getting. So, she’ll talk to you a bit now, and the on day of the procedure to explain what to expect.”

“Yes,” I said, smiling as Bobby turned to face me, “I won’t sugar-coat it—the recovery process is going to be pretty tough. Think lots of shakes and liquid foods—ice cream will be your best friend.”

Bobby smiled shyly.

“Ice cream is already pretty much my favorite food.”

“Perfect,” I said, “Then you just load up as much as you want. Because it will probably be a good week until you feel like going out with your stitches. Dr. Mark and Dr. Jake use the dissolvable kind that’ll fall out on their own. So, you’ll probably feel good enough to go just about anywhere after three weeks. Then, there’ll be a slight scar, but it’ll be nothing compared to the damage now.”

“Three weeks, that’s not bad,” Mrs. McTavish said, her gaze going from me to Bobby, “What’s three weeks when this is going to transform the rest of his life?”

“Exactly right,” I said, smiling at her now, “That’s the reason I do what I do. That surgery when I was a kid changed my life—saved it really.”

She beamed at me, throwing her arms around me into a hug.

“I’ve no doubt this surgery will save my Bobby’s life too!”

She broke away, then shook Jake and Mark’s hands.

“Thank you again, a thousand times!”

My heart swelled so much, it felt like it was going to burst. It was when they were walking to the door, that it finally did. Bobby paused and, smiling shyly at me again, said “Thank you, miss. I was afraid before. But, I-I’m not as afraid now.”

Tears coming to my eyes, I said “It’s okay to be afraid, Bobby. Just know that you’re a very brave young man for going through this. An extremely brave one.”

At this, he grinned so wide, his buck-toothed smile showed.

Even after they left, I was smiling stupidly. Until Jake said, “Uh, Brooke?”

“Yes?” I said.

“Would it be okay if Mark and I came over tonight after work?”

I sighed.

“I don’t know if I feel up to it, to be honest. After Sunday and Monday, I think I just need some time to myself.”

“Please,” Mark said.

He moved his hand to take mine, then paused and drew it back, as if thinking better of it.

“It won’t be for long, just twenty minutes or so to discuss some things,” he said. “Please.”

He looked so adorably hopeful that I had to look away.

“Fine,” I said, “but I’m busy for lunch.”

The clock pinged and I exhaled a sigh of relief. It was already lunchtime, so I could escape. My lunch date was with Karly, but they didn’t need to know that. Worrying a bit wouldn’t kill them.

Especially now since I was wondering just what they wanted to talk to me about now. Could it be that—stop it! I shook my head. No way, they’d already said what they’d thought about all of us being a couple. There was no point in getting my hopes up now. Best thing would be to have them over and hear them out, then I could get on to healing.

Although, as I weaved my way down the pedestrian-packed street to meet Karly at Tinsel’s Café, I had a nagging suspicion I couldn’t shake. What if Jake and Mark had actually changed their minds?

“You totally have to meet them,” Karly said.

I frowned.

“Just yesterday you said they were the antichrist, and now you’re saying I should let them in to sit down and chat.”

“I was just saying that to cheer you up,” Karly said, taking a big bite of her butter tart, “You were a train wreck—I had to say something.”

“You also said that they were unreliable and erratic,” I pointed out.

Karly rolled her eyes, brushing away some crumbs from her lips.

“What—do you have a taped recording of my angry tirade or something?”

I grinned, taking a bite of my own chocolate croissant.

“No, it’s just such a complete 360 is all. I don’t know what to do. I’m worried I’m going to get my hopes up and they’re going to come over and just ask if I’m okay or something.”

“I just said whatever was necessary to get through the moment,” Karly said.

She smirked a little.

“Though I was a pretty big jerk to them. The fact that they still hung around after I bitched them out says a lot.”

I sighed.

“Now you’re doing it too—getting my hopes up.”

Karly shrugged the shoulders of her little pink-cardigan.

“Doesn’t hurt to get your hopes up, if what you’re hoping for pans out.”

“And if it doesn’t?” I asked.

She shrugged the other shoulder.

“Then we pitch our own reality show, ‘Brooke’s Boyfriends—Throuple-icious!’ that’s catchy, huh?

That earned her a glare from me.

“Thanks for nothing. Your solution to my problem of losing the first two men I’ve connected with in over a decade, is to hook me up with two men that I won’t connect with at all?”

Karly wrapped her red-glossed lips around the green plastic straw in her cappuccino.

“Chill girl, I was kidding.”

She studied me with her heavily made up eyes.

“You’re really grumpy today, you know that?”

“Sorry,” I retorted, “Two days ago, I got dumped, not once—but twice. You’re lucky I managed to crawl out of bed at all.”

“Good point,” Karly said, grimacing, “Otherwise, I’d still be feeding you Ben and Jerry’s Moose Tracks by the spoonful. What made you decide to come in, anyway? Monday night I figured you’d be out for the week on sick leave or something.”

I shook my head.

“I couldn’t miss today. There was a twelve-year-old coming in for consultation on facial reconstruction surgery after being badly burned. I had to be there so he could hear my story.”

Karly nodded, smiling.

“That’s sweet. How’d it go?”

“Heartbreaking—but good. The kid’s face is pretty destroyed, but I got him smiling and hopeful after I told him what I’d been through. Jake told his mom that we’re doing the surgery for free, too.”

Karly whistled.

“Damn, that’s a keeper you’ve got there.”

Seeing my glare, she added, “Sorry.”

“But seriously Brooke,” she said, leaning back in her black wrought-iron chair, “You need to chill. How about you expect the worst—that Jake and Mark are just coming by with some Chips Ahoy and Kleenex for you; and hope for the best—that they’ll strip down and fuck you senseless?

I shoved her as she giggled.

“You’re terrible.”

“What?” she said innocently, her red grin spreading wide.

As soon as I got back to the office, all the confidence and calm that Karly had instilled me had virtually evaporated. Just being near Mark and Jake gave me goosebumps, while flashes of Saturday night kept catching me at the most unexpected of times.

At four o’clock, I raced out of the office. If Mark and Jake were actually coming over, I was in no mood for tense idle chitchat as we finished up the day.

Back at my apartment, my heart did a leap when I saw Mark’s message, “Still okay for us to come over?”

I drew in a laborious breath. Was I? Only if you’re going to tell me what to hear, was what I’d text him if I were being totally honest. There was this odd swirling feeling in my gut. I couldn’t tell if it was excitement because I knew they were going to agree to give the throuple thing a try, or fear because I knew they were going to say, once and for all, that they couldn’t do it.

I took another deep breath, then texted Mark back, “Yes.”

The only way to find out why they wanted to come over, was to have them walk through my front door and tell me themselves.