Page 48 of Always

Once she was inside her building, before she took the elevator up to the top floor, she took the phone out of her pocket. Her hand trembled ever so slightly.

Anika, it’s James,the message read,I wanted to thank you for how well you handled everything today with Hannah. I think we were all panicking for a minute there, but as always you kept your head. You never fail when someone needs your help.

There were tears on her cheeks. Anika swiped them away, impatient with herself. These were just the appreciative words of a friend. But as compliments went, this one touched to the core of what mattered to her, of how she weighed her own value.

It was nothing,Anika typed back,I’m just glad she’s okay.

When the elevator opened on her flat, she was relieved to see that neither Bennet nor Stella were about. She walked alone to her room, her insides churning with turmoil.

* * *

17

The next morning Anika took an Uber up to Mount Sinai, asking the driver to stop along the way so she could bring a bag of fresh bagels with cream cheese, and a cardboard carrier full of hot coffee.

She brought four coffees, thinking James might have stayed the night at the hospital or come back that morning, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“He left last night after dinner,” Gwen said. She looked over to the bed where Hannah was flipping through the magazines Anika had brought to entertain her. “Honestly, I think he was a bit annoyed with Hannah for acting like such an idiot. I mean, he went and got her favorite salad and sat with her through the x-ray and everything, but he definitely seemed testy, and I can’t say that I blame him. This was a new low, even for Hannah.”

“I’m sure it will blow over,” Anika said.

“Sure, maybe,” Gwen said, taking a bagel and smearing it with cream cheese. “Though I get the feeling things might have run their course with those two anyway. It always seemed pretty casual on both sides.”

“Oh?” Anika said. She was trying not to betray any emotion, but Gwen was too sharp for that.

“Yeah,” she said, giving Anika a meaningful look. “I don’t think Hannah would be too heartbroken if he moved on to someone else.”

As if to prove her point, the doctor came into the room to check on Hannah. He was on the young side of 40, with blond hair and a beard. Hannah cheerfully said, “Welcome back, Dr. Thor! You want a bagel?”

“You seem like you’re feeling better,” the doctor said, smiling.

“Honestly, this room is nicer than my apartment,” Hannah said. “I might stay here a few more days.”

As the doctor pulled back the blanket to examine her ankle, Hannah waited until he gently lifted her foot and then yelped loudly, making him jump.

“Just kidding!” she said sweetly. “They gave me OxyContin—it doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Your sister is trouble,” the doctor said to Gwen.

“Believe me, I’m well aware,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

“Weren’t you supposed to be off at seven?” Hannah asked, smiling up at the doctor.

“I was,” he said, carefully examining her ankle. “But I thought I’d stick around to do your cast. You can’t trust the afternoon shift—they get way too much sleep. It’s just unnatural.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” Hannah said. “I definitely think sleeping is overrated as a night-time activity.”

Gwen mimed a retching motion at Anika. Anika laughed softly and said, “She’s obviously recovering just fine. Hopefully that means she’ll be back at work in a few days to help us out with the awards dinner.”

“She will be,” Gwen said firmly. “Even if I have to drag her away from Dr. Dreamy.”

Assured that Hannah was on the mend, Anika headed over to the office, though it was Sunday. She knew that with Hannah laid up for the foreseeable future, she needed to get a jumpstart on the week’s work, particularly the preparations for the dinner.

It was an event they held every August for the year’s scholarship recipients who had successfully graduated from an undergraduate or master’s program.

Anika was particularly excited for this year’s dinner, as they had a record number of graduating students: twenty-six. Some of the students Anika had been working with for the last seven years, and she felt an intense sense of pride in their achievements.

She also had the paperwork to finish for their license renewal, and new content to write for the website. This kind of tedious, detail-intensive work was best done when the office was empty and quiet.

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