Page 44 of Dreaming at Seaside
Chapter Eleven
ALL BELLA HAD ever needed at the Cape was a few sundresses, flip-flops, towels, and bathing suits. Food and drinks were bought on the fly, and days began when her body decided it was time to wake up and ended when she and her friends were too tired to stay awake any longer. She’d spent so many summers turning off the part of her brain that required watches and calendars that it was a huge adjustment for her to get used to paying attention to the day of the week, or the exact time. In her mind, the Cape meant seven or eight weeks of immersing herself in her friends, stockpiling memories to carry her through until spring, when they would return for a long weekend of catching up.
She knew today was Friday because of her appointments, but also, and weighing on her mind more heavily at the moment, it was Caden’s last night shift, and he was excited to switch to day shifts so he could spend more time with her and Evan in the evenings. She sent him a quick text.Yay! It’s your last night shift! Walking into the clinic. Wish me luck! Xox.
The cell phone was a welcome addition to her summer accessories. She and Caden had traded flirty texts over the last two days when he was working nights and she had been tied up in meetings with businesses and school administrators to discuss the new angle of the program. He’d called her each evening, and their conversations flowed naturally, like they’d been dating for years. He was interested in her project, and she loved hearing about Caden’s and Evan’s days. Evan had been more attitudinal lately, and she’d reassured Caden that was to be expected at his age and with all the changes he’d been through recently, but she knew from teaching teens that parents took the worst of teens’ attitudes and she felt for him.
With her new pitch in mind, she assessed her crinkled cotton minidress in her car window, then entered the clinic with her head held high.
I can do this.
I will do this.
Wellfleet was a tourist town that tripled in population over the summer. Winters in the small town were desolate in comparison, and because of that, doctors tended to practice in larger cities, like Hyannis, which was forty-five minutes away. It was only nine o’clock in the morning, and every chair in the waiting room was filled with coughing, sneezing, and puffy-eyed patients as well as two people with wrapped appendages. The clinic was a godsend for the tourists, handling everything from strep throat to broken bones.
Bella waited in line behind three women, the first of whom was speaking to a stern-faced, middle-aged receptionist who held a clipboard in one hand while writing on a notepad, while also speaking to another employee, a skinny woman with tattoos snaking around her neck and shoulders. The skinny woman’s pitch-black hair was sculpted into spiky points that darted out from her head at various angles, complemented by eyebrow and nose piercings.
The door opened, and a man carrying a screaming baby entered the lobby, followed by a heavy woman with a toddler attached to her hip.
The tattooed woman shot a glance at the door, then called over her shoulder, “Bones. Front and center.”
A tall, rangy guy wearing jeans and aP-TOWN ROCKST-shirt, who couldn’t have been more than twenty, looked up from behind a metal desk.
“Got it.” Bones hustled to the counter and took the clipboard from the stern-faced woman. His thin lips curled into a smile that softened his bony features and further confirmed his youthful appearance.
“Please fill out your name, insurance information, and—”
“I don’t have insurance,” the patient whispered.
Bones leaned closer, softening his gaze. “No worries. You can still receive medical care. We have a benefits specialist who will work with you. Just fill this out, and we’ll call you when it’s your turn.”
“God bless you,” the woman said.
When she turned toward the waiting area, Bella noticed a red rash covering the right side of her face. Bella had been lucky enough not to need medical attention while at the Cape, but she was pleased to hear that the clinic didn’t turn patients away.
Bones handled the next two people in line with the same effortless patience. A woman in scrubs peered into the office behind him.
“Perry, Mary needs you,” the woman in scrubs said.
The tattooed woman said something to the stern-faced woman that made her smile. She touched her shoulder as she passed on her way to tend to whoever Mary was.
“Ma’am?” Bones thrust a clipboard toward her.
“Oh, sorry.”Way to space out, Bella. “I’m not here as a patient. I’m Bella Abbascia, here to see Ms. Blankenship.”
“Sorry about that. If you can find standing room in the waiting area, I’ll track her down.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Bella was impressed by the swift efficiency of the operation. While she waited, a woman in scrubs had come out three times to call patients into the back, and each time the woman’s eyes were compassionate. Though they were obviously overwhelmed with patients waiting to be seen, she didn’t appear to rush them through the door.
The tattooed woman came through the door. “Bella Abbascia?”
“Hi, I’m Bella.”
“I’m Perry Blankenship. Sorry to keep you waiting. Come on back.”
Bella followed her down a wide hallway lined with patient rooms. She’d first guessed Perry to be in her midtwenties, but as she took a closer look, she noticed fine lines around her eyes and mouth and eyes full of wisdom that came only from experience and probably put her closer to her mid to late thirties.
“We’ll be in here.” She led Bella into an office barely big enough for the metal desk, file cabinet, and chairs inside. “Fridays are pretty crazy around here.”
