Page 115 of The Choices I've Made
With a little extra time on my hands, I decided to check in on those colleagues I’d been trying to avoid on my way in. Now that I’d succeeded in my first priority, there was no harm in saying a quick hello to everyone else.
Especially if I was going to in fact stay in Ocracoke. Establishing a relationship with the area hospitals would be essential for the small-town clinic and the patients I served. I hit the surgical floor first, chatting with a few doctors I’d teamed up with following the ferry explosion. Several asked how the investigation was going. I sadly had no answers.
“No one really knows anything,” I replied to one of the nurses.
“Is that normal? For it to take so long?” she asked as others gathered around the nurses’ station.
“I don’t know honestly. The sheriff’s station has been pretty tight-lipped with any information they give out to victims and their families. I don’t know if that means something more is going on or if they simply don’t know at this point.” I shrugged.
We moved on to another topic. I asked about several of the patients I’d worked with. All had now moved on, either to other hospitals or rehab facilities or back home to be with their families. It was good to hear they were moving forward with their lives.
“So, you’re staying?” Dr. Fisher asked, joining our small group.
I was glad to see his familiar face.
I nodded. “I think so,” I said.
He shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t think I could do it, man. Living here has been an adjustment, and I live five minutes from a Target.”
Laughing, I replied, “It’s not for everyone; I’ll give you that. But I grew up in Ocracoke. It’s an easy lifestyle to adjust back into.”
“Well, we wish you the best,” he said. “And, hey, I guess that means we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
“It does. Take care of my patients when you get them, will you?”
“Sure thing. And you know, you’ll always have a home here if you get the itch to be in the OR again.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I might just take you up on that.”
I said my good-byes, still slightly shocked with myself that I’d actually committed to staying. Out loud.
I knew what it meant.
It meant a lifetime of staying in one place.
Never moving.
Never changing.
But it also meant a lifetime with Molly, and if I had to choose one or the other, I’d choose her.
This time, I’d make the right choice and choose her.
Making my way toward the elevators, I headed back down to the main floor. It was packed. Several patients were being transported, and there were a few visitors and staff. I stood in the back, staring at the floor numbers like everyone else.
I had one more stop.
As everyone filed out from one floor to the next, I made my way to the ER, wanting to see a few people before I left. Again, it was a multipurpose visit. I’d worked with many staff members after the explosion, both as a patient when they’d cleaned up my wounds and as a doctor.
Also, with the limited resources on the island, this was where my patients would usually end up when a major event occurred. I needed these people to know I appreciated and trusted everything they did.
Being a visitor to the hospital, I didn’t have the clearance I had several weeks ago. Headed to the check-in desk to flash my credentials and get access to the back of the emergency room, I instead ran into a familiar face.
I didn’t know his name, but he was a Coker for sure. He was a patient of my father’s and owned a local restaurant.
The moment his eyes landed on mine, he jumped up, a feat nearly impossible for his old frame, and came running toward me. “Dr. Jameson, thank goodness.”
“Hey,” I said, feeling horrible because I couldn’t remember his name. “Everything okay?”
