Page 116 of The Choices I've Made
“It’s Terri,” he said.
My eyes went wide as I looked past him. There, in the back of the waiting room, was my next-door neighbor. The woman who’d helped raise me, who’d been more of a grandma than my own relatives. As she was slumped against the chair, her eyes were closed, and she was clutching her abdomen.
“What’s wrong? Why didn’t anyone call me?” I said, grabbing his arms too tightly before running toward Terri.
“I did. We did,” he answered. “I came to visit her late this morning and found her like this. I called the clinic, but you were already closed. I called the inn, thinking you might be there. Molly’s been trying to get ahold of you ever since. I didn’t know I’d find you here.”
“You tried to call me?” I asked, kneeling beside Terri.
My hands went to my pants pockets, checking for my phone. It wasn’t there.
“I fucked up,” I said under my breath, my eyes squeezing shut.
A few weeks ago, I had known where my phone was every second of the day. It had been my lifeline to the hospital. They needed me, and I was ready. I’d been here a few weeks, and I’d somehow managed to leave my phone in the car for hours without even noticing.
And, now, Terri was in the ER because of me.
“Terri,” I said, reaching for her hand.
Her eyes opened and found mine. “Hey, Doc.” She smiled weakly.
“We’re going to get you fixed up, okay? Just give me a minute to get you back there.”
She nodded.
I stood, my hands closed into tight fists, as I swore under my breath.
I’d seriously fucked up.
