Page 117 of Steadfast
Right.
I dialed Jude, who would be waiting for me to tell him what happened. I thought there were two possible outcomes today: success and joy, or rejection and despair. I hadn’t seen the third choice coming.
“Hey, babe,” he said when he answered. “Tell me everything.”
So I did.
Jude exhaled on a sigh. “Shit. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I know but…shit! He saved my life, and he gets fired for it.”
“Pretty much.”
“He did it for you.”
“I got that,” I snapped. “Sorry. It’s just…really stressful. I’m getting his job.”
“No,” he said softly. “You’re gettingajob. He’s going to have to find another one. He can use his college professors as references, Soph. It’s not like he worked for your hospital for ten years, and they’re the only people he knows.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“We didn’t make him do that,” Jude pointed out. “But I can’t say I don’t appreciate it. Never thought I’d bumped somebody off the list.”
“There are ten people waiting for every drug treatment bed in Vermont.Everyonewho gets treatment is bumping someone else off the list.”
“How fucking sad.”
We were both quiet for a moment.
“Sophie?”
“Yeah?”
“Does this mean we’re staying in the Montpelier area?”
“I guess it does. Who knew?”
“Are you busy right now?”
“Nope.”
“Can you meet me somewhere? I’m in Montpelier—on Bailey Avenue.”
“Where?”
“Type it into your phone. I’m just north of Terrace. You can’t miss my junker.”
“This is very mysterious,” I said.
“Not really. I’ll explain in a few minutes when you get here.”
He wasn’t kidding—the street was an eight-minute drive from the hospital even though I hit every red light. Jude’s Avenger was parked on a side street in front of a white clapboard house with black shutters and a peaked roof.
Jude jumped out of the car when I drove up. When I got out, he hugged me. “Sorry your day is a stress fest,” he said.
“So am I.”
