The clock on the wall blinked an hour that felt more like a threat than a measurement of time. Justin emerged from the ER looking like a ghost, his lab coat slung over one arm, his scrubs stained and hair flattened in the shape of a surgical cap. His bones were screaming for sleep, but his mind was alive. With excuses.
The one thing he'd clung to all shift was the plan: call, cancel, reschedule. He wanted to push the inevitable appointment further down the road as he'd been doing for weeks (months) now following the massive accident at the casino. He needed the clearance, but the thought of sitting across from Jade Na, being seen, pried open, and asked to talk about his most private thoughts made his stomach twist worse than anything he'd seen during residency.
He'd gladly take another double shift over one hour of honesty.
Phone in hand, Justin thumbed over her contact. He had rehearsed what he'd say. It was the same script every time: Sorry, Dr. Na. These emergencies are unavoidable. I'll reschedule. Thank you for understanding.
Neat, smooth and polite, just how they'd trained him to feed people lies.
As he hit the call button and raised the phone to his ear, he looked up and there she was: Jade Na, standing in the sterile light of the corridor like a cosmic reminder not to avoid his obligations. For a beat, Justin simply blinked at her, the cogs in his mind grinding to catch up as his phone and her ringtone chimed in unison.
"Dr. Na?" he croaked, voice cracking with genuine surprise. His spine stiffened as though she’d caught him in the middle of committing a crime. He fumbled, quickly hanging up and slipping his phone into his pocket as if that might erase the damning evidence of his intent. "What- What are you doing here at this hour?"
He straightened his glasses and cleared his throat. The tired circles under his eyes betrayed not only the ungodly hour, but how little sleep he was getting lately. He tried to sound casual, but there was no hiding the thin thread of panic in his voice.
"I was just going to..." Leave a message rescheduling. His lips tightened into an line vaguely resembling a smile. "Let you know I might be late for our appointment. Just finished up here and it's quite late. You know how it is."