Chapter 4

Circumstances and shifting schedules conspired to keep us apart after that. Anita started P-school two weeks later, eight days after her mom's funeral. At the same time, I was assigned to a three-month rotation at one of the other hospitals in the residency program. I'd be working rotating shifts.

What with paramedic classes, studying for paramedic classes, and working the late shift on the detox van to earn a living, Anita hardly had a moment to herself, let alone find the time or energy to carry on a relationship with anybody. I didn't see her again until nearly a month after her mom died.

When I finally did see her, it was at an M&M. Her class had been instructed to attend them as part of their training to get a sense of how prehospital care dovetailed with emergency department care. I saw her when she walked in and waved to her. She smiled and waved back as she took a seat across the room. I caught up with her in the hallway after the M&M was over.

"Hey, Anita! How's it going?"

"Pretty well. Up to my ears in classes, studying and working but that's a good thing. It keeps me from sitting around in a blue funk about Mama dying. How've you been?"

"Good. Good."

"I miss seeing you in the ER when I bring in the sick drunks. How come you're here today? I thought you got shipped off to Mercy Hospital for a while."

"I was, but I still come to the M&Ms when I can. After this rotation, I'll be doing three months at St. Anthony's, then back home again. Maybe we can have dinner or something, if we can ever get our schedules to match up."

She got kind of a funny look on her face for a moment, but then she smiled and said, "Yeah, I'd really like that. I'll need to check my schedule but I'll let you know when I have a free evening. Can I call you at home?"

"Of course you can!" I thought, Why would she even need to ask me that?

She hiked her backpack up onto her shoulder and said, "Well, guess I better run or I'll be late for class. Seeya!" She took off down the hallway at a trot.

Well, I thought to myself, something has definitely changed because she's obviously rethought any relationship between us.

But then, she was probably still grieving so I decided not to read too much into her mood. It's for certain that her whole life had undergone major changes in the past few weeks. I decided to let it run its course and not butt in. I'd just wait for her to call.

Two months later, she still hadn't called. I'll admit I was pretty disappointed but, what the hay, things happen and life moves on. She had a new life now and I could only wish the best for her.

Besides, it wasn't like I pined my life away and led a life of celibacy, grieving for a lost love. The truth was that I was soon reaping the benefits of the ideal situation for a horny single guy; free and abundant sex with no real commitment. Yeah, I know you're thinking there ain't no such animal, but it was true!

It started when Dr. O'Malley threw his annual back-yard bash to introduce the new crop of residents at the end of May. It would also mark the beginning of my last year, making me senior resident.

Anyhow, it was a fairly big party and nearly all the ER staff who weren't on duty were there. A few other hospital staff members were there as well, including Jane Willard of OB/GYN fame, the one who set me straight on ectopic pregnancies.

Some time late in the afternoon, we wound up sitting together in the gazebo, sipping on bottles of Heineken and watching the action in the pool. Jane was maybe five years older than I, probably in her mid-thirties and a fine looking woman. Her halter top (nicely filled out) and snug-fitting shorts (ditto) did a great job of showing off her attributes. You have to appreciate people who take good care of themselves like that. Around the hospital she almost always wore a lab coat, and you really couldn't see how nicely she was put together.

She spent most of the afternoon in the shade because she was one of those flaming red-heads with very pale skin, complemented with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and shoulders. My ogling eyes spotted a few on her boobs, as well. Nice cleavage!

During the course of our idle chatter, it came out that she was separated from her hubby and waiting for the divorce to be finalized. I did the PC thing and said I was sorry to hear it, but in truth, I'd never met her soon-to-be ex and I really didn't have an opinion one way or the other.

She patted my arm and said, "Thanks, Ken, but there's no reason for anybody to feel sorry. Ours was a marriage of convenience and we both knew that going in. I helped him through law school and after he passed the bar and got a position in a good practice, he helped me through med school. We split by mutual agreement so we could get on with our lives. There was no fire left in the relationship but we're still friends.

"Yeah, well," I ventured, trying to be as nonjudgmental as possible, "I guess if you need to end a marriage, that's the way to go about it. Sounds like it's relatively painless for both of you."

"Yeah, pretty much. We're splitting everything fifty/fifty so there won't be any battles over that kind of stuff. The only thing I really miss is the sex." She chuckled and added, "Not that Ed was any Don Juan or anything; he wasn't, but his plumbing was pretty nice, and we learned over the years how to satisfy each other. I guess a lot of couples never even have that much."

"Um-hum, well I suppose you're probably right about that." I was searching in my mind for another topic because she was providing me with way too much information. I mean, we weren't much more than passing acquaintances, for pete's sake.

"So how about you?" she asked. "I know you're still single because the hospital grapevine keeps everybody informed about those things, but do you have a playmate hiding in the bushes somewhere?"

"Not really. I thought I was close to having one but things happened and I guess it kind of pooped out before it could really take off. But you know the old saying, 'There are plenty of fish in the sea'."