Heartburn: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) by Tarrah Anders (100 best novels of all time TXT) 📕

“Fractures to the right lower quadrant ribs, they appear to be clean cuts and not invading any organs. But you may want to get a CT as well to verify that before you take him into the OR.”

“Good idea. Are we done here?” Matthews asks gruffly.

“Unhook him, so Doctor Matthews can take him.” I instruct the intern.

“Yes, sir.” He turns and pulls the bags off the pole and places them beside the patient.

Three hours later, my feet are shuffling into my bedroom and I fall face first onto my bed.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but when I wake up, there is bright light coming through the curtains of my bedroom and my dog laying on the other side of the bed. I’ve grown used to the night shifts, but when it’s crazy in the ER—I always come home feeling like I worked a full twenty-four-hour shift.

I run my hand down my face and groan as I roll to my side to grab my phone.

Three missed calls. And seven texts.

All from the same person.

I’ve become annoyed more recently by the lack of understanding of what my responsibilities are. The fact that she doesn’t get that my job is not a passing phase, that it’s a career, brings my level of frustration up more and more.

I don’t bother with reading the texts or listening to the voicemails. I pull up Karin’s contact and press to call her as I walk to the back door to let the dog out.

“Finally, there you are. Where have you been?” she answers, sounding exasperated that I’ve inconvenienced her by not answering until now.

“Sleeping. I had the late shift last night.”

“You want to meet for lunch today?”

“Yeah, can you give me thirty minutes?”

“But it’s lunchtime right now?” I can tell she’s pouting, which just irritates me a little more.

“I need to shower, Kare. Meet me at the Corner Bakery in thirty minutes.”

“You mean you won’t be picking me up?” she asks.

“Karin. You’re hungry now, and if I was to drive all the way to your place after I showered, that will prolong you from eating. It makes more sense to meet there, as the bakery is the halfway point. Can we just agree to that?” I run my palm over my face in annoyance.

She doesn’t immediately answer, but I hear a rustling from her end.

“Fine.” She says. I can tell she’s annoyed, which makes me a little happy.

I go through the motions and take my time getting ready. I’m at the bakery when I told Karin that I would be and find her already seated at a table by the window. She’s staring at her phone, unaware of my approach, so I observe her for a few minutes.

Her short, perfectly cut straight blonde hair sits above her shoulders. She has a small nose that rises to a point, I thought it was cute at first, but the more I’ve gotten to know her—puts me off with how her attitude is. We’ve been dating for six months and I’m feeling that our relationship has run its course.

We met through a dating site, since I don’t have time to meet people organically anymore. And she portrayed herself as a fun, pet-loving woman, only a few months later to be the complete opposite. She hates coming to my house because she thinks it smells like a dog, which it probably does, since I have one.

She looks up from her phone and smiles, which makes my feet move toward her. I lean down and kiss her cheek before sitting across from her.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hi. How are you today?” I ask.

“I’m famished. I took the liberty and ordered for you; I hope you don’t mind.”

Actually, I do.

“Thanks.” I reply tightly.

“What’s on your schedule today? Care to take a drive and go to the city tonight? I hear a new club opened, and it sounds fabulous.”

“I can’t. I’m on the late shift again tonight.”

“Ugh, why do you always spend so much time at work?” She crosses her arms over her chest and asks.

“Because that’s my job.” I copy her stance.

“You’re always there, can’t you get shorter shifts?” She asks.

“That’s not how being a doctor works.”

“That’s not true. My doctor only works from nine to five, he’s never working in the middle of the night and only sometimes on the weekends.”

“There are different kinds of doctors, you know that. And you also knew my job and the type of hours that I work when we first started dating.”

“I hoped that it would be different after a few months. Like maybe we could settle down, I don’t know—move in together?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I shake my head.

“And why not?”

“Because I don’t think we’re there yet.”

“Says you.”

Our food comes at the perfect time and we’re silent as we eat. Once lunch is finished and I’ve paid the bill, I excuse myself from the space to get some errands done before having to go back to the hospital. She protested and tried to bargain with a way for us to hang out, but I haven’t done laundry in two weeks, or grocery shopping since last week.

She’s my girlfriend, and it’s ridiculous that I’m making up lies to avoid spending time with her. I know that I should just break ties with her and go our separate ways, but I’m also apparently a glutton for punishment.

“Doctor Quinn, can you please join us in welcoming our new nurse?” Someone peeks their head around the corner from where I’m standing at a med-cart reviewing a patient’s chart on my tablet.

I set it down and put on a smile. Reminding myself that I’m happy to have another competent medical professional who will hopefully know their shit. I’ve heard the new nurse graduated top of her class and held high accolades from San Francisco General.

There’s a small crowd of people gathered in the center of the Emergency Room, and they’re all talking excitedly around the new staff member. I make my way to the