Chapter 106: Just Being Dramatic

On her lunch break, she slipped down to the unit to check on Mason. It was not visiting hours, so no family was in his room. It was dim and quiet, the only noise coming from the steady hum of the ventilator. The tube going down his throat looked painful. There was a bite block around it and Irene could see some dried blood on the corner of his lip from where he likely bit his tongue.

She grabbed a wet wipe from the box on his table and prepared to wipe his mouth with it. “This is going to be cold,” she warned him. He didn’t respond and the temperature had no effect. But she believed, wholeheartedly, that people who were sedated could hear you.

She pulled one of the wooden chairs close to his bed and sat down. For a while, she just sat there while she enjoyed the peacefulness of his quiet room.

“I got mad at Brenden last night,” she said eventually. “He went out drinking and I couldn’t get a hold of him. Then I found out his ex-girlfriend was with him, but he saw her at the bar. They didn’t plan to hang out or anything. But I got jealous and we got into an argument and he stood up for her, so I made him leave.”

She paused to gather her thoughts. While she felt silly that she was talking to herself, it was liberating at the same time. If Mason was awake, he would say something wise about how she needed to open her eyes and pull her head out of her ass. He’d tell her that life was too short to sit around and be mad at things she couldn’t change. That every second she spent upset with Brenden was a second wasted.

It was exactly what she needed to hear.

“It was just a bad day for both of us,” she went on. Irene was suddenly emotional like she was reliving the night. She was not sure why, but she had to take a moment to gather herself before she could continue.

“I feel like crap,” she finally continued. “When I first left Steve, I felt like I had some independence back. That I was finally finding myself and could function without a man. But after everything, I wonder if that is true. I feel crazy and I hate feeling this way. Like my happiness depends on him. Shouldn’t I depend on myself to be happy?”

She placed her hand on Mason’s. His skin was dry, his knuckles ashy, and eventually she was compelled to grab the bottle of cheap lotion at his bedside and rub it into his hands. Patients on dialysis had dry skin. He would be doing it himself if he could.

“I’m just being dramatic,” she said, sighing. “It’s just… I never felt this strongly about someone before. I was with my last boyfriend because it was convenient. He was there and it was easier to be with him than without him.”

“I’m so sorry for the clot. I’m really, really sorry.” Those weren’t words adequate to express the remorse she felt.

“Anyway, I should be going,” she sighed again. The thought of returning to work was depressing. There were other people she would rather be talking to and her attention was divided. “Thanks for listening, Mason. I’ll come see you again soon.”

She straightened his covers, then turned to leave the room. The curtain was partially drawn, which gave her a false sense of privacy, and when she stepped around it, she was surprised to see Vin standing on the other side. There was a small table, almost like a podium, that had been raised to just below his chest.

He was using the table as a prop for a chart, which he wrote in without looking up. Irene almost thought she would be able to slip away without being noticed. Of course, luck was not on her side.

“Irene?” he called out.

She stopped walking abruptly and turned around to face him. He was dressed in surgical scrubs and a lab coat, his sneakers covered in shoe covers. She had never understood why surgeons went around the hospital wearing those. It was a weird fashion statement.

“Yes?” she said politely.

She hadn’t seen him since the incident with Dr. Silvia, but she refused to foolishly expect any kind of gratitude at that point. With her recent luck, he was probably gearing up to yell at her. And didn’t he know he was supposed to chart in blue? She bet he did it on purpose. He seemed like a person who would think he was above those rules.

“I didn’t know you were close to Mason.” His voice was almost conversational. Irene wondered if he heard everything she said to Mason while she was in the room.

“I didn’t know you knew him at all.”

“He has been a patient of mine for years. I performed the procedure on him.”

“Oh.” It never occurred to her that Vin was his doctor, too. “I guess we both learning something, then.”

“You’re working today?”

“Yes.” She wondered what gave it away. Her full uniform?

‘Be nice. You’re better than him.’

He was also being pleasant. It was awkward and unnatural, like seeing a fish on dry land. She wanted to kick him back into the water and pretend this never happened.

“Are you and Brenden doing okay?” He continued to write while he talked to her, not giving her the benefit of his full attention. But she understood that he felt his time was more important than hers. She had nothing better to do than stand around and make small talk with her boyfriend’s rude father… so…

“We’re fine,” she answered quickly. She wondered if he knew something she didn’t. “Why?”

“He didn’t seem that well this morning. I can always tell when something is going on with him.”

“Oh.”

“Look, Irene. I know you don’t think highly of me, and to be honest, I was hesitant about getting to know you at first. But I see Brenden is serious and I promise to try and do better.”

Irene had no idea how to take that offer. He promised to try.

She glanced around to make sure no one was in hearing distance. Mason’s nurse was in the room with her other patient, and there was one on in this part of the hallway.

She straightened and stepped a little closer so she could be heard without raising her voice, which held false pleasantness. “While that is flattering, Dr. Warren, you should save yourself the trouble. I don’t care what you think of me.” She turned to walk away and he chuckled loudly.

“Every encounter with you is full of surprises,” he commented.

“I could say the same,” she countered, pausing once more to glance back at him.

He regarded her for a moment, thoughtful. “You’ll be good for Brenden,” he finally said. He shook his head and turned back to charting. He didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t have to.

That was probably the best compliment Vin could have given her.