I was so busy anyway. I had a very limited amount of time on the ground, and I needed to spend all my free time providing patient care to the patients who traveled from all over Africa to see me, to treat their children with holes in their hearts, to get an exam for chest pain because their local doctor was unqualified.
I didn’t have much time to think about her, except the minutes right before I fell asleep. I wondered what she was doing, if she realized this was a big fucking mistake. I wondered about Ryan too and missed him. But then that made me think about Catherine…and that just pissed me off.
The first week was spent examining all the patients who came to see me and giving care and medications to those who had acute conditions. The second week was slated for surgeries, where I took the worst cases and transported them to the local hospital to fix their hearts. The second part of the trip was better than the first, because I got to do what I did best, and I also got to sleep in a hotel room with an actual bed.
My back was a little sore from sleeping in a sleeping bag for a week, but it was still worth it.
It was ten at night when I walked into my room, wearing my scrubs after I finished a day of surgery, and my phone rang in my pocket.
Sicily popped into my mind, and I got my phone out of my pocket as fast as I could.
But it was my dad.
I was still happy to see his name on the screen, but I was disappointed it wasn’t someone else. I answered the call as I kicked off my shoes. “Hey, Dad.” I put him on speakerphone and tossed the phone on the bed so I could strip off my clothes and put them in the laundry bin.
“How’s it going over there?”
I lay on the bed naked, exhausted from being on my feet all day. “I’ve been on the go since my plane landed. But I’ve seen a lot of patients. Just did three surgeries today. Two kids and one adult.”
“That’s great. I’m sure they appreciate you more than they can express.”
No, they definitely expressed it. “How are things with you guys?”
He was quiet, taking one of his ridiculously long pauses.
I was used to it.
“Sicily asked your mom for her job back.”
I closed my eyes because it became real. Sicily was dead serious about what she said. She’d moved forward with her plans, and when I returned, it would be like nothing had ever happened. “Dad, I don’t know what to do.”
He was quiet, like he didn’t know either.
“I’m giving Catherine a piece of my mind when I get back.” I was very happy that we had Ryan, but I was annoyed that I’d have to spend the next eighteen years dealing with her until he was an adult. Then I could communicate directly with him and leave her out of it. “You know what’s ironic about the whole thing? It was just a week ago when I imagined Sicily and me getting married. I was with you, actually. I thought we could have some more kids, so they’d be the same age as Ryan. Then Sicily thinks she should bow out so Catherine and I can get back together… It’s ludicrous.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know when I’m going to propose, and I’d rather her not see it coming. Whenever it’s right, just go for it. I know we haven’t been together long and it’s been the bumpiest ride ever, but I know she’s the woman for me. With her, it’s just easy. It’s like being with your best friend and your woman at the same time.”
“I assume that means you aren’t going to go back to Catherine?”
“Fuck no.” Any love I had for Catherine was quickly dimming in light of her actions. “Catherine stuck her nose where it doesn’t belong and tried to sabotage my relationship. Sicily selflessly bowed out because she thought it was the right thing for me and Ryan. The difference between them is so fucking glaring. How could I possibly want to be with Catherine when she’s showed her true colors—neon fucking green.”
“I agree. I think you should talk to Sicily.”
“I doubt she’d answer if I called. My hands are tied until I get back.”
“I’m sorry, son. Anything I can do? We can deny Sicily the position if that’s what you want.”
“No, it’s okay.” I would never meddle in her plans like that, not the way Catherine just did to me. “But there is something else.”
“Anything.”
“Could you talk to her?”
Another long pause ensued. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“Your mom already did, and it was ineffective.”
“But it’ll be different coming from you.”
“Why?”
“Because you already lived it, Dad.”