The Other Side of the Pillow

CALL ME ASAP.

CALL ME WHEN YOU GET OUT OF SURGERY!

CALL ME! IT’S URGENT!

BABY, I REALLY NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU THE SECOND YOU GET OUT OF THE O.R.

BABY, I FUCKED UP!

COURTNEY KNOWS! LOOK OUT FOR FLOYD! SHE LIT HIS ASS UP!

ARE YOU OKAY? HAVE YOU SEEN FLOYD?

I was standing there shaking my head and about to text Jemistry back when Floyd came ripping through the double doors of the waiting room. Mrs. McCoy seemed taken aback, like the rest of the people sitting there. They all looked around at one another, to see if one of them was the one about to receive bad news about a loved one. Floyd had on his white coat and had an angry expression on his face that others probably mistook for anguish.

When the majority of them realized that Floyd had locked eyes on me, they relaxed a bit.

I walked over to him. “Not here.”

“I need to talk to you . . . now!”

“Floyd, I just came out of surgery.” I tried to maintain my composure. “I’m consulting with a family member. I’m aware of your issue, and we will deal with it later.”

“My issue?” he practically yelled, acting all belligerent. “Is that what you call it? An issue. How could you tell—”

I was getting pissed off. “How could you not tell me about Jemistry being pregnant?”

We stared at each other for a few seconds.

“I can’t believe this shi—”

Floyd had at least enough sense to prevent that curse word from escaping his lips in front of a dozen people. He scanned the room and realized that his behavior—storming in there as he did—was inappropriate and unprofessional.

He glared at me. “I’ll wait for you in your office.”

“Fine by me,” I said, refusing to break eye contact first.

He straightened his coat and stomped off like a child.

Mrs. McCoy walked up to me. “Is everything all right? Both of you seem upset. It’s none of my business but I—”

I looked down at her and forced a chuckle. “Everything is great. He’s a cardiologist and we’re consulting together on a mutual patient. We’ll talk about it later.” I patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll have the nurse come and let you know when Mr. McCoy is awake so you can go up and see him. I’ll be by to check on him in a little while and give you some updates. Just remember that he’s going to be groggy for most of the night until the anesthesia completely wears off. He might not quite be himself.”

She smiled. “As long as he is alive, that’s all that matters to me. When he gets home, I’m going to wait on him hand and foot. I’m not letting him overexert himself, no matter what.”

“We’re on the same page. I’m sure that I can count on you.”

“Yes, Doctor Harris, you can definitely count on me.”

I walked out of the waiting room, hoping that I could count on myself not to end up getting arrested a few days before Thanksgiving for ramming my foot all the way up Floyd’s ass.

Chapter Thirty-four

“Love means to commit yourself without guarantee.”

—Anne Campbell

What happened?” Jemistry asked, meeting me at the laundry room door as I entered the house from the garage. “Did you see Floyd?”