Possessive Doctor

“Yes, absolutely way.”

“We’re doing it in three days. No arguments.”

“Sorry, little Amber. But we’re doing it in two ten-hour stretches.”

She glares at me. We’re driving down I-40, heading east. The truck hums along, mostly on cruise control. These new trucks have all these insane bells and whistles, like radar that helps keep me in the lane, and automatic speed control that slows down for traffic and speeds back up again.

It’s crazy. I barely even need to drive. Soon enough, I won’t have to at all, and these twenty-hour trips won’t be so bad.

Unfortunately though, I’m still stuck paying attention, although there’s not that much traffic around. We haven’t made it out of Texas yet, though Arkansas isn’t too far. Then it’s into Tennessee, and from there it’s right into Virginia. Strange how driving twenty hours only gets us through four states.

“We need to stop,” she says.

“No, we don’t.”

“Seriously. We gotta stop. We need gas. We need something. Right?”

I check the tank. “Nope. Refilled while you were asleep a couple hours ago. We’re good for a while longer.”

“My leg’s tired. It’s aching. I need to pee. We have to stop.”

“Are you really complaining already? We’re not even halfway through the day.”

“Brent.”

“Amber.”

“Please.”

I look at her. “No.”

She groans and rolls her eyes back.

“Come on,” I say. “Are you seriously so spoiled?”

“I am not spoiled.” She glares at me.

“I don’t know. You grew up with daddy’s money.”

“This coming from the guy with parents that are apparently richer than sin?”

“Okay, that’s a fair point.”

“I am not spoiled.” She crosses her arms, clearly annoyed now. “I didn’t ask my dad to be a ruthless asshole.”

“No, I know you didn’t.”

“I only took what he gave me because… I don’t know, what else was I going to do? I still went to college. I’m not useless.”

“I never said you were.” I sigh a little bit. “Look, I know what you’re going through, okay? My family is a lot like yours.”

She gives me a flat look.

“Okay, well, sort of. They’re not marrying me off, but they are filthy rich, and I have had to… overcome that.”

“Is that why you became a doctor?”

I nod once. Billboards flash past. Cattle roam the farmlands all around us. I move to pass a minivan full of screaming children, the father driving the car staring out the front windshield with a dull and dead look in his eyes.

“Yes,” I say softly. “My parents didn’t want me to. They were pissed, actually, when I went to med school. Can you imagine, being angry your son’s becoming a doctor?”

“Yeah, that’s a little nuts.”

“I know. But that’s not what men in my family do.”

“What do they do?”

I snort. “Trade stocks. One of my brothers is a really talented day trader. Lives in New York, makes a killing on the exchanges. He’s the favorite.”

“Sounds like a real winner.”

I laugh a little. “You’d like him, actually. He’d a good guy. We just chose different paths.”

“What did your parents want for you?”

“They wanted me to… hell, I don’t know. My father buys and sells boats, although that’s more of a hobby. I think they’d be happier if I were just some kind of rich gentleman with a ton of hobbies. I think they hate that I’m out in the world… working.”

“But your brother works,” she points out.

“Yes, he does, but he works in finance. They’d be okay with that. Or if I went into government. They’d love it if I went into government.”

“Never too late.”

“I think that ship has sailed. But anyway, I don’t want it. I just…” I sigh a little. “I don’t need to work, you understand. There’s a trust in my name worth more money than you dad could earn in a lifetime. And trust me, I’m not exaggerating.”

“So you do it because you want to?”

“Exactly. Because I believe in the work. I believe it makes me a better person. I’m not just some… asshole that sits around taking advantage of what my parents have given me. I earn my way, more or less.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“I think so.” I spot a sign for a rest stop and move into the right lane. “But my family doesn’t agree with that.”

“I find it so hard to imagine, honestly. My dad would kill to have a son like you.”

I grin at her. “Most families would. My family isn’t like most.”

The exit for the rest stop comes up fast. I turn off and Amber groans with audible pleasure.

“We’re making this fast,” I say.

“I can’t do anything fast, you know.”

I sigh and give her a look. “You know what I mean.”

“I hear you. Don’t linger. Pee and dash.”

“Basically.”

“Roger that.”

There aren’t any other cars in the little rest stop. It’s rundown and looks almost abandoned. I park in a far corner and help Amber out. “In and out,” I say.

She gives me a look then limps off. I lean against the truck and watch her go.