"Besides, that is not very shocking. Now this is really shocking." I had heard shocking news before; most of the time it was not happy news. I sat down on the couch instinctively bracing myself for bad news. "Riley and I have decided to get married! Isn't that a hoot? And we would like you to be involved. I need a bridesmaid — and a witness, would you be willing to stand with me?" Kate’s big dark eyes sparkled with joy. I stared at her and Riley. Compared to some of the other men she dated, Riley was no big catch. A struggling musician, with nominal good looks and not much in the way of conversational skills, seemed hardly the perfect match for my effervescent friend. However, only Kate knew Kate's mind and when she made that mind up all bets were off. All you could do was go along for the ride and be there when and if she needed you. That was my number one job as friend.
"Of course I will be there! I am so happy for you two. What are the plans? When is this?" My ringing phone interrupted our conversation. It was from Bullet's office. "Hold on Kate. I have to take this."
"Hi!" I hoped this was Bullet and not his cold assistant. I wasn't disappointed but I could tell immediately that this was a business call.
"Good afternoon. I am sorry to call you at home. I was hoping to talk to you at our next lunch date but it looks like you have a surgery scheduled with me now, so I wanted to share the results of your blood work with you right away. Looking at your blood co
unt, I'm a little concerned."
I was glad I was sitting down.
"It looks like your platelets are off a bit. Have you ever had any problems with your white blood cell count?" Bullet’s voice seemed concerned and now I was too.
"Never. I am not even sure what that is. Am I sick?" I felt panic rising in my stomach. Kate's eyes widened and she stared, trying to listen in on the call.
"It's just that when your blood counts are off it makes healing more difficult. For example, when I do the surgery there will be stitches inside your body and outside your body. The ones inside your body will dissolve but it takes time and if you do not heal correctly, they can get infected. I need your blood counts to come up a bit before we book your surgery. I know that sounds bad but it isn't really as bad as it sounds. It happens, but you can change it. What I would like you to do is book an appointment with your regular MD. Ask him to run your blood counts. If you have any kind of family history with blood disease or anything like that you should let him know and send the information to me too, and soon. Anyway this is not to say we have to cancel the surgery, just postpone it for a little while."
I was stunned. Kate was asking me questions and I waved her into silence. Okay, don't panic. He says it is not serious. "Okay I will call my doctor tomorrow for an appointment. You say this is probably nothing to worry about?" I tapped my finger on my lip nervously.
"No, not at all. Just something you should ask your doctor to check. Don't worry. It is probably just a fluke with the blood work. Sometimes that happens. Make that appointment and let me know the results. I know I just gave you some disturbing information, but I wanted to confirm that we're having lunch on Thursday?"
"Um, yes. I just talked to Page a few minutes ago. I will meet you at Cathedral Square at 12. Thank you for calling." I hung up the phone. I told Kate everything and she looked as surprise as I did.
"Is he sure? That doesn’t sound right. You are as healthy as a horse. Go ahead and call your doctor now and see about an appointment. You cannot put that off. If your blood counts are off, then it usually means there is something wrong, internally, like something isn't working properly. It could be an organ or it could be anything."
I trusted Kate's observation as she was studying to be a pediatric nurse. I obediently picked up the phone and called my regular doctor, Dr. Hickman. I explained my situation with the nurse and was able to get an appointment for the following day. "That's good! I don't want to wait several days wondering what's wrong with me. I am sorry guys, raining on your parade like that. Let's talk about this wedding. I will have plenty of time to worry about that," I waved at my phone, "later."
For the rest of the afternoon we talked about Kate's wedding. One moment she wanted a simple wedding and the next, she wanted something more elaborate. Like this whole event, I was not sure that Kate knew what she really wanted. However, I was a good friend and I was going to play along until she changed her mind. I mentally noted that Riley didn't perk up or contribute, but this might be sooner than he expected. Why on earth would my friend decide to marry this guy? I was certain that it wasn't his idea at all but completely hers. He looked just as happy as he could be doing nothing, which is what he did most of the time from all accounts. I thought maybe Kate might have a case of minor celebrity-itis. Riley Patterson was a crooner and a popular one at that, at least in our area. I supposed that would be exciting to a thrill seeker like Kate.
I guess love was blind — it definitely made you stupid. I knew that from experience and it looked like Kate was going to get her own experience very soon. I wanted the best for her but I did not even know what that meant for me much less for her. Who was I to criticize her relationship? At least she had one! I was playing games with my cosmetic surgeon who I was extremely attracted to but for some reason, did not trust. Whatever it was something wasn't right. In the back of my mind, I toyed with the idea of canceling our date. My brain was screaming stop before you get hurt. My body said something entirely different. I hoped they got it together before I let myself get hurt.
Chapter Twelve
Bullet
I felt bad about lying to Lilly but in a weird way, I felt like it was the right thing to do. The girl was absolutely perfect but like so many women, when she looked in the mirror, she saw imperfection rather than a beautiful woman. The emphasis our culture put on big breasts was beyond extraordinary. For many women it was a good option but just not for Lilly. I knew ethically giving false information about her blood work was wrong on so many levels. Luckily for me, only I had seen the results. Until she goes to her doctor — dumb ass! Okay, I didn't say my plan was perfect but the longer I could stall her on the surgery the more likely it was that she would change her mind. That is what I told myself anyway.
I took a swig from my whiskey glass. I enjoyed a little afternoon delight earlier with a friendly neighbor. We rarely saw one another anymore but occasionally, when her pilot husband was gone, she would send me a text and invited me over for a drink. Of course, I am not stupid- I always made her come here. No way am I having a husband walk in on me while I defile his wife. I laughed a little — and defiled her, I did. Patricia and I were the same age but she had two kids and looked a few years older than me. I don’t judge her. Having children aged women whether they wanted to believe that or not. She had dazzling red hair, one of those almost burgundy red hair shades. I was happy to discover a few years ago that she was a natural-born redhead.
Patricia liked to screw but there was not much variety in her desires. She did not have the wild, playful streak that Lilly had — at least the drunken Lilly had. Damn! Why couldn't I get this chick off my mind? It’s not as if I hadn’t been blown before. I poured another drink and stared at the fire roaring in my fireplace. I guess my brother was right; I was getting too old for this. I had an idea. I picked up the phone and looked at the clock — it was still somewhat early. I dialed Lilly's number, anxious to hear her voice. I liked talking to her — hell, I liked being with her even when we didn't say much. Sad, considering I'd only seen her a handful of times. It rang once, twice, on the third ring she picked up
"Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?" I took another swig of my drink
"No, I was thinking of calling it an early night. What are you up to?" She sounded tired but she did not object to my phone call, which I took as a good sign.
"The usual, making the world a more beautiful place." That sounded harsher than I meant. "What did you accomplish today? How was practice? Did you have a session today?" Damn...I was genuinely interested in what she was doing. That's weird.
"Actually, today was kind of a loss. I spent half the day at the doctor's office and the other half running around town with Kate. She has decided to get married." I struggled with which topic to tackle first, Kate's marriage or the doctor appointment. Being the selfish prick I am, I knew which one I would go for first.
"Really? What did your doctor say?" I sat on the edge of the couch feeling like a dick.
"He ran a bunch of tests but he says he won't know anything for a day or two. He says the initial reads look okay but I told him about your blood work results and he was curious. He will probably call your office tomorrow and ask for a copy of those. I gave his nurse your information." Damn! Hadn't thought of that. You are truly a moron, Bullet!
I wondered what to do next. Should I tell her the truth? I hated her to worry but I had a good reason for stalling her surgery. I could tell she was into me, especially now, and the feeling was mutual. Some part of my brain told me to come clean. I wasn’t sure if it was the whiskey or some tiny bit of conscience I had left somewhere. I decided to wait it out.
"I'm sure, like you said, this is nothing. However, it sure as hell feels like something. I hate uncertainty and the not knowing drives me crazy. If you only knew my past, you would understand. I know that is not your problem — it's only my mental gremlins." She paused, I guessed waiting for me to say something. The only thing I could think of was, "It is going to be okay." I guessed that was the right thing because she picked up the narrative.
"Kate says that low or high blood counts are an indicator that something more problematic maybe is occurring. Is she right? Are you telling me the truth? Should I really be worried?" Okay Bullet, you SOB. You are making this girl's life miserable. Tell her the truth; she is going to figure it out anyway, you might as well be honest. I put my glass on the coffee table and ran my hand through my hair. Man, this is hard!