Yours Truly, Ramona

chapter seventeen | l i e .

Owen

Friday was one hell of a busy day.

I had a minor surgery to perform and more patients to see than I had time for.

On top of that, Mason—who I absolutely adore, don't get me wrong—had a full-blown anxiety attack when I told him he would be staying at his grandmother's house for the night.

It took a little bit of coaxing to assure him I'd be back early the next morning and I wasn't abandoning him permanently, but he eventually agreed. Since the adoption, my mother has wanted to spend time with him anyways.

Mason tilts his head to the side, his adorable face looking up at me with desperation.

"You're coming back, right?"

"Yes, Mason," I say as I give my son one last hug before leaving. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Mason pulls away from me slowly, watching me closely as I stand back up.

"Thanks for this," I say to my mother. "Call me if you need anything."

She nods and puts a reassuring arm around Mason.

"Will do."

Mason waves goodbye to me and follows his grandmother into the living room, and although he seems to be fine, I can't help but worry about him.

This is our first night apart since he first started living with me a couple weeks ago, and I can tell he's already starting to get attached to me with each passing day.

Although my mother is aware of his sleep disorder, I'm still hoping he doesn't have another night terror. They can be terrifying for someone who's never actually dealt with one. I know they certainly were for me when he first moved in.

I walk out of my mother's beautiful home—the same one I grew up in—and down the icy path to my truck.

Mitchell and Robert are meeting me at Bobby's Bar, which I found odd considering we usually just go to the bar across the street from the hospital we work at.

Robert insisted on this place, though. He said they had good drinks, so we ultimately decided to check it out. Their drink quality doesn't really matter to me, though. I haven't had a drink in almost fifteen years.

Not since Ella's accident, actually. It's hard to believe that was really fifteen years ago. God, time really goes by fast.

Mitchell and Robert arrive at the same time I do, and we meet up outside our cars.

"Hey, Mitchell!" Rob calls as he comes around his car. "I forgot to ask, but you finished your write-up on the patient in—"

"Robbie, please, how about we don't talk about work anymore?" Mitchell says with a smirk. "It's been a long enough day already."

"Yeah yeah," Rob responds with a smile. "Fine."

We walk from the small parking lot at the side of the bar towards the front entrance, where we pass two men yelling at each other in the middle of the snow-covered sidewalk.

Mitchell and I give each other an amused look as we pass the two drunken men, their fighting creating thick breath clouds in the chilly February air.

"Nicole is my wife! How could you—"

Their argument is cut off by the large wooden door slamming behind us as we enter Bobby's.

The bar is dimly lit and not many people are inside, which gives my coworkers and I a wide range of seats to choose from.