The Follow-Up

•1•

Sitting back in my seat, I toyed with the edge of my napkin. It was only after I tore off a large piece of the corner–mindlessly tearing it to shreds–that I shifted forward in my seat. Folding my arms, I set them on the tabletop as my eyes roamed over the nearly empty café.

I'd made this appointment weeks in advance, making sure to specify the time and place. Cafés tend to be the best place to hold an informal meeting. The smell of freshly brewed coffee tends to have a calming effect over people. If not the coffee, then the smell of freshly baked good will do the trick.

Flipping my phone onto its back, I tapped the screen and checked the time. I let out a defeated breath as I stood from my seat. I was lifting my jacket from the back of the metal chair when the doors to the café opened and a petite silver-haired woman entered the building. I returned my jacket to the back of my chair, a smile spreading across my face as the elderly woman made her way over to me.

"Am I late?" She asked, worry etched onto her slightly wrinkled face. "I'm afraid I lost track of time."

"Not at all. You're just on time," I state, making my way to the opposite side of the table. Taking the back of the metal chair in my hands, I pull the seat back and allow the elderly woman to sit before returning to my own. "It's been a while. How have you been, Mrs. Grayson?"

A smile takes over her face. Nodding her head, she answers, "I've been good. I heard you went and got married. Congratulations."

I smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

"You know, my Jeffery loved weddings," She states, placing her hand over mine. I feel an ache in my chest at the mention of the name. "He'd be happy you've found someone. Maybe now you'll get out of the hospital more often–shake up your routine."

Mr. Grayson. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. Today marks the two-year anniversary of his death. On this day, whenever my schedule can permit it, I try to have breakfast with Mrs. Grayson. If not breakfast, I write a letter or stop by after work. Anything to let her know she's not alone.

I let out a soft chuckle, "We'll see."

※※※

Stepping off the elevator, I am greeted by a large picture frame. Inside it is a picture of what looks to be Little Foot from The Land Before Time. Surrounding the frame, tiny multicolored handprints decorate otherwise white wall.

Smiling to myself, I gather my curls before securing them into a neat bun at the crown of my head. I then reach into the pockets of my scrub pants, pull out a fresh name tag–complete with a new picture–and clip it onto the breast pocket of my scrub top where it can be most visible.

"Look who it is," An orotund voice announces. I lift my head to see Seth Mason stalking passed the Nurse's Station, a smile on his face as he envelopes me in his toned arms. He lifts me from the ground, spinning around once before setting me back down safely. "Dr. Avery Foster–or should I call you Mrs. Foster as you are technically my boss now."

I nearly cringe at the declaration. "I am not your boss, Seth, nor will I ever be. Avery will do just fine."

Taking a step back, he tucks his hands into the pockets of his Caribbean blue scrub pants and furrows his brows as he questions, "Why are you on the Peds floor instead of the in E.R?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I state with a shrug. "I was paged."

"Oh, you're here for–" Before he could finish his sentence, his pager starts to beep rapidly at his waist. Reaching in his pocket, Seth draws out his pager and takes a look at it. A sense of urgency takes over his features as he starts at a jog for the elevator, but not before shouting over his shoulder, "Welcome back and good luck!"

Curiosity nudges at the edge of my mind as the elevator doors glide to a close. 'Good luck'?

Pushing the thought to the side, I continue into the waiting room. I scan the area, watching as a father attempts to corral his rambunctious son and a mother hands her twins what looks to be apple slices from a plastic baggy.

Coming to a stop in front of the reception window, I earn the attention of the strawberry blonde nurse immersed in the desktop in front of her. She lets out a surprised gasp as her bright brown eyes land on me.

"Avery," She beams, excitement clear on her youthful face.

"Nurse Beckett," I greet with a chuckle. "You're looking rested. How's your son?"

"He's good. He's finally sleeping through the night enough for me to work a few shifts," She states, running a hand through her wavy hair. "Thank you for covering for me, by the way. You're a life saver."

"It was no problem, really," I reply with a wave of my hand. "I'm glad you're back. I got your page as I walked in."

"Right! I did page you," Nurse Beckett exclaims. Standing up from her chair, she makes her way over to a filing cabinet in the back of the room. Pulling a drawer open, she 'tuts' to herself as she fingers through the different files. She finally pulls out two folders before making her way back to her seat. Sliding the folders through the opening in the window, she looks up at me. "They came in last night."

"These are blank," I state, flipping through the empty forms. The 'first name' box is the only part of the form that's filled out in both folders. I close the files and look to Nurse Beckett. "These are also pediatric cases, which is Emery's specialty."

"We paged her," The nurse shrugged. "That's all she could get from them before she told us to page you."

"If Emery can't get anything from them, why would I be any different?" I question.

"Because you're the one they are asking for."

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
A/N

I made Pinterest boards for the characters if you are interested! The link is posted on my wall!

Happy Reading,
Arctic