Chance Encounters

Part 1: Chapter 4

Charlie had barely walked in the door of her home after yet another 72 hour shift when her new cellphone rang. It was the hospital number so she hit accept and put it up to her ear. It wasn't uncommon to offer a second opinion to the other doctors on shift over the phone as needed.

"Dr Adams." She answered.

"Charlie, Grace here. I thought I would let you know that Mr Ariza just passed away. I know you got close to his family." Grace said sympathetically.

"Have they been notified?" Charlie asked putting her shoes back on.

"The man who is always here was making some calls." She confirmed.

"Neron. Alright, I'm on my way." Charlie said as she locked the door and went back to her car.

Grace was right, she had bonded with the Mayans. They were polite and kind and aside from the initial meeting with Neron, he had treated her with the utmost respect too. Most of her breaks had been over a coffee with the ex-junkie. She had given sad news to many people over the course of her carrier that she knew these men would take it particularly hard.

As she pulled into the hospital parking lot she saw the line up of motorcycles filling the front spaces. Picking up her pace she headed to the ICU and found Michael's room full of the Mayan men. The ventilator had been removed so now the man looking like he could just be sleeping.

"What happened doc?" Bishop asked with red eyes as he stood beside Michael's head.

"Sometimes they just don't have the fight left in them to come back." She said and Bishop tore his eyes away from Riz.

"What do you mean, I thought he was fixed!" He snapped.

"I'm saying that we repaired his body but sometimes its more than just the physical fight to survive. It's the mental and spiritual fight, if you believe in it." She said as she picked up the forms on Michael's bed and signed the dotted line. "I'll have his body released immediately. Grace can assist with the arrangements if you need help. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

She left without another word and everyone moved silently out of the way until she passed Neron.

"Thank you, Charlotte." He sadly and she nodded before continuing to the administration desk.

"Can you organise a hearse to whichever funeral home Mr Ariza will go to?" Charlie asked Grace.

"Won't he just go in the van?" She asked.

"No, not when he's going to escorted by his fellow bikers." Charlie said looking back at the full room. "I'll settle the bill too."

This time when Charlie got home she dumped her bag on the floor and dropped heavily onto the couch. Every patient that died took a toll on her, it felt like a failure. She grabbed the notepad from the side pocket of her bag and flipped along the pages. On the next blank line she wrote Michael Ariza.

The notebook was a reminder of each failure, of each life she couldn't save. She knew why she kept track of the names, and also knew it was unhealthy, but she thought that if the day came where she couldn't be bothered recording a name it would be her last.

After reading through the 146 names she closed the book and slipped it back in her bag. It had its own pocket it would sit until the next name was added. She didn't have the energy to cook so she had to settle for a PB&J sandwich. Deciding to have an early night she showered and pulled on her Pjs before she grabbed her phone that had vibrated.

Blocked Number: 1631 Macedonia   Road.

Charlie had made promises and now she had to keep them. She got dressed into some warm clothes and grabbed her medical bag from her office and carried it her SUV before heading to the address. It was a old farmhouse that had seen better days and she parked at the end of the line. She expected to see motorcycles but there was only a handful of SUVs and cars.