One Night Shift at a Time

Day 3

We said our good mornings and went off to start our day. I grabbed a file from the stack on my desk and headed to room 5, reading it on my way.

"Good morning Mr. Herveaux, I am Dr. Alvarez, what can I do for you today?"

"'Morning. I earned a pretty nasty cut on my leg at work yesterday and I think I doctored it up well enough but my mom wouldn't stop going on about me seeing a 'real doctor' so, here I am."

I laughed lightly, "Okay, then, I'll just take a quick look and you can get back to your day."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "You, uh, you mind turnin' around? The cut's on my thigh."

"Oh, of course." I turned around, "So, how did you get cut?"

His belt buckle clinked against the ground, "Funny story, actually. I was jumping a fence to chase down a patient and, uh," he chuckled a little, "the fence won. You can turn around now."

I turned, "A patient?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm a vet."

I sat on my stool and scooted close to him, "I wanted to be a vet growing up."

"How'd you settle on this?"

I gently took his thigh into my hands and examined his cut, "Well, my parents were army medics, and as I got older I realized I wanted to be exactly like them."

He groaned slightly as I pressed around the wound which earned a small 'sorry' from me, "You join?"

"I did, for four years and that was plenty for me." I looked up at him, my hands still on his leg, "Looks like you did a great job patching yourself up." I noticed the slight pink tint to his cheek, causing me to realize our position. I pushed my chair back, "You can tell your mom that your handiwork is close enough to a real doctor for me." 

He smiled, "I will be sure to do that, Doctor Alvarez."

"So," I took off my gloves, "what made you land on vet?"

He hopped off the table and put his pants back on, "I'd be happy to tell you... over coffee."

My jaw dropped slightly, though I shut it and smiled, "I don't know..."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah, I figured it was a long shot."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"It's not often a patient and their doctor happens."

"You speaking from personal experience?"

He laughed, "That was a good one, Doc."

I smiled and looked into his deep brown eyes for just long enough to lose my sense, "You know what, I'd love to grab coffee. But I can't tonight, my little brother has a school thing."

"Ah,"

I turned around and wrote my number on a tissue, "Here, text me and we can figure out a date."

He looked at it, smiling, before folding it and slipping it into his pocket, "Have a good day, Doctor."

"You, too, Doctor." I stepped out of the room, beaming. I wasn't usually one to say yes to dates, much less those with patients, but something about his smile was enough to draw me in. 

---

Later that night, we went to Alex's recital where I stood away from dad with a very uncomfortable Schneider. It was unnerving enough to be in a nursing home, but someone gave an old man a microphone which he used to sing horribly. My phone dinged, 

A: How's the school thing?

Eventful. 

I recorded a few seconds and sent it to him, to  which he responded with multiple laughing emojis. 

"Do you think anyone would notice if I snuck off?"

S: "Nuh-uh, you are not leaving me here with your father!" 

"I could use a get away driver."

He looked like he was debating it for a moment when dad turned to us, 

"You okay there buddy?" 

S: "Yep. Yep, yep. Glad to be here as a family acquaintance to support your son." he cleared his throat nervously, 'What's his name? Alvin? I don't know, we're not that close."

I scoffed, just then a dad of one of the other band kids walked up and patted Schneider on the shoulder, 

"Hey, great job coaching Alex's swing this season. Widening his stance really made him a monster at the plate. You must be so proud."

It took everything in me to not fall on the ground laughing.

S: "He lives here. Early onset dementia. Sad."

D: "Listen, man, relax. It's good, what you're doing for Alex. I'm not around. You should keep doing it. Although, I won't be over there much longer."

Mom and I's heads snapped in his direction, saying "You won't?" in unison.

D: "Nah. Private security in Afghanistan? I mean, it's not exactly the kind of jab you can grow old in."

M: "Yeah, I know. That's what I said when you went over."

D: "Yeah. You were right."

I clenched my jaw, being distracted from my anger as Alex ran toward us.

A: "Mom."

M: "What? What's wrong?"

A: "Mrs. Aaron's van got a flat, and she was moving all the instruments. I don't have my cello."

A man from the audience called out, "I don't have me Jell-O either!"

A: "This sucks..."

"I'm so sorry, Alex."

A teacher stepped out from behind a curtain, "Bad news, everyone. No recital today."

Everyone groaned, disappointment falling over the room.

A: "I really wanted to show you in front of everybody. You never get to be here for my stuff." he stepped away to talk to Abulita.

D: "We have to do something."

"I agree."

M: "How?"

D: "We gotta stall. I didn't come all this way to not hear my boy play the cello." he spun around, "Schneider, I have a mission for you."

Schneider took a soldier like position. 

D: "I need you to locate and recover that van, and retrieve those instruments ASAP."

S: "You got it, Dad- I mean, dude. I mean... I'm not looking for a father figure."

"Schneider,"

S: "Yeah?"

"Go."

"Yeah." he ran off to do his job and dad spun back around to face mom.

"Alright, we need a diversion until they get back. Are you in, Sergeant Alvarez?"

M: "What do you have in mind, Sergeant Alvarez?"

He grabbed her hand and started towards the 'stage', "Alright, everyone ,uh, before you all leave, I happened to notice your karaoke machine." he grabbed two mics, tossing one to mom, "And we have a very special guest who's played showers from Echo Park to Afghanistan, Penelope Alvarez!"

Abulita, Elena, and I stood together as they began singing -kind of awfully-.

E: "You know, I should be embarrassed, but mom and dad are kinda cute up there."

"They are, aren't they?"