“First time. My doctor’s been wanting me to try this new drug for my Crohn’s disease for a while now, but I held out as long as I could.” She eyed Mia’s arm and shuddered. “I hate needles.”
“I understand. I did too, at first. But Natasha’s so good you’ll barely feel it.”
Barbara took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right.”
Natasha approached and introduced herself to her new patient. While they chatted, Mia sent Noah a text message.
Mia:Wings?
Noah:Sure.
Mia:They have a new flavor. Orange ginger. Wanna try it?
Noah:Nope.
Mia:Come on.
Noah:Why can’t you accept the fact I like them plain?
Mia:Because it’s weird.
Noah:Some might call it loyal.
Mia:That’s a good quality in a husband, I guess.
Noah:You guess?
Mia:Okay, it’s definitely a good quality.
Noah:Meanwhile, my wife’s out there trying a new flavor every chance she gets.
Mia:Guess you’ll have to find a way to keep our marriage spicy then, huh?
As soon as she hit Send, she regretted it. She scrambled to find something else to say, to explain she hadn’t meant itthatway. But everything she typed out seemed ridiculous, and she kept erasing it to start over. Finally, another message from Noah came through.
Noah:We’re so different.
They were. As she considered how to respond, Barbara said, “Mia?”
Mia looked up. Natasha had placed the tourniquet on the older woman’s arm and stood at the ready with the needle.
Barbara’s eyes were wide, her lips quivering. “Would you talk to me? To distract me?”
Forgetting all about her conversation with Noah, Mia dropped the phone in her lap. “Of course.” She launched into a monologue about going back to school, and what prompted her interest in pediatric dietetics. She talked about her own issues with eating growing up, and told Barbara that the brownie she’d handed over was one of her many attempts to have perfected recipes at the ready for future patients with allergies or food aversions. Natasha expertly started the IV and left, while Barbara and Mia kept chatting. They spent the rest of the time discussing their favorite recipes and baking techniques, and before Mia knew it, her pump beeped to indicate her infusion was complete.
Natasha disconnected the empty bag and pulled the IV from Mia’s arm.
“See you next week,” Natasha said with a smile.
“I’ll be here.” Mia stood and turned to Barbara. “Will you be back?”
Barbara nodded. “As long as this works, I’ll be here every other week.”
“If you didn’t mind me talking your ear off, ask for Natasha again.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was lovely meeting you, Mia.”
Mia gathered her things, and as she made her way to her car, she realized she’d left off in the middle of a conversation with Noah. She opened her messages to type out an apology, and found another message from him she hadn’t seen. She slowed her steps, reading it twice, unsure what to make of it.