“I’m not sure that will ever feel natural,” I reply.
He laughs, the sound reverberating through the room. “Give it a couple years.”
John motions for me to follow him into his office, taking a seat behind the desk. “I have to say, I was surprised to hear from you. I figured you had years left in the service.”
“Yeah, I thought so too. I wasn’t planning on taking a bullet to the knee. The desk they put me at… let’s just say it wasn’t for me. And your offer always stuck with me.”
John nods. “How’s your recovery been?”
“Good. You know how it is. Physical therapy, ice. It was just bad enough to pull me from the SEALs, but I can handle pretty much anything you throw at me.”
He nods again. “Their loss is my gain. Look, this is a formality. If you want the job, it’s yours. Even if you hadn’t served under me, your record speaks for itself. The biggest issue we run into is flexibility. Private security is different every day. The clients rotate, assignments and parameters are constantly in flux. Assuming you’re okay with that, this will be a good fit. ”
I nod. “Yes, sir.”
John grins. “Great. You want to start tomorrow?”
5
Julia
My day is off to the worst start. I woke up, irritable and sleep deprived, to a phone call from a hospital representative. It was every bit as bad as I was expecting. They put me on paid leave “at least until” I complete a deposition with the hospital lawyers on Friday. Then I spent an hour going over everything I know with my lawyer, Janelle, who seemed deeply irritated that I didn’t contact her before blowing the whistle.
“I want you to come into my office on Tuesday to prep.”
I’m momentarily distracted as my cat, Tuna, jumps up in my lap and threatens to slap me with her paw. I give her a warning look and she backs down, pretending to clean the paw as she stares at me menacingly.
“What am I supposed to do until then?” I ask Janelle, my eyes glued to the cat as she gives me the side eye.
“Lie low. Don’t speak to anyone without me present. I’ll handle everything from here on out. Julia, I’m going to repeat this part, and I’m going to do it slowly because I want to make sure you hear every word. Do. Not. Speak. To. Anyone. If you spout off about this doctor, he’s going to sue you for libel and defamation. I’ll get you out of it because I’m very talented, but it will cost you money. So don’t. Got it?”
“Yes, I understand.” I have to bite back the retort that I’m not a small child and do, in fact, understand full sentences.
“Good. See you Tuesday.” She hangs up, leaving me staring at my phone.
Fabulous.
I don’t even know how to ‘lie low’ at this point. I’ve been working 24/7 for years to get my degree and my position at the hospital. It’s not like I have hobbies, so what am I supposed to do for the next week? Binge a bunch of crap on Netflix with my mean-ass cat?
I try. I really do. I lounge around in sweatpants and a messy bun and try to focus on the TV. I make cup after cup of coffee and stare at baking shows, but by noon, I’m completely stir crazy. I get dressed, throwing on leggings and a sweater before heading to my sisters’ bakery for some lunch. I just need to get out of the house and get some fresh air. Maybe I’ll walk around downtown and check in with Sally, I think with a smile. That doesn’t sound so bad.
The bakery is packed for Sunday brunch. Lilah is bagging up orders in her adorable maternity chef coat, the one she had to have custom made because “apparently chefs aren’t allowed to work once they start showing.” Those are her words, not mine, though I agree that it’s bullshit.
As busy as Lilah is, she still takes a second to step out from behind the line and give me a hug.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, rubbing her back.
“Fucking huge, thanks,” she replies with a groan. “The babies are great, but my blood pressure isn’t. I’m one bad day away from bed rest and I’m supposed to ‘avoid stress’ whatever that means. Does my O.B. think I go out hunting for stressful situations? Is that something a normal human does?”
I laugh. “The stress thing is pretty standard maternity advice, but the blood pressure part makes me worry.”
Lilah shrugs. “It’s just a little high. No biggie. I’m taking it easy here and checking it like ten times a day. Ben won’t let me out of his sight.” She points at the back of the bakery where her fiancé is sitting with a laptop, eyes glued on my sister. She wiggles her fingers at him and he winks back. The two of them are so adorable it makes me want to scream. “What’s up with you? Are you off work again?”
“I’m… taking a mini vacation this week. I’ve got some time off I have to use.” It’s not technically a lie, but I don’t feel great about it either. I want to tell her about the hospital, but she’ll get super ragey if I do. And if they’re already watching her blood pressure, I’m sure as hell not going to be the one that makes it spike. She has enough on her plate just watching the bakery while Olive is on her honeymoon.
“Time off?” She laughs. “You haven’t taken a break in years. What are you going to do with yourself?”
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “Visit you?”