One Moment Please (Wait With Me #3)(82)
I step back and make room for her to come inside. She points at me and says, “I should be the one who’s sorry. I’m acting a little nuts because I had no idea Josh had…”
“Gotten someone pregnant?” I finish her thought with a smirk.
She shrugs. “Well, you know Josh.”
And apparently so does this woman. “He was called into the ER, but said he’d be home soon, so you can wait if you like. Can I get you some tea, coffee? A mocktail?” I laugh nervously.
“Honestly, just a water would be great,” she says, stepping inside and moving toward the kitchen. “I…didn’t realize Josh was still practicing.”
I frown at that comment. “What else would he be doing?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” She blinks rapidly as if dazed at this information. “I flew into Denver early this morning and took the train to Boulder, so I’m exhausted. I nearly fell asleep on my Uber ride over here.” She glances at me, amazement all over her face. It reminds me of the way Josh’s mom still looks at me. When we told her we were going to get married, I thought she’d never stop crying.
I grab Kayla a bottle of water from the fridge and gesture to the dining room. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you.” She drops her heavy satchel on the table and takes a sip before pinning me with wide eyes. She sits and says, “Wow…so you and Josh. Can I ask how long you’ve been engaged?”
“If you’re asking which came first, the chicken or the egg…the egg.” I point at my belly. I’m very used to this question. Boulder is a small town, and getting knocked up without a ring on your finger means everyone wants the dirt.
“You’re adorable.” Kayla smiles. “I bet you’re good for Josh.”
“I’ve never gotten adorable,” I reply with a laugh. “I get emotional and crazy pretty regularly, though, just ask Josh.”
She laughs. “So Josh must be doing well after everything?”
I frown at her comment.
Oh. Wait. She must be talking about whatever happened in Baltimore.
“He’s doing well…ish,” I add this ish because I’m curious to learn a bit more about what Josh was like back in Baltimore. If this woman dated him, then surely, she can provide insight.
Kayla nods like she knows exactly what I mean. “What happened to him is a hard thing to come back from.”
“Yeah,” I reply noncommittally and then take a drink of my mocktail, trying to decide how horrible I am for seeking information from a stranger instead of my own fiancé. “He doesn’t talk about it much.”
“I’m not surprised.” She gives a sharp nod. “Med school gives us coping mechanisms, but the death of a patient that you’re close to will truly change how a doctor views himself and his career.”
I bite my lip and nod slowly. “Which death are you talking about exactly?”
“Well, Julian, of course,” she says, gesturing with her hands. “Josh loved him like his own son.”
I inhale at her remark and can’t help but pry further. “It’s crazy everything that happened there.”
Kayla nods. “It really is. I mean to be sued for malpractice is bad enough, but to be sued by your best friend…”
My entire body goes cold, but I school my features so I don’t give myself away. “Josh is lucky he can still practice medicine.”
“Well, the lawsuit was unfounded to begin with. Mark is a doctor, too, and he should’ve known. As doctors, we can only do so much, as sad as that is for people to realize. But so many malpractice suits come from grief. The complicated part of this issue was that Josh never should have been Julian’s doctor to begin with. He was too close to Julian. But Josh could never say no to his best friend. Mark and Josh were like brothers as I’m sure you know.”
I nod, frowning as I attempt to process everything she’s said. Complicated is right.
“And you know Josh, he’s so headstrong and confident, which, makes sense because he’s a genius. I mean, top of our class, and the resident everyone tried to beat. Plus, he had this incredible way with kids that made your heart melt. He could be straight with them while crawling on the floor with them. It was beautiful to witness. Honestly, the warmth and love he had for his patients were what drew me to him. He was going to be the best attending John Hopkins had ever seen…but then everything with Julian happened. It’s mind-blowing how quickly things can change in this profession.”
I nod, blinking rapidly and trying hard to ignore the knot in my throat and the tears stinging my eyes.
Josh and love in the same sentence? Was that really him? If so, then who is the man that I’ve been growing to know these past few months?
“Are you a doctor, too?” Kayla asks, ripping me out of my emotional tailspin.
I shake my head. “I’m a pediatric assistant counselor right now.”
Kayla’s brows lift. “Repairing the mind is a whole other animal, let alone the minds of children.”
“Yeah,” I reply on autopilot because my thoughts are suddenly pummeled with the name on that unopened letter. “Do you know if Josh and Mark speak anymore?”
Kayla balks at my question. “Josh doesn’t speak to any of us anymore. He hasn’t returned our calls, emails, letters. It’s like he wants to pretend his life in Baltimore never happened. Mark has tried to reach him countless times.”