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I made my way through the sea of humanity that congregated in a giant auditorium in Seattle, after finding my assigned seat I removed my blazer and smoothed the wrinkles from my pencil skirt that I had found at a thrift store. I had managed to study and take all the practice tests for the bar exam, despite my job at Toot's and hours of research on Heath's case. Heath was holding on, some how. But right now, I had to put everything out of my mind while I took Washington State bar exam.
I felt as though my head was completely empty as I finished the exam and left the building. After a few tries I found my truck and drove to Toot's. I was scheduled to work the dinner shift, but after seeing how out of it I was Sam sent me home. A doggy bag with spicy boneless chicken wings, ranch dressing and curly fries had mysteriously appeared in my locker.
I mindlessly drove through the streets of Tacoma, finally arriving at my tiny, run-down apartment. Sunny was sitting patiently by my front door waiting for me to feed her. I unlocked all of my dead bolts. Embry and Seth had come over and installed a few more dead bolts and reinforced the door with steel after I was robbed. When I left my apartment I locked every other dead bolt, figuring that if a thief wanted to break into my apartment by picking the locks, they would pick all of them, and locking the one that wasn't locked in the process, defeating their entire purpose. I know it sounds strange but it gave me a better sense of security that way.
Dropping my bags by the front door I flipped the light switch. Nothing. Flipping it a few more times I cursed. Damn it. I had no electricity.
Sighing, I propped the front door open so I could use the dim light in the hall to guide me. I retrieved a few tea candles and placed them on my card table in the kitchen. My unromantic candle light dinner was accompanied with research papers about Heath. When the words began to blur on the page I put my research back into my messenger bag and placed a few tea candles on a plate and brought them into the bedroom.
It was mid-July and my water had been cut off, I didn't have A/C in my apartment, either, not that it would matter at this point because of the lack of electricity. I just had to sleep naked and shower before I went anywhere because of the heat, opening the windows didn't help much.
When my water was cut off I started using the public restrooms and shower in the dressing rooms at the University's recreation center. I knew that there were showers in the law library's restroom as well, as most of the law students practically lived there, but no one used them so I began using them as an alternative to the rec center. I was still behind on my rent and University Realty was threatening eviction if I didn't catch up soon. I made an arrangement with the main office, and they agreed to give me three months to catch up. My one luxury was my cell phone I couldn't live with out that. Gas didn't matter since I stopped cooking because I couldn't afford food and it was summertime. I wondered if it would just be better to live out of my truck for a while.
Sam often times came up to me with a doggy bag of freshly cooked food after work saying, "This was a to-go order of buffalo wings that wasn't picked up- you want it, Bella? I can't sell it, and I hate to throw it away." I knew quite well that it wasn't to-go or forgotten- it was hot and fresh, hadn't been under the warming lamps and it had ranch dressing, curly fries, and a pickle, just like I liked. My t-shirts were getting bigger and bigger and I began using safety pins at the waist of my shorts so they didn't fall off. I must have lost ten pounds in the past six weeks with the lack of food. I tried to say no a few times, but then Sam told me to ask the guys if they wanted it. I asked around- the boys never refused food, they had a hollow leg each, like most men did. All of a sudden, they claimed they were stuffed, food looked gross from working with it all day, or they had a great meal waiting for them at home. My fellow waitresses were suddenly on diets and didn't want it either. Thank God for my family at Toot's or I would have starved to death.
The next morning, the alarm on my cell phone woke me. The poor thing was on it's last bar of battery since I couldn't charge it in my apartment. Sleeping no longer being an option because of the heat I decided to go to the bank and put my tips into my checking account. Feeling slightly better after I made the deposit I walked over to the electric company to see if I could get my electricity turned back on. The very helpful, extremely snotty customer service representative informed me that it would cost one hundred, twenty-four dollars to turn it back on, I had one hundred and fifty three dollars in my checking account. I sighed. As I wrote the check I thought, take it all, bitch, might make you feel better.
I was desperately hoping that I only had a few more weeks of working at Toot's. I had applied for a job at a customer service call center, but when they saw my law degree, they laughed and said I was over qualified and I never heard from them again. Jobs at retail stores didn't pay as well as the tips at Toot's. I was pretty much stuck here until I was admitted to the bar.
Since I was out I decided to visit Heath and Bethany. "Hi, Bethany," I said. "Still waiting on the bar certification. How's Heath doing?"
Bethany's eyes filled with tears. "He got another infection in his lungs," she said. "They moved him to the ICU."
"Bethany!" I cried, hugging her. "I'm so sorry."
"Thank you," she said. "I don't know what to do. My Momma and Daddy are talking about killing themselves so we can have their life insurance money to pay for Heath heart transplant!"
"I figured as much," I said, patting her shoulder.
I pieced together Bethany's story- she got pregnant at age sixteen, cutting short her education and left to raise the baby on her own. She resented that baby until she had it- and then everything changed when he was placed in her arms. She had told me once that she named him after Heath Schuler, one of her favorite football players. She didn't have her high school diploma and worked hard to be both mother and father for Heath. She did everything she could to make his life happy until Heath contracted a virus after a football game. She had been an easy target for the Mojave Insurance Company.
We sat in the waiting room until we got the all clear to go see Heath. I got thirsty and went to the hallway for a water fountain, but couldn't find one. "You know, we have soft drinks," one of the nurses told me. "If you want one, they're in the refrigerator."
"Thank you," I smiled and grabbed a Sprite from the mini-fridge. It was perfect.
I made small noises of satisfaction with each sip and sat down in the hall.
"You know, you shouldn't be stealing hospital supplies meant for the patients," a deep voice said. I looked up to see Dr. Cullen looking down at me. There was a slight smile on his lips, so I knew I wasn't in too much trouble.
"Hello," I said.
"It's not really that safe to sit in the middle of a hospital hallway either," he said, offering me a hand to stand up. His hands felt so cool and smooth… oh, wow… "We could very easily run over your foot with a gurney or wheelchair. And I know how lawyers like to sue everybody."
"I- I'm- I'm not that kind of lawyer. I don't even know if passed the bar," I stuttered, standing up, dusting my butt off. "I'll find out tomorrow."
"Well, good luck to you," he said. "Are you here for Heath?"
"Yes," I said. "If I pass the bar, I'm going to help Bethany sue Mojave Insurance."
"Ah, Mojave Insurance," Dr. Cullen said, annoyance dripping from his voice. "I've heard far too many things about them. Let's consider them our common enemy."
"They're an enemy to you?"
"To doctors like me, who actually want to save lives instead of doing paperwork," he said. "I have the answers, I just… getting the money and the resources. You're trying to obtain those for him, aren't you?"
"I like Heath," I said. "He's a good kid. His mother paid for help that Mojave isn't willing to give. I can't fathom the damage his body is suffering because he has to wait for the transplant."
"Well… I can tell you what would happen if his situation worsens; how he'd die."
"Dr. Cullen, you can't imagine how helpful that information would be for his case."
"Alright," he said. "Oh, by the way, just call me Edward."
"Thanks, Edward."
"Would you mind if we talked over coffee? I'm on my lunch break and I really need something eat."
"Oh, sure."
He motioned for me to follow him saying to me over his shoulder, "I'll buy." I'm so glad my stomach didn't gurgle.
After he bought both our lunches we found a table. As he ate he explained the disease- what viral strain he contracted, what it did to the heart, and then how if not treated properly over time could possibly lead to things like strokes because of the blue blood mixing to the red blood. I took notes while sipping my coffee- coffee and a soft drink in one day- what a day. "Dr…..Edward, would you be willing to testify on behalf of Heath?"
"Yes, of course," Edward said. "What are you doing for your defense?"
"I've been taking samples from inside of bowling balls, on gym weights, public restrooms, public toilets," I said. "I'm going to send them to a lab to see if I can get them cultivated to show that the virus could have been contracted in ordinary places."
"Have you tried taking samples from places like playgrounds and school desks?"
"Yes," I said. "I've been, uh... escorted from a few places."
He gave me the sexiest half-grin I had ever seen in my whole life. My insides melted. "That's pretty brave," he chuckled. "I know this sounds like a really cheesy line but I think I've seen you somewhere before…"
"Oh, I'm all over the place," I said, shrugging.
"You're not an ambulance chaser, are you?" he said narrowing his eyes.
"I haven't even passed the bar," I said. I sucked in the air through my teeth. I hated the idea of being an ambulance chaser. I always saw myself becoming some big-shot lawyer making millions a year, taking on the corporations. "I just watched Erin Brockovitch a few times too many in high school."
He chuckled again- he had such a deep, sexy laugh. I just wanted to fling myself on him and ask him to do me right there. "And I watched too much ER."
"What made you go into medicine? Really?"
"My um- my father. The man who raised me. Well, Bella, it's been lovely talking to you- I have to go," he said.
I wondered if I said something wrong. That concern faded as I watched him walk away, wishing he wasn't wearing that white lab coat. I was dying for a better look at his ass.
Reality then crash landed and I realized there was no way he would ever be interested in me. The only men interested in me were drunken morons at Toot's bar who threw pitchers of beer on my white t-shirt to see my boobs. I sighed. I was an out of work lawyer who wore a polyester blazer from K-Mart and my crappy shoes that gave me blisters were from Payless. He was probably married, already. Why hadn't I looked for a wedding ring like a normal girl would? I finished my coffee and went back to the ICU waiting room to meet up with Bethany.