Chapter 49: Last time

Shaun joined Claire in Neil's office at 7PM after his shift as she asked him.

"Claire, I'm here as you asked me. Why did you call me? I'm gonna miss my 7:24 bus."

Claire smiled at his friend. "Always so in time, Shaun… Don't worry about taking the bus to go home. Neil and I will bring you home. In fact, we would like to talk to you about something very important. Could you just come in the office and sit with us for a moment?"

Shaun looked around him for a while. "OK." He sat on the couch. Claire came next to him. Neil sat in front of them. He knew Shaun didn't like to have too many people near him. Claire was the legitimate one to be next to him. She was his friend, she knew how to talk to him and to explain things to him. He listened to her more than anyone else. Like a big sister protecting him from the dangers of the outside world. She did this when he was mean and unfair to him at the beginning. He was still ashamed of the way he treated him. He will always fell guilty for his behavior of this time.

"Shaun. Thank you for being here. Neil and I wanted to tell you something very important before it was official. Because you're one of my best friends and it is important for me, for us, you know before the others."

Shaun remained attentive, even if she could tell he had at least 1000 ideas passing through his mind at the moment. She took a deep breath, looked at Neil who winked at her and started to talk.

"You know Neil and I took a sabbatical at the beginning of the year."

"Yes. I remember and you also got married during your sabbatical."

"That's right, Shaun… And you remember I told you how this trip changed us… It had helped us to see things better, to understand what was important in our life…" Her hands moved anxiously. "And we came to the conclusion we couldn't remain in San José anymore because it reminded us of too many bad memories."

Shaun didn't react to Claire's last sentence. It was as if he was lost in his mind. Claire and Neil shared a worried look.

"Shaun, sweetie, you're right?"

"So you are leaving?"

She was surprised each time at how quickly he could process an information. "Yes. We're leaving by the end of the year. Our last day in Bonaventure is on December, 17th. And we're starting our new job on January, 4th."

"Where are you going?"

"We're going to Raleigh in North Carolina."

"So I won't see you again?"

"Are you kidding Shaun? You're better answer my zoom calls and come to see us! And we will come from time to time for the clinic! You're not gonna get rid of me so easily."

"Raleigh is known as the Oak city."

"Yes, in fact, we saw a lot when we were there with Claire."

"I do love trees. And oaks are trees. So I can come and visit you with Vera."

Claire looked at him puzzled. "Wait Shaun, who's Vera?"

"Vera is my girlfriend."

"Oh that's great, Shaun!" She gave a large smile to Neil. It could tell looking at her she was relieved his friend was not alone. "How do you meet her?"

"I cut her leg during the earthquake." He was almost too joyful when he said this.

"But it was almost 6 years ago..."

"I know. I met her at the supermarket in August and she gave me her phone number. And after I broke up with Lea, I found it in my pocket and I called her. She invited me to drink a coffee, which is inaccurate because I don't drink coffee. So I said no and she told me I could drink anything I wanted instead of coffee. I had an orange juice."

"That's a very cool story, Shaun. I'm happy for you, really."

"We both are, Shaun. You seem appeased, you even have a little smile at the corner of your mouth when you talk about her. This is nice."

Shaun remained silent for a moment and stood up. "Could you bring me home now?"

"Of course. Just give us five minutes to gather our stuff." Neil hurried to tidy his desk and turned off his computer. Claire gathered her files on the sofa and put them in Neil's cupboard. She will come back and get them tomorrow morning before joining her office. They dropped Shaun at his apartment and drove to theirs. They were glad this day was behind them. To be honest, it had been better than what they had imagined. But they were tired. By chance, they stopped at their favorite Japanese restaurant on their way home to get some food. In less than one hour, they were ready to go to bed.

Weeks passed quickly. Neil and Claire were more than busy: their cases in Bonaventure were exploding as if their bosses didn't care they were leaving. They were packing their stuff and looking for a place to stay in Raleigh. December was already here and they didn't even have done the half of the things they had written. And as if it was not enough, Claire was sick as hell since the beginning of the week.

"You're gonna be ok? I don't like seeing you like that. Did you take some medications?"

"Just food poisoning I think. I shouldn't have eaten fish at the hospital restaurant… I'll be better in a few days… If you excuse me, here I go again…" She ran to the bathroom. He followed her just to be sure she was OK.

"Claire, you can't come today… You don't have any surgery scheduled today from memory. Stay at home, sleep and drink water."

"I've work to do."

"And your stomach is telling you otherwise. Next time, you won't eat this weird fish from the hospital restaurant. I told you it seemed weird."

She was seated on the toilet floor, waiting for the next round to happen. He came closer and kissed her hair. "You stay here and you rest. I come back home as soon as I've seen my patients and I'll work from here. "

She looked at him, trying to fight but she didn't have the strength to do it this time. Her stomach was a mess, and her head was about to explode.

"Go to bed and wait for me. I come as soon as I can. "

She nodded and looked at him leaving the apartment. The day was gonna be very long. Neil came back a few hour later, she was sleeping in the coach. He covered her with the tartan rug next to him. She was so pale, he didn't like this. He told Marcus and Audrey to beep him in case of emergency. Anyway, he only had 2 more weeks to work in Bonaventure and had made clear he didn't take any new patients. Audrey didn't seem really pleased… Marcus just nodded in agreement.

He checked on Claire for the next two days. She was getting a little better until she threw up again. He finally called one of his friends. Claire needed an appointment to a doctor's and some exams. Just to be sure, it was really food poisoning. They went to the lab a few hours later. But they will have to wait some more days for the results.

"Don't worry, I'm already feeling better. Look I didn't throw up in the last 6 hours. I'm making progress!"

This night, Neil didn't sleep well and spent a lot of time watching for Claire. Her head was resting on his chest. He could feel her breathe against his skin. She seemed quiet. He couldn't stop stroking her hair and to make sure she was fine. He will feel better when the results will be there.

On the days after, Claire was felling better, just tired. She came back to work, so did Neil. It was weird for both of them. They were spending their last days in Bonaventure. This weekend, Morgan and Park organized a little party for their goodbyes. It was really the end of an era and all seemed so unreal. They emptied their office. For Claire, it was quick. After all, she had only been working in there for less than a year. And she often ended up in Neil's office, crossed-legged seated on his sofa, as she used to when she was a resident. In a way, it was a comfort place for her. And it always will be.

Neil had more troubles to empty his office. He had spent at least 15 years in there. He was working there when he was a resident under the supervision of Dr. Harrelson. Then Dr. Harrelson retired and named him as his successor. And since then, he had been working here. Claire watched him, from the doorstep, trying to choose what to take and what to leave.

"Can I help you with something?"

He raised his head and gave her a large smile. "Maybe…"

"Just maybe, I feel offended." She giggled. He laughed. Once again, she managed to make him feel better when he was drowning just a few seconds before.

They spent hours to fill boxes with books, files and picture frames. Claire took care of all the old files and brought them the archive service to be sure the hospital could still use Neil's old patient files when he will not be around anymore. Neil took the boxes and put them in the trunk of his car. It was surprising how a whole life in Bonaventure could be contained in only ten or so boxes.

He came back to his office and found Claire packing the last things that were left. "I think it's done… You alright?"

"I think so... Just weird to tell me my last 15 years here holds in so few boxes."

She nodded. "As we don't have offices anymore in the next hours… I was thinking… Maybe we could go and see some people to say goodbye… I mean I really need to kiss and hug Nurse Petringa, you know. She's been so nice with us, with me when you were in the ICU… I mean … Without her, I don't know where I could have been by now."

A tear rolled down her cheek. Neil came closer and took her in his arms. "She saved us. She's one of a kind. And there's no way we leave without telling her goodbye. I mean she helped me a lot too… To process my feelings, you know. She helped me opened my eyes over my feelings for you when I was blind and stubborn."

They walked across the hospital, side by side to go to the ICU. Nurse Petringa was there, filling her patients sheets, as Claire saw her do so many times when she spent most of her free time here checking on Neil. They came closer to her in silence.

"Nurse Petringa?"

She raised her head from the files. "Ohhhh, you two! What are you doing here? I've heard you're leaving Bonaventure?"

"In fact, this is our last day. We're leaving on Raleigh at the end of the month to start new jobs." Neil answered.

"And we wanted to come to tell you goodbye… And also thank you from everything you have done for both of us. For Neil and I."

"Oh come on. I've only done my job."

"You have made so much more. I mean… You have been with the whole time. You even found a bed for me to sleep there and not in a chair. You always found the good words to support me when I was low. You saved me from drowning, really."

Claire couldn't help but hug her. "Thank you for everything."

Neil looked at them. He smiled. This woman really helped them to find each other. She had been a true and solid support for him when he was hospitalized. When he thought his life was over because he was disabled.

"Nurse Petringa, I couldn't have everything I have now if you didn't scold me several times. You've learned me that disability doesn't necessarily mean something bad. It just means that you have to adjust your life."

She smiled at them. "You've learned a lot to me too, Dr. Melendez. Like how to be so resistant to my feelings for so long for instance."

Neil and Claire lowered their heads, both confused and embarrassed.

"Don't worry. Actually, it's cute. You are cute. When I hear you got married during your sabbatical, I was over the moon."

"That's really nice of you, Nurse Petringa." Neil was shaking listening her to talk about them this way.

"Oh and you can call me Deena, now."

"So Deena, would you make them the pleasure to come to restaurant with us tonight? And please call me Neil."

Deena smiled at them. "Let me end my shift in 30 minutes and call my husband to tell him, I'm coming back home later. I meet you in the lobby."

"See you then."

For the last time, Claire and Neil paced up and down the corridors of Bonaventure hospital as doctors. It was strange. It was liberating. It was a new adventure starting. Neil took Claire's hand.

"I know you don't like romantic gestures but this is symbolic for me. Like a closure. I came here as a young, arrogant resident. I've learned a lot in these walls. And I want to get out of the hospital holding the hand of the woman who has taught me so much over the years and showed me that arrogance doesn't make me a better surgeon, only kindness can do this."

She pouted as always. He loved when she did this with her lips. "In that case, I'll be happy to hold your hand. And you know I ain't a fond of romantic gestures… Except when they come from you."

Their time in Bonaventure has come to an end. But their time together was only beginning.