Chapter 52 : New life

They were in Raleigh for now a few days. It felt good to be here, to discover the city every time you go there to buy a gallon of milk or just to take a walk. Their apartment was really tiny, especially when you compared to the one they left in San José, and was overrun by the boxes. But whatever, it was great to start over their new life. First they had to focus on their new jobs and then, they will find the perfect place to live. In fact, living in such a mess remembered her the time she was living in her small flat when she was a resident.

They had barely the time to take their marks and it was already their first day at Raleigh General Hospital. They came early to be sure to be on time. Despite everything they said, they were both stressed and they knew it. They got out of their apartment and reached the hospital in only 20-minute-walk. Hand in hand, enjoying the landscape. They remained silent. They just needed to focus on their main aim: going through their first day successfully.

When they arrived, they were welcomed by Dr. Cameron who was already here, waiting for them in the lobby. When they saw her, Claire and Neil shared a concerned look.

"Don't worry, you're not late. I'm just super early. My husband had a patient to see in the early morning because of the drugs he gave to him yesterday. So I came with him, I had papers to do and in the early morning, all is so calm around here."

She could see Neil and Claire's faces relax. "If you wish, follow me and I bring you to the HR to fulfill the papers and then I could show your offices and start talking about your patients afterwards."

They followed her through the hospital. For sure, the place was tinier than Bonaventure which gave it a welcoming side. The HR meeting was quick, just a few signatures and they were given their access pass to the hospital and parking.

"Welcome to Raleigh Hospital! It's always a pleasure to welcome new faces!"

They both smiled to Wendy. "And no need to call me Mrs. Potter, this is way too much. Wendy is perfect!"

They thanked her for what she did. All was less formal here. Claire gave Neil a faint smile. They were at the good place. They waved at Wendy before leaving the office and followed Dr. Cameron up to the 4th floor.

"Welcome to the 4th floor. Here is the floor where all the offices are. Including yours. As you might have noticed, the 5th and last floor of the hospital is the administrative floor. This is where you will find the HR, the account service, the archives and so on. We will visit after the three first floors where you will spend a lot of time working. But first, let me show you your offices."

She turned left on a long corridor where names were all over the doors. She finally stopped in front of a wooden door. "This is your, Dr. Melendez! The technical service has not put your name on the door yet but they must come today. After you, I let you open your new work place!"

Neil opened the door and discovered a large room with a desk in the middle. Large white-painted walls. A window giving over a park. He turned to Dr. Cameron with a smile. "This is perfect!"

"I know, it must be smaller than the one you got in San José…"

"Don't worry, it's perfect. And who needs a big office when he spends time with his patients! And I do love the view!"

They spent some more minutes in the office so Dr. Cameron could explain Neil all he needed to know about the place. Claire remained in a corner, enjoying the view over the park. Seeing all these trees endlessly was appeasing.

"Dr. Browne? Dr. Browne?"

She jumped and came back to reality. "Ohhh sorry I was watching at this amazing view and got lost in my mind!"

"Don't worry, it's still happening to me and I'm here for a couple of years! I was asking you if you were ready to come and discover your office. Dr. Melendez, you're coming with us?"

He nodded. "No way that I miss this!"

They walked through the corridor and Dr. Cameron stopped in front of another wooden door at the very end of the corridor. She handed a key to Claire. She took it and put it in the lock. As she opened the door, she could appreciate the brightness of the room. "That's… huge!"

Neil whistled in admiration. "It's gonna change you from the closet you had in Bonaventure!"

Cameron let out a laugh. He lowered his head. "Sorry… I didn't want to say this aloud."

"You can, I won't say a word. So I conclude you like your office?"

"It's perfect! Thank you, Dr. Cameron."

"I let you alone to get acquainted with your offices and meet me in one hour in front of my office, just right there." She pointed a door at the opposite of where they were right now. "We'll go and meet your patients. Oh and I was about to forget, you white coats are in each other's office. See you!"

Cameron let them alone in the corridor. They separated to go in their own office. It felt good to be in a new environment, full of new challenges. Claire remained a moment in front of the window. Her office view was beautiful. She could see trees and lakes from here. It was such a peaceful place to work. She smiled and looked at the desk.

A computer was put on it. A piece of paper was placed next to it. A new login. A new password. A new life. She sat in the armchair and watched the room. She already felt home. Here she didn't feel the pressure and the judgement from other people. Sometimes people she barely knew or had never met. Here she was just Dr. Browne-Melendez, trauma and cardiothoracic surgeon, happily married to another doctor. And it was she ever wanted.

In his office, Neil was resting in the sofa. Watching all over the room, thinking about where he could place his books, his frames, his degrees. He was scared to start over but he knew it was necessary. Bonaventure had brought him a lot but people were too judgmental there. It had become unbearable. He needed to cut the ties. He needed to go far away with Claire so they could live their lives and be happy once for all.

"Ready to go and meet our new patients?"

He raised his head as he heard Claire's voice. She was on the doorstep, grinning at him. "More than ready!" He came closer to her and they walked until Dr. Cameron's office wearing their new white coats.

She took them at first floor to show them the ORs. And the ICU rooms. "Your new playground. We have 6 ORs and 20 ICU rooms. It is barely enough but we hope to add two more ORs in the next years and 10 ICU rooms. Just need to get the good sponsorship."

"We can help on this… We built a clinic in San José 3 years ago. It is currently run by our two best friends who helped us with the project. If you need any tip…"

"Will be glad to hear about them! Anything is good to hear. Especially when it comes to money."

She let out a laugh and led them to the second floor. She explained to them this floor and the third where the floor where the patients' rooms were. She introduced them to the nurses at the station. "They are your most precious allies here" and she winked at them. It was nice to see that here, nurses were considered, Claire thought.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Claire! Or Dr. Browne-Melendez, I don't know how you used to call people here."

"If you don't mind, Claire will be perfect. Except in front of the patients of course."

"Sounds nice!"

"And I'm Neil! Or Dr. Melendez. But Neil is fine."

"So you're married?"

"Yes, for almost a year now. But it feels like forever. In a good way, of course."

The nurses laughed at the joke, or the attempt of joke, Neil didn't know how to analyze what he had just said.

"That's nice. I'm nurse Savis, by the way. But you can call me Lisa!"

"Nice to meet you Lisa! Nice to meet you all."

Cameron let Neil ending the presentation to tell all of them about the patients Claire and Neil were about to take responsibility of.

"On first days, I'll be with you and then, they'll be all yours! If you want to follow me, I'm gonna introduce you to them. See you later, nurses squad!"

Claire waved at the nurses while following Cameron. Neil addressed them a large smile and walked behind Claire. Cameron entered a room on their left.

"Good morning, Mr. Jane! How are you today?"

"Still hurts but the drugs you had given to me helped a lot, thanks.'

"You won't be in pain for a long time, here he's your new doctor, Dr. Melendez." Neil waved at him, giving a faint smile. "He's gonna stay with you for a little to discuss about your case while I go with Dr. Melendez-Browne visiting Mrs. Simpsons."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jane. How can I help you? I read on your file that you were diagnosed three months ago with a very bad ulcer in your stomach."

"Yes and it hurts like hell… Result of years of bad habits and personal drama… Could you do something to remove the pain?"

Neil explained to him the procedure he wanted to use to remove the ulcer. This surgery was very uncommon but was used for the patients who were in too much pain. He was reassured to see a light at the end of this tunnel that deprived him from his family.

"The other doctor, she was your wife, right?"

"Yes." He blushed, a little embarrassed.

"She's beautiful. She reminds me of my Teresa who's at home with the kids."

"She must be a great woman too…"

"One of the best."

They smiled at each other. Neil remained a little longer to answer all the questions about the surgery and left when Cameron came. "Ready to meet your next patient. If everything's OK with Mr. Jane?"

"Ready! See you tomorrow in the OR, Mr. Jane. In a few days, we'll see your wife and kids and all this will only be a bad dream."

He met his second patient, Mr. Kang while Claire was finishing her consult with Mr. Brett. At the end of the day, their schedule for the next few days were booked. Their first day was over. The others came and went and soon it was already a month they had been working here. Time flied when you felt fine at work, at home, with the person you loved. And right now this person was fighting with the blender which refused to mix her apples and bananas correctly. A large grin drew on Neil's face.

"I was thinking … Maybe we could look for a house from next weekend… I don't know about you but I'm feeling a little hemmed in in this apartment…"

"A house?"

"Or an apartment if you prefer. I was talking about a house because it seems obvious… That you know… Ummm. … We're gonna need more place at one moment… I mean … If you still agree to…"

"I was teasing you, Neil. Of course, a house will be perfect! Better than this too small apartment anyway. And yes, I do want to have babies with you, Neil. What I've said the other night was true… I will not play with you about this subject. I know how sensitive it is for you… Still remembered the first time you opened about it to me when I was just a first-year resident…"

He blushed and lowered his head. A little ashamed of this moment when he put her in a special position when he knew her for only a couple of months. But it had always been easy to talk, to open up to her.

"We will, Neil. Let just find the perfect place now. And we'll see what the future is holding for us. What I'm sure of is that everything will be alright… If you excuse me now, I've a blender to kill."

She disappeared in the kitchen. She was in there more and more often. "It calms me down" As she used to say. And when she needed advice, she called Greta and spent hours to the phone with her.

"Claire?" She turned to him, her apron soiled by the fruits she had just sliced. "You will never become the next greatest surgeon and I'm sorry if I prevent you from rising… From becoming the next big star of surgery..."

She came closer to him, she enrolled her arms around his waist and put her chin on his chest. Looking at him in the eyes.

"Neil, if I'd have become the next biggest star of surgery, I'll never have agreed to follow you in all these big adventures… In Thailand… Here in Raleigh… I just want to be a doctor, to save lives, to allow people to feel better, to help them when they need to, to assist them when there's nothing to do anymore, to ease their pains and suffering…. I don't need to be a rising star, I just want to do my job, which is helping people."

He stroked her long curly hair. Still smiling idiotically. "This is what I love about you… You could have everything. You're so smart, so creative, so clever… You could win all the awards… And still the only thing you wish is to help people. Please, never change Claire, you're too good for this world, too good for me."

She put on her tiptoes, nested her head in his neck and put her arm on his chest. "I am who I am today thanks to you. When I arrived in Bonaventure, I was broken, lost. Studying medicine, becoming a doctor had given me a purpose to escape my crappy childhood, my sad life until then. And I met you and you learned me so many things… Not only about medicine. About life. About myself… You've changed me. You're a part of my life and I don't want to go anywhere where you're not."

He put his arms around her and pressed her stronger against his chest. "I don't want to go anywhere where you're not either."

She let out a sigh. A sigh of happiness. Just this little idiotic happiness they had been looking for, for so many years before they finally accepted to confront their feelings for each other. The best decision of their life.