Chapter 5:
Plus one makes the Three Musketeers
The next day marked the one year anniversary of Amy's arrival at Community General. Katie came running up to her friend during one of their breaks with the biggest smile on her face, and Amy knew that her friend had some exciting news.
"Amy did you hear the news?" Katie asked.
"Apparently not."
"We're getting a new intern from Russia tomorrow! Her name is Annetka, and she's going to live in the same apartment complex as Jesse and..."
"A new intern from Russia?" Amy interrupted.
"Yes! I can't wait. Uncle Mark asked me to go shopping and fill up her refrigerator to make sure she'll have everything that she needs, and I was wondering if you want to go with me."
"I'd love to! I'll meet you in the doctor's lounge in an hour. I'll be off of my shift then," Amy said, "Katie, this is great! Not only have I known you for a year, but we are getting another intern to add to our camaraderie."
"Don't use such big words, Amy. It's been a long day, and you're confusing me."
"Camaraderie, you know, friendship, group, click..."
"I know what it means!" Katrina interrupted.
"Just checking. Well, I'll meet up with you later."
"Sounds great. See you later."
An hour and a half later, the two friends were stocking up Annetka's refrigerator with everything that they had bought. They were both talking excitedly about what they thought Annetka would be like.
"I wonder if she experienced anything with the Communists." Amy wondered aloud.
"Well, she did live in Russia," Katie replied, "I suppose anyone from there experienced communism in one form or another."
"Does she speak English?" Amy said.
"I'm sure she does. Uncle Mark has talked to her several times on the phone, and he says that although her English is broken, she's mostly understandable. He says that she'll learn in time," Katie replied.
"I wonder what life has been like for her. I don't think anyone has had it as bad as you, Kat."
"I don't know. She lived in communist Russia, as we've said before, and I've been told that life has not been kind to our Russian intern."
"Is she only going to be an intern, or will she become staff after a while?"
"I don't know. I think she has to get her license in America first. At least that's what Uncle Mark said."
When the girls had finished stocking the refrigerator, Amy wrote a quick note to the new intern, and placed it and a note from Jesse on the refrigerator door. As the two girls left, they talked excitedly about the next day, and what they thought would happen.
The next day, Amy and Katrina sat in the doctors' lounge in the same place that they had met each other. They were surrounded by friends who were all waiting for the new intern.
"I hope Annetka gets the note that you put in her locker, Kat," Amy said.
"I'm sure she will. Uncle Mark should be here with her any time now!" Katrina said impatiently. Once again, Katie sat drawing to keep her mind off of her nervousness. Amy commented on the picture, and gave hints on how to improve it.
Soon, Mark walked into the lounge, and a tall Russian girl walked in behind him. Katrina greeted her with her usual happiness, yet was careful not to overwhelm the girl with a flood of words as she had with Amy. "Hi, I'm Katrina Sloan. You must be Annetka. Welcome!"
"Da," Annetka said, her Russian accent was thick and she struggled with English, "Thanks. I'm happy to finally be here."
Katie smiled, and said, "Let me introduce you to everyone, Annetka. This is Amanda Bentley. She is in charge of the autopsies here. Jesse Travis works in ER, you'll probably work with him most of the time."
"I live right below you in the apartments," Jesse said.
Annetka smiled and nodded, "So you are the one who put the note on my refrigerator."
"I'm Amy, Amanda's sister," Amy interrupted, "I work mostly in the Maternity Ward, but I'm finishing up my degree so that I can work where ever I'm needed."
Steve stood up and introduced himself, "Annetka, I'm Steve Sloan. I'm not a doctor here, I'm actually a police officer, but I pop in here quiet a bit though. I'm Katie's cousin."
"He just comes for the free food that we give him," Amanda said teasingly.
"I'm so happy to meet all of you," Annetka laughed.
Just as quickly as Amy and Katie had become friends, Annetka joined the group, and they formed and inseparable bond of friendship. Annetka felt right at home with Amy and Katie, and had no trouble fitting into her new life style. She enjoyed her new life as an American, and was constantly learning and growing.
Several months later, Katie walked into her uncle's office and flopped down on the couch. "Finally some peace and quiet," she said to herself. Just then a voice was heard from the adjacent office. "You look awfully tired darlin'. Are you having a rough day?" The voice belonged to Delores, Mark's secretary. She had become a dear, and Katrina loved coming in and talking to her.
"Delores, you have no idea!"
"Try me."
"It seems that every time Uncle Mark leaves the hospital for even an hour, things seen to go wrong. This has been the busiest day this year, the ER has been flooded with people, and to top it all off, all of the doctors and nurses are in a bad mood. Well, all except for Amy and Annetka."
"Well, Honey, I'll let you know the moment that Mark walks in that door."
"Thanks, Delores."
"Any time."
"I have to get back to work, but just a few seconds of peace was all that I needed. See you later."
No sooner had Katrina walked out of the office door, when she was paged. Katrina Sloan, Please report to the emergency room immediately.
"Never a moment of rest," Katrina laughed as she ran down the hallway. She never could have imagined what she was about to see, however.
When she turned the corner, Katrina stopped short and stared. There were about fifteen children with cuts and bruises huddled in small groups on the floor. Amy and Annetka were working with them along with a few other doctors from pediatrics. There were also two adults with life threatening injuries lying on the tables. Jesse was working feverishly to save them, and Katie rushed over to help.
After asking a few quick questions, Katie learned that a bus, whose driver was one of the adults being treated, collided with a car, causing a severe accident. The driver of the car was killed on impact. One of the passengers in the car was the other adult being treated.
Several hours and three emergency surgeries later, Katrina slowly walked out of the ER and into the doctor's lounge. She was exhausted, and ready to go home. As she entered the lounge, she was greeted by Amy and Annetka.
"Rough day?" Annetka asked.
"Yeah, and it's not over yet," Katie replied.
"What do you mean 'It's not over yet'?" Amy asked.
"I have another shift in a few minutes. I'm just taking a quick break," Katrina said.
"You can't do that! You're just an intern," Annetka said.
"Katrina Evangeline Sloan, You'll kill yourself! You haven't had any sleep in the past forty-eight hours," Amy exclaimed.
"It's not my fault that we're short on help around here," Katrina laughed, "I'll be fine."
"Sure you will," Amy said sarcastically, "And next week you'll be in the hospital as my patient."
"No, I won't," Katie replied.
"Okay, but do try to get some rest tonight," Annetka said, "I'll see you two later, I'm going home."
The next day at the hospital was no different then the day before. There were just as many people needing care, if not more, and the staff seemed to be crankier than ever before. Katie was so busy that she didn't see any of her friends until the end of the day when she entered the doctor's lounge. She stumbled into the room, and sat down on the window seat at the back of the room. She pulled out a letter from Mary that she had received the day before, but had left unopened. Katie had several questions that she needed answered, and she hoped to find out what she needed to know in this letter. Peter had stopped writing, and Katie couldn't seem to reach him. She also hadn't heard from some other friends, and wanted to know about them. After carefully lifting the seal, she began to scan the page.
About halfway into the letter, something caught Katie's eye, and caused her to read the paragraph again to make sure she had read it correctly the first time. She looked up after reading it the second time and unshed tears welled up in her eyes. Katie couldn't believe what she had just read.
...To answer your last letter, I'm doing well, and I'm happily studying to be a teacher at the University of Cambridge. My family is doing well, and Mother sends her love. I dearly miss you, and hope that you will come to see me someday soon.
Now as to why Peter has not written to you lately, is really beyond me. I do however, have a guess. Lately, he has had his eyes set on young lady at school. Personally, I think that she is a stuck up flirt, and I can't see what he sees in her. He always seemed to be in love with you, Katie, and I don't know what's gotten into him. He seems totally taken with this new 'love' and talks as if he will marry her soon. I tried to talk to him, but he just brushed me off, and says that you would understand. Maybe I shouldn't have told you, but I thought you would want to know. Don't let it worry you too much, Katie. He'll come around in time, and he'll see that he loves you more than anyone else...
"Don't let it bother me? How can I not let it bother me? Peter and I were best friends! Now he hardly writes to me, and when he does, he doesn't put his heart into what he writes. In fact he's been a real jerk to me lately," Katie thought, "If that's the way he's going to be, two can play at that game."
Her thoughts were quickly brought back to the present when she realized the Amanda was talking to her.
"Katrina, you look exhausted. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Katie said, quickly putting the letter away, "How are you?"
"I'm fine. I don't think that I have been half as busy as you have though."
Katie laughed, "Have you seen your sister?"
"Yes, and she asked me to let you know that you are supposed to meet her at Annetka's apartment tonight if you can," Amanda said.
"Oh, thank you. I forgot that I said that I'd be over there at 5:00 for dinner. I'd better get going."
"All right. See you later."
"Bye, Amanda!" Katie said as she ran out of the door.
As she drove down the road, Katrina's mind raced with thoughts. She was so excited to spend time with Annetka and Amy, but she was worried that Peter had forgotten her. Her thought's whirled around, and she could hardly keep them all straight.
Suddenly, Katie glanced into her rear view mirror, and noticed a car racing toward her. She swerved off the road to get out of the way, barely missing getting hit. Katie tried to get a good look at the driver, but he was going too fast. She turned off her car, and tried to calm down, but she began to cry.
Katie noticed that a police officer had pulled over, and was getting out of his car to check on her. She rolled down her window, and smiled when she saw who the officer was. "Steve, am I glad to see you!" she said with relief.
"Katrina!" Steve said in surprise, "Are you okay, Babe? I saw you swerve off of the road, and I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Well, for someone who was almost hit, I'm all right. Did you see that guy? He tried to kill me!"
"Yes, I got the license plate number, and I'll look into it. Do you want me to take you to Anya's? I can come back for your car."
"Would you? I don't think I can drive right now. I have to stop shaking first."
Steve took Katie to Annetka's apartment, and walked her up to the door. "I have to get back to work. I'll see you later," he said. "Try to be careful," he added as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks, Steve; I don't think I'll be in any danger here."
Katie walked up to the door, and rang the bell. Annetka's voice was heard a moment later over the intercom system. "Yes?"
"Hey, Anya, it's Katie. Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay. Come on in."
Katie opened the door, and walked down to Annetka's apartment, where she was greeted warmly. Amy sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn beside her, and a book in her hand. "It's about time you got here," Amy teased.
"Well, if you would like to hear why I was late, I'll tell you," Katie replied, handing Annetka her purse and jacket.
"Let me put these away," Annetka said, "and then you can tell your story."
Katie walked over to the couch and sat beside Amy. "What are you reading now, Miss. Bentley?"
"All she Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin. It's really good."
Katie smiled as Annetka joined them. "Okay," Katie said, "Here's my story. I'm driving from the hospital, with half a million things on my mind. Suddenly, a car pulls out of a side street, and speeds toward me. I had to swerve to the side of the road to miss being hit. Needless to say, I was shaken. I turned off my car, and tried to catch my breath. Next thing I know, a police officer came up to my car to see if I was alright. The officer just happened to be Steve. Anyway, he drove me here, and said we could pick up the car later."
"Katie, that's awful. Are you okay?" Amy asked.
"I'm fine, now."
"Okay, girls, what's on the agenda for tonight?" Annetka asked.
"Tell your story, Anya," Amy said.
At the mention of a story, Annetka began to laugh. Katie looked at her, confused.
Finally, Annetka stopped laughing, and said, "I'm sorry Katie."
"It's okay, but what's so funny?"
Annetka took a slow breath, and began. "Okay, you remember that I took that part-time job at the coffee shop right? Well, last night, I had a really interesting experience. This really cute guy walked in, and ordered a large mocha. He said his name was Alexi, and being from Russia, I really like that name, so I asked him where he was from. He told me he was born and raised in LA, but his parents were immigrants from Russia."
"Annetka, that is so neat!" Katie said.
"Shhh!" Amy replied, "She's not done yet."
"Anyway," Annetka continued, "Alexi went to a table, and I quickly made his coffee. As I was taking it to him, I didn't notice a chair that was pulled out, tripped, and spilled the drink all over him. At first we were both in complete shock. I jumped to my feet, and began to apologize, but Alexi just laughed. He helped me clean it up, and asked me where I was from. I guess he noticed my accent. After I told him a little about myself, he said he would like to get to know me, and asked if he could come by the shop next week."
"Anya's got a date!" Amy said.
"It's not a date. I'm just going to get to know him a little more," Annetka replied defensively.
Katie smiled, at her friends. She really wanted to tell them what was going on with her and Peter, but she decided it would ruin the night. She instead put on a happy face, and the girls all had a wonderful night.
About ten o'clock, Steve called, and said that he wouldn't be able to pick up Katie's car, but Katie should see if Jesse could help.
"It's okay, Steve. I'm sure he can help," Katie said, moving the phone to the other ear, "Alright, I'll see you at home than. I love you. Bye."
"What's going on, Kitty?" Amy asked.
"Well, Steve can't get my car tonight, so I'm going to see if Jesse can help."
"Do, you have to leave?" Annetka asked.
"I'm afraid so. I have a lot to do still at home. I had a wonderful time, Anya," Katie replied.
"Kitty Kat, could I get a rid home?" Amy asked.
"Sure. Let's go see if Jesse can take us to my car."
The two girls said goodbye to Annetka, and thanked her for the wonderful time.
Katie and Amy went down one floor of the apartment building to Jesse's apartment, and asked for a ride. He gladly gave the girls a lift, and they were soon on their way home.
"Kat, something's bothering you. You haven't been yourself tonight," Amy said.
"Oh?" Katie questioned trying to avoid her friend's statement. When she realized that Amy wasn't buying it, Katie said, "I got a letter from Mary today. She said that Peter is seeing another girl, and he's been a real jerk to me lately."
"What are you going to do?"
"I can always play any game that he does better than him, and I intend to prove it. If he's going to brush me off, I can do the same to him."
"That's harsh, Kat!"
"The one thing that growing up with Peter has taught me is that he needs a rude awakening to get his attention."
"How did you ever meet Peter?" Amy questioned.
"Well, it's actually a funny story. I was about four, and he was five. We were playing at the park, not together, but our parents knew each other, and they were talking. Anyway, I was in the sandbox, and a bully came up and began picking on me. When I started to cry, Peter came over and told the bully 'Don't be mean to my friend.' and being the strong hero that he was said 'If you don't apologize and really mean it, I'm going to have to hurt you until you do mean it!'"
"How sweet," Amy said.
"That's how it all started. Before that, I never would talk to Peter. After he became my hero, I was best friends with him."
"Well, I hope you will still be friends after you brush him off," Amy said sarcastically.
After dropping Amy off at her house, Katie headed home. She had so much to think about. Would Peter really leave her and date another girl? Should she really 'brush him off' as Amy had put it? Well, she wasn't going to turn back. She never let Peter win at anything without giving him a run for his money. He would have to come to America to change her mind about him if he truly did love her. Little did Katrina realize how true that challenge would become, and how she would have to struggle to 'brush off' her friend especially with Trent still waiting to pick her up as his prize the moment Peter dropped her. She hadn't told Amy about Trent, but she decided that she wouldn't be affected by that information in any way, and had left it out.
About eleven o'clock that night, Katie pulled into the drive way of her home. As she entered the house, she was greeted by her uncle, and she began to tell him all about her day. Finally around midnight, Katie got ready for bed, and crawled under the covers. Sleep came easily to Katie and her thoughts slowly drifted back to England.