Chapter 2: Ever Just as Sure

Michaela placed the last picture frame on the desk of her bureau, and looked at it lovingly. The picture was one of her beloved father, who had been the inspiration for her dream to become a doctor. It hadn't been two months since her father, Dr. Joseph Quinn, had passed away during a heart attack. Michaela had been taking her final exam when it happened, and she still blamed herself for not being there with him...not being there to perhaps prevent his death.

Michaela glanced around at her new room, everything finally put into its proper place, except for the empty cardboard boxes that had been shipped from Boston to her earlier that week. Sun beams bled through the curtains demonstrating the Tyndall effect, by reflecting off of the small dust particles suspended in the air.. Everything seemed right in the world, for the first time since her father's death. Everything was going to be ok.

Suddenly Michaela was awakened from her reverie by Dorothy's gentle voice, as she came sauntering into the room. "Well it seems you've got everything done in here, why don't we go out to lunch and celebrate...you need to get out of the house anyways..." Dorothy suggested.

"Well I was planning on reading a few of my new medical journals...so I'm not behind..."Michaela began.

"Michaela, you can do that later tonight...now come on...I'm not taking no for an answer...besides there is this lovely little café right near the hospital that I think you will just love..." Dorothy insisted.

"Well, since I don't have a choice..."

"Good! Now come on!" Dorothy said while retreating to her own room to grab her coat and meeting Michaela in the living/dining area before starting out the door to her jeep.

"I'll just have the soup and salad, thank you." Michaela requested to the waiter.

"Oh, Michaela you just have to try Grace's fried chicken...home-cooked and seasoned just right...it's truly delicious!" Dorothy insisted.

"Maybe some other time; honestly I'm not all that hungry." Michaela said while looking at her bare table place.

"Well, I'll have the Fried Chicken Special, and a glass of water as well, thank you." Dorothy told the waiter. Then Dorothy waited until the you lady taking their order had departed for the kitchen, to ask Michaela, "Is everything ok, Michaela? You seem sort of out of sorts..."

"Oh, everything is fine...really, I normally am too busy working at the hospital or with my studies to eat any lunch." Michaela explained.

"Oh, I see...well, may I ask you a question...you don't have to answer if you don't want to...just friend to friend?" Dorothy asked sincerely.

"Of course, what is it that you want to know?"

"I know you and David are a couple and everything...", Dorothy paused as she immediately noticed that Michaela had grown uncomfortable at the mere subject, before continuing, "...and I was just wondering...I guess...I just noticed that...you two...seemed a little bit...off..." Michaela inhaled deeply, causing Dorothy to add, "Not that it is any of my business...I just thought...just being a friend and all...you may need to talk to someone...I'll always be here to listen Michaela, I promise you that." Dorothy encouraged her friend.

Michaela looked from her place mat, up into Dorothy's eyes that were genuinely full of kindness. "Well...David and I...we're really so much alike in so many ways..." Michaela began.

"Michaela, if you are referring to you jobs, I can guarantee you that there are thousands of doctors..." Dorothy questioned.

"Oh no, no...we have other things in common...and we've both had our tragedies in our lives...we were both there for each other, and I know I own so much to him... for helping me through those times..." Michaela recalled, as pictures of her recent past flashed into her mind.

Dorothy watched Michaela, as she collected her thoughts and memories. What she didn't understand was, if they truly had helped each other through so much, why then, did Michaela always seem so tense and stiff around him. Dorothy also questioned slightly if Michaela, as she said, felt like she 'owed him' something.

"Sounds like you should be really close." Dorothy hinted, waiting for Michaela's reaction to her carefully picked words.

Michaela looked up at Dorothy, puzzled by her comment. "That's just it, we are incredibly close...we're there for each other through thick and thin..."

"Michaela, I don't think you get my point...I've watched you with him over the past two weeks...you always seem tense or uncomfortable around him..." Dorothy paused as a slight blush spread over Michaela's cheeks. "Being there for one another...although that is essential in your relationship...you sound like David is really just a good friend to you..."

"What...no...I..." Michaela stuttered, trying to resist the small realization that was coming over her.

"Michaela, do you love him?" Dorothy decided to push a little more.

But a little more, was too much for Michaela at the moment. "Excuse me! But where do you get the right to question whether I love someone or not? You've known me little more than two weeks...and...and..." Michaela said vigorously while standing up and reaching for her purse.

"No Michaela, I didn't mean it that way...where are you going?" Dorothy said upset with herself for going too far.

"I really need to get home...I have some reading that I must finish before my first day at work tomorrow...would you cancel my order, please...if it's too late, then here's some money... just have them box it up and would you bring it home with you...I really must be going..." Michaela said while handing Dorothy some cash and then turned to walk out the door of the café.

"How are you planning to get home?" Dorothy called after her.

"I'll call a taxi..." and with that Michaela had disappeared around the corner.

Dorothy crossed her arms and sulked back into her chair at the table, as a young, black, woman came out of the back kitchen carrying food in both arms.

"I thought it was your voice I heard." said the woman with a slightly southern accent. "Something wrong, Dorothy?"

"Oh, hello Grace...nothing's wrong with me...but my new room mate...Michaela...I think she's confused about love..."Dorothy explained.

"Oh aren't we all though...I mean, they say that love is a kind of delirium that only the lucky and slightly crazy experience." Grace said with a laugh.

"I suppose..." Dorothy wandered off in thought. "Grace, would you mind boxing up that salad...it seems my lunch partner has walked out on me..."

"Sure...enjoy your meal I'll be right back" Grace nodded while heading back towards the swinging door that she had come through originally.

Dorothy was left by her self again, puzzling over how she should go about apologizing to Michaela for being so forward, and also trying to make sense of Michaela's situation.

Michaela walked briskly to the street corner, pausing to get her cell phone out. Thoughts and emotions were swarming in her head as she stared blankly at the LCD screen of her cell phone. Realizing that she didn't know any number for a taxi to pick her up, and with no taxi cabs in site, Michaela called William to come and pick her up. After a quick exchange of location and an agreement of where to meet, Michaela sat on a bench near the corner and waited for William to come.

As Michaela sat, her heart raced with anger, not necessarily at Dorothy, but more at herself, for even considering that Dorothy may have had a point. As time progressed, Michaela doubted Dorothy's earlier questioning of her love more and more... but then came the question, "Why didn't I call David to pick me up? He is closer, and it may have been easier for him to get to me...do I feel that uncomfortable near him, that someone else would notice so quickly..." Michaela thought to herself, but her inter-arguments came to a halt as William's new car pulled into view.

"Need a lift?" Will called about to her.

Michaela smiled while opening the door of the car. "Why thank you stranger...and nice car by the way."

"Why thank you...I picked it up this morning, it's a Saab...really well made, at least I think anyways."

"Made by rocket scientists, I believe...it suits you...now can we use this fire-powered vehicle to get me home, or is it just for show?" Michaela teased.

"Well, for most it's just for show...but I suppose now that you're here..." William said while starting down the road. "So, you ready for first day of internship tomorrow?"

"Well, I need to go through a few new medical research papers...other than that...I think I'm ready..." Michaela sighed, knowing that a good nights sleep and a big meal was really what she was going to need to survive the first of many 36-hour shifts.

"Well don't stay up too late...I know you'll do just fine though...you work your best under pressure it seems." Will commented.

"I suppose it makes me focus that much more on the task at hand...William...can I ask you something?" Michaela hesitated slightly.

"Sure, shoot." Will answered.

Michaela took a deep breath before continuing, "What do you think about...or of , I should say...do you...have you noticed anything wrong between David and I, lately...or really ever."

William half glanced at Michaela before answering, "No...is there something going on...anything wrong?"

"No, no...just something, someone said earlier...I guess I was worried...I didn't think there was anything wrong, but I was just curious for your opinion, that's all." Michaela said with a sigh of relief. If anything was that noticeable, William would be the first to say something. It wasn't that he truly wanted Michaela and David to split up...it just was that William had had a crush on Michaela since their first meeting ten years ago. And, although Michaela had turned him down the first time, he never really seemed to give up hope in the possibility that Michaela would someday fall for him.

The rest of the ride home was relatively quiet, as Michaela tried to put all of Dorothy's comments out of her mind. Upon arriving at her apartment she thanked William and hurried up to the door. It seemed that Dorothy was not home yet, which was a bit of a relief to Michaela, since really didn't want to get back into their previous discussion ever again.

Quickly, Michaela heated herself up some leftovers from last night's delectable dinner, made by Dorothy once again. Seeing as cooking was not one of Michaela's proud accomplishments, heating up leftovers was about as good as it was going to get...not that she could complain, after 8 years of vigorous schooling, Michaela had grown very used to a diet of leftovers, carry out, or occasionally raw fruits and vegetables when she was able to get to one of the local fresh fruit markets near the docks.

After heating up her food, luckily with out burning it, Michaela retreated to her room, where she sat at her desk and reviewed one of her medical documents while eating her lunch/ dinner. Her problem now was concentrating, not because of the food, but because the various comments that Dorothy had said continued to flash through her mind, causing her head to be too full of noise and chatter to concentrate.

"How can I even question my love...I know it...I feel it...or at least I think that's what I feel...no, no I know that's what I feel...I just may have a hard time expressing it...that's it...I'm just not used to these relationships..." Michaela reasoned, looking back down at the sentence she had been having to reread for the tenth time. "...At least, I hope that's why..."