Day Two
Bella's eyes fluttered open. There were few days in her adult life that had begun without an alarm clock, a phone call or someone shaking her awake. Sleeping until her body felt the need to wake was a forgotten luxury. If it wasn't her service calling her that a patient was being admitted, it was a parent, desperate for advice on how to treat a fever, cough, or diarrhea. She didn't begrudge them their calls; she imagined being a new parent was frightening. She'd seen too many of the things that befell young children. That was the reason she told Emmett she didn't want to try for one of her own. That was the reason she told herself. It was one of the reasons she was with him: besides his being handsome, intelligent and financially successful, he didn't care that she worked odd hours and that they might not see each other for days at a time. He rarely pushed for more. It was an arrangement that worked for both of them.
Looking around her room she couldn't help but feel guilty. By first world standards, the room was spare; a bed, a desk, a small table and a chair. Compared to what she'd left behind, it was incredibly luxurious. Her own shower and toilet, endless hot water, solid walls, a consistently working telephone, a laptop and Wi-Fi. It was true, you didn't appreciate the everyday things until you'd lived without them. She wondered how everyone was getting on back at the clinic. Most of the people who worked there were locals; there was no coming home to some cushy existence. She'd negotiated with her practice to volunteer for the month, but she always left wishing she could have done more.
"Dr. Swan." A woman's voice crackled over the intercom. "You haven't made a lunch selection, and we need to take your temperature and draw blood before you eat."
"Okay. Let me get washed up." Turning to the laptop on the grey metal desk, Bella reviewed the restaurant menus. The lieutenant had explained to her yesterday, that since the facility had been abandoned some years earlier, there was no functioning cafeteria. The upside was that she had her choice of cuisines. She hadn't had any Thai food in ages, Emmett didn't care for it. Chicken pad ginger, samosas and steamed dumplings. To be served in foil and Styrofoam containers, that will become hazardous waste, all because she touched them. There were three emails waiting for her; no surprise, since she sent her new, secured, government issued email address to three people. Her father Charlie, Dr. Jose Lopez, the founding partner at her practice, and Emmett.
Looking at the emails, Bella realized that they really could wait. Even if there was a problem, there was nothing she could do from here. She'd spent so much of her life going full throttle, trying to stretch 24 hours into 48. She rarely had more than a moment to think about the mundane things in her life, like what to have for lunch. The exhausting last few weeks had almost always been life or death situations. Maybe a few weeks just to herself was what she needed. There was always an adjustment period when she returned from a trip. She knew she'd have no patience for the things Emmett would complain about, a late flight, a failed deal or a suit ruined at the cleaner. Her father, besides being worried for her health, would then complain about his neighbor who always let leaves blow onto her parent's lawn or some other minor infraction. It was hard to sympathize with them when she thought of the many people she'd seen buried. She clicked off the laptop. After a shower and yet another set of scrubs, she'd have enough patience to answer her messages.
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-21days-Day 2—
"Can I get a decent burger around here? Bacon, cheddar, horseradish sauce, sautéed onions, fries and a, a salad, ranch dressing."
"Please indicate on the laptop which—"
"Look, lady," He waved his hands towards the speaker, not sure if she could see him, "Just ask one of the big dudes where to get a good burger, and get me one. They'll know."
He paced the room. It was obviously old, the paint institutional green and cream, but it was immaculately clean. Everything had a hint of bleach, his bedding, the metal chair and his scrubs. At least he thought it was the stuff around him; maybe the smell would never leave him. Turning towards the laptop, he checked for a response from his lawyer. Nothing. His mother had forwarded a daily affirmation but that was it. At least Tanya came through. He clicked to open the first of the three messages from her.
8:44 a.m. This is total bullshit! You're going to miss Irina's wedding and I'll have to go alone like a loser. My whole family is going to be there and I don't have a ring on my finger—that's a hint! They'll think I'm a loser when I show up without a date. This is just great, I told you not to go to fricking Africa.
9:20 a.m. I just got off the phone with your idiot attorney. He doesn't think a wedding will stand up as 'extraordinary circumstances' especially since it's not you that's getting married. He said it's a federal law. What the hell do you have him for if he can't fix the law?
10:02 a.m. Problem solved! Tyler heard me shouting on the phone and asked what he could do to help (he's so sweet) and said he'd take me to Irina's wedding and the rehearsal dinner and brunch the next day! I'm so relieved! Ok, see you when you get out oxoxoxo
Tanya. He thought about her long red hair, long legs, perfect nose and big tits, the first out of a bottle, the last two thanks to the plastic surgery she was gifted by her parents on her sixteenth and eighteenth birthdays. His sister Alice calls her a balloon girl, all shiny on the outside, full of gas on the inside. He knew that, but the outside was fun to play with. Like his addiction to junk food, he knew it wasn't good for him but it felt good on his lips. Maybe three more weeks away from her would be enough to detox her out of his system. Hopefully.
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AN: Thanks for the kind response! In the you never know who's reading fanfic category, a lovely reader who worked for Doctors Without Borders contacted me and has been extremely helpful. She told me about a fanfic community link which encourages fanfic communities to donate to this amazing organization. It's called Vital Pact and you can find it at doctorswithoutborders dot org, replace the word dot with a period and remove the spaces. I'm trying to think up an incentive for people to donate, it will come to me.