She started the engine and tipped her head toward the front office, steering away way before Mason would be reading his newspaper. When she checked out the night before, he reiterated again his condolences about Buddy, and wished her good luck. He felt partially guilty that Casey Johnston’s workers had spread rat poison around the hotel grounds, especially since the facility allowed customers to bring their pets.
Used to long interstate trips, Viktoria drove several hours before the need arose for gas and a bathroom break. By then, driving conditions had changed. More cars joined the road, and the sun cascaded up the horizon. She turned off her headlights and entertained herself with talk shows and streaming music apps.
Her last day at the hospital the day before had been difficult, and for the last two weeks, she held together a dying anesthesia group and began building a new, vibrant one. Her deeds were not left unnoticed. Even though staff filtered in and out during the day, they managed to set up a thoughtful and vibrant going away party for her in the nurses' lounge, complete with helium balloons announcing Bon Voyage.
In the middle of the day, Cathey Banker also called her up to administration to personally thank her for being the catalyst to overturn the corruption in the OR, and to present her with a $1,000 check from the hospital as a “thank you” and a retribution for any hardship she may have endured.
But the most difficult person to say good-bye to was Jeff. In such a short period of time, they had become more than close friends. Intimate discussions between them lasted for hours, as well as the attention they bestowed on each other. By the end of the last week, she had spent half her nights at his place. She would miss his attentiveness, tenderness, and lovemaking.
She did further heavy thinking and reminiscing. Her primary plan to stay on Long Island for her next job assignment had backfired. Buddy had been her main concern--she wanted the energetic, smart dog to learn about his true, real home, and backyard on Long Island, and partake in a routine that placed him solely as a family member in a two-person household. She thought this despite the fact that she and Rick qualified as less than a true family.
With sorrow, she kept glancing to the passenger seat, at the white plastic container that held Buddy’s ashes. Not right away, but maybe she would find herself another dog, one who would slip into Buddy’s role of what she had envisioned—to be best buddies and to keep each other company during her anesthesiology assignments.
Viktoria made two more stops, including a fast-food drive-through for a late lunch. Late in the afternoon, she reached her final major road change and merged into the buildup of traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Time to call Rick, she thought, and allow him to clean up his act before she walked in on him, if that was even a possibility.
“I’m on the L.I.E.,” she announced. “I drove straight through.”
“That’s a long haul. You’re crazy, and I don’t know how you do it, but glad to hear you’re almost home. See you soon.”
“I could use some help to unpack the car when I arrive.”
“Sure thing.”
They ended the call, and Viktoria focused on watching out for the Long Island sliders who cut drivers off when going from the fast lane all the way over to their imminent exit lane.
At home, Rick pocketed his cell phone. He slowly savored the joint he was smoking, licked his thumb and forefinger, and doused what was left of the weed. He dropped it in the ashtray in front of him, and wafted his hand around the table to clear the air. In the hallway bathroom, he emptied the joint end and ash down the commode, and flushed. Back in the kitchen, he rinsed out the ashtray.
He stared out the kitchen window. He’d been contemplating it while his wife had been away, especially since she must have gone through a hard time with that dog she’d saved. Buddy’s dying was a bummer. Perhaps he would try to give up his drug habit and go to some kind of therapist or rehab. He was married to a wonderful woman, and he knew he appreciated her and treated her a lot better, when he was straight. It was worth a try, so he committed himself to the idea.
Within two hours, Viktoria pulled into the driveway of their North Shore home. She could smell the salt air not far off. It reminded her of the great body of water, Lake Erie, and the surrounding area, where she experienced meeting a loving border collie and a fantastic man who didn’t do drugs.
End
FROM THE AUTHOR
If you’d like a release alert for when Barbara Ebel has new books available, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/cKrn0D This is intended only to let you know about new releases as soon as they are out.
Barbara Ebel is a physician and an award-winning and USA TODAY Bestselling Author. Since she practiced anesthesia, she brings credibility to the medical background of her plots. She lives with her husband and pets in a wildlife corridor in Tennessee but has lived up and down the East Coast.
Visit or contact her at her website: http://barbaraebel.weebly.com
The following books are also written by Dr. Barbara and are available as paperbacks and eBooks:
EBook Box Sets:
The Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Box Set:
Books 1-3 (The Dr. Annabel Tilson Series)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MZgJ3q
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2m0zlV4
The Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Box Set:
Books 4-6 (The Dr. Annabel Tilson Series)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2FL5NWW
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2CyzuH9
The Dr. Danny Tilson Novels Box Set:
Books 1-4 (The Dr. Danny Tilson Series)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2nDTy3J
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2DYNwW9
The Dr. Danny Tilson Series: (Individual paperbacks and ebooks):
Operation Neurosurgeon: You never know… who’s in the OR (A Dr. Danny Tilson Novel: Book 1).
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1fYfPh7
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/k4xol9
Silent Fear: a Medical Mystery (A Dr. Danny Tilson Novel: Book 2). Also an Audiobook.
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1fTlicS
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1lA2DSE
Collateral Circulation: a Medical Mystery (A Dr. Danny Tilson Novel: Book 3). Also an Audiobook.
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1CNTgta
Secondary Impact (A Dr. Danny Tilson Novel: Book 4).
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1N7iyI2
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1P1AnKL
The Dr. Annabel Tilson Series: (Individual paperbacks and ebooks):
DEAD STILL: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 1)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2ai7H1T
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2a37GL3
DEADLY DELUSIONS: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 2)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gE7R3D
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gXlsGb
DESPERATE TO DIE: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 3)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2ta1GeH
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2tyZEHV
DEATH GRIP: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 4)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mDfoUu
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2EQqFIz
DOWNRIGHT DEAD: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 5)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MkSixv
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2n9ZgKG
DANGEROUS DOCTOR: A Medical Thriller (Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels Book 6)
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2SFrURS
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2s6PknW
Other Books:
Outcome, A Novel
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mMzZrF
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2mw0Wj0
Younger Next Decade: After Fifty, the Transitional Decade, and What You Need to Know
(nonfiction health book).
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/sjJeEL
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/19W3D2s
Also wr
itten and illustrated by Barbara Ebel: A children’s book series about her loveable therapy dog; illustrated with real pictures:
Chester the Chesapeake Book One
Chester the Chesapeake Book Two: Summertime
Chester the Chesapeake Book Three: Wintertime
Chester the Chesapeake Book Four: My Brother Buck
Chester the Chesapeake Book Five: The Three Dogs of Christmas