05 November 1995 - Hilltop Road, Lancaster, Massachusetts
Jeff cracked open an eye to look at his alarm clock, the one he hadn’t set the night before. His sleep-fogged brain registered the bright sunlight streaming in around the window shade and curtains as he did so. “8:45” the bright red numbers read. In sharp contrast to a morning twelve years earlier he had no intention of getting out of bed yet. After two solid days of packing, moving and unpacking he felt he and Keiko deserved to sleep in on a Sunday.
“Good morning, Jeffrey,” came the whisper from the woman wrapped in his arms.
“Good morning, Keiko. Did I wake you?”
“No, my beloved; I have been awake for about fifteen minutes and enjoying the feeling of you holding me.”
“It is a nice way to wake up, especially in a new, king-sized bed. I suppose you’re going to tell me we should get out of bed and work out now?”
“Asks the man who works out like a fiend every morning before nine a.m.”
“You remember the Army commercials while we were growing up: ‘We do more before nine a.m. than most people do all day?’ I’m just keeping up the tradition.”
“Mmm hmmm,” she hummed meaning yeah, right! “We have a brand new kitchen we need to break in.”
“That sounds good to me!”
“By cooking breakfast!” she sighed. “You are such the degenerate! We sleep together in our new house one night and you are thinking of ‘christening’ every room in the structure!”
“Oh, I’ve been thinking of that for a while,” he corrected her while nuzzling her ear.
“You are hopeless!”
“I am full with hope!”
“You are full of something, that is for certain! We must get up, Jeffrey, though not to work out; we have more unpacking to do.”
Jeff sighed and kissed his fiancée on the ear before rolling out of the king-sized bed. Finishing their morning ablutions they wandered down to their kitchen. The open-plan layout of the first floor looked south across the natural expanse that had convinced Keiko and Jeff to buy the property. Two inches of new snow glistened under the early morning sun, a blanket of white with splashes of bark brown and conifer green.
“Too bad the trees and ground are still too warm. All of this will probably melt by this afternoon.”
Keiko nodded agreement while she ate her waffle. She reminded herself not to eat too much of Jeffrey’s cooking in one sitting, especially now with their new and spacious kitchen. She was sure he would soon want to “take it for a spin” by cooking a massive meal. Keiko smiled to herself; while their wedding next summer was the ultimate goal, moving in together was a big step in that direction as was their new house.
“Are you ready to start working as a paramedic tomorrow?”
Jeff nodded as he chewed his own piece of waffle. “I’m ready. I’m also ready to work one job and one job only. One job plus school was lousy this time even if it got me where I wanted to be. Hopefully I can be a better fiancé now.”
“You have never been a bad one, Jeffrey. I understood your schedule then, you know I understand it now. EMS is not a nine to five, Monday through Friday occupation; this I accept as well. You have said that you cannot bring your work home with you as in a conventional job but I dispute that. You are correct in the strictest sense, but you bring home your frustrations and stress all the same; I bring that home with my work. This is why we must both continue to work out.” She smiled at him. “This is why I agreed to the workout space in the detached building behind the house. This is why I welcome being wrapped in your arms while we sleep. It calms and recharges me.”
He and Keiko finished breakfast then moved to the living room where they cuddled together, taking in the view, until well after their coffees were cold.
“Hey, are you an ambulance driver?”
“Hey, are you looking to get punched in the nose?”
“Geez, Jeff, lighten up!”
“You know I hate that phrase, Sean!”
“I’d have thought moving into your new place with Keiko would have mellowed you out some!”
“As much as I enjoy coming to work for you and your father in the mornings, I had to leave a very large, very warm, very comfortable bed to come to work today.”
“And I don’t know this? Beth isn’t working today! I coulda played hooky today too, you know? I hate to say it but she’s a little better lookin’ than you, you old warhorse!”
“Go ahead, rub it in. The only reason I’m here is that Keiko needed to get up to get to school. And opinions vary on my looks, by the way.”
“There really is nothing like waking up next to the one you love, is there?” Sean asked with a dreamy look on his face. “And you’re not working for me yet! I’m nowhere near ready to start running this company; Dad’s still holding the reins. How’s your third-ride time going?”
“It’s going pretty good,” Jeff shrugged. “I worked Malden ALS the last two shifts, so I saw a lot of the same folks you and I used to run into. Today will be the same. I’m on Melrose ALS tomorrow, so I’ll start getting to know the guys on Melrose Fire a little better; we hardly ever did calls over there. So, it’s been about two months since you got back from your honeymoon and started working in the office, how’s it going?”
“I don’t have to worry about getting puked on or pissed on, that’s for sure. Dad says that I got a good foundation from my classes at Duke and I feel that I’m picking up most things pretty quickly.”
“‘Most things?’”
“It’s the interpersonal networking stuff I’ve been a little slow to warm up to. I think it’s all of those years as a recluse while I was growing up that’s holding me back somewhat. Being introduced as ‘my son, Sean’ has been opening some doors for me. It’s getting better. I’ll start on my MBA in the new year.”
“Any of the backlash we talked about before you changed your name and came off the road?”
“Almost none, strangely enough,” Sean said. “I expected more. There’ve been a few whispers here and there but nothing sustained. How about from your end? Are you hearing anything from the folks we used to work with?”
“Seems like the majority of the folks who work here don’t care. You worked hard on the road, and we’ve been starting to hear how hard you work in the office. They have definitely seen your work habits: in by seven every morning, out by three if Beth isn’t working and you work until the end of her shift if she is, then pick her up and you ride home together. Folks are impressed by that. Aiko is still doing well?”
“She is. She’s been asking about you and Keiko. Now that medic school is over we need to have you two over again.”
“Once we’re unpacked we need to have you guys over as well. I’ll talk to Keiko about maybe hosting Thanksgiving or something; I’ll have to think about that.”
Keiko vetoed the idea of hosting Thanksgiving, citing the boxes still littering the house, the two weeks until the holiday and her desire to see his entire family again. They did accept an invitation to the Brophy house in Melrose a week later.
“Grilling in the winter still, huh?”
“I seem to remember Keiko describing a covered area for your grill on your new patio in Lancaster, Mr. Knox. One that’s right outside the kitchen, perhaps?”
“Okay, Sean, yeah, I was the pot calling the kettle black there. We’re hoping to have the three of you out before Christmas,” Jeff replied while he continued building the shish kabobs.
“Will you be working Christmas on your new schedule?”
“Low man on the totem pole, Sean. I’ve got two years seniority at the company, but none as a medic, so yeah. I’m getting good feedback from my preceptors on orientation and should be released from training next week.”
“Ready to cause mayhem on your own, then?”
“Hell, no! I’ll have a partner, remember? Two heads are better than one; the mayhem gets much more creative.” Jeff finished his platter of skewers and was washing his hands when the door bell rang. “No, no, I’ll get it. You guys all have gunk on your hands.” Sean was still handling the raw meats while the women were cutting fruit for dessert. He opened his friends’ front door to find a couple about his age on the front steps.
“Good evening, may I help you?” Jeff asked.
“Good evening, sir. I understand that Aiko Hayashi lives here? I am Tim Arashiro, her grandson, and this is Jennifer, my wife.”
“She does indeed! Please, come in!” The couple wiped their feet and entered, remaining on the mat in the entryway. “Aiko didn’t tell us you were coming tonight! I’m Jeff Knox, another guest this evening. Everyone is in the kitchen helping with dinner. May I take your coats?”
“My grandmother did not know we would be coming, nor did we know Mr. McNeil was hosting guests tonight, though I am very glad to meet one of the men who rescued my grandmother. I apologize if we disrupted your evening.”
“First off, Lieutenant, my fiancée and I aren’t really guests in the traditional sense; your grandmother, Sean and Beth are practically family. Sean changed his name to ‘Brophy’ before his wedding, by the way. Second, if I tell Aiko I let her grandson and his wife go after they turned up on her doorstep she’d cut me up like the fruit salad she’s making! And third, Aiko would have gotten herself out of there; Sean and I just sped up the process. I’m guessing she doesn’t know about your wife, either? She hasn’t mentioned you I’m afraid, Mrs. Arashiro; did you meet in Japan or Korea?”
“She does not know Tim and I are married, Mr. Knox, nor that we were even dating if I am correct for reasons I will let Tim explain when he is ready,” Jennifer replied. “We met while Tim was on leave in Seoul; I was a bonded translator for businesses there which were working between South Korea and Japan.” She may have grown up in South Korea but her English was no less perfect than Keiko’s.
“Then you speak Japanese as well as Korean and English?” Jeff asked in Japanese.
“Yes.”
“My fiancée has been helping me become less of the traditional ‘ugly American;’ Asian cultures have become a bit of a hobby of mine. Enough about me, though; if you wouldn’t mind leaving your shoes here, I’ll bring you to Hayashi-sama.” Tim and Jennifer were soon ready and Jeff led them back to the kitchen.
“Aiko, I have a package for you,” Jeff announced when he stepped into the space. Aiko looked up and froze. The knife she’d been using slipped from her hand and clattered on the cutting board.
“Hello, Grandmother,” Tim said to Aiko in Japanese.
“Timothy,” she whispered as she walked towards him, a look of wonder on her face. She embraced him tightly. “My Timothy!” she cried while tears of happiness flowed. Keiko and Beth wiped their own tears as they embraced their respective men; Jennifer stood smiling at the reunion in front of her.
“I thought you were finishing an assignment in Korea, Timothy?” Aiko asked in Japanese.
“I was, Grandmother.” He turned to Jennifer and switched to English. “Grandmother, the ‘assignment’ I was working on was convincing this young woman to be my wife. I am happy to introduce you to the former Tak Seong or, as she wishes to be known now that we are married and in the States, Jennifer Arashiro. Jennifer, my grandmother, Aiko Hayashi.”
Jennifer bowed to Aiko. “It is an honor to meet the woman Tim credits with raising him the proper way, Hayashi-sama.”
Aiko embraced her granddaughter-in-law, kissing her on the cheek. “It is my honor to meet the young woman who has captured Timothy’s heart. Please call me ‘Aiko, ‘ Jennifer.”
A flurry of introductions followed. There was more than enough food and two additional places were set at the dining room table. The women whisked Jennifer off to the living room while Tim joined Jeff and Sean by the grill outside.
“Mr. Brophy, Mr. Knox, I cannot express how grateful I am, how grateful Jennifer and I both are, that you were able to save Grandmother from that horrible place where you found her.”
“Hold it right there, LT!” Jeff broke in. “There’ll be none of this ‘Mr. Brophy, Mr. Knox’ nonsense! Especially not when your grandmother has us all calling her ‘Aiko!’ You can’t be that much older or younger than us. He’s ‘Sean’ and I’m ‘Jeff.’ And, as I told you in the foyer, Aiko would have gotten herself out of there.”
“Still, Jeff, when I got Grandmother’s letter I called my parents to confront them over what they’d dared to do and they hung up on me. I had never been ashamed of who I am until that moment; the shame I felt nearly ended my relationship with Jennifer. Have you had any difficulty with them since?”
“We haven’t heard a peep, Tim,” Sean said. “It’s like they fell off the face of the planet. Your grandmother is safe here, and welcome here, for as long as she needs to be. Do you envision her moving in with you wherever you’re stationed now?”
“Jeff indicated that she’s become family. While we had hoped that maybe she would we certainly wouldn’t do anything without her consent. Given our lodging at my new assignment that might be difficult.”
“There’s an added complication we’ll all need to consider now also, Tim.” Tim raised an eyebrow. “Beth’s pregnant. Aiko’s been looking forward to being a ‘great-grandmother.’”
“This may be less of an issue than we all think. I’m stationed at Fort Devens as of two days ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Jeff. 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 55th Infantry Division; we’re the garrison troops there. Jennifer and I are currently assigned housing on-post.”
“I’m guessing there wouldn’t be room for Aiko while you’re there? Not unless on-post housing has changed?”
“No, it hasn’t. My current plan is to also stay in the Army past my current obligation, which ends in two years; Jennifer and I will probably be moving again then. It might make more sense for her to remain here and have us visit when we are able.”
“Uncle Jeff, this place is awesome!”
“It is pretty cool, huh Matty?”
“Can I sleep down here?”
Jeff was giving their guests a tour of the house; they were currently in the family room downstairs in the basement. Matty’s comment and question was prompted by the large, south-facing window wall which looked out over the hills of Central Massachusetts; of course the large TV might also have something to do with it. Jeff looked at his nephew then back at Stu.
“That’s up to your Mom and Dad, buddy. I doubt if the couch will be as comfortable as the beds upstairs.”
“Let us think about it while Uncle Jeff shows us the rest of the house okay, Matty?” Kara asked.
“Okay, Mom.”
Matty was also impressed with the detached workout space Jeff and Keiko built with the house. Workout machines stood arrayed around a mat bordering a waist-high wall. A heavy bag and a speed bag hung beside a mirrored section.
“What do you charge for a membership to this gym, Jeff?” his sister asked.
“The sauna doesn’t work yet so rates are still low, Kara.”
“Jeff, is the floor heated?”
“That it is, Gene. We had radiant heating installed rather than gas heaters hung from the ceiling. It’s a more even heat this time of year. It lets us to do our karate forms in bare feet.”
“How often does Keiko kick your butt?” Stu asked.
“Every time we step on the mat together, Stuart,” Keiko smiled; Jeff nodded rapidly. “In all seriousness, Stuart, we do not spar together. I am a second-dan black belt where Jeffrey is just starting over with karate; for us to spar would be like Matthew fighting Muhammad Ali in his prime. We practice our forms together here, that is all. I am working towards being an instructor so I may work with Jeffrey here, however.”
“I knew you were serious about your workouts when we worked together, Jeff, but this is a whole other level!”
“It’s a little much, I’ll give you that, Gene, but Keiko and I also keep each other motivated. Without a track nearby like I had in Malden, running on a treadmill is my only option while there’s snow on the roads. The latest models have an interval program that I’ve adjusted to match what I used to do outside. When the weather improves I’ll run outside again.”
“You must have squeezed those bastards at WREMS pretty good.”
“We didn’t get ‘middle finger salute to the world’ kind of money, Gene, but we did get ‘middle finger salute to the mortgage’ kind of money; no offense to your profession, Jean.” Gene’s wife Jean was a loan officer at her bank; she waved off Jeff’s statement as not being offensive. “We were able to pay cash for the land, the house, the furniture and the equipment here. We still have almost three-quarters of the money we got from them in the bank.”
“Hey, what have you heard about the new energy technology being developed in New Mexico?”
“The ‘home fusion’ technology that Arizona State is said to be developing? Based off the water purification technology we’ve had for years?” Gene nodded. “If it really works there could be a seismic shift in the entire energy infrastructure in the States; in the whole world, really. I’m glad we don’t have any money in oil futures.”
“I still can’t believe a patient who only needs a pulse ox is considered ALS! Hell, my old service had those on the BLS trucks by the time I left there!”
“I just told you it was an ALS-level call, Jeff; I didn’t say that made sense,” Kristin Overstreet, his preceptor for the shift explained.
Jeff rolled his eyes. The patient they’d just transported needed only a pulse oximeter during the time they’d been with him; no EKG monitor, no supplemental O2, no IVs, just continuous pulse oximetry “in case” he started getting short of breath. For that he’d still needed to call medical control at Mass General, speak to a doctor in the ER and get a control number to write on his paperwork.
“Paramedic Nineteen and Ambulance Thirty transporting to Malden Hospital, Priority One,” was the call overheard on the radio.
“Roger, P-Nineteen and A-Thirty to Malden. Do you need a phone call made?”
“Sixty-eight year-old female in asystolic arrest, IV, two rounds of ACLS on board, 7.0 ET tube in place, ETA less than ten minutes,” was the curt reply.
“Roger, sir. Calling Malden ER now.”
Jeff, who still hadn’t gotten his first post-school intubation, looked at the radio in frustration. “Damn,” he muttered, “we missed a code.”
Kristin, who’d been a paramedic for fifteen years, replied “No, we didn’t, Jeff; I didn’t miss it at all. Remember the story you told me about that code during your ride-time? Always keep that in mind. Christmas is next week and someone’s family just had their perception of the holidays changed forever.”
“How was your first semester of teaching, Keiko?” his Aunt Jeri asked at the family Christmas party that weekend.
“It was challenging, Jerilyn. I tried to keep the students interested and focused during the classes as well as to find my own style of teaching now that I am on my own. For the most part, I believe I succeeded.”
“I never really heard how that district works. Is it run by the Army... ?”
“No, it is a traditional regional public school system; it is only named ‘Devens.’ Harvard, Ayer, Shirley and Lancaster contribute to the district’s budget and send their high school-aged children there. The Army offered an unused parcel along Route 2A in Shirley as a place to build the school in exchange for being allowed to send the children graduating from the base middle school there; they also allowed Shirley to build a new police station on the same parcel, though the Army retains the actual parcel.
“And the planning for your wedding? How is that going?”
“My initial thought to hold the ceremony at Mom and Dad’s home was quickly discarded...”
“‘Mom and Dad?’ I thought your parents lived in Washington state?”
“My apologies. My parents do live in Washington; I was referring to Marisa and Joe Knox. I call my parents ‘Mother’ and ‘Father, ‘ but Jeffrey’s parents I call ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’”
“So you were originally thinking of holding the wedding at Marisa and Joe’s house?”
“Yes, but that was quickly shown to be impractical. We were able to secure the Enfield Grand Hotel as the site of both the wedding and reception.”
“June twenty-eighth will be here before you know it!”
“Very true, Jerilyn. Very true.”
“You see what I meant when I said we didn’t miss that code a few months ago, Jeff?” Kristin Overstreet asked as they finished their paperwork at the end of their shift.
“Yeah, I get it now, that’s for sure!” Their three previous shifts had started with cardiac arrests; today’s shift started and ended with one. Codes were strenuous, used a lot of equipment, and required much documentation. Their last call ended an hour ago but it had taken him until now to help Kristin clean the patient’s vomit off the floor in the back of their ambulance. He was just starting his backlog of paperwork.
“You’re lucky the codes have all been your calls to write; you would have made the ‘ain’t workin’ with me again’ list long ago! As it is you made me get all sweaty and smelly before I got coffee for that first one!”
“I’m putting this uniform in the wash and taking a shower before I crawl into bed tonight, that’s for certain.”
“Always a good idea in this job anyway, Jeff. More so now that you’re a medic.”
Jeff nodded and continued to document the final two calls they’d done; as a new medic he was still handling the patient care and paperwork on every call. He looked over the last two reports and handed them to Kristin. She read them both silently.
“Good reports, Jeff. I don’t see anything that I’d recommend adding or rephrasing; your paperwork was never bad but you’ve obviously been listening when I’ve offered suggestions.”
“Kristin, how long have you been doing this? You’ve forgotten more about EMS and being a paramedic than I’ll ever know! I’d be pretty stupid if I didn’t listen to you.”
“Never you mind how long I’ve been doing this!” she said while she shook her finger at him. “Your skills are excellent, Jeff. I didn’t think you’d get the tube on that last guy, not without turning his airway into hamburger, honestly; that guy had no chin and no neck! The only difference between where I am and were you are is the number of repetitions I’ve done. Before long you’ll be right where I am.”
Jeff helped Kristin lock up the base since their relief was already off on their first call, and began the hour ride to Lancaster. The benefit of the shift ending at eleven at night, or midnight in tonight’s case, was the absence of traffic to fight. An open window and loud music in the car kept the dreaded Z Monster away as he drove.
Pulling into the garage and closing the door behind him, Jeff disarmed their security system and stepped into the house in his socks; he never wore his boots into the house. He stripped down in the laundry room and started a small load of wash with just his uniform. Keeping most of the lights off in the house he made a quick security sweep of the doors and windows in his boxers and bare feet.
Satisfied the house was secure he padded up to the master suite and rearmed the system. He grabbed a new pair of boxers and stepped into the master bath. After a quick shower he slid between the sheets and snuggled up to his fiancée.
“What time is it, Jeffrey?” Keiko murmured.
“It’s almost two in the morning, Keiko. I’m sorry I woke you; go back to sleep.” She didn’t say anything in reply but pulled herself deeper into his embrace.
“It’s about time you had us over for dinner, Mr. Knox!”
“Je m’excuse, Mademoiselle D’Avril, but I don’t believe your schedules have been any less hectic than ours.”
“Unfortunately, you are correct, Jeff. Your house is beautiful and you and Keiko look very happy.”
“We are, Emilie, thank you; we are pleased you could visit with us this weekend. Plus, there are only about four months to go until I marry my best friend; how could I not be happy about that? You and Charlie look great as well.”
“Thanks. The condo has been empty without you there, but we all understood your stay would be temporary.”
“Your generosity three years ago is what got me to where I am now, Emilie. I am forever in debt to you and Charlie.”
“We could debate everyone’s level of indebtedness to each other all night, Jeff; let’s just call it even, okay? How is the job?”
“I’ve been signed off as a probationary paramedic; now I’m a junior staff paramedic which means I can work with anyone, not just a company preceptor. They’ll still try to schedule me with senior partners but it’s no longer an absolute necessity.”
“You ready to rejoin our better halves?”
“Sure, let’s go.” He and Emilie carried the drinks and hors d’ouvres out to the living room where Charlie and Keiko were talking.
“Thank you, my beloved. How long until our meal is ready?”
“About twenty minutes until I take the lasagne out of the oven. If we sit down for our salads at that point, the lasagne should cool by the time we finish them.”
“Jeff, I can’t believe all of the space you and Keiko have here!” Charlie exclaimed. “That workout space of yours is incredible, too!”
“Thanks, Charlie. Don’t forget that we want our family to grow to fill the space rather than having to move to a place which will fit it as it grows.”
“You’re that happy in both of your jobs that you believe that’s a possibility, Jeff?” asked Emilie.
“I know I am, Emilie. Brophy EMS has been very good to me so far; I honestly think I’ll be there as long I stay in EMS. You remember Sean, the owner’s son? He was my partner for close to two years and will be my Best Man at our wedding. His father is committed to making sure his employees are happy and well taken care of. I think employee satisfaction is as high there as I’ve ever seen it.”
“You still find it challenging, then?”
“I’m still settling in as a paramedic so things are still new but, yeah. The day I say ‘Now I’ve seen everything’ is the day I’ll need to go.”
Charlie nodded in agreement. “How are you handing the routine of the job?”
“It’s about the same as the BLS side, there’s just a different flavor to the routine. I’m starting to get to know the folks in the ICUs; they’re still not as friendly as the staff at a certain ER, though.”
Charlie smiled at him. “In any event, now that we are all sitting in one room together, Emilie and I have an announcement.” Keiko and Jeff looked at her with curiosity. “We are going to have a baby.” Keiko and Jeff sprang from their seats to offer their congratulations. They learned that Emilie was to carry the child; she was already three months pregnant after a successful in-vitro fertilization.
“Jeff, we would like to ask something of you,” Emilie said after they’d all sat back down.
“Anything I can do for you two, you know that, Emilie.”
“We would like to ask if you would be our child’s godfather.” Once again the two women managed to stun him to silence; he nodded so they wouldn’t think he was refusing. “We have not been able to find a Catholic priest who will baptize our child, nor one who will accept us into his congregation, so we will be using the UU Church - the Unitarian Universalists. Beth will be the godmother.”
“I will be honored to be your child’s godfather, ladies.”
“Hey, Dr. A! How are you?”
“Hey, Jeff. I’m doing well, thanks. How about yourself? You’re getting married soon aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir! Only two months to go now!” Other EMS crews and the first-year EM residents cast furtive glances at the two. Dr. Atherton was known as being pro-EMS but was also a taskmaster to the new doctors; he and Jeff had struck up an unlikely and uncommonly good professional friendship during his ER rotations in medic school. Jeff had a similar friendship with Josh Snow and about half of the nursing staff at Mass General’s ER; Jeff felt like Norm from “Cheers” whenever he brought a patient there.
“So the end of June?”
“Yes, sir. We’re headed to Hawaii for our honeymoon; I regret that you’ll be without my services while you try to break-in your next class of residents, however.”
“I’m sure we’ll muddle through.”
Jeff picked up an overtime shift for the next day so he found himself back at Mass General.
“Working two days in a row, Dr. A? It’s Wednesday, don’t you have a golf game or something?”
“Hilarious. My kids go to private school so they’re not on the regular Massachusetts public school vacation schedule; I’m covering one of the other Attendings who’s on vacation with his kids.” Jeff nodded at the familiar story. “I know you’re a baseball fan, and I believe you’ve said your fiancée is as well?”
“Yes. While growing up in Spokane she used to watch Japanese baseball on satellite TV, as well as the Mariner games. Her folks are from near Hiroshima and her father is a big baseball fan.”
“Here.” Dr. Atherton said as he handed over a small envelope.
“What’s this?” Jeff asked as he opened it.
“Something I think you guys will put to good use.” Jeff stared in disbelief at the four tickets for all three games of a Yankees series at Fenway in mid-July. He looked back at Jason Atherton with the same disbelief still on his face. “My family and I are on vacation out of town that week and won’t be able to go to the games; we’re season ticket holders. None of our other friends are remotely interested in baseball. I overheard you telling one of the nurses that you used to play and were a big Sox fan. I couldn’t think of anyone else who would appreciate a Red Sox-Yankees series more.”
“Doc...” Jeff began. “Doc, these tickets are priceless! I can’t take these!”
“You most certainly can, Jeff.”
“Doc, not to be crass, but you could get good money reselling them at face value alone! They must be phenomenal seats!”
“At the edge of the screen behind home plate on the first base side and about five rows up from the screen,” he shrugged. “Not too bad. Jeff, I gave them to you because I was about positive your reaction would be like this; you understand what you’re holding. Take your wife after you two get back from your honeymoon and bring along some good friends. Have fun.”
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“And my name’s ‘Jason, ‘ Jeff. I never saw you give less than one hundred percent during your rotations; I’ve never seen a patient who didn’t get less than your best. I’ve also never seen someone who dressed down an arrogant prick of a trauma surgery resident as well as you did in January, either. The Chief of Trauma said you beat him to it; he and I still laugh about that to this day. That was worth the face value of those tickets right there!”
Jeff was sure the next twenty-five hours would be the longest of his life; why he’d agreed to a six p.m. wedding he’d never understand. He was standing in the lobby of the Enfield Grand Hotel with his fiancée by his side while they greeted the people who’d come for the wedding rehearsal and dinner. They smiled at her parents before the older couple moved off to mingle with the other guests.
“Have you seen Heather yet?” he asked.
“No, though if she is coming from her apartment in Brighton she may have been delayed by traffic,” Keiko replied.
“Did you ever find out the name of her guest?”
“No. It was not on her reply card nor has her family told us what her guest’s name is. We could ask them directly though I am sure she will introduce that person to us when she arrives.”
“‘That person?’”
“We already have one same-sex couple attending our wedding, remember? Do you need me to remind you of your favorite saying about assumptions, Jeffrey?”
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Takahashi, thank you very much.”
Keiko wrinkled her nose at him. “I never want to hear you call me that again, Jeffrey!”
“After about 6:30 tomorrow night it won’t be your name any longer, so you might just luck out! Especially since you insist that we should not see each other between tonight and the ceremony.”
“It is tradition!” Jeff rolled his eyes at his bride-to-be. “Though your karate skills have already improved since you restarted your study of that martial art, do not delude yourself into thinking you can stop me from kicking your ‘posterior aspect’ as you call it!”
“Yes, dear!”
“Don’t let him start that with you already, Keiko,” Heather said from behind them.
Jeff and Keiko were smiling as they turned to greet Heather and meet her guest. When Jeff realized who her guest was his smile disappeared.
