Apache Heart (8 page)
Authors: Amy J Miller
“This is a mess. I haven’t even been in town for a week and somehow I’m in the middle of a terrible situation. I have no idea how to help make any of this better.”
Lozen looked at Randi sympathetically. “I know you want to help, but I think the best you can do right now is take care of yourself. Are you scared to be out at your place alone?”
Was she? Randi wasn’t sure. “Well, Elan came by last night—I’d gone home after our run, and the whole Joe thing unnerved me, so I called him. Then Lee stopped by, because he’d heard about Joe hitting me on Sunday.”
“Lee and Elan were there at the same time? How’d that go?” Lozen raised an eyebrow.
“So…there is history between the two of them? I got the feeling that there was more than a little tension in the air.” Randi scratched her head. “I know Elan used to date Maggie.”
“There’s a story, but we probably shouldn’t get into it now. You want to come over to my house for supper?” Lozen asked.
“That would be really nice, but I promised Elan that I’d help with the high school kids that are running cross country.”
“Then let’s make it tomorrow night. I’ll make you some real Apache food.” Lozen smiled, “You okay with rabbit?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Can I bring something?”
“Just come and relax.”
“I’ll try to do something about my car so your family doesn’t think you’ve invited a crazy woman over.” They giggled a little.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let my husband know that you really aren’t Dr. Bitch.”
The two women made their way into the hospital, and Randi realized she was excited about the idea of going to someone’s home as a guest. Even though Lozen was probably fifteen years older, Randi felt like they could become real friends. She’d ask Elan, or the kids, about etiquette and how to be a good guest. She mentally paused. Elan. All the excitement over Joe and her newly decorated car had pushed away any thought of their close encounter the evening before.
“Oh, before I forget,” Lozen said, “You’ve got ER rotation on Friday night.”
Randi shrugged, “It’s not like I’ve got a big date or anything.”
The day passed quickly, Randi thought. There was a steady, but not overwhelming, stream of patients. Before she knew it, it was 5:30. She went to the ladies room and changed into a t-shirt and some track pants, then wandered down to Elan’s office.
“Hey, I’m ready.” Randi smiled. “I just want to photocopy some stuff to hand out.”
Elan looked at his watch, “Oh my god, Randi, I totally forgot. I’ve been immersed in that genetic case all day. We’re trying to get the family ready to bring the baby home from Albuquerque. I don’t think I can make it.”
“So what, you’re going to cancel?”
“You could still go.”
“You’re going to throw me to a bunch of teenagers I’ve never met before…really?” She raised an eyebrow.
Elan laughed. “They’re good kids, take a bunch of handouts. They’ll be impressed. You can use my photocopier.”
“You know the side of my truck is spray painted with “Dr. Bitch,” right now?
“What do you mean?” Elan’s face sobered.
“I mean, somebody spray painted “Dr. Bitch” down the side of my truck this morning. It was still wet when I came out to go to work.”
“Make your photocopies, go coach the kids, and then you’re coming to spend the night at my house.” Elan stood up. “No argument.”
Randi shook her head, “It’s spray paint, not blood. You don’t need to over react.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch, or you can, but I don’t think you need to be up there by yourself until this Joe thing gets sorted out.”
“Apparently Maggie’s uncle forced her to go to her mother’s house last night.”
“That’s good. They have neighbors—she’ll be safe there. But you need to be safe too. Come back here when you finish. Please.”
Randi sighed, “Okay, I’ll come back here, but then I’m going home.”
###
Randi met up with the runners at a field next to the school. There were seven boys and five girls, ranging in age from thirteen to seventeen. She saw them laughing and pointing at her truck as she pulled up.
“Hey,” she called, “Dr. Cody got tied up at work, but as you can see, I’m Dr. Bitch.” The kids started snickering. “Actually, I’m Randi Green, and I am the new doctor. You guys can call me Randi…although after we do this work out, you
might
be calling me Dr. Bitch.” The teens started laughing again, but they went around in a circle and introduced themselves as Randi passed around the handouts. “I brought you guys some stuff on stretching and weight training, so take this home and read it. We’ll talk about it on Saturday.”
Randi could see that the students liked that she had brought them training material. One look at their feet and Randi realized half of the group desperately needed new running shoes. She thought maybe she could get them some team sponsors; there was nothing like good gear and matching tracksuits to make you feel good, make you feel like your effort was worth it, and maybe they could have a little lending library for workout books, and share resources.
Clapping her hands, Randi yelled, “Okay, I want to see some crunches! Let’s go.”
The group fanned out into the grass, and obediently went to work. Randi got down and crunched with them. They did a strength-training workout, and then did some interval sprints. She was glad when they finished that she wasn’t the only one who looked pooped.
“So Saturday, we’ll do a good steady run, cross-country. You guys feel up to a 10k?” They looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement. “You all did an awesome workout today. Tomorrow I want you to warm up with tiptoe and heel walking, body weight squats, and lunges, and, then run 5k at a nice easy lope. Look at the pictures in the handouts, and try to check each other’s form, okay? Friday, stretch out good, but take it easy, maybe just do a few push-ups and some crunches. Sound like a plan?”
The group rumbled their assent, but Randi could tell they were into it.
The runners waved and said thanks to her as they started to disperse, and Randi felt like she had made a good impression. One of the girls came up to Randi and smiled, “You’re not Dr. Bitch at all, you’re pretty much Dr. Awesome.”
“I’m glad you think that! But I think you guys are pretty awesome. I’m excited to be part of the community here. We’re going to have some fun.”
The girl walked with Randi toward her truck, “Do you need a ride?” Randi asked. “I’m heading back toward the hospital, but I’d be happy to give you a lift.”
“I’m good,” she waved a hand toward a good looking boy with shaggy hair talking with a couple of the other kids, “That’s my brother, I’m with him.”
“Tell me your name again, it’s going to take me a couple of weeks, I’m great with faces, but terrible with names.”
“I’m Lynette.” She paused before continuing, “I just want to say thank you for what you did for Maggie.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t do all that much. Are you family?”
“Cousin. My Uncle Russell told us you kicked Joe in the balls.”
“Yeah, I guess I did. It was kind of a reflex. Might not have been the smartest thing to do.” Randi didn’t want to be setting a precedent for teenage girls kicking guys in the nuts.
“Dr. Randi…what makes a woman stay with someone like Joe? I don’t understand it. She’s beautiful, she got good grades in school, and she got along with everyone. Why would she stay with someone who was mean to her?” Lynette picked at some imaginary lint on her shirt, avoiding Randi’s eyes.
Randi sighed. “That’s a good question, it’s complicated. But you know that if anyone ever abuses you or tries to control you, that you should tell your family, right?”
“Oh don’t worry, if some asshole ever hits me, I’ll tell my family…
after
I kick him in the balls first.”
“Running might be a better option,” Randi smiled, “I have a feeling you can outrun most of the guys around here.”
Lynette laughed a little, “Yeah, I’m pretty fast.”
“But your question, about why Maggie stays, I can’t say for sure. I don’t really know Maggie, or what Joe might have been like at one time, but usually there’s fear and shame in there somewhere. Sometimes women don’t think they deserve better, because their self-confidence has been shattered in some way. Sometimes, after an episode, there’s like a honeymoon, where the abuser is really nice, and then the woman believes that things will get better. And sometimes there’s just a lot of manipulation going on, the man threatens to do something terrible if she leaves, or to tell people something that will shame her. And sometimes they’re just scared that the person they love might kill them if they leave.”
“Wow…complicated is right.” Lynette glanced at Randi from the corner of her eyes. “I heard you went fishing with my cousin Lee.”
The switch of subject caught Randi off guard. “Yeah, he showed me a good trout hole.”
Lynette’s brother yelled and waved for her to come as a couple of other kids were piling into his little car. “The natives are restless,” she joked, “I better go.”
“Lynette—you are always welcome to talk to me about anything, but talk to your mom and your aunt, and your Uncle Russell too. From what I can tell in the short time I’ve been around, your family really cares about each other.”
“Yeah,” she nodded in agreement, “They do.” She turned to leave, then suddenly added, “Don’t listen to what some people say about Lee. It’s not true.”
“What do you mean?” Randi asked, but Lynette had already taken off to join her brother.
###
Back at the hospital, Randi stood in the parking lot, staring at her car. She wondered if Harold’s garage could do anything to help her with that. She heard footsteps on gravel behind her, and whipped around to see Elan.
“Didn’t mean to startle you.” He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture, “You have every right to be a little jumpy.”
“Yeah, I guess I am a little on edge,” Randi admitted.
“How’d it go with the kids?”
“Oh great, like you said, they are a really good bunch. They worked their tails off.”
Elan laughed, “Dr. Bitch might have been tougher than I am.”
Randi had to laugh, “Somehow I have a feeling that I am always going to be Dr. Bitch. I’m thinking maybe I should spray paint Dr. Wonderful on the other side.”
“You are Dr. Wonderful. Anyone that can persuade Mrs. Miles to take her blood pressure medicine properly is okay in my book.”
“How do you know that she is?”
“Her daughter called to give you a thumbs up. Apparently her mom told her you were a lot nicer than the last Yankee doctor we had.”
“That’s a compliment, right?” Randi laughed.
Elan slipped an arm around Randi’s waist, “How about some enchiladas in town without too much commentary about the tortillas and the green chili? Or we could go to the diner. They make a good burger.”
Randi hesitated, but she was starving. “Do you think Harold is still at his garage? I want to see if he can do anything about my truck?”
