The Best Medicine (2 page)

“Thatta girl. You just follow your own advice, and we’ll get along just fine,” the cop said to her.

Lauren had had enough of being patronized. “We’d get along better if you’d get your hands off me.”

Lauren felt the cop tense. But she really didn’t see how things could get much worse. Then he cuffed her, and she suddenly saw things a little more clearly. A female officer arrived and patted Lauren down as the other officer rattled off her charges. “Public intoxication.”
Okay, I can’t argue that one.
“Disorderly conduct.”
Eh, probably no defense against that one either.
“Propulsion of a missile.”
Wait . . . What?

“Did you just say ‘propulsion of a missile’? What am I, an AH-64 Apache helicopter? You’re kidding, right?”

The cop stilled for a minute before finally speaking. “You watch a lot of action movies I see, uh—” He looked down at the ID the female officer had withdrawn from Lauren’s pocket. “Miss Hastings. But no, I’m not kidding. Keep it up and I’ll tack on inciting a riot.”

“First of all, I’m not a complete idiot. I didn’t learn the name of the helicopter from movies. I learned it from my brother, who did two tours in Afghanistan.” Lauren wasn’t sure why she felt such an intense need to share that information. Maybe it was because she felt insulted by the cop’s insinuation that she wouldn’t be informed enough to know the name of the most common type of assault
chopper. Maybe it was because such an insinuation felt like a slap in the face because Lauren made sure she knew
everything
that even had the slightest bit to do with Cooper. Or maybe it was because he only saw her as a drunken moron, and was therefore probably making all sorts of negative assumptions about her upbringing and family. Whatever the reason, it was important to Lauren that he knew at least that one bit of truth about her. “Second of all, the window was a complete accident. Maybe you should go talk to the jerk who put his hands all over me in the bar. That’s what caused this mess in the first place.”

“Josh touched you? I’ll kill that motherfucker.” This time, it was Simone’s voice that echoed in Lauren’s ears, and she couldn’t help but smile. Her girls always had her back.

The cop jerked Lauren’s handcuffed wrists, spinning her around to face him. He was older, maybe the same age as her father, and looked weary as all hell. He probably had to deal with shit like this all of the time: self-involved twentysomethings who didn’t have the sense God gave them. Lauren found herself feeling a bit of remorse that she was the one causing all of this chaos. He looked at her for a beat, as though he were trying to figure something out about her. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “Do you want to press charges on someone, Lauren?”

Lauren felt her chin quake the slightest bit. The emotion of the night rolled itself into a ball and settled in her throat. She took a deep breath, forcing the tears down. She wouldn’t cry. Lauren hated girls that used emotion to get out of things. She was better than that. Stronger. If
she had broken the law, then she’d accept the consequences for it. “No.”

He leaned slightly toward her, his voice softening. “Are you sure?”

The truth was, other than grabbing her arm and making her uncomfortable, Josh hadn’t done anything to her. Not really. Ultimately, she’d been the one who’d kicked
his
ass. Not the other way around. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Okay, then,” the officer sighed. “I’m going to put you in the back of this car, and then you’ll be taken to the station.”

Lauren nodded her head and let the officer put her in the cruiser. The fight had drained out of her. All that was left was overwhelming exhaustion.

“Don’t worry, girl. We’ll bust ya out!” she heard Cassidy yell through the window.

Lauren turned her head and offered them a weak smile before the cops pushed the girls and the rest of the crowd away from the vehicle. She suddenly felt embarrassed. She was too old to be behaving this way. She may have still technically been attending a college, but that didn’t mean she had to act like a college kid. She sat in the backseat for about ten minutes before the officer who had cuffed her climbed into the driver’s seat.

As he got settled and turned the ignition, Lauren found herself speaking. “You want to do something for me?”

The officer sighed heavily. “Nothing would bring me greater joy,” he responded.

Lauren couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her.

“What?” the officer asked.

“Turn on the lights and sirens. If I’m going to get arrested, I want to at least look like a badass doing it.”

The cop shook his head. “Kids,” he muttered. But as soon as he pulled away from the curb, he flipped both on.

*   *   *

Lauren was processed and then put in a cell with a middle-aged woman named Eleanor. Eleanor was evidently a
huge
fan of bath salts and tequila. After she tried to climb the wall, exclaiming that she was Spiderwoman, the cops came in, strapped her to a chair, and wheeled her away. Unable to resist, Lauren had uttered, “Bye, Eleanor. Make good choices,” which earned her a stern look from one of the officers and a “fuck off” from Eleanor.

Lauren spent the night sitting on one of the cement bunks, her back pushed against a wall. With Eleanor gone, the night passed with alarming slowness. Finally, at what Lauren figured had to be the next morning, the officers wheeled a TV into her cell.

“Oh man, you’re not going to attempt to brainwash me by making me watch religious programming, are you?”

The officer tried to suppress the quirk of his lips, and Lauren felt a little more like herself.

“No,” the officer responded. “We find it easier to bring the judge to you, rather than taking you to the judge.” He turned the set on and then left the cell, locking it behind him.

“Lauren Hastings,” the judge began. “This is not your hearing. This is your arraignment. You’re being charged with one count propulsion— Wait a minute. Does this really say propulsion of a missile?”

Lauren flapped her arms and nodded her head in a that’s-what-I-said gesture.

The judge looked annoyed, but continued. “Anyway, you’re also charged with one count of public intoxication
and one count of disorderly conduct. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you free at the cost of Fairfax County. The officer is going to give you a copy of your affidavit of probable cause as well as instructions for how to apply to the public defender’s office. Bail in this matter is being set at ten thousand dollars unsecured. Your preliminary hearing has been set for three days from today.”

And then he was gone. Lauren couldn’t help but compare the man to the Wizard of Oz.
Maybe I should’ve asked him if he had a gift for me, like common sense.

“What does it mean if bail is unsecured?” Lauren asked the officer when he returned a few minutes later to get the television.

“It means you get to leave without paying anything as long as you show up to court.”

“Well, thank God for that.” Lauren sighed, relieved.

The officer continued, “I’ll get your affidavit, and then we’ll get you out of here. You need to call anyone to come pick you up?”

“Yeah, I do. But I can wait ’til I’m released. Thanks.” Lauren had called her mom right after she’d been brought in the previous night but told her not to bother coming down to the station until they let her go.

The officer came back a short while later with the necessary paperwork and then led Lauren out of her cell. Once she had retrieved all of her personal belongings, she dialed her mom from her cell phone.

“I’m guessing you’ve been sprung?” her mom said as a greeting.

“Yup, I’m a free woman.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Lauren sighed. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Oh, anytime. It’s not every day I get the pleasure of picking my only daughter up from jail. I’m planning on taking some pictures of you out front, so be prepared.”

“You’re a riot,” Lauren replied drolly.

“No, I think I’ll leave the rioting to you.”

Lauren hesitated for a second. “That was a good one.”

“I know. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Lauren ended the call, walked outside, and sat down on a bench to wait for her mom. She pulled up soon after, and Lauren trudged toward the Explorer.

“There’s my little criminal. How was the joint? Get any tattoos?”

“Yeah, my new bitch Eleanor inked a skull and crossbones on my back. She was going to add a teardrop on my face, but she was transferred to the psych ward before we got to it.” Lauren reclined in the seat. “I’m freakin’ exhausted.”

“Yeah, well, jail will do that to you.”

“You speaking from experience?” Lauren asked.

Her mom smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes before her mom spoke. “Mickey called us this morning.”

“Oh yeah?” Lauren asked tentatively.

“You caused quite a bit of damage to his place, Lauren.”

“I did not
personally
cause any damage to his bar. Some guy’s rear window, yes. The bar, no.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not how he sees it. He said that he won’t press charges if you agree to pay him for the repairs.”

Lauren rubbed a hand over her face. “Any idea how much money we’re talking?”

“Not yet. He said he’d get back to us once he assessed all the damage. Oh, and he doesn’t want you in there anymore.”

“Ha, that’ll really show me. That place is a hovel.”

“Lauren.” Her mom’s voice was serious. “Despite how minor some of those charges are, you still caused some trouble. I understand that this was all a big misunderstanding, but you’re still going to have to suck it up and face the music.”

Lauren turned in her seat to face her mother. “I know. I get it. I messed up. I’ll pay him for it.” Lauren was supposed to be doing an internship at the Inova Fairfax Hospital during the spring semester. She would be working in their mental health facility to get some real world experience before finishing up her master’s. In order to take extra credits in the fall and carry a lighter load during her spring internship, Lauren had worked her ass off at H and M all summer and saved just enough to pay the semester’s rent for her studio apartment that she’d had since she’d enrolled at George Mason. Thankfully, her dad owned the property, so there wouldn’t be any unforeseen housing costs. And she highly doubted that he would kick her out if she was late with rent one month. Still, the whole situation felt shitty. Even though she was technically living on her own, still having to rely on her parents as a safety net was something she’d been working to get away from. “I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry you and Dad got dragged into this. Maybe I can get my job back at the mall or wait tables at night or something.”

“I may have a better solution.” Lauren looked at her mom, whose eyes were shining with something Lauren was sure she wasn’t going to like.

Arrhythmia

After Lauren got back to her small apartment, she took a scalding shower to wash the scuzz of the past twelve hours off herself. She knew her parents wouldn’t get too bent out of shape about her arrest. They knew her well enough to understand that her shenanigans were always rooted in her trying to do the right thing. It just blew up in her face sometimes. After she forced herself out of the shower, she threw on her pajamas and climbed into bed to sleep the rest of the day away. She had sent a text to the girls on her way home, and then settled in for the good night’s sleep she had missed.

But her much needed slumber didn’t last long before it was interrupted by a piercing ring. Lauren picked up the phone and put it to her head cautiously, acting as if the thing were a bomb. “Hello?”

“Lauren? Hey, it’s Sam.”

Sam had never called her before.
He must be really worried.
Despite that, Lauren couldn’t help giving him a hard time. “Sam who?” Lauren asked with a smile.

“Uh, Sam Brooks?”

“Are you asking me if that’s your name, or telling me?”

Sam let out a huff, but there was humor in it. “You’re such a ballbuster.”

Lauren thought for a second. “You know, that may be an appropriate nickname for me after what I did to Josh last night.” Lauren laughed, but stopped abruptly when she didn’t hear a reply. “Sam? You still there?”

Sam’s voice was gritty when he finally spoke again. “That asshole did something, didn’t he?”

“No, not really. Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Lauren said, trying to reassure him.

“Some help I am,” Sam said bitterly.

Lauren let out a short laugh. “I’m not your responsibility, Sam. You were working. You shouldn’t have to worry about me and my nonsense.”

“Yeah, but the person whose responsibility it is isn’t here to do it, so I should’ve done a better job. Done the job like he would’ve done.” Sam’s voice was laced with a swirl of emotions: anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration. Hearing him like this broke Lauren’s heart all over again.

“I’m twenty-six. I shouldn’t need a big brother to take care of me.” Lauren’s voice was small, affected.

Now it was Sam’s turn to laugh, though it was pained. “It would’ve been his pleasure, Lo.”

A tear slipped down Lauren’s cheek when she heard Sam use the nickname Cooper had for her. “I haven’t been called that in a long time.” She released a sigh, then a chuckle in an attempt to shift the mood. “But I guess it’s better than ballbuster.”

Sam laughed too. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Lauren fidgeted with her fingernails as she tried to think of something else to say. This was the most Lauren and Sam had talked in almost six years. It was comforting and disconcerting, all at the same time. “Thanks for calling. It means a lot.”

“It’s the least I could do,” he replied simply. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Mmm, probably not. I’ve been banned from Mickey’s. Seems as if I’m a bit of a troublemaker.”

“You? Never,” Sam replied, and Lauren could hear the smile in his voice. “Listen, Lo, I know I’m not Cooper. But if you ever need anything . . .” He let the sentence hang there, unfinished.

“You’ll be the first call I make,” Lauren finished for him.

“Good. I’ll see ya.”

“See ya, Sam.” Lauren disconnected the call and plopped back on the bed. The conversation with Sam, despite its brevity, had caused a welling of emotions in her. She’d never felt particularly close to Sam, even when he was at their house all the time, hanging around with Cooper. He was the opposite of Cooper in every way: quiet to Coop’s outgoing nature, reflective to her brother’s impulsive behavior. But Lauren didn’t question the veracity of his words for a second. If she needed him, Sam would be there in an instant. Not because he loved her, but because he loved Cooper. And now his love had nowhere else to go.

*   *   *

The next two days passed without Lauren requiring police intervention. She spoke with her family’s attorney, and he assured her that this would be no big deal. Maybe some small fines, but nothing that should wind up on her permanent record.

On Tuesday, Lauren showed up to court and prepared herself for her day of reckoning. Mickey hadn’t shown up since they had already come to an agreement about Lauren paying him back. The owner of the car Lauren vandalized didn’t show either. The girls had told her that as soon as the cops approached him to ask about the damage he’d jumped back in his car and sped off. It seemed Lauren wasn’t the only one who was on the outs with the five-o that night. The only person who appeared in court was the arresting officer, who read the eyewitness accounts and his own observations of the ordeal.

Lauren’s attorney explained that she would get what was called a “summary disposition.” This meant she’d plead guilty to the minor charges, and the rest would be dropped.

The judge ended things by offering his sentence. “All other charges are dismissed in lieu of restitution to the victim. Summary fines will be paid to the court in the amount of two hundred and thirty dollars for each offense. Stay out of trouble, young lady.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Lauren replied before being ushered out of the courtroom by her lawyer.

Once they were in the hallway, Lauren’s lawyer turned to her. “So, Lauren, do you have plans for how exactly you plan to pay for your fines and restitution?”

“Yes. I’m going to work with my
mother
.”

*   *   *

Trinity Hospital wasn’t as large as Inova Fairfax, but it was close to home and her mom’s boss had agreed to help her out. He’d agreed to pay her a small salary that would go toward her fines and paying Mickey back.

Thankfully, even though Lauren was taking a heavy
course load, she’d still managed to squeeze all of her classes into three days. So, she’d spend Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at school, and Tuesday and Thursday at the hospital. But since school didn’t start for a week and a half, Lauren had opted to spend all of the following week working with her mom. Mickey’s insurance covered most of the damage, but he was requiring Lauren to pay his deductible, as well as the amount insurance wasn’t going to cover. The whole situation sucked. If Lauren had a real job like her friends did, paying Mickey back wouldn’t be such a production. Lauren hated that her life wasn’t where it should have been by that point, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She had spent the past several years working as hard as she could to make up for her major screw-up at Dartmouth. At least this time she didn’t need to leave the state to escape her problems.

Dr. Jacobs had offered to pay Lauren eleven dollars an hour, and she’d agreed to a nine-hour workday. The only thing that hadn’t been discussed was what Lauren would actually be
doing
at the hospital. Dr. Jacobs was a general practitioner who was based out of the hospital but also had a satellite office in the area.

But as she and her mom walked through the hospital lobby the day after her hearing, Lauren figured she’d find out soon enough. Her mom took her to security and got her a badge before they headed up to the third floor, where Dr. Jacobs’ office was.

As soon as they entered, Lauren’s mom began introducing her around. All of the nurses and receptionists seemed pleasant enough, though Lauren noticed that they were all closer to her mom’s age than her own. Not
that it mattered. Lauren had just been hoping that there’d be someone around her age that she could maybe have some fun with—help the time pass more quickly.

No such luck,
Lauren thought.

*   *   *

Scott had been behind all morning. It only took one chatty patient to throw off his entire schedule. He’d now be forced to cut other appointments short so he could get back on track. Scott loved his job, and wanted to make sure that every person who came through his office received the same level of attention as everyone else. But with his schedule backed up, he’d be hard-pressed to do that.

And the fact that it was Pam’s delinquent daughter’s first day didn’t help his mood. He didn’t know why he let himself get talked into these things. What the hell did he care if some spoiled brat had legal problems? That had nothing to do with him. But he liked Pam and wanted to help her out if he could. Though he swore to himself, if this girl had piercings all over her face or some kind of weird hair color, she’d have to go. Scott couldn’t have his patients made uncomfortable because some rebel without a cause didn’t know how to behave in public. He avoided hiring young people for exactly that reason. They were unpredictable and self-absorbed. Never mind that Scott was just twenty-nine himself. He was more mature than most.
Driven
. He didn’t have time for childish bullshit.

He stopped around the corner from the main nurses’ station, looking at a patient chart, when he heard Pam introducing her daughter to the other women. Scott took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.
May as well get this nightmare over with.
With disinterest and haughty body language, he rounded the corner.

And then he saw her. His feet immediately cemented themselves to the ground and his arms fell to his sides.
No way. That can’t be Pam’s daughter.

He took in the girl, older than he’d expected. Of course he hadn’t asked her specific age. Pam had said she was finishing up her degree, which he figured put her around twenty-one. But this girl looked older than that. Her light brown hair fell past her shoulders, and she wore a blue and purple silk scarf as a headband. She was petite, maybe five three, with small but perky breasts that complemented her thin frame perfectly. And her eyes. God, he thought he’d never seen anything so blue. But as they locked with his, he found that he momentarily did.

“Oh good, there you are. This is my daughter, Lauren. Lauren, this is Dr. Scott Jacobs.”

Lauren approached him calmly, looking completely comfortable in her skin. Her confidence threw him. Scott was used to having a certain influence over women. He was handsome, athletically built, and a doctor. Women usually fawned all over him, batting their eyelashes and pushing their breasts out. But Lauren did none of those things, and it turned him on more than he could’ve imagined.

*   *   *

“Hi, Dr. Jacobs. Nice to meet you.” Lauren extended her hand to him, keeping her eyes on his. She noticed what an interesting shade of green they were, almost emerald. He was gorgeous. And she realized as soon as she saw his cocky stance and condescending smirk that he was well aware of that fact. Lauren loved interacting with guys like Dr. Jacobs. All arrogant and superficial. She had learned early that guys like him were easily thrown by girls like
her. Girls who weren’t impressed with shiny cars and perfect smiles. And as she watched his eyes appraise her, not registering her outstretched hand, she knew that she was going to really enjoy working at his office.

“You want me to Purell first?” she asked him.

“Uh,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her, “what?”

“Before you shake my hand. Do you want me to sanitize or something?”

Scott shook his head, seemingly embarrassed. “No, sorry.” He steeled his face and shook her hand firmly in his before releasing it abruptly. “And it’s Scott.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name. I go by Dr. Scott. Not Dr. Jacobs.”

“How pedestrian. I go by Lauren.”

Scott seemed taken slightly aback by her response. Like he was surprised she’d poke fun at him. She’d said it playfully, but she began to wonder if he was capable of taking a joke.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Lauren, how old are you? I should’ve asked before I agreed to let you work here. I can’t have teenagers running around the place. You understand.”

Lauren felt her lips quirk—an involuntary response to his obvious insult. She hadn’t meant to be rude when she’d commented on his name, but he seemed to be on the offensive now.
Shit.
When would she learn to stop putting her foot in her mouth?

“I’m twenty-six. So no worries about me—uh, how’d you put it?—oh yes, running around.”

“Hmm, twenty-six and still in college? Ah, well, academics aren’t everyone’s strong suit.”

Lauren didn’t even bother correcting him by saying
that she was finishing her graduate degree. She wanted to let him build his own house of assumptions so she could watch them crumble around him over the next few months. “Yes, and sometimes they’re the only thing a person is strong in,” Lauren replied in an overly sweet tone that told him she knew he was intentionally baiting her, and that she was game. Lauren never backed down from a verbal chess match. That was something she prided herself on. “How old are
you
?”

“Lauren!” Pam scolded her, but Lauren never faltered.

“What? He asked me first.” Her eyes had yet to leave his.

Her prolonged eye contact seemed to make him tense, which made Lauren want to hold his gaze even longer. “Twenty-nine,” he replied.

“And you already have your own practice. Very Doogie Howser of you.” Lauren could barely contain her grin, knowing that such a phony pop culture comparison would zing Scott’s ego.

“Well, I didn’t exactly start the practice. My father started it and left it to me when he died.” Scott stopped suddenly and averted his eyes toward the ground. Clearly, Lauren had hit a nerve she hadn’t meant to touch. And she empathized immediately. After a few moments, he seemed to collect his thoughts enough to change the subject.

But she noticed the change in his posture. He looked . . . uneasy. “Well, I arranged for you to go up to Pediatrics this week. They can always use the help, and since your addition to my office was somewhat sudden, I’m still working out what exactly we’ll be having you do here.”

Lauren had a sneaking suspicion that he had done this
less out of the goodness of his heart and more to get a potential criminal out of his office while he could sort out whether he was comfortable with her being there. But as he walked away quickly without another word, she had a feeling she had already begun to make him uncomfortable in all the right ways.