What happened in Vegas: Didn't Stay In Vegas! (13 page)

I tried to give
the patients on my list my undivided attention but it took
everything in me to stop myself from thinking about him. Oh my God,
could this day get any harder? I completely understood now, why
it
’
s so bad to date someone you
’
re working with.
It
’
s when the relationship ends that it turns from a good
thing to a very bad thing.

Lunchtime came
I didn
’
t know what to do with myself. I always had lunch with
him, now I found myself alone, feeling lost. I trudged to
Tim
’
s but when it was my turn in line I had no appetite
and only ordered a tea. I sat alone.

The second half
of the day was no better than the first. I got a page at 2:30 p.m.
from a number I didn
’
t recognize. I called
it,
“
Hello? This is Chanel, returning your
page.
”

There was a
delay and a click noise. It sounded like I was being taken off
speaker, and if I was correct I heard a male voice in the
background. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but when I
reflected on it later, I realized the significance.
“
Oh, hi Chanel, it
’
s Ainsley. Can you
come to my office when you have a minute?
”

Ainsley the
Personnel woman that oriented me hadn
’
t called or reached
me since day one, literally.

“Sure,
I
’
ll be right there.
”
I could feel my
heart beating rapidly as I wondered what she could possibly want.
The two minute walk to her office felt like it took forever. It
didn
’
t matter how kind Ainsley was to me during the
orientation before, I couldn
’
t help feeling
intimidated by her authority over me now.

I had no idea what this was going to be
about, but I definitely had my suspicions. I tapped on the solid
wood door to her office not even sure if she heard the tap until
she invited me in.

She stood as I
entered,
“
Chanel, how nice to see you
again.
”
She shook my hand,
“
Sit,
please.
”

I sat down and
stayed quiet letting her lead the conversation. I
didn
’
t want to delay her from telling me why she called me
in.

“I called you
in Chanel, because we
’
ve decided to have
you work with Dr. Morden rather than Dr. Hart for the rest of your
residentship.
”
My level of concentration on what she
was saying changed after that and even though we talked and I
answered her, I couldn
’
t tell you a damn
thing that was said in that meeting because I was devastated. Why
did Bradley do this? If he could work close to Maggie, why
couldn
’
t he handle working close to me? I wanted to confront
him on it, but I knew if I did that I would probably start
crying.

“Chanel,
Chanel,
”
was what I heard that snapped me out of my
thoughts. Ainsley looked worried,
“
Are you okay? Did I
say something that bothered you?

My mind had
come back to the present, and now I was thinking quickly,
“
Ainsley, I
’
ve got something I
need to discuss with you. I am in the midst of a personal crisis
and since I am now changing doctors, would it be possible to take a
week leave of absence?
”

“Can you tell
me a little more about why you need the week?
”

“I
’
d rather not.
”

“I
’
ll have to run it by Chase.
”
Ainsley
started digging through her desk drawer until she pulled out a
legal sized piece of paper and handed it to me,
“
Fill this
out and submit it back to me. I will run your request by Chase; in
the meantime, if it gets approved which I think it will,
I
’
ll notify you on your outlook later this
evening.
”

She gave me a
clipboard to write on and as I began filling out the form, she
called Chase
’
s secretary and asked
if she could see him. He took her in immediately, leaving me alone
in her office. I finished the form and then my mind started
wandering off wondering what made Bradley do this. When she got
back she said,
“
He wants to see
you.
”

“Chase?
Now?
”

“Yes,
he
’
s waiting. You can leave the form with me. He will
tell you directly if your leave of absence has been approved or
not. I won
’
t have to send you a message this evening. Do you
remember where his office is?
”

“I do, thank
you.
”

I treaded to
his office a bundle of nerves. The door to his office was ajar, and
the secretary sitting in front of the door spotted me and informed
me,
“
He
’
s waiting for
you.
”

I slowly pushed
the heavy door open and he was looking at me,
“
Have a
seat,
”
he ordered. I sat in the seat and I felt so small and
powerless. He was wearing a three piece suit and shiny shoes. He
looked like a million dollars. It was weird looking at
Bradley
’
s twin, especially when Bradley
wasn
’
t talking to me anymore. It hurt more.

He got up from
his desk and began pacing,
“
I take it Ainsley
informed you that you will be working with Dr. Morden rather than
my brother, Dr. Hart.
”

I cast my eyes
down submissively when I answered him,
“
She
did.
”

“I take it
you
’
re okay with the change?
”

“Can you tell
me the rationale behind your decision?
”

“Why do you
presume it
’
s my decision? I suggest you approach the other
Dr. Hart for your answers. I on the other hand will gladly be
approving the seven day leave you have requested, and look forward
to working with you on the fundraiser when you get back. Your leave
will begin tomorrow, but feel free to take the rest of the day
off.
”
I was stunned to find out that Chase
hadn
’
t been the one to make the decision.

“Thank you Dr.
Hart.
”

“You
’
re welcome. You may
go now.
”

I started
leaving his office after being dismissed, but just as I approached
the door he called out,
“
Chanel?
”

I stopped and
turned back,
“
Yes, Dr.
Hart?
”

He walked up to
me and now he was standing in my space. I could smell his cologne,
I could feel his raw power, his black edgy eyes,
“
If my brother did something to upset you, I apologize for
him, and I insist you call me Chase.
”

“Thank you
Chase, I
’
ll see myself out.
”
It was a side to the
Great White, I never imagined he had. Maybe, hate was too strong a
word for how I felt about him.

~24~

I
quickly went to the nursing station to collect my bag making an
effort not to be seen. Before I walked in I saw Bradley leave. The
coast was clear. I walked in casually not drawing attention to
myself. I opened the drawer that held my purse and then I bee lined
it out of there. Success!

I took the most direct route to Snowball,
took elevator over stairs, kept my eyes down and my pace quick
hoping nobody would initiate a conversation with me on my way out.
When I got into Snowball I sighed deeply, feeling glad that I made
it out to the sanctuary of my car, in one piece.

Snowball and I
drove slowly; the streets were busy with the rush of people working
nine to five. I parked Snowball and strolled up to my loft. I
opened the front door and decided the first thing I had to do was
clean. I scrubbed vigorously. I went on a rampage throwing
everything that hadn
’
t been worn in at
least six months into a garbage bag. When I got tired, I
stopped.

In the corner
of the living room, I spotted my Mac Book Air lying undisturbed. On
impulse I opened it and googled last minute trips. Expedia had
prepackaged vacations to Vegas for four nights and five days
starting for as low as $599.99. The first flight out was the redeye
leaving Toronto at eleven tonight. I booked it. I thought,
why the fuck not
! Nobody is going to miss me.

I grabbed my
suitcase and packed, shorts, bathing suit, my e-reader, sun tan
lotion, anything and everything I could think of that I would need
while I was gone. I grabbed my cellphone and called my provider
getting a special rate for long distance while I was away so I
wouldn
’
t have to pay outrageous roaming fees.

Finally, I texted Aria:

Chanel: Hi Aria,

Aria: Hi Chanel!!! How R U?

Chanel:
I
’
m okay.

Aria: Good I
was worried. I thought I heard U arguing the other day with some1,
but I figured it might have been U
’
R TV.

Chanel: No
worries I
’
m okay. I am going away 4 a short
trip.

Aria: Oh!
That
’
s nice!

Chanel: U
don
’
t mind keeping an eye on the loft while
I
’
m gone do U? I can drop the key by just B4 I leave 4
the airport.

Aria: No problem. Where R U going?

I
didn
’
t want any surprises so I evaded her
question.

Chanel: USA.

Aria: Cool,
come over anytime with u
’
r key.
I
’
ll make sure everything is safe.

Chanel: Thx

I made myself
dinner with anything I didn
’
t think would last in
the fridge for four days. Luckily the fridge was almost bare so I
had nothing to worry about. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and a huge glass
of milk (a third of a gallon) were my dinner.

I turned on my
TV and personal video recorder to watch this
year
’
s Bachelor Jose, wine and dine some post pubescent
totally into themselves girls, while I sat alone miserable on my
ugly, should have been thrown out years ago gray sectional, feeling
sorry for myself.

I called a cab to pick me up from the loft
an hour before I needed it. I ran across the street to the bank
machine to get some money to pay the cab fare.

It was a
gorgeous night. There wasn
’
t too much traffic
and you didn
’
t even need a
sweater. I checked on Snowball making sure her alarm was on and her
doors were locked. I went to the loft one last time to grab my
luggage, turned the lights off and then stopped by
Aria
’
s to give her the key. I was done.

It
didn
’
t take long for the cab to appear in front of the
loft. I stood from the couch grabbing my luggage, and headed for
the door. Traffic was light so we got to the airport early, after I
checked in, I could relax. Six hours later I was in the Bellagio in
Las Vegas.

~25~

The
Bellagio had an elegant lobby full of flowers. The receptionist
took care of me immediately handing me the key to my room and
advising me on how to find it.

My room was painted white with a gray with
large patterned accent wall behind the king sized bed. The seating
area in my room had a sofa and love seat. I pulled the drapes back
to find I had a view of the city which was bordered by mountains.
It was stunning.

I opened the desk and found a bible and a
small magazine highlighting the amenities of the hotel. I unpacked
my suitcase and made myself comfortable on the king bed deciding to
start my journey in Las Vegas with a much needed nap, followed up
by room service.

I glanced at
the amenities book, while I ate my breakfast. Spa/Salon caught my
attention. I couldn
’
t remember the last
time I did something for myself like a makeover or a facial
treatment. They offered me their last appointment of the day. It
gave me just enough time to worship the sun for a couple of hours
and go for a swim which is exactly what I did.