Gabriel's Hope

"Hi Doc," she said. "Just calling to uh, say hi, I guess."

"Lovely to hear from you, especially today." He sounded tired. "I quit Friday."

"What? You quit working at the hospital?"

"Emphatically."

"Wow." She smiled, comforted by the familiarity of his unique communication style.

"Yes, wow." There was silent laughter in his voice.

"I'm sorry to hear it, Wynn. You're the best," she said. "You're pretty much all that held me together over the years."

"Your expectations of those around you always were too low, Deidre."

She laughed, waiting for the light to change so she could cross the street. Her gaze passed over the faces in the crowd across the street. Recognizing one, she looked back, tensing. He was gone, but she almost felt the cold stare of the other man who had been in her apartment.

"Listen, I was calling to -"

"Hey, Doc, are you still in Atlanta?" she cut him off.

"Yes. I plan on moving in a month or so." There was a pause. "Is everything okay?"

"No, not really," she said as cheerfully as she could manage. She started across the street and down the road. "Could I possibly come see you?"

"Of course. I've got one more pad of scripts. I can write up some pain meds."

"Oh, no, I'm … well terminal but relatively okay in that area. Just having some other issues."

"Ah, Logan. The world of the living tires of the dying."

"Sort of."

"Come on by. I'll text you my address."

Grateful for somewhere to go, Deidre hung up and waited for his text. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and she glanced around. She didn't see Jared, but she couldn't shake the sense he - or someone else - was following her.

She caught a cab across town and arrived at the swanky suburbs on the south side of the city. Dr. Wynn's massive home was located along a street lined by manicured lawns and gated homes. The cab dropped her off, and she went to the side entrance to buzz in as Wynn directed in his text.

He was waiting for her in the garden, seated at a tea table under an awning. A pitcher of lemonade was on the table. He rose as she approached and kissed her cheek before pulling out the chair for her.

"You look as eager for tomorrow as I am," he said.

Deidre smiled. He'd always had a morbid sense of humor, like hers.

"Talk to me. You only call when it's raining."

"Gee, thanks! I feel like crap now," she said. "You first. Tell me what happened that made you walk out on being a doctor."