Consider Me Gone

Chapter 6.

Toni

Mark gestured to the bartender when we sat down and then sat on the barstool next to mine. He angled his body so that in a way it was open to mine, a quality that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm surprised you made it, I thought you'd make a detour on the freeway." I laughed at his joke before bringing the clear liquid to my lips.

"Oh well, I didn't want to risk the chance of you following me to my apartment. So, I thought it'd just be easier to come here," I said in a joking manner.

"Well, you're right about one thing, I would have probably followed you. Wouldn't want to risk getting lost in a strange town. But trust me, sweetcakes, I've never been to a woman's apartment where I wasn't invited."

I threw my head back and laughed at the insane amount of cockiness that this man possessed. "Have you ever been turned down by a woman?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, let's see, there was Ms. Kline in the third grade."

"Oh wow, that must have been traumatic for you," I teased.

"Oh, it was, I still have nightmares about it," he said playing along.

We laughed in unison when it appeared that neither of us could take the other seriously. It felt good to laugh so much with someone of the opposite sex that I was attracted to. I hadn't entertained a man in so long, but I think that it helped that this wasn't a "real" date. Just two colleagues grabbing a drink after work.

"So, you were into bad boys, huh?" I could tell Mark was gloating after seeing Jax with the kutte on his back. "Tell me, what was life like as a biker queen? Did you save patients by day, only to send them to the hospital by night?"

I laughed out loud at his imagination, "Wow, were you thinking about that all day?"

"No, well, I was curious to see what kind of man your ex-husband was, and trust me, Thatcher, he did not disappoint."

"Well, sorry to crush your very creative imagination, but being married to Jax was like being married to anybody else."

Mark made a face, "Ouch, was the poor guy really that bad?"

I sucked my teeth, "I don't mean it like that, I mean, I wouldn't say that my life was any different than anyone else's. We were good when we were good and we were bad when things were bad. He was the love of my life once upon a time, and now he's at the top of my list of people to avoid."

"So, you've ignored him for all this time?"

"Yup," I said popping the "P." "I wouldn't have to avoid him if I didn't live here anymore, because then I wouldn't be around to see him or his family." I sounded out every letter in the word "family," and ended it with a roll of my eyes.

"I take it, you still love him?" I looked over at Mark when he asked this question. I wasn't sure if he was asking out of curiosity or asking for his own personal gain.

I shook my head, "unfortunately, Jax Teller has been attached to every memory I've had since I was sixteen. There wasn't a time I could remember that he wasn't there. I grew up with that man. And although I've tried to hate him, I've found that hating him completely felt like hating a piece of who I was. And I don't think I should punish the innocent little girl who merely fell in love with a boy."

Mark stared at me for a moment before a grin spread over his face. "Wow, I don't know who'd love you more, my shrink or my mother."

I placed my hand over my mouth as I tried to contain my laughter. "Are you that bad?"

Mark shrugged, "Mrs. Shepherd says I have low expectations for myself. So, I guess I was expecting to hear you go on a rage tonight. God knows I would."

"You call your mother Mrs. Shepherd?" I asked scrunching up my face.

"No," Mark chuckled, "Mrs. Shepherd is Derek's mom, my best friend Derek. She took me under her wing as a kid and showed up for me when my own parents wouldn't."

"Derek? As in the one whose wife you slept with?"

"Yeah, we're good now. He's in love with someone else. You'd like her, she kind of fits your vibe," Mark's hand maneuvered in the air as he outlined my "vibe."

"So, Derek and you just...made up?"

"Not without a fight. I went to Seattle for him, I wanted him back." As soon as the words left Mark's lips, I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. "Shut up, I've already heard it, I can't take it back."

I held my hands up in surrender, "I wasn't going to laugh. I think it's cute that you ran after your true love."

"Toni," he warned.

"Some people search a lifetime for that kind of passion," I said, continuing to tease him.

"Yeah, well, what about you? What's stopping you from being gal pals again with Dr. Knowles?"

"You mean other than the fact that I wouldn't trust her with a pack of gum?" I asked for clarification.

"C'mon Thatcher, don't tell me you don't at least miss her a little."

"Well, I guess that's where our similarities end Mark. To be friends with Tara again is to be swooped back into the life, and now that I'm out I don't plan on ever going back."

"So, why are you still here in Charming? Why not go somewhere else?"

I shrugged, "Believe me, I've tried. My transfer request got shot down the last time I tried, so I've just been keeping my eyes open for a hospital I'd be willing to move to."

"Would you ever consider moving to Seattle?"

A smile spread on my face, "Mark, I'm not going to sleep my way into a job."

"Who said anything about sex? I think you're a good surgeon, and I know you'd do well in Seattle. We need good doctors, and this is me telling you that you are a good doctor. And like I said there's no shame in a little workplace romance. I hear the call room is quite comfortable this time of year."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd know all about it," I said before taking a sip from my glass.

Mark brought himself closer to me until his lips were only a few centimeters from my ear. "Stick with me Thatcher, and you'll know all about it too." I had lost myself in the proximity we now shared, and up until now, I had forgotten that my ear was a sweet spot of mine. When Mark pulled away, I struggled to retract my cool exterior, but Mark had noticed my dishevelment.

He wore a proud smirk on his face when he realized that he had managed to get me out of order and took the last sip of his drink in victory. "Bartender, I think me and the beautiful lady would like one more," he said before flashing pearly, white teeth at me.