Heart Attack

The Caverlys

I followed Reed down the alley until we were behind the coffee shop. It was already getting dark so our main source of light was a dimly lit street lamp that was posted in the back of the parking lot.

"I hope you're not planning on kidnapping me. That would suck." I said, jokingly.

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet." Reed replied, leaning up against the back of Lees.

"Hey, that's not funny." I said, standing to face him.

"I'm kidding. I wouldn't make it this obvious." He said, letting out a laugh.

I shook my head and gave him a small smile, even though he probably couldn't see it.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked him and he sighed, taking a few minutes to respond.

"I've just got some stuff going on right now and I don't really have anyone to talk to about it. I figured since we don't really know each other too well yet, I could talk to you." He explained to me and I walked over to stand next to him.

"Well, I'm all ears. I like to think that I'm a pretty good listener." I said to him, crossing my ankles over each other.

"I don't even know where to start honestly. There's so much." He said with a sigh.

"Just try to start from the beginning." I suggested.

"You can't tell Anna that I told you. She doesn't want you to know yet. She thinks that it might scare you away and you're pretty much her only friend." He explained to me and I looked down.

I'm not someone who enjoys keeping secrets. Especially from ones that I care about. It's even worse that it's her brother who I am keeping the secret for.

I just replied with, "Okay." and started picking at my fingers, nervously.

"So, you asked about our name, Caverly. It may seem like just a big coincidence, but it's not. The town was named after our family. Our family owns the hospital. My grandfather specifically. The history goes way too far back for me to even try to explain. To make it simple, our family is full of very talented surgeons. It's kind of a generational thing. It's expected for each son in the family to go to med school to become a surgeon." He explained and sighed, sitting down on the ground.

I sat down next to him and kept silent.

"My dad was a brilliant surgeon. He eventually became chief of surgery at Caverly Regional. He met my mom there during their residency. He died two years ago. He had a heart attack while he was at work. Everyone just said that it was because he was working too much. I never believed that though." He told me.

I pulled my knees to my chest. "Why not? If you don't mind me asking." I asked, realizing that I wasn't being the best listener in this moment.

"I found out that my mom was cheating on my dad with her, now, husband. I knew before my dad passed. I was just too afraid to say anything. I wish I would've, but I think he already knew. I think that's what caused his heart attack. He loved my mom more than anyone. You could see it." He explained and I heard him sniffle.

I reached out and placed my hand on his. I didn't really have any words. Looking at them, I would have thought they were the perfect suburban family. They came off that way. This is why I try to make sure to never judge before I know someone. You never truly know what battles others are fighting.

"Anna and I recently found out that my mom and her husband are getting a divorce. It makes me angry. My dad died over their relationship. She took his spot of chief of surgery and stole his name, just for them to get a divorce. What was all of it for? She has his career, his money, his life and now she's not even going to commit to the relationship that she broke him over? She's selfish and it makes me angry." He let out, giving my hand a light squeeze.