That Smile

That Smile chapter twelve

Christmas spirit was rife in the small town in which I spent my days sullenly wandering. Children played on the streets, giggling in delight through a mouthful of snow that they had scooped from the ground. Parents with permanent looks of worry etched on their faces watched in anticipation as their kids zoomed over frozen puddles, occasionally tripping and falling. The weather was bitter and sharp, the cool winds biting at my nose as I stood on the side lines.

Two weeks had passed since I had run, and I was running out of options. Money had its limits and so did my ability to stay away from family at Christmas time. However, Joseph had no limits and that was the only reason I didn't go running back with my tail between my legs. I wouldn't put it past him to target Rosie or anyone else I loved- so on his terms yet again, I was staying put.

It was a bitter Wednesday evening. I was standing a block or so away from the hotel- I spent as little time there as possible. My favourite spot by far was a family-run café that sold the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted. I liked to sit outside even in the cold weather; all bundled up and watching people pass by, either stressing out over gift lists or revelling in the spirit of Christmas. It was at that coffee shop that I was sitting at when I saw one small, blonde haired little girl overstretch her luck on a patch of ice. It seemed as if she fell in slow motion, her face hitting the ground with a smack.

As she cried out, the doctor inside of me sprung to life and I jumped out of my chair and hurried over to where she was crying on her mother's shoulder. I knelt down beside them, letting the first smile that I had shown in weeks spread over my face.

"Hey sweetie. Can you show me your owie?" I asked her, turning to face her mother with a warm smile. "I'm a doctor." I explained and she looked relieved, presumably at the fact that I wasn't a random weirdo talking to her daughter.

The little girl turned round to face me, her bloody lip trembling as her mother wiped tears from her face. I examined her closely, glad to see that she didn't appear to have any head injuries. "Do you have a flashlight on your phone?" I asked her mother, who nodded and handed me her phone. Normally a penlight would have been preferable, but I came to Union County with the bare minimums, not expecting to need a penlight during my adventure. I quickly flashed the light in both of her eyes, nodding in approval when her pupils constricted appropriately. "Do you have any other owies?" I asked the girl softly, and she shook her head no.

"Is she okay?" Her mother asked me, and with another quick once over of the little girl, I nodded my approval.

"She'll be fine. That lip just needs cleaned up, but it won't need stitches. Just make sure to use antiseptic cream so it doesn't get infected. You never know what's on the ground."

She smiled in relief, a confused expression covering her face. I expected her to walk off, but she remained standing there awkwardly, looking at my face intently. Finally, a look of realisation washed over her and she smiled. "You're Doctor Harris!!"

My heart plunged to my stomach. I hadn't thought that anybody here would be able to recognise me, given the fact that I was miles away from where I lived.

"Excuse me?"

"You treated my husband, John. About two years ago, remember? He was in a car crash?"

I cast my mind back, digging through the many memories of bygone patients. As a trauma surgeon, cases came in fast and rushed- it was hard to remember a lot of patients. However, I ploughed my mind, staring at her face intently until, finally, the image of a young man with dirty blonde hair along with his wife and new-born child appeared in my head. I smiled at her. "I remember! How's he doing?" I asked politely.

"He's good. He got a job up here, and Jess here loves to play in the snow." She said, bouncing the little girl on her hip. I smiled, remembering the last time I had seen the family- Jess had been only four months old and her mom, Carrie, still had blonde hair. Now I was looking up at a bubbly blonde haired little girl and her mother who had dark brown hair. "What brings you all the way up here?" She asked curiously, and I floundered around in my head for some sort of story. Union County was a really small town and there wasn't much reason for me to be here.