Perseverance (The Resident FF) by Frances51163

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Visit With Pete

For the next couple of days Conrad stayed with his friend enjoying the unexpected freedom from the troubles in his life. The days were spent out walking and putting finishing touches to the Christmas decorations around the house as a surprise for Hannah when she returned. The nights were spent reliving their shared history of Med School. The third night the two men sat by the roaring fire as the snow falling outside past the view of the twinkling Christmas tree provided a perfect winter backdrop. Pete looked across at his friend glad to note some of his colour had returned even if his appetite was still absent. He was finally looking relaxed. He dreaded breaking the good mood they had been in but the real issues needed to be tackled. He just hoped his friend would accept that.

"So Hannah still loves Christmas?" Conrad asked rhetorically as he glanced at the various decorations dotted around the room, including a number of musical snow globes.
"Nah I just put this up lot to annoy her."
"What's the fascination with snow globes?"
"Her mother loved them and then in time Hannah started collecting them. She told me once she could shake a globe and make everything prettier. She spends ages simply listening to the music as the snow flakes fall."
"My Mom had one," Conrad smiled wistfully.
"What was she like?" Pete eagerly took the gateway into his friends' childhood.
"She .... she was warm and kind."
"Sounds like you loved her a great deal."
"Everyone did," the fair haired man tore his gaze from the globe, "so you telling me there are more snow globes besides these Christmas ones?"
"Don't ask," the older man grinned indulgently as he thought of his soul mate, "she has a glass cabinet full of them in the guest room."
"Didn't see it," Conrad raised a brow in confusion.
"Don't think you've seen the guest room."
"Haven't I been sleeping in it?"
"That's not the guest room."
"So ....," Conrad wasn't sure what he wanted to ask.
"You're staying in the spare room. You always stay there. Where family stay you know," Pete spoke offhandedly.
"But ...," the younger man blushed at the inference.
"Hey you're like a kid brother to me. Without you I'd have quit Med School."
"Funny I always thought of you more as a father figure," the stunned man tossed back to deflect from the emotional arena they had stepped into.
"I'm ten years older than you, not twenty! Anyway," Pete decided not to dwell on his friends' discomfiture, "she has about fifty-five at last count."
"Good grief."
"Yeah well it could be worse. She could be obsessed with marbles."
"Hah," Conrad recalled once telling his friend of his childhood hobby.
"You still collect them?"
"Never told you I collected them," Conrad frowned as he remembered his father throwing out his marble collection one Christmas Eve.
"You didn't have to. Any kid who played marbles collected them."
"Just leave it."
"Leave what?" the older man pressed.
"Nothing. So when does Hannah fly in?"
"Tuesday but I've told you that already. So what happened to your marble collection?"
"That was years ago!"
"So what's the harm in telling me?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Because it was obviously important to you."
"No it wasn't."
"So tell me."
"It .... got thrown out ....... a long time ago."
"Your father?" Pete eventually asked.
"He got mad."
"About what?"
"Don't think he liked my letter to old St. Nick," Conrad scoffed.
"How old were you?"
"Around six I guess."
"So what could a six year old ask Santa for that would enrage his father so much?" Pete asked after his shock wore off.
"His mother to come home for Christmas."
"Damn."
"Yeah well like I told you some people don't deserve to be parents."
"Back in a minute," Pete rose and left the quiet man alone with his thoughts.

Pete returned ten minutes later with two beers after giving his friend a chance to collect himself.

"So you want to talk about what's going on with you?"
"No," Conrad sat up straighter in his seat as the chilly air outside seemed to invade the room.
"Devon mentioned your friend who passed."
"That's one way of putting it," Conrad sipped some beer and shook his head, "I don't have a problem with it. I mean ... I wish he hadn't jumped but it was his choice."
"You ever think of it?"
"Told you I accepted it. Course I think of Andy. Hard not to."
"I didn't mean that," Pete elaborated, "I meant suicide. Do you ever think of it?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"You're so easy in accepting your friends' choice. Just wondered."
"Hell I can't tell you that I've never wanted to die," Conrad confessed as he recalled childhood days which seemed insurmountable when his eyes were bad and excruciating pain was his only companion, "but no I've never considered suicide. You think less of me if I did?"
"Not at all. You never speak about what life was like as an Army Medic. Must have been interesting."
"You can read all about military life if you're that interested."
"Just wanted to know what you went through."
"I didn't go through anything."
"Okay I'll take the hint but I'm here if you need to talk."
"Appreciate it Pete," Conrad held up his bottle in a salute as he gestured to the box of playing cards on the glass table between them, "now you ready to lose again?"
"You could at least show me some mercy. I still have presents to get."
"You telling me you buy presents with jellybeans?" the Resident asked as he picked up the large container of sweets and began doling them out between the two as his friend shuffled.
"No but I need money left after buying presents to buy more jellybeans!"
"Yeah yeah," Conrad was unimpressed as he lobbed two orange treats into his mouth, "Hannah won't appreciate you putting on weight on your diet. Consider me your helper."
"Never should have shown you my stash," Pete pointed out with mock chagrin.
"Don't worry by the time Hannah gets home your stash will be safe."
"That's what I'm worried about. It will be safe n your stomach!"
"Just deal."

Conrad left quietly in the early hours of the following morning. He wrote a short but genuine note to his friend thanking him for the visit. He knew it was time to get back to his life however enticing the reprieve seemed.

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Conrads' arrival at Chastain on Monday morning was met with surprise and concern which he quickly shrugged off. Finding Officer Benton and his partner Harding in Emergency when he was called down he noted they were guarding a prisoner who turned out to be his patient. Devon walked into the cubicle behind his mentor after saluting the two Officers.

"What have we got?" the first year Resident asked.
"Stab wound to the abdomen," Conrad looked up from the chart and passed it over before he palpated the area, "you got this?"
"Sure."
"Okay," Conrad walked out after glancing at the unconscious patients' wrists which were restrained by handcuffs to the bedrail pulled up on either side.

"So Doc will it take long?" Benton questioned.
"He needs to go to CT but it looks as if the major organs were undamaged. Devon is looking after him."
"Hell we'll be tied up for hours."
"You got somewhere better to be?"
"Guess not," Benton sighed.
"Your father-in-law passed peacefully?" Conrad asked.
"Yeah. Luckily they both saw sense and he died at home. That's thanks to you Doc."
"Nah. In the end they made the choice," the Resident dismissed the gratitude, "how is Mrs. Kirkwood doing?"
"She's trying to get on with things but it will be a while before she comes to grips with it."
"Tell her I was asking for her."
"Will do."
"Do me a favour and don't let Devon get in trouble again," the fair haired man chided as he walked off.
"You should be worrying about getting in trouble not him," Benton threw back laughing at the glare he received.

tbc