Comfort Zone

Chapter 50

The next day was Miriam's birthday. She'd originally scheduled a heavy load of patients, but had cancelled most, with apologies, at the last minute. "Maybe you shouldn't have left yourself out of the equation," she could hear the CEO say when they talked about compassion. Even a sick and greedy broken clock is right twice a day, she figured, remembering Pollard's postcard.

Belle brought her a card and cake and she finished up before noon whistling.

"A quick walk-in just showed up," Belle said.

"Are you kidding? I have big birthday plans. Full mani-pedi at my favorite salon. Maybe I'll spring for a massage, too."

"He promised it would be quick. It's Gary Lindner."

"Are you kidding?" Miriam said again, her voice edging up toward hysteria.

Belle had a sly smile on her face Miriam had never seen before, but she was too upset to wonder why.

"He probably has a sniffle. Give him a sample nose spray, one and a half sprays to each nostril exactly two and a half times a day, he'll be fine."

"It's a heart thing. He heard it was your birthday."

"Then give him an aspirin and thump him on his chest!"

"I'm not here as a patient." Gary Lindner, looking more like a cute drug rep than ever, was standing at the door, hands full of sunflowers.

"Happy birthday," he said.

Miriam froze.

"How do you know I like sunflowers?" she demanded. "Are you reading the answers to my security questions too?"

"What? No, of course not. You told me."

"Impossible. I'm sure it never came up during your visits."

"Listen, I swore to Belle three minutes tops, she threatened to use that awful fish on me and I believe her. You told me yourself they were your favorite, but you don't remember. Flower show, Cleveland, ten years ago.

"You didn't notice me, but I--well anyway you were there with your husband, my classmate in law school. I moved down here, found out you were here too, and came by to say hello. I never intended to fool you but then Belle took me for a patient. 'I've come to see Dr. Gotlin,' I said. 'You're lucky, she has a cancellation,' she said, and I felt lucky, seeing you.

"I thought you'd remember me and laugh, but I saw in one moment you had no idea who I was; you'd only had eyes for your husband when we met. I felt like a fool for the joke, and I chickened out. You were busy working and I was a friend of your sleazy ex-husband, it was sure to win big points with you. You'd never give me a chance.

"And I desperately wanted a chance, so naturally I did the stupidest thing that would take away any chance I had. I continued on.

"When I told you I had chest pain that time I'd intended to segue into the truth. I was going to come clean, say I was heartsick or something, but realized it was too late. Still, I came back and bothered you some more. I tried to tell you the truth again, that's what the cold feet was all about.

"I finally forced myself to leave you alone, but after you almost got killed I had to come back and see how you were. I figured you deserved the truth. Maybe you'd forgive me one day."

She made no move to take the flowers, and he put them gently down.

Miriam remembered the day of the flower show. Icy, with the sun unexpectedly peeking through the sky light of the auditorium. Such a cold day. Remembered thinking—sun, flowers. Heat and beauty, nothing better.