Alex's Story

Chapter 2

May 30, 2012 7:30 AM

Alex expected that she would've crashed after her harrowing experience. She had always been creeped out by hospitals. The smell, the hyper-neutrality of the colors, smells, temperature ... not to mention the risk of infection. Instead of falling asleep straightaway, Alex took a long, hot shower. As she lathered, rinsed, and repeated, Alex just couldn't stop the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She threw on her sweats and wondered for the thousandth time whether she should call the hospital to check on Jack. She didn't know him from Adam, but for some reason had had the hardest time leaving behind in the hospital. Was she any better than his muggers, to leave him alone in the ER? She wasn't in the market for a boyfriend and knew that her crazy schedule would make the actual having of a boyfriend literally impossible.

She knew this from experience. As she brushed out her long black hair and rubbed in some Kerstase Oleo Relax serum, she shuddered to remember her miserable ex, Rich Stanton. Oh, naieve, stupid Alex. She'd thought it was the perfect set-up: two recent lawschool grads, out to take the world by storm. Ready to put their blood, sweat, and tears into a bid for partnership. Never fighting about coming home late, because each knew what the other was going through. After a quick honeymoon period, Alex quickly found out that Rich had an impossibly huge ego. Yea, he was smart, smooth, and cute and had good taste and jaw-dropping looks. But it was only a matter of time before Alex got to see behind the charming mask he wore in public. The more she got to know him and bullshitting ways, the less she liked him. She started to pull away soon after they were hired, and Rich didn't like being found wanting. As their relationship disintegrated, they grew to become very competitive at work. Unfortunately, they both still worked at Curley, Hernandez & Smith. Alex tried to avoid his smirking smug smarmy face as much as possible. Part of the reason she worked so hard was to earn her own reputation as a strong associate, totally separate from and unconnected to Rich Stanton. Just thinking about him made her frustrated. How had she allowed herself to be deceived by his lies and sweet smile? Alex banged into the doorway and rubbed her elbow. Ow!

Moving on -- both into her one-bedroom's sparse, bright kitchen and away from the black hole of misery that was Rich Stanton -- Alex thought again about checking on Jack. What the hell, she thought, if it will put my mind at ease. It won't hurt, anyway. He'll never know, and they'll probably never tell me anything, anyway. She told herself it had absolutely nothing to do with his gorgeous green eyes or strong warm hands.

Alex picked up her Blackberry and dialed the hospital. The surly receptionist at the nurse's station seemed just abour ready to finish up the graveyard shift. "Yah?" she asked. "What do you wanna know about him?"

"Well, is he OK?" Alex asked. "Is he up yet? Have his X-Rays been cleared by the physician on call? Has he been moved to his room yet?"

"Ma'am," the nurse said. "I don't know. They don't tell me that kind of thing and I'm not on duty for Mr. Cavendish. Hold on a sec, and I'll transfer you." Alex chewed on her nails waited while tinny Musak played for a good ten minutes. While she was waiting Alex sat down at her breakfast bar to sip a cup of strong hazelnut coffee and flip through the channels on her TV set. Heaven. Finally, someone answered.

"'lo?" a gruff, sleep-roughened voice came over the line. "Who's this?"

"Sir, are you a nurse? Can I please speak to the nurse tending to Jack Cavenish?" She began to get frustrated.

"What do you want them for? And who the hell is this, anyway?" As Alex listened, she heard a deep Southern-accented voice become annoyed.

"My name is Alex Rinaldi. I want to check on the status of a patient at the City Hospital, his name is Jack Cavendish." When she didn't hear anything for a minute, she decided to tell a white lie in the hopes that they'd give her more information. "I'm ... his sister. I brought him to the ER a few hours ago. If you don't know anything, could you please you put me through to the operator, his nurse, or someone who will be able to help me?"

"This is Jack Cavendish," the person on the phone answered. "And I don't want to have to ask again -- who the hell is this?"

Shit! Startled, Alex threw the phone away from her. Random acts of kindness were supposed to be just that -- random. You weren't ever supposed to hear or see them ever again, it just made things weird. She heard some low-toned muttering come over the line and she pressed the red "end" button.

Alex lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to at least rest before the day began. She couldn't stop thinking about last night. Alex felt invigorated. This had been a major event in her life, and it had forced her to come to grips with the frailty of human life. Only a few hours ago, it had seemed as if her days would stretch into infinity, each one just like the last. Now though, her life could change at the drop of a hat. You could be mugged.Your life could intersect with someone else's in ways you never imagined. Days, in fact, didn't all bleed into one another forever. You only live once, Alex, she thought to herself. What the hell are you doing?

Becoming more and more excited, Alex contemplated all of the different ways she could wake up, live in the moment, and seize the day. She was young, capable, enthusiastic. She could do anything. Become a schoolteacher, and educate the future of America. Sell all of her worldly possessions and live as a nomad in Tuscany, or bike her way through Australia. Become an artist and work with new and unusual media. Get her hands dirty, and learn a useful craft or trade. Her mind was running a million miles a minute with endless possibilities. She needed to start afresh -- not rot away in a windowless office. She needed to start. Now.