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Even though Carter and Anna weren’t even close to getting together (as far as he could tell anyway), he still felt like he was trying to make up with his significant other after a fight. The last they’d spoken, on the indoor steps of her apartment building, she admitted that she wasn’t sure if he made the right decision about treating the rapist during the trauma. Before then, of course, she questioned his motives to auto-transfuse him instead of using some of the hospital’s donated blood supply, which was already limited. After they briefly held hands, it seemed like the night ended on a much quieter, and more understanding, note.
Three days later, it was once again 6 a.m., and Carter was just coming in for the day while Anna was working a double. Next week, it would be his turn to pull some doubles. But in the meantime, he thought he’d try to bring her breakfast now that it was much less snowy and he didn’t run the risk of dropping her toast on the ER floor.
“Morning Jerry,” he said when he arrived from Doc Magoo’s, carrying one bag of waffles and hash browns for him and another bag with eggs and toast (the redo) for Anna. “Is Anna here?”
“I think she’s still in Exam 4 sleeping, but she came out about 15 minutes ago and said she didn’t need too much longer,” Jerry replied. “So who knows? We’re dead out here again anyway, so take your time before Weaver gets here. And what’s going on with you two? You don’t bring me toast every morning.”
“None of your business. I still owe her after I slipped the other day and she didn’t get much of anything to eat. I promise; that’s all it is.”
He walked into Exam 4, and this time, Anna was awake and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. “You’re just in time,” she said. “I couldn’t really sleep anymore after I got up to go to the bathroom. Are there any patients waiting?”
“Nah, not really. So, your eggs and toast are right here. Do you have to catch up on any charts or anything from the overnight, or do you have time for a bite?”
“If it’s dead, I’m going to savor the moment.” She took out her container and dug into her eggs. “Oh man…I’ve always loved diner food, even back when I was living in Philly. When I first came here, everyone was telling me that I’d be a regular at Doc Magoo’s soon enough. It helps me feel like I’m eating rich, since getting groceries for my apartment makes me feel like I’m anything but.”
Carter decided not to say anything in response. Ever since he’d tried to relate to Anna’s struggles to live cheaply and it came out that he didn’t understand what it was like to shop in thrift stores and watch every dollar, he thought it was best if they didn’t talk about anything related to money. After all, Gamma had a chef on staff who could make him anything he wanted for breakfast, even though he also appreciated the allure of Doc’s after a long shift and didn’t consider himself too good to eat there.
“Do you really think I’m still mad about that?” Anna asked. “About your money? I told you a while ago, it’s not that big of a deal. And we hung out at Christmas and everything, and I genuinely did have a good time. It’s cool. I was just caught off guard. I’d never met anyone so wealthy before, especially when I had the impression that they were somebody else.”
“No, I believe you. It’s just that I really like you, and I enjoy spending time with you. Plus, I don’t want Chase to have you; he may have a crush, but I met you first. I told him that I already had eyes for you.” They both laughed.
“So you do like me!” she exclaimed. “I knew it! I mean, you lied to me, which didn’t help us get off on the right foot, but I thought it was pretty cool to meet another guy who was at least somewhat interested in thrifting. My ex back in Philadelphia would go with me, but I knew he was just counting the days until he could become an attending and move on to the finer things in life. And I’m looking forward to a bigger salary too, but even once I get there, I don’t want to live really luxuriously. It’s not my style and I’d rather focus on paying off student loans.”
“I’ve never really liked coming from money,” Carter explained. “I mean, Gamma’s house is beautiful and I know it’s everyone’s dream to have a housekeeper and a chef. But it just leads to people making negative assumptions about me, like thinking I don’t know what it means to work for something when I had to go through the same medical training and work the same long shifts as any doctor here. Money wasn’t a fast track to get me out of that, especially since I started my surgical residency covering the ER alone on the 4th of July. It doesn’t get much less privileged than that.”
“Yeah, I’d admit I’d be happy too if I didn’t know what it was like to live in an apartment with a shared shower and cockroaches on the wall. Plus, I got the impression that being rich or associating with people like your grandmother at least has some component involving awkward networking talk or dressing up all the time.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. My med school graduation party was almost like a black-tie affair, but I missed it to stay here with a pediatric patient who was in liver failure. We played cards and talked in her hospital room.”
Anna smiled after taking a drink of coffee. “You know…that’s actually very noble of you. I love being a pediatrician, but I don’t think I could have missed my own graduation party. And shit, when I got out of med school, I couldn’t wait to drink and go crazy for a little bit before residency started. You’re a better person than me right there.”
“I didn’t really think of it as me being a good person. It just felt like the right thing to do since this girl was so afraid.”
“You know…medicine is full of tough decisions,” she said. “I believe we all need to work to the best of our abilities with the patients we get because in the ER, you don’t get to choose. But we’re still human, and so many elderly women were hurt by that rapist that even though I will probably never straight up tell you that you made the right call…I understand how you were feeling. And I kinda liked that you came to me to admit that. You have always tried to make things right after you pissed me off, so I respect that if nothing else.”
“I’m sorry if you ever felt like I tried too hard to win you over again. This breakfast doesn’t feel like bribery or anything to you, does it?”
“Hell no. A lot of problems are solved over food. Besides, on a much lighter note, I had to hold back laughter when you fell the other day and the food went everywhere…and then I was so determined to eat some toast covered in God knows what. I only suppressed my laughter once it was clear you were OK, though. If you had gotten hurt, I still would have helped you. I was never that angry.
“And you know, I really liked that you went back out in a blizzard to bring me breakfast, and you took that fall like a pro. Does Doc’s ever close?”
“I don’t think so,” he replied, laughing. “They’re just like us: open day and night, rain or shine.”
They briefly looked at each other and smiled, and then Anna leaned in to give Carter a kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t tell anyone about that,” she said. “And I’m not wearing lipstick, so there’s nothing on your face to give it away. Thanks again for breakfast. I’m glad you didn’t have to truck through a foot of snow this time to bring it to me.”
“Believe me, I am too. Ready to get back to work and save some lives?”
“Every day is a new day.” They got up off the bed and grabbed their coffee, throwing out their breakfast containers on the way back to the front desk and trying not to act like they had just confessed their admiration for each other.
This time, Carter was not going to waste another chance with Anna.