Rogue

Chapter 10

The following Friday night, Charles and Maxine managed another very grown-up dinner at La Grenouille. They both had lobster and an exquisite white truffle risotto that was almost like an aphrodisiac, it was so good. And once again, Maxine had enjoyed the meal, even more this time. She liked their intelligent, adult conversations, and he didn't seem quite as serious as he had before. He had a sense of humor after all, although he kept it in check. Nothing about Charles ever seemed out of control. He said he preferred everything in his life planned and in good order, moderate, predictable. It was the kind of life Maxine had always wanted, which had been impossible with Blake. And it wasn't totally feasible for her either, with three children and the unpredictable elements in their lives, and the kind of practice she had, where the unexpected happened regularly. But their personalities were a good fit. He was far closer to what she wanted than Blake had been, and she told herself that if Charles was less spontaneous, that was reassuring in some ways too. She knew what to expect of him. And he was a nice person, which appealed to her too.

They were in the cab on the way home, after their second dinner date at La Grenouille. He had promised Le Cirque next time, and maybe after that Daniel or Café Boulud, all his favorite haunts, which he wanted to share with her, when her cell phone rang, and she assumed it was one of the kids, looking for her. She was off call to Thelma Washington that weekend. Instead, it was her service trying to locate her for Dr. Washington, which Maxine knew meant it was something serious with one of her regular patients. That was the only time Thelma called her on weekends. Otherwise, she handled everything herself, except the situations she knew Maxine would want to be told about and participate in. Thelma's voice came on the line after the service put her through.

“Hi. What's up?” Maxine said quickly, and Charles thought it was one of her kids. He hoped it wasn't an emergency. They had had such a pleasant evening, he didn't want anything distressing to intrude. Maxine was listening carefully, frowning, with her eyes closed, and it didn't look good to him. “How many units of blood have you given her?” There was silence again as Maxine listened to the answer. “Can you get a cardiothoracic guy in right away? Try Jones… Shit… okay… I'll be right in.” She turned to Charles with a worried look. “I'm sorry. I hate to do this to you. One of my patients just came in, code blue. Can I hijack the cab to Columbia Presbyterian? I don't have time to go home and change. I can drop you off on the way.” Her mind was full of what Thelma had said to her. It was a fifteen-year-old girl she had been seeing for only a few months. She had attempted suicide, and was hovering near death. Maxine wanted to be there, to make whatever decisions she could. Charles looked instantly sobered, and said of course she could take the cab.

“Why don't I go with you? I can hang around and lend moral support if nothing else.” He could only guess how hard those cases were, and Maxine made a career of them. He couldn't imagine dealing with that every day, but he admired her for it. And medically, it was far more interesting than what he did, much more stressful, and more important in a way.

“I might be there all night. At least I hope I will.” The only reason she wouldn't be was if the patient died, which was a strong possibility right now.

“No problem. If I get tired of waiting I'll go home. Hell, I'm a physician too, this isn't news to me.” She smiled. She liked having that in common with him. It was a strong bond to share medical careers. They gave the driver the hospital's address uptown, and sped north as Maxine explained the situation to Charles. The girl had cut herself, slashed her wrists, and stabbed herself in the heart with a kitchen knife. She had done a hell of a job. And by sheer miracle, her mother had found her fast enough to make a difference. The paramedics had been on the scene in minutes. They had given her two units of blood so far, her heart had stopped twice on the way in, and they had gotten it going again. She was hovering near death, but still alive. This was her second attempt.

“Christ, they don't go at it halfway, do they? I always thought kids did it for attention and made kind of half-assed attempts.” There was nothing half-assed about this. They talked about it quietly on the way, and Maxine sprang into action the moment they walked in. She was wearing a black cocktail dress and high heels. She dumped her black evening coat, put a lab coat over her dress, found Thelma, and met with the ER team. She examined her patient, contacted the heart surgeon herself, and talked to the attending and the chief resident. Her patient's wrists were already sewn up, and the heart surgeon was there fifteen minutes later, and whisked the comatose girl into surgery, as Maxine comforted the parents. While she did, Charles and Thelma conferred quietly in the hallway.

“She's something, isn't she?” Charles said in admiration. She was like a tornado of efficiency once she was working. And she was back to them in the hallway half an hour later. Thelma agreed with Charles completely, and liked the fact that he was so impressed and respectful of Maxine's work.

“How's she doing?” Thelma asked Maxine. She had stayed more to keep Charles company than for any other purpose. Maxine was in charge now.

“Hanging in. This is a close one,” Maxine said, praying not to lose her.

Eloise, her patient, was in surgery for four hours, and it was nearly five before Maxine knew anything conclusive. Much to her amazement, Charles was still with her. Thelma had gone home hours before.

The surgeon came into the doctors' lounge looking victorious, as he grinned at Charles and Maxine. “I swear, there are miracles sometimes that none of us can explain. She missed a whole lot of important stuff with her little hack job. She just missed killing herself by a hair. A lot could still go wrong in the next few days, but I think she's actually going to make it.” Maxine let out a whoop of sheer pleasure and threw her arms around Charles's neck. He hugged her and smiled. He was exhausted, but medically, it had been one of the most interesting nights of his life, to see what they contended with, and what they were doing to solve it, and Maxine was in charge of it all.

She went to tell Eloise's parents, and shortly after six A.M., she and Charles left the hospital. Maxine was going to come back in a few hours. It would be touch and go for the next few days, but the worst was over. They had replaced Eloise's blood, and repaired her heart. Her parents were beside themselves with relief, and so was Maxine. Her optimism was still guarded, but she had a feeling they were going to win this one, and had snatched victory from the jaws of death.

“I don't know how to tell you how impressed I am with what you do,” Charles said softly. He had an arm around her shoulders, and she was leaning against him on the ride home. She was still exhilarated from the night's work, but she was tired too. They both knew that it would be several hours before she came down from the excitement, and by then she had to be back at the hospital, probably without sleep. She was used to it.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. “Thanks for staying with me. It was nice knowing you were there. I'm usually alone on nights like this. I hope we win this one. I have a feeling we will.”

“So do I. Your cardio guy is top notch.” Charles thought she was too.

“Yes, he is,” Maxine agreed.

The cab stopped in front of her building, and she suddenly realized how bone tired she was as she got out. Her legs felt like cement, and the high heels were killing her. She was still wearing the white lab coat over her evening dress, and carrying her black evening coat. Charles had worn a good-looking conservative dark suit, a white shirt, and a navy tie. She liked the way he dressed. And he still looked impeccable after the long night.

“I feel like I've been dragged through a bush backward,” she said, and he laughed.

“You don't look it. You were absolutely fantastic tonight.” “Thanks, it's all about the team, no one person, and how the luck runs on any given night. You just never know how it will turn out. You do your best, and pray a lot. I always do.”

He looked at her with eyes full of fresh respect and admiration. It was six-thirty in the morning, and he suddenly wished he could go home and go to bed with her. He would have liked to sleep with his arms around her, after the night they had shared. Instead, he bent down, as he stood outside her building with her, and brushed her lips with his. It was sooner than either of them had planned to kiss, but tonight had changed a lot of things for both of them. They had somehow formed a bond. He kissed her again, harder this time, and she kissed him back as he slipped his arms around her and held her close to him.

“I'll call you later,” he whispered. She nodded, and went into her building.

She sat in her kitchen for a long time afterward, thinking about all of it, her patient, the long night, and Charles's kiss. It was hard to say which of the three had shaken her most. Her patient's suicide attempt undoubtedly, but she felt as though lightning had struck her when Charles kissed her. But it felt nice too. She had loved having him there for her. In so many ways, Charles seemed like everything she had ever wanted. And now that he was here, she was scared of what it meant, and how she would do it. She wasn't sure there was room in her life for him and her kids. She was worried about that.

It was nearly nine that morning when she finally got to bed. Her children were still asleep, and she was hoping she'd get some sleep before she had to get moving with them. And she wasn't prepared for Daphne's attack, when she finally got up after two hours' sleep, and was drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen around eleven. Daphne was glaring at her in fury. Maxine had no idea why, but she was sure she'd find out soon.

“Where were you last night?” Daphne asked her. She looked livid.

“At the hospital. Why?” Maxine looked blank at the question. What was her problem?

“You were not! You were with him!” She said it like an angry lover. Hell hath no fury like a kid in the face of a parent's new boyfriend, or even the suspicion thereof.

“I was with ‘him' for dinner, as you put it,” her mother said calmly. “I got a call on the way home, one of my patients coded, and I had to go in. I think we managed to save her, if nothing goes wrong today.” She often reported to them on the emergencies she had spent the night with. “So what's your problem here?”

“I don't believe you. I think you were at his apartment all night, sleeping with him.” She spat the words at her mother in a rage, as Maxine looked at her in amazement. This was totally uncalled for, but it made Maxine realize what kind of resistance she might get from them over Charles. Or from Daphne at least.

“That could happen one day with him or someone else. And if anything gets that serious in my life, I'll give you a heads-up. But I can assure you, Daphne, I was at work all last night. And I think you're completely out of line.” She looked angry herself as she turned away, and Daphne looked momentarily mollified and then turned on her again.

“Why should I believe you?” she asked as Sam walked into the room, and looked at his sister with concern. She sounded like she was being mean to their mom, which was the case.

“Because I've never lied to you,” Maxine said sternly, “and I don't intend to start now. And I don't appreciate your accusations. They're rude, inaccurate, and unnecessary. So back off and behave yourself.” And with that, Maxine stormed out of the kitchen without saying another word to either child.

“Now look what you did,” Sam scolded his sister. “You made Mom mad. And she's probably tired from being up all night, so now she'll be really crabby for the rest of the day. Thanks a lot!”

“You don't know anything!” Daphne said, and stormed out of the kitchen too, as Sam shook his head, and poured himself a bowl of cereal. This was clearly not going to be an easy day.

Maxine went back to the hospital at noon, and was delighted to find that Eloise was doing well. She had regained consciousness, and Maxine was able to talk to her, although she wouldn't say why she had made the attempt. Maxine was recommending a long-term hospitalization for her, and her parents had agreed. They didn't want to risk anything like it happening again, whatever it took.

Maxine was back with her children by two. Daphne had gone out with friends, allegedly Christmas shopping, but Maxine was sure her daughter was avoiding her, which suited her just fine. She was still furious at Daphne's accusations that morning. And as usual, Sam was very sweet about making it up to her. Together they went to watch Jack play soccer. And much to their delight, Jack's team won the game. By the time they all got back to the apartment at five o'clock, they were in better spirits. Daphne was home by then and was very subdued.

When Charles called her at six, he said he had just woken up, and was stunned to hear she had run around all day.

“I'm used to this,” she laughed. “There's no rest for the weary. At least not when you have kids.”

“I don't know how you do it. I feel like I was hit by a bus. I'm a total wuss. How's your patient doing?” He sounded sleepy and sexy.

“Remarkably well. Thank God these kids are young. A lot of the time we have a pretty decent shot at saving them, though not always.”

“I'm glad this one worked out.” He had a vested interest in it now. “What are you doing tonight?”

“We're going to a movie at eight, probably pizza or Chinese before that.” And then she had an idea. She assumed he was too tired to join them, and she was beginning to drag too, but they always had family dinners on Sunday night that were more festive than during the week. “How about joining us for dinner tomorrow?”

“You and your children?” He sounded hesitant, and less enthused than she would have hoped. It was a new concept for him.

“Yes, that would be the idea. We can order in Chinese, or something else if you prefer.”

“I love Chinese takeout. I just don't want to intrude on a family dinner.”

“I think we can handle it. How about you?” She was smiling, and he couldn't think of a good excuse not to.

“Okay,” he said, sounding as though he had just agreed to bungeejump from the Empire State Building, and by his standards he had. Maxine appreciated that he was willing to make the effort. It obviously scared him to death.

“See you tomorrow at six,” she said, as Daphne stood in the room and glared at her.

“Did you just invite him to dinner tomorrow?” Daphne asked as soon as her mother hung up.

“Yes, I did.” And she was not about to ask permission. The children had friends over all the time, whom Maxine welcomed with open arms. She had a right to have friends over too, even if she rarely if ever exercised the privilege.

“Then I'm not eating with you tomorrow,” Daphne snarled.

“Yes, you are,” Maxine said calmly, and reminded her that her friends should be welcome in the house too. “I don't know why you're making such an issue of this, Daphne. He's a perfectly nice person. I'm not running off with him. And you deal with your father's girlfriends all the time.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Daphne looked horrified, as Maxine shook her head.

“No, he's not, but that wouldn't be the most outrageous thing that ever happened. It's a lot more unusual that I haven't dated in years. You don't need to make such a big deal of this.” But maybe she did. She obviously felt threatened by Charles and the whole concept of a man near her mother. And Jack didn't like it either. “Nothing's going to happen here, Daff. But for chrissake, lighten up. Let's just treat it like what it is. A friend coming to dinner. If it turns out to be more than that one day, I'll tell you. For now, all it is is dinner. Okay?” As she said it, she thought of his kissing her that morning. So Daphne wasn't entirely wrong. It was more than just dinner. Daphne didn't say a word, she just walked out of her mother's room in silence.

When Charles showed up the next day, Daphne was in her room, and Maxine had to coax, beg, and threaten her to finally emerge for dinner. She came to the kitchen, but she made it clear with her body language and behavior that she was there under protest. She ignored Charles completely, and looked at her mother in fury. And when they served the Chinese food that arrived at seven, Daphne refused to eat. Sam and Jack more than made up for it. Charles congratulated Jack on winning the game the day before, and asked him the details of the play.

And after that, Sam and Charles struck up a lively conversation. Daphne looked at both her brothers like traitors, and was back in her room in twenty minutes. Charles mentioned it to Maxine while she was cleaning up the kitchen, and putting the leftovers away. Dinner had been good, and Charles had done very well. It was obviously an effort for him to talk to children, but he was trying. It was all completely unfamiliar to him.

“Daphne hates me,” he said, looking upset, eating another fortune cookie that had been left on the table.

“She doesn't hate you. She doesn't know you. She's just scared. I've never really dated, and I haven't brought anyone home for dinner. She's afraid of what this means.”

“Did she tell you that?” He looked intrigued, and Maxine laughed.

“No, but I'm a mother and an adolescent shrink. She feels threatened.”

“Did I say something to upset her?” He looked worried.

“No, you were great.” Maxine smiled at him. “She has just decided to take a position. Personally, I hate teenage girls,” Maxine said blithely, and this time he laughed, given what she did for a living. “Actually, fifteen is worse. But it starts at thirteen. Hormones and all that stuff. They should be locked up until they're sixteen or seventeen.”

“That's a hell of a thing to say for a woman who makes a career of dealing with them.”

“Not at all. I know whereof I speak. They all torture their mothers at that age. Their dads are the heroes.”

“I noticed,” he said glumly. Daphne had bragged about hers the first time they met. “How am I doing with the boys?”

“Great,” she said again, and looked into his eyes with a gentle smile. “Thanks for doing this at all. I know it's not your thing.”

“No, but you are,” he said gently. “I'm doing it for you.”

“I know,” she said softly, and before they knew what had happened, they were kissing in the kitchen, and Sam walked in.

“Uh-oh,” he said the moment he saw them, and they jumped apart, looking guilty, as Maxine opened the fridge and tried to look busy. “Daff will kill you if she sees you kissing him,” he said to his mother, and she and Charles both laughed.

“It won't happen again. I promise. Sorry, Sam,” Maxine said. Sam shrugged, grabbed two cookies, and walked out of the room again.

“I really like him,” Charles said warmly.

“It's good for all of them to have you around, even Daphne,” she said calmly. “It's a lot more real than having me all to themselves.”

“I didn't realize I was here on a training mission,” Charles said with a groan, and she laughed again.

They sat in the living room and talked for a while afterward, and Charles left around ten. In spite of Daphne's hostility at dinner, it had been a very pleasant evening. Charles acted as though he had survived going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and Maxine looked happy when she walked into her room and found Sam in her bed, already half asleep.

“Are you going to marry him, Mom?” he whispered, barely able to keep his eyes open as she kissed him.

“No, I'm not. He's just a friend.”

“Then why were you kissing him?”

“Just like that, because I like him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to marry him.”

“You mean like Dad and the girls he goes out with?”

“Yeah, kind of. It's no big deal.”

“He always says that too.” Sam looked relieved and then drifted off to sleep as she looked at him. The arrival of Charles on the scene had certainly shaken everyone up, but she still thought it was a good thing. And it was fun for her to have a man to go out with. It wasn't a crime, she reminded herself. They'd just have to get used to it. After all, Blake dated. Why couldn't she?