Page 16 of Doc Rock
“Can I help you?”Mai maintained her neutral tone, even as her heart hammered wildly.
Donnie didn’t say anything as he stood up. He stepped forward, his shrewd eyes examining her face.
Mai fought the urge to shift under his scrutiny and maintained a bland look on her face as if she were confused about why a man she had only met once would be at her work.
“It’s been a long time,”Donnie finally growled.
She didn’t pretend she didn’t recognise him. That would be stupid.
“The concert was only on Saturday night. Two days ago.”She shrugged and took another sip of her coffee, not wanting a drink, but needing to hide her face behind her cup for a moment.
“Don’t bullshit me, Sie.”Donnie’s voice was harsh.
Mai controlled the flinch that his angry words caused, and tried to brazen it out.
“Sir. I don’tknowwho you think I am. But I am not‘bullshitting you’,as you so eloquently put it. I’ve met you once in my life, at the concert on Saturday. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m late for work.”She turned away from him.
“You left us and became a doctor.”Donnie’s words were quiet now. He sounded so sad.
Mai’s shoulder slumped. She'd expected anger, not sadness. She turned slowly back to him.
“Yes. I’m a doctor,”she said, without addressing his statement about her leaving.“I’m a paediatrician. I work in the Neonatal Unit.”She pointed to the door.“And, like I said, I’m going to be late for work.”
Mai stepped back, but his hand shot out and gripped her arm.
“I’m glad you made a good life for yourself. I’m sorry about your parents. I loved them both.”His voice cracked slightly.“You were broken, and I can understand why you walked away from the band. But I can’t understand why you walked away fromhim.”
Mai took two deep breaths and finally met his gaze.“I’m sorry. You’ve definitely got me mixed up with someone. I hope you find them.”
She tried to pull out of his grip, but his hand clutched her tighter.
“This is my card.”Donnie held it out.
Mai didn’t move. She wasn’t going to take his card.
He sighed and slipped it into the top pocket of her scrubs.“Phone me anytime. I’m glad toseeyou’re alive and well. I won’t tell Ford you’re here. If you want toseehim, you need to reach out to him.”
Donnie let go of her arm.
Mai walked away without looking back, swiping her ID badge over the door lock and waiting for the automatic doors to swing open.
As it did, sheheardDonnie call,“We were your family, Sie. We would have looked after you. We would have supported you.”
When the doors swung closed behind her, she slumped against the wall, breathing deeply.
She thought she outran her past, and suddenly, hereit was, sprinting to catch up with her.
“Mai, are you okay?”Miriam, one of the neonatal nurses, called, making her jump.
Straightening, she ran a hand through her blond curls.“Yeah. One of those mornings. Youknowhowit is.”Shrugging, she gave Miriam a shaky smile.
Miriam laughed.“Tell me about it. Why don’t you finish your coffee in the tea room? I’ll tell the juniors you’ll be ten minutes late for the ward round.”
Mai nodded gratefully.“Thanks. I won’t be long. I just need a few minutes.”
“Take as much time as you need. Our little guests are all stable this morning and can wait the extra ten minutes.”Miriam waved and disappeared back into the neonatal intensive care unit.
Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to go to the concert. On one hand, she was glad she did—hearing their songs live had been incredible.
