Head Above Water Pt. 02

He was practically beaming now. The kid was just as hungry as I'd suspected and this conversation was quickly becoming winner-winner-chicken-dinner.

"I'm promoting you to Floor-walker. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes," he said immediately. "I know exactly what they do. I was hoping to get picked. I asked Bethany and she told me to be patient."

"You've only been here thirteen months so I can see why she would say that. Most floor-walkers don't get offered this position until they're at least two years in. What do you think that tells me about you if I'm offering it to you now?"

"That I'm... good?"

"Exactly. You're good. Very good," I said, giving him one of my rare smiles. "Bethany will train you over the next week on how to work the walkie-talkies. She'll give you a sheet to learn the codes we use and the channels. Study them. She'll test you after you're ready. We'll put you on the Floor-walker list after you've passed. You'll be pulled from the phones whenever we need you. Your job will be to walk the floor, keep us updated, let us know how the agents are doing and help them with all of their questions. Sounding good so far?"

"Yeah," he said, grinning.

"There is a pay bump of seventy-five cents more per hour. You'll get that for all hours, regardless of how often you get called to walk the floor. Consider it a perk with your promotion. So I guess all I have left to do is to ask you if you'd like to accept the position."

"Yes! Yes, please, thank you," he said, smiling his goddamn ears off. God, had I looked like this when I'd gotten my first promotion? Maybe not as outwardly excited, but internally it had probably been the same.

"Good," I said, smiling. "Remember all the advancement opportunities within this company. Floor-walker experience is taken into consideration during the selection process of hiring a new supervisor. I hope you will consider applying the next time a position opens up."

God, the look in his eyes was melting my ice-cold heart. He just looked so happy.

"Thank you," he was saying over and over. "I'll definitely be applying."

"Alright," I said, checking my watch. "That went by fast. I have you scheduled for a full twenty minutes off the phones for this meeting. There are still fifteen minutes left. Go enjoy it as an additional break."

"Thank you," he said again, standing up to shake my hand. "Thank you, Miss Gutierrez. I'm so thankful for this opportunity. I promise not to let you down."

I stood to shake his hand.

"Please don't call me that ever again. Celine is fine. I prefer to be on a first-name basis with all of my employees. People would know that if they talked to me. I'm really not as scary as people think I am."

"I never thought you were scary. I just didn't want to bother you. I know your job is stressful."

This kid. I probably would've adopted him right there. I could see why Bethany adored him.

"I appreciate that and I appreciate you. Keep it up. I hope to see you as a supervisor in one of my team meetings in the future."

He smiled, thanked me yet again and excused himself from my office.

Yes, this was definitely one of those great mornings. I loved giving promotions, loved giving people opportunities and chances. I'd struggled my whole life. I knew what that felt like. I knew what it was like to want to get further, to climb to a place higher than where I was. I didn't want these people to drown. I wasn't going to let them. They were my responsibility. The whole world had flooded me, had drowned me for the last twenty-eight years, but I was not going to let that happen to the people that I could save.

As if my morning couldn't get any better, my cell phone rang.

It was Wes.

God fucking damn it. My heart was already light from that meeting with Ralph. Now it was completely weightless. Just from seeing Wes's name on the caller ID.

Rita was right. I was a goner.

"Wes?"

"Celine. God, I needed to hear your voice," Wes said from the other end of the line. He sounded exhausted.

"Are you okay?" I asked, shifting upright in my seat.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I'm on my second Red Bull of the morning."

"You'll get a heart attack and die."

"I'm a doctor. I know my limit."

"You're also an idiot so I'm not too sure about that."

He laughed.

"How are you?" he asked. "You sound happy."

"I'm in a good mood. I just gave a kid his first promotion."

"You really aren't that much of a Dragon Lady, huh?"

"Oh no, I definitely am. Just not all of the time."

"God, Celine," he said, laughing. "Your voice. Your voice is everything right now."

I blushed and felt extremely grateful that he wasn't here to see it. He'd probably get all smug about it. He's full enough of himself as it is.

"How's your morning been?" I asked, leaning back in my chair. His voice was doing things to me too. I just wanted to go home, snuggle up under my comforter in bed and talk to him for hours, which was absurd because I loathed long phone conversations.

"Kind of shitty. I spent half of it yelling at a first year."

"How does that work? Like you're in charge of them?"

"Yeah, something like that. Junior residents answer to senior residents. Senior residents answer to the attending."

"So you're a senior resident then?"

"Yeah. That makes me responsible for the junior residents and the interns below them. They usually don't deal directly with the attending."

"I don't know what an attending is."

"A board certified physician higher up on the hierarchy. They're technically everyone's boss. Kind of like you, but a practicing surgeon in their specialty instead of a hot insurance manager."

I laughed. Hot. Whatever.

"So the attending is like a manager, you're like a supervisor and the juniors are all the bottom feeders?"

"That's a very, very basic way of putting it, but yeah, it's a lot like that. Kind of imagine it like you're in high school except the set up is the senior teaching the junior, the junior teaching the sophomore and the sophomore teaching the freshman. Attending, senior resident, junior resident, intern. We learn and we teach as we go. There's a saying 'see one, do one, teach one'. Pass down the knowledge. That's how it works in residencies."

"I'd be pretty pissed having a sophomore teaching little freshman me in high school."

"That's my life right now. I'm dealing with freshmen like you. Sophomores too."

"So tell me about the first year that's pissing you off," I said.

"He's an idiot. There's not much to tell."

"What makes him an idiot?"

"Literally everything. He disobeys every one of my orders. Some first years are like that in the beginning. They think they're hotshots. This one has an especially big head. I'm going to have a lot of fun popping it."

"Hope you gave it to him real good."

"I'll give it to you real good tonight."

"Wes."

"I'm kidding. The no 'whatever' rule. I'll be a perfect gentleman. Did you get the text with my address and my neighbor's apartment number?"

I wasn't ready to tell him that I'd made some adjustments to that no 'whatever' rule. I was considering just letting it play out. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Ugh, but that comment about giving it to me real good. That made my insides turn to jelly.

"Yeah, got it all. What kind of old-ass name is Agatha anyways?"

"She's an old-ass lady. Sweet though. You'll like her."

"What's she like?"

"I've been living there for about two years so that's about how long I've known her. She's kind of like my honorary grandmother. Bakes me cookies and comes over to air out and clean my apartment when I'm gone even though I've told her a thousand times not to go through the trouble. She even does my laundry in secret. I should probably take away her key, but I know she enjoys doing it. Her family doesn't really visit her."

"That's sad about her family. A lot of old people just get forgotten. She really does sound sweet though."

"Like I said, you'll like her. And she'll like you. She's very excited to meet you."

"What'd you tell her?"

"All good things."

"I'll find out if that's true when I meet her. And how are you calling me right now?" I asked. "Aren't you 'on-call' or whatever?"

Wes laughed.

"I finished my morning rounds a while back. I'm taking a little break until I get paged, which I hope I won't because at this time of the morning it usually means there's something up with one of my patients or that an intern is pissing off a nurse or something."

"You guys seriously still use pagers? I thought that was only in the movies."

Wes laughed. "Yeah, we still use them."

"Why?"

"They're cheap, and they protect patient confidentiality. A text message wouldn't be able to comply with HIPAA."

"It's still stupid."

"I agree."

"There's so much about your life that I don't know."

"That's why I'm telling you."

I smiled.

"I'll tell you things about mine too."

"That's what I'm hoping for. I keep having to fight you just to get even one little detail about your life."

"You are not."

"I am. I got a 'none of your business' vibe when we went to dinner."

"I'm not giving that vibe anymore."

"Why? Because the date went well? Am I finally in the clear?"

"It was terrible. Worst date I've ever had in my life."

"Back to first base then."

"I'm just teasing you, Wes."

"When aren't you?"

"Shut up. Since you have some time why don't you sleep?"

"Why don't you shut up? This is better than sleep."

"You're a moron. You sound exhausted."

"Sleep isn't as satisfying as hearing your voice."

God, why did he say shit like this? He came on so strong.

"I still don't like the idea of you getting by on Red Bulls just to keep from falling asleep."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. And I can't sleep anyways. I'm assisting in a surgery at noon. I need to study."

"That sounds scary."

"I got used to it. I'm reasonably comfortable in an OR now. And I study. A lot. You'd be surprised how much time I spend with my nose in a book."

"Nerd."

"You wound me, Celine."

"Good thing you're a doctor. You can fix yourself right up."

He laughed.

"Can I just talk to you forever?"

"Not when you're operating on kids."

"I guess not. You probably wouldn't want to hear what it sounds like in an OR."

"What's it like?"

"Nothing like Grey's Anatomy."

"I don't watch that stupid show."

"Good. It's insulting to real surgeons."

"Oh, then I guess I'll start watching it on Netflix from your TV tonight."

"It wouldn't bother me. I don't even care if you burn down the whole apartment as long as you're there when I come home."

"You won't have an apartment to come home to if I burn it down."

"That's okay. Just be there. Fuck the apartment."

I laughed.

"I—Hey, Celie. Hold on a sec."

I could hear some talking in the background.

I kind of didn't care that he'd called me Celie. It sounded like it had just come out naturally. How the fuck was I supposed to give him shit for that?

"Celine?"

"I'm here."

"Listen babe, I gotta run. I'll try to call you later, but if I don't get the chance then I'll see you tonight."

Babe? Jesus Christ. Take it one step further. Ugh. I hated that I kind of liked it.

"Okay. And hey, Wes?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you too," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll see you tonight."

"Can't wait. Hope the rest of your day is as amazing as your morning has been."

"Hope yours gets better."

"It already has."

"Bye, Wes."

"Bye, Celine. Can't wait to see you."

I leaned back in my chair, smiling like an idiot. His voice alone had left my body a hot, tingling mess. It was bizarre, feeling this much for a person. Before I'd met Wes, I'd forgotten how to laugh, but now I was laughing naturally, not even having to think about it. The sound was strange yet familiar, like an old friend, meeting again now years later.

Dr. Westley Spenrath had already changed me. He did what doctors do best. He was healing me.

—

The day passed like any other rainy Friday with the phones ringing off the hook, the sheer volume of the calls so high that we began calling up agents on their day off, begging them to come pick up a shift to help take the load off. I ordered in pizza for the department, offered overtime to anyone that was willing, and walked the Floor to offer my assistance.

"You're going to have to leave at some point," Addie said around five in the evening. She'd stuck around to help with the call volume, but now she was finally headed home. For some reason, most of our insureds just assumed we closed at five so around this time it got slower with less calls coming in. It was a good time for breaks, or in Addie's case, ending a shift. She'd stayed long after I'd already told her to go home.

"I still have a meeting with Lisa. I have to make sure this department can make it through the weekend without me."

"The weekend?" Addie said, grinning. "Planning to have a lot of sex, are we?"

I threw an empty coffee cup at her.

"Get out."

"You get out," she said, picking up the cup and depositing it in the trash. "You don't know when his neighbor lady might want to go to bed."

I'd told Addie about the call, and she was right. I hadn't thought about that.

"Fuck," I hissed. "I forgot about that. I need to find Lisa right now."

"Lisa will be fine," Addie assured me. "She's perfectly capable of running this department. She's done it before."

"On rare occasion."

"Let this be the rare occasion then, for fuck's sake."

"Alright," I said, picking up my phone. I dialed Lisa's line. It rang for so long that I thought no one was going to pick up, but then—

"This is Lisa," she said breathily, like she'd just run a mile.

"Is this how you answer all of your phone calls?"

Lisa made a choked noise. I guess she hadn't expected her boss to be the one calling her.

"I-I was on the Floor, Celine. I had to run to answer—"

"You ran?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"There are rules against running on the Floor for a reason. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"I'm sorry, Celine. I-I forgot."

"Don't forget again," I said, rubbing my temples with my free hand. "Anyways, I'm calling to tell you that our meeting is canceled. I have to leave the office now."

"Now? But what about the—"

"Please don't tell me that you need me to walk over there and tell you how to do your job. Again."

"I—"

"We've been over this, Lisa. You should be able to take over within a moment's notice."

"Can I still call you if—?"

"Absolutely not. You're going to rely on the books tonight. You also have the key to my office, Lisa. Use my resources. I have every product line manual known to god in here."

"Okay," she said, breathing shakily.

"Prove to me that you can do this."

"I can," Lisa said, surprising me.

"That's what I like to hear."

Addie looked smug. Whatever.

"I'm going," I said, grabbing my bag, laptop case, coat and umbrella. I ushered her out of my office and locked it up behind me.

Heads turned as I left the Floor, visible relief washing over the agents' faces. A long time ago it would have hurt my feelings, but it wasn't a long time ago. It was now.

And now I was Dragon Lady.

—

I didn't think residents made much money, but I guessed he was making a modest salary by where he lived. I knew this area, knew these zip codes. I serviced many customers that lived in Anaheim Hills. They had some of the highest insurance premiums in the county. It was a nice place to live. Rolling hills, beautiful trails, a breathtaking view of the mountains. It was the kind of place that made you feel like you weren't in Orange County, like you were somewhere far away even though it was right there, just a twenty minute's drive from Disneyland.

Imperial Highway was a long stretch, a drive that usually led out to Corona and Riverside, where the areas were truly isolated. Wes's exit was going to be just two exits shy of the middle of nowhere. He was just barely on the cusp of civilization, leaving the absolute best view of the mountains right there to the left, his apartment complex to the right of the freeway.

The Cascades Apartments. I was willing to bet there wasn't a single waterfall there. I was right. The complex was on a hill, or part of a mountain, it was hard to tell. The apartments looked more like townhouses than apartments, each made of three stories, the bottom taken up by the garage. It was a big complex. There were even streets with their own names inside, and winding roads that went higher up the hill to houses probably owned by the same company.

I parked in the carport number that he'd texted me—well, I didn't really park. His neighbors were apparently assholes. There was hardly two inches of space and it would box me in the middle like the stuffing on an Oreo. If I didn't have a Tesla I probably would have kicked their bumpers. I got out of my car, muttering under my breath to use my key fob to have the car self-park.

"Technology these days."

I jumped, turning around and finding a little old lady standing just a few yards away, her hand rested on the head of a golden retriever who sat calmly staring at me. The both of them looked curious.

"Are you Agatha?"

She turned her attention to me and smiled.

"I am. And you must be Celine," she said, walking over. The golden retriever followed at her heels, its tail wagging as she made her way over. "This is Kevin."

"Your dog's name is Kevin?"

"I named him after my son-in-law," she said with a chuckle. I cracked a smile.

"Sorry about the parking situation," she added. "No one really parks in that spot. Westley parks in his garage."

Westley. I tried not to laugh. Wes fit him like a glove, but Westley sounded posh and unfeeling.

"It's okay," I said, popping my trunk. I lifted my duffel bag and swung the strap over my shoulder, my face reddening. I didn't know how this little old lady was going to be feeling about me spending the night at Wes's after having just barely met him. I knew there was the whole 'whatever' rule, but I'd already planned to break it.

But Agatha was one with the times.

"Come well and prepared, that's what I always say," she said, motioning for me to follow her up the street. "Let's go, dear, before the coyotes come out to play."

That got me going. Living in SoCal made me no stranger to coyotes, but that didn't mean I wanted to face one head-on. You can never tell what to expect when it comes to wild dogs, especially ones that run in packs.

Agatha led me up past two buildings, and then pointed out Wes's apartment. We took the stairs on the side leading to the second story, which was the first story of the living space. The bottom story was the garage.

"This is for you," Agatha said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a key and placed it on my palm, the cool metal heating from my touch. "I do want it back, though. Make sure Westley gets it to me."

I nodded, remembering what Wes had said about her looking after the place.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, putting the key in the lock and turning it.

"Oh no, dear," she said, patting my back. "You settle in. I'll take Kevin in for his dinner."

I turned the doorknob, opening it to a dark home. I don't know why it spooked me, but it did. Something about being in a strange place brought memories back to my childhood, back to moving from home to home, lugging a trash bag of all my clothes. I swallowed, casting the thought from my mind. Those times were gone now.

"Thank you," I said to Agatha. "For waiting up for me."

"It was no trouble at all," she said, smiling warmly. "You make him happy. So very happy. You were all he could talk about. Keep him happy, dear. That's all this old woman wants."