Fly With Me | ✓

17

Clinical, while exhausting, was the first time that Everleigh felt like she knew what she was doing and she was good at it. Her first couple shifts in London were chaotic in the best way possible. She filled in at a geriatric residency that day for a classmate who couldn't make it due to illness—codeword for I'm fucking hungover please save me, which had Everleigh drop off a bottle of Advil and make sure she was okay before going to her ten hour shift.

            Geriatrics was fun. A woman fought Everleigh about whether she should put her dentures in or not. A nurse who had been there longer than her said that was pretty standard for that resident. Everleigh counted her blessings that she didn't get bitten by a set of gums.

            Everleigh was off at around four. The perfect time for her to visit her parents and mooch off them for dinner because she was too tired to even go into a drive thru. And she'd already chowed down on the chocolate from Maverick. (He was a day off.) (It was annoying.)

            The drive from the geriatric residency was closer to her parent's house than it was hers. And, as it happened, Everleigh had the weekend off. Seemed like the perfect time to sleep in her old bedroom and crash the entire weekend to recuperate. Dawn would love it; Troy would call her annoying, but secretly enjoy it. If she stayed there, she might convince herself she was worthy of any dinner she was served.

            Usually if Everleigh came to visit her parents after a flight, she would change out of her uniform. But going to her flat to get something to change into was a lot of effort when Troy owned an abundance of hoodies and Florence was a pack rat who left her clothes there all the time. All Everleigh kept was underwear and, maybe, a set of pyjamas.

            Everleigh parked her car in the driveway and got out, leaving any textbooks in her backseat so she could not think about them for the foreseeable future. She walked up to the porch, knocking gently on the door.

            It shouldn't have surprised her that Troy opened it and buried her in a hug. But what did surprise her was how fast he pulled away. "You smell like old people."

            "Thanks, pa."

            Troy grinned. "I'm so happy you're here."

            "Even though I smell like old people?"

            "Even though you smell like old people." Troy stepped out of the way of the door. "Have you met Navi in person yet?"

            "We video call."

            "You video call with the baby?"

            "With Flo, Pa."

            "I knew that."

            "Uh huh." Everleigh laughed and walked past him. "Mum! I'm here!"

            Footsteps got closer as Dawn came around the corner. She also buried Everleigh in a hug. "Oh my gosh, hiya! How was clinical?"

            "Tiring. But good."

            "Good, good."

            "Leigh come meet Navster, I don't care if you're tired, I am too!" Undeniably Roman.

            Everleigh walked into the living room once Dawn let go of her. "Hey, fucker—"

            "Everleigh." Dawn and Florence were a little to alike in many aspects and chiding her for swearing was one of them. Everleigh didn't dare venture a glance at Troy, who she could already hear hiding a laugh behind his hand.