The Tales of a Future Hockey Wife

Chapter 32: Dr. William Martin

~Eleanor~

My brother and I stopped being close when I was twelve. He was fifteen at the time and Miss Josephine Thornton was way more interesting than I was. He stopped helping me with my homework to spend the evening on the phone with her. He stopped coming to our Saturday Tim Horton's dates with our father to sleep over at her place. He stopped coming with me to the library, so I had to walk by myself, choose books by myself, and carry them myself. I was begging for my brother's attention, and when I got it, it didn't last long because he said I was clingy. I started to develop some sort of hatred towards Josephine Thornton because, in my young mind, she had taken my brother away from me. It's safe to say we were never close. We still aren't. My brother only dated one girl in his life and it was her. After they met sophomore year, they spent the rest of their high school years together, they went to UVic together in the same undergraduate program, they were both accepted in the University of British-Columbia's Medical Program, and they are both doing their residency at the Victoria General Hospital. The only difference is that my brother chose psychiatry while Josephine chose pediatrics and OB-GYN.

When I walk into my second hospital of the day, the pressure in my chest almost makes me regret my decision. I almost walk out of the hospital to go straight to Olive's place, but I don't. I need to know for how long a baby has been growing inside of me. I get flash-backs from last night when I clearly don't know where the hell to go. Why do hospital hallways all look the same? Lucky for me, there is a huge plan of the hospital immediately when you walk in. It's impossible to miss it, but I still did. When I calm myself down, I easily locate the psychiatric ward on the plan, take a picture of how to get there in my mind, and find the elevators. I press on the 6 and wait as the elevator goes up. This unit is similar to the one I was in this morning. There is a secretary behind a glass wall taking your name and the name of your physician. When it's my turn, she asks for my appointment sheet. Her reaction is immediate when I tell her that I don't have one.

"You can't walk in if you don't have an appointment," she says in the not so warm tone of a woman who has to say this multiple times a day.

"But I have to see Dr. William Martin. It's really important." I try and plead with her even though her face tells me it's useless.

"You see the woman over there?" She points at a woman with grey hair wearing a used brown coat. I nod. "Well, she said that what she has to say to Dr. Martin is really important too. Do you see me falling for that?" I shake my head but try one last thing.

"He is my brother. Just tell him that Ella is here, please." The only answer I get is an eye roll. I know arguing further would be useless. It would probably only get me committed in the ward. She screams: "next!" and turns her attention to the man behind me in the queue.

I take a seat in the waiting room, this time in the front row. I only pray for him to come out at one point. I would call him, but I left my phone in Windsor. I can see it clearly on the kitchen counter where I left it. At the time, I thought it was a good idea to disconnect completely, but I regret it immensely right now. The only way I can track time is by the clock on the wall behind the bitchy secretary, I end up sitting there for over two hours. It's ten past noon when Will finally walks out of the unit's door. His reaction is immediate, his brows scrunch down, his mouth opens as he stops walking. The woman he was talking to stops too, waiting for him to continue their conversation. I get up from my seat the second I saw him. He walks up to me, totally ditching the other woman.

"Ella? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Windsor. Why aren't you in school?" He always uses the same tone filled with disgust every time he mentions my life in Windsor, and of course he had to mention the school thing. I am not sure if he is happy or not to see me.