Rock Novel – “Dr. Jackson, welcome.” The nurses at the emergency room station embraced me as I walked through the doors. “Thank you for your warm welcome,” I said. “It’s good to be back.” “Have you lived in the area before?” “A long time ago,” I said. “I wasn’t sure about coming back when I was offered the job, but I figured coming home might do me a bit of good after a grueling residency in New York City.” “Well, hopefully the small-town life is exactly how you remembered it being.” Yeah, that was what I was afraid of.
Medical school had been treacherous. I came home frequently to try and get away from all of the hustling and bustling. And it was nice, coming home. But I figured I would stay in the city after I graduated with my doctorate. I figured the hospital I worked at would provide me with a position after the connections I’d made. But when they chose two other doctors over me, I had to scramble like crazy for a job. In my work clothes, I was Piper Jackson. E.R. extraordinaire with creative ways to save people’s lives.
Outside of my work clothes, I was an adrenaline junkie. A woman who wore her jeans a little too tight, her tops a little too short, and bold red lipstick that made any man sink to his knees for a piece of me. I was also a mother to a beautiful five-year old boy about to start kindergarten. Five years ago, I made a trip home. I was debating on whether or not being a doctor was the right path for me to take. I was in my second year of medical school. I was angry. Alone. Scared. I’d just buried my father and found myself in an empty home that had been willed to me. The only thing my parents ever had to pass down to me.
They both grew up in Redding and met one another through the grocery store they both worked at. They married, lived their lives, and worked themselves to the bone until they died. They passed away with just enough money to pay off their debts and leave absolutely no mark on the world. Except for in their daughter and grandson. Burying my father was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and I sought comfort in the arms of a man in a bar that night. A man with a thick tongue, the language of a sailor, and hands that wouldn’t quit.
I spent my entire summer vacation with him, riding his shaft and making him beg my name in ways I knew I’d never forget. Then that jerk got thrown into jail. I was worried about moving back to Redding, but the timing seemed right. Gavin was about to start kindergarten and I had my childhood home that was paid off and occupied by no one. I moved us in there two weeks ago and got my son enrolled into the elementary school I attended as a child, and that was that. I was back home. Part of me was nervous about running into my son’s father. But he was a troublemaker. I had a penchant for them.
They were good for one-night stands and high-speed flings, especially for an adrenaline junkie like myself. But for being a father? A role model? Someone who could provide and stick around? Hardly. That man was probably still in jail anyway. “Incoming! Car accident in the middle of town. Two adults, three children, and one pedestrian. Triage, everyone!” I ran down the hallway and started coordinating as many supplies as I could. Redding’s hospital was tiny, at best. It was only myself and another E.R. doctor that worked the emergency level.
When one of us was working, the other was on call. But with that schedule came a very decent paycheck. That was one of the reasons why I decided to stick out my medical degree. After I found out I was pregnant with my son, I knew I would be the sole provider for his life.