Out Of The Ashes (Part 5)

Abby passed through the automatic doors of Central General Hospital. Coming through those doors always gave Abby a rush, and today was no different. She had gotten a full night’s sleep, which did wonders for her mind. She scanned her badge and greeted the nurse at the front desk, as she grabbed a chart from the rack. Unlike most of the other doctors doing rounds, Abby went straight to work, avoiding the small, rumor filled break room. She’d take a break when her shift was over. As Abby turned a corner, she was reading the chart in her hand, and nearly ran into someone. When Abby looked up, all she could see were the buttons on a man’s shirt. Shifting her view upward, Abby gasped and grabbed the nearby wall for support. Before her stood none other than her ex-husband Jay. All the memories of being married to him, and the life they’d had came rushing back in a moment. His smooth, deep voice pulled her abruptly from her memories. “How have you been Abby?” Looking into his eyes, she could tell he still loved her, even after ten years of being divorced. “I’ve been well, Jay. How have you been?” Abby tried to keep the conversation general. She did not need to relive her past right now, not when she had to work. “I’ve been ok.” He hesitated, not sure if he should ask the question screaming in his head. “Abby, can we meet some time for coffee?  I’d really like to talk to you in private. Abby stomach dropped, and she felt the world spinning. The desire to run was strong, but the forced herself to stay, and confront this. “Jay, I really don’t think that would be a good idea.” She stated as kindly as possible. A look of defeat entered his eyes, and he shifted his gaze to the floor. “Of course, you’ve moved on with your life, no need to go back. I’d best be going, I have work to do, and I know you aren’t here for the fun of it.” He retrieved his briefcase from the floor, and started to move away. “I’m really sorry, Jay.” Abby stated weakly to his back. Jay mumbled something in return. Abby stood for a moment, trying to take it all in before continuing to her first patient of the day.  The day seemed to drag, as Abby’s thoughts dwelled on her meeting with Jay. When she finally locked her office door, and headed for the car, her thoughts were still far away. “Why now, Lord?” she prayed as she drove. “Everything was going so well, I had just started to put all of that behind me, and really move on. Why did I have to run into him today? Abby dropped her keys on the hall table, and headed for her bedroom. Standing in front of her closet, Abby seemed frozen. When she realized how long she had been standing there, Abby shook her head trying to  get it clear and get her thinking again. “You’ve got to snap out of this.” She scolded herself out loud. “Running into Jay is not the end of the world, just a bump in the road.”