7.

Did you know that a person who loves tattoos and piercings is called a stigmatophile?

Now you do.

Text from Amethyst to Tama'i

A METHYST

I was yanked out of a very pleasant dream by the ringing of my phone and grumbled as I reached for it. I opened one eye and saw that the call was from our after-hours service, so I hit the button to put the call on speaker.

"This is Dr. Hamilton," I croaked.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Dr. Hamilton, but we got a phone call from the emergency room. One of your patients was injured in an accident, and his father insists that you are the only one who can treat him."

"Who is it?" I asked as I sat up and put my feet on the floor. As the woman gave me the details, I set the phone back on the nightstand and ran my hands over my face before I eased my silk bonnet off and let my braids fall around my shoulders. "Thank you. I'll take care of it."

I dialed the number to the nurse's desk in the ER as I trudged to the bathroom and calculated the correct dosage of a sedative I knew would help calm my young patient. After a short wait on hold, I spoke to the charge nurse and explained my patient's diagnosis and instructed her as to the best way to give him the medication he needed before I assured her that I would be there as soon as I could.

Since I'd showered last night after my training session with my sisters, I pulled on a scrub top that depicted a jungle scene and found a pair of scrub pants that would match before I pulled on socks and a pair of Crocs that also matched the theme for today.

Within just a few minutes, I had my backpack over my shoulder and was walking out the door. I only realized what time it was when I opened my garage door and saw that it was still dark.

It didn't take very long to get to the hospital, and I parked in the doctors' lot before I hurried to the entrance of the ER. The second the doors opened, I could hear my patient and winced when I realized that he'd probably been screaming like that since he had arrived.

As I passed the triage nurse, I reached into the side pocket of my backpack and pulled out a handful of the caramels I was never without and dropped them onto the desk in front of her. She smiled at me, and I winked before I pushed the swinging doors open and went in search of my patient. It wasn't hard to find him, considering his yelling directed me straight to his room. As I walked in, his father looked over, and I watched relief transform his face.

Without a word of greeting to anyone, I hit the button on my phone to start the song I'd already pulled up and then jumped into action and did something I knew would draw my patient's attention just like it did every time. By the time I'd completed the first verse, he was smiling, and then he joined me for the chorus as he started clapping.

I reached over and pulled one of the nurses in the room to my side and then waved another one over and instructed them, "Just dance. Come on! Let's get this party started!"

The second they joined me, my patient saw them in a new light and even smiled as he held his injured hand against his chest and continued singing. By the time the song was over, there was a completely different vibe in the room. When the next song started, I started swaying slowly to the calmer music as I approached my patient and brushed his hair back so I could see blood seeping down his forehead.

As the music played, I gave instructions to the nurses while we got to work. I planned to sing and dance as much as necessary to help him. I loved my job and my patients. If singing and dancing was what it took to help them feel better, I was more than happy to perform regularly. The smile on the little boy's face, even though I knew he had to be in pain, told me that every off-key note was worth it.

It didn't take long for us to get him all set and on his way home with liquid stitches on his small forehead cut and a brace for his sprained wrist. I decided to grab a cup of coffee and make my rounds before I went on to open the office.

Visiting the newborns in the nursery was one of the favorite parts of my job, and I made sure to leave a handful of candy on the desk for the nurses. I knew that some doctors were hard to deal with so I made sure that I was never one they dreaded being on duty with. If anything, I wanted them to feel comfortable around me so they wouldn't hesitate to tell me their thoughts on a patient.

In my experience, nurses were the key to good patient care since they had far more interaction with the patients than I ever did. Not a lot of doctors acknowledged that, but it was something my associates and I never forgot. We made it our mission to stay humble and never turn into the kind of physician that nurses hated.

After doing a newborn assessment on my newest patient, I popped my head into the room where her mother was sleeping and found her father awake and playing on his phone. Without waking her, I motioned for him to join me in the hall where I gave him the all-clear to take their baby home to join their family with instructions to make an appointment for her next check-up in two weeks.

Since I still had almost three hours before the office opened, I pondered my options. If I went home and tried to get a little more sleep, I'd probably just be groggy for the rest of the day, but if I went and had another cup of coffee and some pastries, I could surf a caffeine and sugar high until my lunch break when I could take a power nap.

Of course the carbs and caffeine won out, and soon, I was knocking on the door of my favorite bakery.

Janis Grissom was a good friend of mine. We had grown up together as club family since our fathers belonged to the Texas Kings MC. She was known for being temperamental and difficult to get along with while I was much more cheerful and upbeat, so many thought we were an odd pair.

I knocked on the glass as hard as I could but knew she probably couldn't hear me in the back, so I pulled out my phone. Before I had a chance to call her, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to find her standing on the other side of the glass. She unlocked the door and pushed it open for me and then locked it again as I greeted her cheerfully, something I knew would set her off.

"Why are you awake, and what do you want?"

"I set my alarm to wake up hours before I had to work just so I could come visit you, my sweet friend," I teased.

"Bullshit. You got called out, and now you're going to come bother me instead of going home to sleep like a normal human."

"Okay, I'm busted. You're right," I admitted as I walked around the counter to make myself at home. As the espresso machine did its thing, I found the syrups I wanted and put a few pumps into a large cup and then started steaming my milk.

"It's a health department violation for customers to just walk in and start serving themselves."

"I never pay anyway, so am I really a customer?"

"I'm going to go bankrupt feeding all of you asshats who show up and steal my stuff," Janis grumbled. I knew she didn't mean it, and I also knew that everyone who came in and ‘stole' baked goods and drinks pinned cash to the corkboard just inside the kitchen to make up for what they'd taken. Janis changed the subject abruptly when she said, "Tell me about this Polynesian god I've been hearing about."

"What have you heard?"

"Just rumors since you haven't said shit," Janis grumbled. "You know I live vicariously through all of you, so it really hurts my tender feelings when you hold things back."

I heard one of Janis' employees snort and looked around at the same time she did. The two people who worked under her had been with Janis since she opened, so they knew about her quirks and moodiness all too well. They also knew that the glare she was aiming their way was just for show because when it came to the people she cared about, Janis was all bark and no bite. The people she didn't care about should be terrified of the woman, but luckily, I was one of her favorite people.

"Do you mean the guy I've been talking to?"

"Duh. This is the middle of the damn country . . . far, far away from any ocean. How many other islander hotties do you think are floating around here?"

"True."

"I guess my burning question is can he eat a papaya like those guys on the video?"

"What video?" I asked curiously. Janis pulled her phone out and started scrolling through one of her apps before she held it out to me. I watched a short video of shirtless men with their hands behind their back drawing the seeds out of papaya halves and had a full-body shiver when I imagined Tama'i doing something like that to me. "Oh my. That's interesting."

"How have you never seen that? I'm sure at least three of the girls have put it in our group text."

"I ignore the group text until the red dot on my screen starts to get on my nerves. I try to scroll through to see what I've missed but usually get bored and just close it out and go about my day. If someone really needs to talk to me, they'll have to send me a message because I don't have time for all that chatter."

"That is why you and I are friends," Janis said with a smile. "You're secretly an introvert just like me."

"It's never been a secret that you're a grumpy recluse. I just prefer to keep my digital communications to a minimum." I walked down the long counter, perusing the selection of pastries, baked goods, and donuts before I picked one and took a bite. Through a mouthful of deliciousness, I mumbled, "This is the best one you've ever made."

"Maple bacon is a customer favorite. You're lucky you got here when you did because they're usually the first ones to sell out." Janis grabbed a box from one of the tall stacks on a side table and said, "I assume you'll want to take a box to the office."

"Yes, please."

As she started selecting various things for me to take, she said, "Talk while I work."

"His name is Tama'i, but everyone calls him Tiny." Janis scoffed, and I smiled because I knew exactly what she was thinking. The man was huge , but I understood how nicknames went, especially in the biker world. However, I thought his given name was unique and beautiful, so I would forever call him Tama'i and let everyone else use his handle. "He's really nice and . . . I can't think of how to describe him."

"Excellent kisser? Gainfully employed? Good in bed? Isn't a homeless thug who is looking for a sugar mama?"

"Haven't kissed him, he works with my sister at Fain's shop, don't know about all that, and he moved here to live at his sister's and take care of her kids while she and her husband are deployed."

Janis stopped in her tracks and looked at me with raised eyebrows as she asked, "He uprooted his life to move here and take care of her children?" When I nodded, she smiled and said, "I like him already."

"He was in the military and has also been to prison."

"So, one way or another, he has something in common with at least half of the men we grew up around."

"He doesn't seem afraid of my father at all."

"Really? I've known your father my entire life, but there are times when he gets that look that makes me remember he's not one I'd ever want to cross."

"That's saying something, but you know Dad is just a big softie. He's just got a very crunchy exterior. Like . . . um . . ."

"Like a complete and utter psychopath?" Janis suggested.

"No! He's like a s'more. Crunchy but filled with ooey gooey sweetness that everyone loves."

"Are we still talking about Lout?"

"Yes!"

Janis laughed as she shook her head. "I know that most people, at least most outsiders, can't see it, but my dad is the same way. So are the rest of the men in our family. I wonder if your big islander is a sweetie too."

"I think he might be. He's smart and funny. Respectful too. Not just to me, but also toward Mom and Dad."

"You haven't even kissed him, but you've already introduced him to your parents?"

I told her about Mom calling me to the shop while she was getting tattooed, and she smiled before she said, "What's your mom going to do when she runs out of skin to tattoo?"

"I have no idea, but the possibilities are terrifying."

"So, what has you out and about before the crack of dawn this fine Thursday morning?"

"One of my patients had an accident, and they needed my help calming him down in the ER."

"Oh, no. How did he get into an accident in the middle of the night?"

"He's an artistic little guy and likes pushing the boundaries his parents have put in place to protect him. Occasionally, that manages to get him into trouble like he did while they were sleeping and he crawled up onto the counter to reach the treats he'd seen his mom hide in the cabinet above the refrigerator."

"Hmm. Artistic. You mean autistic, don't you?"

"No, I mean he's artistic. He sees the world in a completely different light than everyone else and understands the shades of its beauty from a unique angle."

Janis nodded in understanding, well aware that I didn't like labels and also wasn't willing to share details about my patients' medical diagnoses. "I bet he's a fun kid."

"The best. He loves to sing and dance. I introduced him to The Temptations and every time I see him, we sing ‘I Can't Get Next To You.'"

"Excellent song!"

A timer went off, and I saw Janis tense as she glanced toward the other end of the kitchen. I suddenly remembered that she must have a million things to do before the bakery opened this morning, but she was making time for me.

"I'm going to get out of your hair so you can get to work," I said as I took the box out of her hand. "Want to lock up after me?"

"No, it's almost time for us to open anyway," Janis said as she glanced at the ovens again. "Call me so we can catch up. I miss your face."

"I don't miss yours because you're U-G-L-Y and you ain't got no alibi. You're ugly. Yeah, yeah, you're ugly."

"Why are we friends?"

"Because no one else is willing to deal with your attitude." I started giggling as Janis walked away and wasn't surprised to see her flip me off over her shoulder. Still laughing, I yelled, "I know I'm number one! Thank you!"

Even though I was too tired for the caffeine to have any effect, my morning went by quickly. However, my afternoon went downhill when a patient of mine had to be admitted to the hospital and then another threw up all over me before he spewed all over the walls of the exam room, his mom, and True, the nurse who was unlucky enough to be standing next to me at the time. Luckily, we had a shower in the employee bathroom, and I always kept a spare set of scrubs in my office, so I was able to change. Even though I was clean, I still felt like I needed another shower.

I was dreaming of a long soak in the tub and a bottle of wine when I walked into the exam room to do a consultation for my cousin Wren, a nurse-midwife, who saw patients here in the office along with the other doctors on staff. When my uncles, Terran and Spruce, and my aunt - their sister Jewel opened Parker Medical Clinic, they intended for it to serve people of all ages and to be a place where entire families could find medical professionals that they could trust. When my cousin Roscoe started practicing, he wanted to open his own women's health clinic, but they convinced him to join them and changed the name to Parker Hamilton Medical Center. As soon as I was able to practice pediatric medicine, I joined them.

Wren had been one of the RNs that helped start the clinic while she continued her degree to become an APRN - an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - who specialized in midwifery and women's health. I worked closely with her and Roscoe, the OB/GYN on staff, and helped their patients feel secure in knowing that their children would have me on their side from the minute they were born.

Once I introduced myself to the patient, a lovely young woman named Meredith, and her husband, Alex, I leaned against the counter next to the stool where Wren was sitting and got ready to answer all of the questions they might have.

I loved the magic of pregnancy and had considered going into the obstetrics field of study, but my love of infants and children had won out in the end and led me to pediatrics. Now I got to help new parents navigate the choppy waters of having a newborn in their lives as I watched their little one grow up.

As always, watching the expectant mother rest her hand on her belly as she eagerly asked questions about the future gave me a pang in my chest. I wanted so badly to have a child of my own, and since I'd been single for so long, I had started considering in-vitro options. However, I still held out hope that someday I'd find a partner to be by my side through everything from morning sickness to a colicky infant and then on throughout the rest of our children's lives until we became empty nesters who couldn't wait for our grandchildren to come and visit.

The romantic in me wondered if I'd met that man already. As if he could sense my thoughts, my phone vibrated with a text from Tama'i that made me smile.

We'd been texting back and forth since our lunch a few days ago, and I was gradually getting to know him better. Everything I'd learned so far made me glad that I had agreed to our date on Saturday, and I could tell from the countdown he had going that he was just as eager to see me again too.

As I slipped my phone back into the pocket of my scrubs, I forced myself to focus on the patients in front of me. Tama'i could have all of my attention when I was finished here. Hopefully, this day would end just like the last few - with him on the phone as I enjoyed a long soak in the tub before I went to bed.

Maybe someday he'd be waiting for me in bed instead of sleeping across town.

Maybe.