Long Time Running - By Hannah Foster Page 0,19

at night. Is there," Eric cleared his throat as Keith met his eyes, "is there anything I should know about her medical history?"

In this moment Eric hated himself. He was violating his ethics by using his position to gain personal information about someone who was not a patient. Worse, he was betraying himself by caring.

"I don't know all the details. She doesn't talk about it and the village is very protective of her," Keith relayed as he got a distant look in his eyes. "She has nightmares and cries out in her sleep, or worse, she just dissociates and seems to go into herself. She loses track of time and where she is. Sometimes she's in Chicago, sometimes she's in Africa. Sometimes she's a child in Indiana and has just lost her parents. But then she snaps out of it and she refuses to talk about it. But she's not fine."

Eric unclenched his hand from the clipboard that he had been holding as he struggled to gain control of his emotions.

"So," Keith said tightly, breaking the intensity of the moment. "When do you operate?"

Eric studied the man intensely. "I'm not operating on Nat," he replied.

The familiarity in Eric's tone and the use of Nathalie's nickname triggered Keith's instincts.

"What? Why not?" he asked shortly.

While Eric had bent his personal code of ethics to find out information he felt he was entitled to, he was not a liar. "I have a conflict with her and can't be her physician."

"What kind of conflict? And why is now the first we are hearing about it?"

"Nathalie is aware that I am not going to be her physician."

Keith's eyes turned cold. "She is, is she? Well, you haven't answered my question, Dr. Smitherman. What conflict do you have with Nathalie's case?" he demanded.

Eric knew he was under no obligation to divulge the information Keith requested. But he needed to. Whether because he sympathized with the position the man before him found himself in —knowing nothing about the woman he loved— or whether he wanted Keith to know that he had loved her first, he was unclear.

"Nathalie and I were involved once. I am unable to act as her doctor."

A look of shock overtook Keith's features as realization slowly crept in. ""Involved?" What exactly does that mean Dr. Smitherman? Went on a date? Went steady? Were married?" Keith continued as anger emanated from his voice. "Please fill me in as it seems my girlfriend is inclined to leave me in the dark once again!"

"Nathalie and I were involved for a period of time as residents." Eric said breaking their relationship down to its simplest form, leaving unspoken that she had meant everything to him; that he hadn't been the same since she left and that they shared a child.

"A period of time? I see" Keith replied crisply. "I may not be a brain surgeon but my math puts her residency right before she left for Africa. Would you know anything about that?"

Eric smiled ruefully. "No, Mr. Wilson, I would not. It appears Nat is adept at keeping us both in the dark.

"Yeah," he echoed distantly, glancing back at the room. "It appears she is."

#

"So, are you comfortable with Drew as your surgeon?" Sarah asked as she brushed her sister's hair, soft strokes pulling through the shiny waves.

As had become her new routine, Sarah would visit every day at lunch time and then again after work. Sarah wanted to and needed to spend time with her sister. But she also needed to have a conversation with her - one she had been avoiding.

"I always loved when you did this when we were little. It made me feel safe."

Silence enveloped the two women as Sarah continued her ministrations..

"I hope you still feel safe Nat. "

"I'm trying," she whispered.

"Well, you still haven't answered my question. Are you comfortable with Drew as your surgeon?"

Nathalie opened her eyes and turned around to face her sister. "Comfortable? No," she continued, "I'm sure he'd be just as fine with me dead as he would with me alive. But," she paused at Sarah's evident objection, "as long as he hasn't changed too drastically, his gigantic god-complex won't allow him to let me die. And I do know that he has always been a very talented surgeon."

Sarah paused, unsure of a response. "He is still a very good surgeon," she finally confirmed.

"Is he still a gigantic man-whore?" Nathalie asked, a smile tilting the corners of her mouth for the first time since Sarah had seen her.

"I