“Orders for Jamie, Louise, and Ashlyn!” The barista tried shouting over the conversations that controlled the small shop. He wasn’t having much luck, and I sat there as he called their names again, and no one went to claim their drinks.

It was abnormally busy in here for a Tuesday at two pm, and I couldn’t help but to overhear the conversations all around me.

“Order for Nora!” I got up to get my coffee, and I’m glad I sat so close to the counter. I wouldn’t have been able to hear otherwise.

“Do you have any idea why they are all here?” Jason, the barista, asked.

“I believe they are all staying the hotel across the street for a woman’s retreat. I heard someone say they are all meeting here and leaving for a hike in 30 minutes.” Jason looking defeated went back to making drinks.

“Have a good day,” I called as I walked back towards the exit.

I stopped and felt the cool air on my face once I was almost to my car. I was trying so hard to be positive, but after this week, I could feel the tears welling up again. I shook my head and put a smile on my face. I refuse to cry anymore. I got in my car and drove home.

Horace and Reginald met me at the door tails wagging and tongues out. I put their leashes on them, and we headed out for the dog park.

It’s nice to have a routine in tough times. I wake up everyday at 7:00, quickly change, get coffee from down the street, and then take my dogs to the dog park. I’m usually home about 8:30 when I change into work clothes, and then drive the twenty minutes to work. I get home at 7:00, eat, watch some tv, and then sleep.

Everyday I do the same thing. I don’t have a moment where I can think about anything other than what’s happening. I’m glad for it. I feel so stupid for needing this much distraction from a breakup, but I have so many negative thoughts that I hate thinking for even a second.

“Hey, lady, watch out!” Before I could even process what was happening, I was on the ground. “I am so sorry. He got away from me. I’ll hold on to him better.”

A sweet boy about nine or ten was grabbing ahold of his bear of a dog. He’s cheeks were red from the cold, and he reminded me of my brother at that age.

“It’s okay,” I replied getting up. “I’d have a hard time holding on to him, too.” We both giggled. His mom called for him from a few yards away. She looked like she was winded from running. The boy waved and ran to catch up with his mom.

Once at work, I tended to my patients and checked on their paperwork. It was a slow day, so I was going into as many rooms as I could to find anything to do. There wasn’t much though. A bed pan to be changed here and there and that’s it. I went to the front desk to see if they needed anything, and I saw the woman from the park.

She was screaming about her son being hurt, and we needed to help her. Janine was trying her best to help her, but the mother wasn’t giving any information.

“Ma’am, we are going to need you to slow down and tell us what happened.”

The woman angrily hit the desk and yelled, “My son was hit by goddamn a car.” I ran up to the woman.

“Where is he?”

She looked at me and dragged me to her husband who was carrying their son inside.

“Janine, call Doctor Breith right away.” Then I started doing vitals on the boy in the lobby to be sure he was alive. Once I knew he was I put him on a bed, and we took him to get fixed up.

After examining him, the doctor found he had 3 broken ribs, a shattered elbow, his right leg was broken in 3 places, he had staples in his head, and he had internal bleeding. He will be in the hospital for awhile. At the moment, he was in a coma.

I had gone in to check on the boy hours later. “Do I know you from somewhere?” The mom asked.