22"You've got to be kidding me!" I said as I drove back over to my place with Taylor. She was setting me up on a blind date, and she hadn't even asked if I was ok with it before telling the guy that I would be there. "No, I'm not kidding you, Gabby," Taylor said, shaking her head at me. "I think it will be fun if we all have dinner together. You're my best friend and he's Chad's best friend. Why shouldn't we do it?" I glanced over at her shrugging my shoulders. "Maybe because I don't have time for what you're hoping for?" And she played coy with me. "What am I hoping for?" As if she didn't know. "You're hoping that I'm going to go out with him more than just meeting him tonight. I don't have time for that, Tay. I'm too busy. My life is too busy." Taylor scoffed, shifting in the passenger seat. "You don't need to be so busy all the time. You need to make time for yourself, and that means getting out. Maybe seeing someone every now and then. And who knows? Maybe you'll like him." I shook my head, turning into my driveway, pushing the button on the ceiling of the car to open the garage. "Why are you so adamant on me meeting this guy?" I pulled into the garage, looking over at her as I parked. "Why are you so adamant not to?" I turned off the engine, dropping my keys in my purse and shaking my head.
"What's his name?" I asked, looking back at her. She beamed brightly, reaching out and taking my hand, excited that she had broken down my wall, or even put a crack in it. "His name is Troy. He's a really good guy. He's got the cutest little girl. She won't be there tonight, but I'm sure if you like him, you'll meet her someday." My mouth dropped open slightly, my eyes narrowing in on her. "Do you really think I'm going to want to start dating a guy just because he has a child?" If he had a child, who knew what kind of emotional history he had. He knew what kind of history he had. Where's the mother? Do they have a good relationship? There were so many questions about the issues he could have. I couldn't open myself to that kind of relationship with a man. I dealt with enough people's issues on a daily basis, I didn't need to deal with a man's issues in my personal life. "Why not? He's a good guy. He's a good father." I sighed, opening the door and sliding out of the car. Looking over to her as I shut the door and walked around the car toward the door to the laundry room. "I've told you, Tay. I'm not looking to get into a relationship."
We walked into the house together and Tay shut the door behind us. "Well good, because I took the looking for it out of the equation for you." Placing my purse down on the kitchen counter after walking into the room. "You don't give up, do you?" Taylor laughed, shaking her head. "No! Now say you'll come with us tonight." I leaned across the counter, letting go of a heavy sigh. "What time?" Taylor smiled in triumph, nodding quickly. "Seven. At his place. He's cooking." I shook my head, walking away from the counter toward the hall. She was doing everything she could to convince me that this was a good thing. "Fine. If we're having dinner, I've got to get ready to go." She laughed, following me down the hall and walking into her room. "You're going to have fun, Gabby! I promise you!" Shaking my head, I shut the door after walking into my room, walking over to the closet to get ready to go. I couldn't believe she had actually talked me into this, but then again, she had always gotten me to do things I didn't think I wanted to do. I was sure I didn't want to do this, but I'd never been able to say no to Taylor and I didn't think I'd be starting anytime soon.
"Troy, this is great!" Mom said after Tress ran into the TV room. "It's about time you got out of the house," she laughed. "Ok, so you're not really getting out of the house tonight but you're going to see someone! It's wonderful!" I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at her. "It's not a big deal, Mom. It's just dinner. And it's all four of us. Chad and Taylor will be there with us. It's not like we're really on a date." She nodded her head, rubbing my arm. "Well maybe it will turn into more!" I sighed slightly, "Mom!" She laughed, giving me a hug. "I just want to see you get yourself out there. Who knows? You may like this girl." I looked down into my mom's eyes, taking a breath. "I don't have time to like anyone, Mom. I don't have time to spend with anyone. Every moment I have that's free, you know I want to share it with Tressa." Mom took my hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know, sweetie. But you can't be alone forever. Besides, Tressa does need a woman around, more than just me and Darby Evans."
I knew that she did. More than anything I knew she needed a woman around, but that didn't mean that I was going to jump into a relationship right now. I worked and went to school and by the time I was done with that I barely had enough time to spend with my daughter. I wasn't about ready to sacrifice any of my time with my daughter. I didn't know why people couldn't accept that. I knew they only had our best interests at heart, but the only girl I wanted in my life at this point in time was my angel girl. I had too much going on in my life that I wouldn't have time to devote to anyone else. I barely had enough time to spend with my family and Chad as it was. My study group had asked me to hang out with them more than once, but I always turned them down. Chad and I hardly ever hung out. And I was barely able to spend one night a week with my family. The only person I made a special effort to spend time with was my daughter, and even that was hard. My weekend was devoted to her and here I was having agreed to have dinner, cook dinner, for my friends who had set me up with some girl who would have her feelings hurt when she found out I wasn't interested in getting to know her. I didn't want to hurt some girl's feelings, especially if she was Taylor's best friend. I'd never hear the end of it, but I couldn't get involved.
"I understand, Mom," I told her, wrapping my arm around her. "I will see this girl tonight, but I can't promise anything beyond that." She looked up at me, hugging me tightly. "That's all I ask. Just have fun and try not to be so standoffish. Who knows? She may be a really great girl!" Shaking my head, stepped away from her, walking toward the TV room. "I'll be nice. I promise." I walked into the TV room, leaning over the back of the couch where Tressa was sitting on the couch with my sister. "Hey, angel girl." She looked up at me, turning to stand up on the couch and face me. "You going home now, Daddy?" I took her little hand in mine, kissing her tiny little fingers. "Yeah. I'm going. You have fun here with your Aunt Sophie and Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Jack. I'll be here first thing in the morning and we'll have breakfast here and then we'll have the entire day to ourselves. We'll do anything you want to do. Sound good?" She nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. "Ok, Daddy! I love you!" I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I love you, angel girl. Sleep well!" She pulled back, nodding her head. "I will, Daddy. Sweet dreams!" Kissing her forehead, I stood up straight. "Sweet dreams." I looked over to Sophie. "Good night, sis." She waved her hand back at me, still watching the television. "Yeah yeah! Don't you have a date to get to?" Shaking my head, I laughed, leaning over and kissing Tressa's head again, whispering softly. "Good night, sweetie."
I left the house and headed over to my apartment. It wasn't that far from my parents' house. I had moved into this place close enough to my parents so it didn't take too long to get there so they could help me take care of Tress. I loved the place. It was just big enough for the two of us and rent wasn't that bad either. I managed my finances well enough, and within the year we'd be able to move into a house. I didn't want it to be too far away from my parents' house. I still needed their help with taking care of her. I wouldn't want more distance between us to make things harder on any of us. It wasn't as though I would ever move out of Albuquerque. This was our home and we'd never leave. I pulled into the parking lot, parking under the carport in my space before getting out of the truck and heading toward the door to the building. I opened the door and headed up the stairs to the second level where my apartment was. I had just a little under an hour before Chad would be here with Taylor and her friend. It would be just enough time to shower and get dressed and set the table. Dinner had been cooking since I left to take Tress over to my parents' place. It would be ready by the time I got out of the shower, and then I'd just keep it in the oven to keep it warm until they got here. I really wasn't looking forward to this. I'd much rather just hang out with Chad. I wouldn't even mind Taylor coming over. Tress could have stayed home and I wouldn't have to worry about meeting this girl that I was sure I wouldn't see ever again. But I had committed myself and they'd been here soon.
I ran out of my bedroom, hearing my cell phone ring from my purse. I was all ready to go to this dinner with Taylor and Chad at his friend's house except for my shoes. I pulled at the zipper on my dress, trying not to get my hair caught in it. I reached into my purse and pulled out the phone. I didn't have time to look at the caller ID. I was sure I was going to miss the call, but I pressed send and put the phone to my ear. "Hello? This is Gabriella." The voice on the other side of the line came in as if they were about to hang up, but heard me answer, so quickly pulled the phone back. "Gabriella Montez? This is Dr. Hart Mathison at the University of New Mexico Emergency Room." I sat down at the table, leaning back in the chair. "Yes, Doctor. What can I do for you?" I knew if a doctor was calling from the emergency room, things weren't good. I knew one of my patients had done something to hurt themselves and they needed me to come down. "One of your patients was brought into the E.R. a few hours ago. Hannah Winnick. She slit her wrists, but her roommate found her and brought her in. She lost quite a deal of blood and we've got a transfusion set up right now. But she woke up and she doesn't want to speak with the on-call psychiatrist here at the hospital. She says she'll only speak with you." I closed my eyes, leaning my head on my hand after propping my elbow up on the table. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll be there soon."
Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath, sighing heavily. It wasn't good that she had done this. Not by any means, but I was glad she had asked for me. She could have spoken with the on-call psychiatrist, but asking for me showed that she trusted me. She could have refused to talk to anyone, but she asked for me. Taylor came into the room, stopping when she saw me sitting there like that. "Gabriella? Are you alright, honey? What is it?" I looked up at her, taking a deep breath, and standing. Slipping the phone in my purse, I nodded my head. "That was the hospital. One of my patients tried to commit suicide today. They need me to come down to see her." Taylor's head turned slowly over her shoulders as she struggled with accepting it before nodding slowly. "I guess that means you won't be able to make it for dinner." I shook my head walking over toward her. "I'm sorry, Taylor. But I have a job to do, even when I'm not on the clock." She nodded. "It's ok, Gabby. I understand. Hopefully the four of us can get together some other night while I'm here." I tried not to scoff, or even laugh for that matter. She wasn't about to let this go. "Yeah, alright." I walked past her into my bedroom to find my shoes. I wasn't about to change. Hannah needed me to get down there as soon as I could. I sat down on the bench at the foot of my bed and leaned over to pick up one of the shoes I had chosen to wear tonight, sliding it on my right foot. I picked up the other shoe and slid it on my left foot, standing up and smoothing down my dress.
Coming back out of the bedroom, I called to Taylor. "I'm really sorry about dinner, Tay." She came out of her bedroom. "That's ok. I already called Chad. He's on his way over to pick me up." I nodded, reaching into my purse to pull out my phone, my keys and my wallet. I would take my briefcase with me, not this purse. "Thank you for understanding, Tay," I said, walking into the living room to my desk, sliding out my chair where I kept my briefcase, putting my phone and my wallet in it, before picking it up. "You know where the spare key is if you get home before I do?" I asked, heading for the garage. "I do, Gabby. Just go. Don't worry about me. I'll see you either tonight or tomorrow." Nodding, I smiled at her and headed toward the garage door through the laundry room. "See you later," I said, leaving through the door, pressing the button on the wall near the door to open the garage, shutting the house door behind me. I walked down the stairs and walked around my car to get in the driver's side. I slid in and pulled the door shut, slipping my key in the ignition and starting the car before pulling out of the garage. I pushed the button on the ceiling of the car to close the garage and pulled out onto the street. I felt bad about having to cancel dinner, not because I wouldn't be meeting Chad's friend, but because I was letting Taylor down. I'd make it up to her and she knew it.
I straightened my shirt walking to the door after hearing the unmistakeable knock from my best friend. I had just finished setting the table and I was already for this semi-blind date. The chicken was staying warm in the oven and everything else was on the table waiting for us to sit down to eat. I walked out of the dining area through the living room to the front door, opening it to them. "Hey, man! Come in." Chad and Taylor walked in and I smiled down at Taylor. "It's good to see you, Taylor." I looked down the hall and back at them, still holding the door open. "Where's your friend?" Taylor sighed, shaking her head. "There was an emergency. She had to go into work." I narrowed my eyes in on her, slowly shutting the door. "Emergency? What kind of work does she do?" We walked into the dining area and Taylor answered. "She's a licensed clinical therapist. One of her patients needed her at the hospital. That's all I know. She had to go." I shook my head slightly, making a hmmph sound. "That's dedication. Being on call like that." I really was impressed. She wasn't even a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she was committed to her patients as though she was. I really was impressed. "That's too bad," I continued. "Oh well. Let's not let that spoil dinner. Have a seat. I'll get the chicken out of the oven."
I walked into the kitchen and picked up the hot pad, opening the oven. Reaching in, I pulled out the chicken and shut the door. I placed the pan on the oven top, putting the hot pad down and grabbing the tongs. I put the chicken onto the serving platter piece by piece before putting the tongs down and picking up the plate. I walked into the dining area with the chicken and sat it down on the table. "How's Tressa, Troy?" I smiled, handing her the rice so she could start eating. "She's great. We picked up her Uncle Ryan at the airport last night. She was so excited. You guys will never believe it. He's engaged." Both of them looked at me shocked, freezing in serving the food onto their plates. "Ryan Evans?" Chad asked, trading Taylor the bowl of corn for the rice in her hand. "Is that legal?" I laughed, shaking my head. He thought the same thing I did. I'm sure everyone thought he was gay. "He's marrying Kelsi Nielsen." Chad almost dropped the bowl in his hand, slowly placing it down on the table. "No way! He's actually marrying a girl?" Taylor looked over at him, shocked he would say something like that. "What?" He grabbed his side after she slugged him slightly. "You mean to tell me you didn't think the same thing?" Taylor sighed, looking over at him almost glaring. "That's beside the point. You shouldn't be rude about it." She turned back to look at me. "Now we just need to get you involved with someone."
No one was going to let this go. Couldn't I get out there and do things on my own time? I wasn't ready for a committed relationship. It wouldn't be fair to the girl and I wouldn't want to get Tressa's hopes up or even worse. I didn't want her to feel like I was trying to replace her mommy. She had said we needed to get me a fiancée last night, but I was sure she really didn't know what that meant. If I got involved and she realized that girl could take her place as her mommy, even though she'd never known her mommy, she could get upset with me. I didn't want that to happen. When I did get involved with someone, I wanted to have had time to explain things to her and make sure she was alright with everything. I also didn't want her to feel like she was being neglected either. I loved her more than anything, and she would always come first in my life. Whoever I became involved with, whenever I became involved with them, she'd have to realize that and accept it. I couldn't have a girl who would expect me to neglect my daughter in anyway. She'd have to understand Tress is my number one or it would never work between us. "Can we just enjoy dinner and not talk about hooking me up? I know you guys want it, but you're just going to have to wait."
Chad picked up a piece of chicken, placing it on his plate before sucking off his fingers. "Whatcha waiting for, man? You can't be a hermit the rest of your life. And I sure as hell know it's not about Sharpay. You never loved that bitch." Rolling my eyes, I was glad Tress wasn't here. He was right. I had never loved Sharpay, but I sure as hell didn't want him talking about her mommy like that around her. "No, I didn't, but that doesn't mean that there are certain aspects that are keeping me from getting involved with anyone. And yes, one of them is inadvertently Sharpay. I don't want Tress to think I'm trying to replace her." Taylor reached across the table, taking my hand in hers. "Tress is a big girl. She'll understand when you do start dating someone. Besides, it would be good for her if you got out and dated. She needs to see that you're trying to live your own life, even when you are still completely dedicated to her. She loves you and I really don't think you have anything to worry about." Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and picked up the rice from the table, dishing some onto my plate. "Can we just not talk about it tonight? Let's just have a good dinner and enjoy our night." The two of them nodded, not pushing the subject anymore. Maybe if I was lucky, I wouldn't have to hear another word about it until Taylor came home for summer break.