Back to You

Chapter 1: A Decision to Make

After a long night in the operating room at Westchester Medical, her shift having ended hours ago, a freshly showered Dr. Bethany Runford stood at her kitchen counter, towel around her, absentmindedly stirring her coffee as she spoke to the one being who never judged her.

“Well, Bones,” she murmured, eyes scanning the phone in her other hand, “looks like I’m getting guilt-tripped again.” Her eyes flicked out of her apartment window. The sun was just cresting the skyline and even though she was exhausted, she had to teach a virtual class via Zoom to a group of residents in less than an hour. Only then, blissfully, could she sleep.

Bones, a gray tabby with piercing green eyes, lazily blinked up at her from his perch on the windowsill, offering no commentary as usual. His tail flicked rhythmically, thumping softly against the wooden sill. Bethany chuckled and gave him a pointed look.

“I know, I know. Kathleen’s been at me about this reunion for months. But do I really need to go? What’s the point? I don’t need to see who’s balding or who got Botox.” She paused, her lips pressing together as she stared at the steam rising from her mug. “Plus… Mike’s gonna be there.”

Bones flicked his tail, clearly unimpressed by her dramatics.

“You’re no help,” she mumbled, setting her phone down and taking a sip of her coffee. The bitter liquid did little to ease the knot forming in her stomach.

Her eyes drifted back to the messages glaring at her from the screen. Kathleen had been relentless. She flicked up and re-read some of their previous exchanges.

Kathleen: Have you RSVP’d yet?

Bethany rolled her eyes and had typed back.

Bethany: Nope. And why do you ask me? You run our old high school Facebook Page. You made this event, so you know who’s RSVP’d and who hasn’t.

The dots had danced across the screen before Kathleen’s reply had came through.

Kathleen: What the hell, Beth?! It’s our 15-year reunion!

Bethany: It’s just another milestone, Kat. Besides, you’re a teacher at the very same school. This reunion shouldn’t mean that much to you. Nothing’s changed.

But Kathleen was having none of it.

Kathleen: Milestone? Girl, please. You’re a badass doctor. Don’t you wanna show those idiots what they missed out on? And don’t make me list all the reasons you should come. Besides, it’s an easy reason to see your best friend more than once a year. I’ll even up the ante by putting you up here at the house.

Bethany had smirked, but before she could respond, another text had popped up.

Kathleen: Oh, and did I mention…

Bethany’s brow had furrowed.

Kathleen: Mike’s gonna be there. I saw him RSVP a few weeks back.

Her heart had skipped a beat. She had so many questions.

“Damn it, Kat,” she had whispered, feeling her pulse quicken.

Presently, Bones yawned, utterly disinterested. He’d turned his attention to swatting at a low hung plant whose long leaves were precariously close to his front paws.

Bethany’s thoughts spiraled as she leaned against the counter in her towel. Mike.

Her first love. Her only real love. What was he up to now? Last time she’d heard, he was an electrician.

They’d been inseparable back then. They both bonded during their early school years due to their similar-sounding last names.

Hers, Runford.

His, Rumferd.

Teachers would often presume they were cousins or siblings, and it didn’t help that the school forms often messed up the spelling of one or both of their last names. But what had turned out to be an initial annoyance, soon became a union of convenience. From high school junior year all through college, they’d been “Mike and Beth”—a packaged deal.

But life had a funny way of pulling people apart. Her dreams of becoming a surgeon had taken her to the East Coast, while Mike had stayed in Oakridge, Oregon, building his career and… moving on.

Or had he?

Bethany bit her lip, her mind drifting back to those early days. She remembered her body developing more slowly than the other girls. She’d only got the height, but none of the curves. Like so many young impressionable women, she’d turned to the internet, reading blog post after blog post and scanning endless forums. It seemed, so she found, the only way to help ‘nudge’ her curves along was to increase her appetite and simply eat more. When she’d brought up the subject to Mike, he at first seemed dubious, but he knew how much fitting in meant to Bethany and had thus become entirely supportive.

Slowly, thirty pounds later, she grew, Mike had loved her—all of her.

Even when her body had changed, when her curves had softened and she’d struggled with new, unwarranted insecurities, he’d made her feel beautiful. He’d cherished her fuller figure, his eyes lighting up every time she indulged herself. But she hadn’t known how to love herself back then. And that had been her undoing.

“Is it really a good idea to open that door again?” she murmured.

Bones gave her a slow blink.

“Right. Of course. Why not rip open that wound for old time’s sake?”

Her phone buzzed. A reminder alarm. She noted the time; she’d have to get changed and get ready to teach her lesson soon. Her phone buzzed again, this time it was an incoming text from Kathleen.

Kathleen: Don’t make me drag you there, Bethany. You know I will.

Bethany groaned, rubbing her temple. She had been through med school, survived grueling 48-hour shifts, and yet the thought of one weekend back home in Oakridge had her stomach tied in knots.

“Looks like I’m going back in time to Oakridge,” Bethany muttered, already feeling her stomach churn.

Bones stretched lazily, clearly unimpressed by the drama unfolding before him. He swatted at the plant and, defiantly, it fell to the floor.

“Bone! Really dude?”

He turned his body and flicked his tail upward so that his puckered backside met her glare.

“Rude.” She said and crouched to pick up the plant and sweep up the loose dirt. Luckily, it had been a minute since she’d last watered it, so the mess was, thankfully, minimal.

Bethany took a deep breath and righted the plant. This time, selecting a sturdier location. She glanced at her phone and bit her lip. Hurriedly, she opened her Facebook App, found their high school page and clicked “Will Attend.”

A moment later, a text came in from Kathleen full of heart emoji’s.

Kathleen: Knew I’d wear you down, girl.

Bethany tilted her head back and laughed. But as her fingers hovered over the screen to type her response, her mind echoed one final warning.

What if he’s moved on?

What if I haven’t?

++++++