Page 62 of The Recovery Coach
Hazy accepted the indulgent breakfast.“What did I do to deserve such a treat?”he asked.He popped a strawberry into his mouth.
Livy built her own plate and rounded the counter to sit next to him.“Nothing.This is my attempt at hyping myself up.”
“Ooh, what are we hyping for?I can be a cheerleader for both of us!”
She cut a chunk of pancake and topped it with a berry before stuffing the gigantic bite into her mouth.When she finished chewing, she said, “Job hunting.”
Hazy grimaced.Not wanting to piss her off with any negativity, he stuck with a safe question.“What type of job are you looking for?”he asked.
She gave him a side-eye, but said, “I don’t know yet.I think I need to update my resume first and see what I qualify for.”
Hazy propped an elbow on the counter and rested his chin in his palm.“Would you want to go back and finish nursing school?”
Since she’d brought going back to work up the first time, Hazy had been meaning to ask her about school.He knew she had finished some sort of degree, but she hadn’t been open about that part of her life.It all happened during their awkward years.
He’d also searched job listings, trying to figure out how he could insert himself into her life when she returned to work.Growing up, she always said she wanted to be a nurse, so that’s what he researched.
“Oh,” Livy said.“Um, I don’t think so.Nursing really isn’t for me.”
“You didn’t like the classes or something?”
“Or something.”She took a sip of water and fanned her face, which was growing redder by the second.“I’m not cut out to be a nurse.”
He frowned.Livy had incredible bedside manner.She’d been taking care of him for months.With her empathy and compassion, he didn’t think anyone could be more suited to healthcare.
During his browsing he learned that nurses didn’t make nearly enough money.It seemed unfair that after a few seasons playing hockey, he would be set for life, but there were thousands of people out there saving lives, and they would have to work forty years for a tiny fraction of the returns.“Is it because of the pay?”he asked.
Livy gave a humorless laugh.“No, it would be a decent living.More than whatever I’m going to end up doing, I’m sure.”
Hazy threw his hands up in faux, teasing anger.“If you stay on as my assistant, you can have literally any amount of money.”
She grinned.“Counting your exercise reps and cooking breakfast hardly counts as a real job.It’s taking care of my friend.And soon you won’t need me.”
Hazy sighed, knowing he wouldn’t win the argument.He pressed further into his question about her career, curious about how Livy saw her future.He’d chosen a career path at age eight and stuck with it.Abandoning her life plan seemed weird.“So why not nursing then?”
She stared straight into her plate of pancakes, her cheeks flushed.He rubbed her back, not sure why she was freaking out.Finally, she half-yelled a rushed sentence.“I get queasy when I see people’s injuries, okay?I did one clinical rotation and threw up the first time I saw someone come in with a broken leg.One man came in missing the tip of his finger and I almost passed out.”
He stared at her in shock.“You’ve been tending to my leg with no problems.”
She covered her face with her hands.“No problems foryou.For me there were many problems.”
He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.All the times she changed his bandages and examined his bruises ran through his head.How could he possibly have missed that she was struggling through every minute?
After many seconds of speechlessness, Livy broke down into wheezing laughter.He stared at her for a long time before joining in.
“I’m so sorry,” he said through gasping breaths.
Livy waved a hand in front of her face as she tried to talk.“It’s okay.But I wouldn’t do it for anyone but you.”
Hazy gathered his composure and wiped tears from his eyes with his thumb.“Okay, okay.If nursing is out, and you won’t let me share my wealth, tell me something.In an ideal world, what opportunity would present itself?”Having eaten all his own, he stole a strawberry from Livy’s plate.
She slapped his hand away.“I guess I always saw myself working with kids.It would be nice to have a traditional nine-to-five.Hopefully low-stress.Where the boss cares about their employees and I could take time off for vacations and if my kids were sick.It doesn’t sound like much, but you’d be surprised.”
“The bar is in hell.”
Livy laughed and stood, taking her plate to the stove and piling more food on it.“No, that’s a pretty high bar.A lot of entry-level positions have variable schedules, are high-stress, have little wiggle room for time off, no social life, and weird hours.It makes dating and having good mental health impossible.”
He’d never been more thankful his career was a game.In the grand scheme of things, he’d gotten off easy.
