1

"Meg" I heard my friend, Diana, say my name for the nth time. I wanted to ignore her again but she sounded too insistent for me to resist any longer.

I let out a sigh then slowly turned my chair to face her. She was leaning on the divider that separated my small space in this office from hers on the other side and from the rest of the other employees.

"I'm trying to work here Diana," I said looking at her convincingly "unless you haven't noticed"

She sent me murderous stares folding her arms under her chest.

"Work?," she questioned, "staring on the blank sheet of MS Word doesn't work for me" she gave me a smirk.

"You have been transfixed on that damn monitor for hours and until now you still haven't typed anything," she said.

I didn't respond gazing at the paper works stacked on my table beside my computer.

"I understand that you are still mourning," she eyed me "but Meg, the world hasn't stopped spinning"

I sighed yet again.

"I know," I said letting my eyes fall onto Diana's baby blues.

She softened her expression and came towards me opening her arms wide knowing that I was on the verge of tears.

I accepted her offer but only held on to her for a few seconds.

"Thank you," I said pulling us apart looking at Diana feeling blessed to have a friend like her. She smiled.

We had been together ever since I was in high school. We met one summer when I took a waitress job at a restaurant she was working at. She was just a fresh high school graduate then while I was just about to step into it.

She was five years older than me but despite our age differences we just sort of clicked.

Diana was happily married now and has a beautiful daughter named Martha.

"You know you can always count on me" she said then gasped. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me.

"Shit. I almost forgot" she muttered. I raised my eyebrows having no idea what she meant.

"I almost forgot what I was to tell you," she paused, staring into my eyes "Martha will be turning five tomorrow" she beamed like a proud mother should.

"Oh," I said.

Diana's face turned from delightful to crestfallen as she watched me.

"No," she said "Meg, you know how it is when she doesn't see you there"

I shook my head sadly.

"I'm really sorry Diana," I said looking at my friend hoping she would understand "I just can't fool myself and pretend nothing happened"

She stared at me for a little longer trying her best to plead but after some time she nodded.

"Alright, I understand. Eric and I will just have to pray that the party would go smoothly as planned" she said, making me feel guilty with her words.

Martha, Diana's little angel with curly hair, beautiful blue eyes and fair-skinned, has some attachment issues.

Being the first child of my best friend, I was her godmother.

She had set a rule for me not to miss any of her birthdays no matter how busy and hectic my schedule was.

I did once and the party never occurred because she had pulled a tantrum and had not stopped until she fell asleep.

So each year my sister, Danielle and I made sure to attend Martha's birthday no matter what happened.

But this year, it was different.

"I'm really sorry," I said. Diana sighed.

"It's okay," she said giving me a reassuring smile "I just hope that someday soon you'd be able to move on already," she paused and stared at me.

"Because... I want the old Meg Ryan back"

**

"Dr. Kifer?" I said surprised to see my sister's heart doctor standing right before me outside my apartment.

He smiled.

"Hello Meg"

"What are you doing here?" I said.

The last time we saw each other felt like more than a decade ago so I can't think of a reason for him to be here.

"I..." he trailed off scratching his head as if getting lost all of a sudden. I stared at him, one eyebrow raised.

He sighed like he was having a hard time contemplating what to say.

"You see, Danielle..." he trailed off again gazing towards me. He cleared his throat.

Then he started searching the pockets of his black slacks. When he found what he was looking for he handed it to me. It was a white piece of paper folded several times so it would be as small as my thumb.

I started unfolding it.

Once the paper was finally back to its original size, I stared at the familiar strokes of the pencil, those perfect lines, curves and neat handwriting, stifling a sob.

It was one of Danielle's artwork.

I should have been embarrassed of her drawing me and her doctor then a heart right at the centre of our intertwined hands but the memory of her was overpowering, I wasn't able to think about it.

"I didn't see that until I had my lab coat brought to the laundry just a while ago," Dr. Kifer said.

I nodded.

"I'm sorry about Danielle," he said. I shifted my gaze towards him, a question I had in mind a long time ago resurfacing now in my head.

"How do you do it?" He stared at me confused.

"Do what?"

"Nobody had ever looked at Danielle the way you did," I said still gazing into his eyes which I noticed were like beautiful green emeralds and I watched as his face turned into understanding.

He placed his hands inside his slacks pockets.

"I'm a doctor Meg," he said facing me "it is my duty to make my patients well. I'm not there to judge their appearance" I clamped my mouth shut hearing the sincerity in his voice.

"A patient is a patient no matter what status they have, whether they are rich or poor, black or white, young or old, they are all the same. I took this profession to help as far as I can" I merely listened, feeling ashamed for even asking.

"I look beyond the physical aspect," he went on. "Besides, your sister was adorable," he smiled.

"Thank you" I forced myself to say, finding my voice back looking away fearing that doctor Kifer would see my tears.

"Meg" I heard him utter then felt his arms wrapping slowly around me. I fell into his invitation of comfort unable to resist the hard grip of sorrow.