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Part
60
Joe Early continued on down the hallway to the doctor's locker room. The face of the young woman in hall continued to pull at his memory. A memory began to surface, hazy but frightening. Joe quickly pulled on his suit jacket and signed out, headed for home. He had to check out something.
Once at his bachelor apartment, Joe carefully closed and locked the door behind him. He poured himself a stiff drink of bourbon straight up, then went over to the bookcase that lined the north wall of his living room. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Joe ran a finger over the spines of the photo albums on the bottom shelf. Finding the one he wanted, he scooted away from the wall and opened it.
Minutes later, he found what he was looking for. Lifting the plastic, Joe recently took out a faded photograph, holding it up to the light. Two faces peered back at him from the picture. The man and woman in the photo were in their early 20's and appeared to be very happy. A tear trickled down the doctor's face as he looked at the photo of himself and her. The tears continued to fall as his memory replayed the scenes of that fateful night.
*****
"Oh Joe! I can't believe how handsome you look! I just know that you are going to be the best doctor in the whole world!" Beth's face glowed in the moonlight as she turned in her seat to face her boyfriend. "Dad will have to let up now after he sees you made it into med school. He can't possibly object to me dating a doctor."
"Let's hope so. I want to marry you Beth, but I don't want to come between you and your father." a young Joe Early answered, watching the road carefully. The two were on their way back from a date, taking the scenic route through the hills instead of the new freeway. It was their last night together before spring break was over and both settled into their college classes again.
Joe pulled the car over to a secluded spot overlooking the ocean. He and Beth scooted close together and watched the lights of sailboats in the small bay. The wind was whispering through the tall pines beside them and the warm night air carried the scents of wildflowers. Beth sighed in contentment and laid her head on Joe's shoulder, closing her eyes to concentrate on listening to the wind. Joe smiled her lazy expression, but had to nudge her awake as a familiar sensation made it's presence known.
"Sit up for a minute, hon. I have to take a walk." Joe opened the car door and walked into the shadow of the nearest trees, feeling Beth's grin on his back the entire way. He had just completed his business when the sound of screeching brakes and a woman's scream filled the stillness. He ran back to the overlook, just in time to see a car smash into his, sending it careening into the choppy waters below.
"BETH!!!!!!"
*****
Joe startled at the sound of his own voice. Had he really called out her name? His tears soaked the front of his shirt as he pulled up his knees and wept.
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