I yanked a handful of prescription pads from my purse. For the next few minutes I signed prescriptions from my colleagues for OxyContin as if my life depended on it. I thought about signing a few from me, but decided it was too risky.

Water leaked in a steady drip from the tap, merging with the sound of my heart throbbing in my ears. I transferred the signed prescriptions to the canvas bag, flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and went downstairs to the café, my mind made up.

Gabe was nowhere to be found, and for a second I panicked, thinking he’d changed his mind. But then I saw him outside talking on his phone. Gabe waved and made a drinking motion with one hand, asking for a coffee.

The café was busy. Most doctors went to the staff cafeteria upstairs for lunch, but the coffee was better down here. I got in the back of the line.

“Hello, Emma.” Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I whirled to see Cass Robbins standing in line behind me. Cass had huge, soft brown eyes that were serene and thoughtful, matching a calm demeanor that was much admired in the ER, where she worked as a doctor. She smiled, revealing teeth that were an orchestra of chaos, her front teeth too large, her canines twisted and sticking out at odd angles.

“Oh, hi, Cass.” I risked a quick glance out the window for Gabe; he was still on the phone.

“How are you? How’s Josh?” Cass peered at me, her brow furrowed. Word spread fast in a small town.

“He’s okay right now, thanks. How are you?”

Cass sighed. “I need more coffee. The amount of ODs coming in lately, I just can’t keep up. We had two resuscitations this morning, a mother and father. Their four-year-old called nine-one-one when she couldn’t wake them.”

“Oh my God. Did they survive?”

She shook her head. “Poor little girl’s going to grow up completely traumatized.”

I opened my mouth to answer but was saved by the cashier calling me up. I ordered a blueberry muffin for Moira, a double-shot Americano for myself, and a mocha for Gabe, which I remembered was his drink of choice.

“You must really need the caffeine!” Cass chuckled, an eyebrow arched.

“Ha.” I forced out a breezy laugh, busying myself with stuffing my receipt into my purse. “I’m meeting a… friend.”

She glanced over my shoulder and grinned. “Oh my God! Your friend is hot. Maybe introduce me later.”

I turned to see Gabe watching me from the other side of the glass. My stomach twisted.

The barista plopped our drinks on the counter. Cass grabbed hers and waved good-bye. I picked up the coffees and blueberry muffin and found a mostly-clean table tucked in a corner at the back. A minute later, Gabe slumped into the chair opposite me.

He took a long slug of coffee and made a face.