More revelations

"Anyway I gotta go, call me later."

"Talk to you later." Babs hung up the phone and lay back down in bed. She turned to look at Lucy who was filing her nails with one of the 20 emery boards Babs always had lying around. She was wearing a large Metallica t-shirt Babs had never seen.

"What did she say?"

"She said I slept with some ice climber and then she said she bought them for me. I don't know if she's lying about both things or not. Can you pass the chow mien? Hey careful, don't get that shit on my bedspread..."

Lucy and Babs had ordered Chinese. It was a fast growing tradition on mornings after a big night.

"So you honestly don't remember ANYTHING from last night?" Lucy blew on her nails and accidentaly dropped the emery board in the fried rice. After making sure Babs wasn't looking, Lucy discretely put the whole thing aside.

"Well no - I remember going to that second bar, what was it called?"

"My secret life?" Lucy guessed "something like that - it was on Queen West, not far from here I think."

"Right and I remember getting separated from you and Greta. She went home before us I know and I was telling someone - hey what happened to you? You were talking to someone, I don't even remember you leaving."

Lucy tugged at her t-shirt "same old shit. Don't even know his name really. I didn't bother to say goodbye this morning. He wouldn't have called anyway."

Babs nodded "was he cute?"

Lucy grinned "he was hot. Squirlies! That was the bar. Yeah, he looked nice lying there in the morning light. I didn't bother to wake him. Wish i could remember what we talked about."

"Yeah," Babs swallowed. "Me too. I wish I knew how I got home. I also don't think Greta gave me these long johns and i KNOW i wouldn't have slept with an ice climber. I mean, would I?"

"Depends - did he resemble a pirate in anyway?"

"Shut up about that" Babs punched Lucy in the arm. Lucy had the goods on Babs and knew she had a soft spot for movie type villains. Lucy was fine with it - hell she liked real life villains. The longer and dirtier the hair, the more skeletons on their t-shirts, the better.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah babs."

"I'm having an affair with a married man. And I don't know what to do."

"The back of the long johns!" Lucy cried.

"What? Didn't you just heard what I-" Babs said but Lucy was already pushing her forward and pulling at Bab's long underwear.

"Let's just see if there's a name on these things..."

Babs leaned forward, disconcerted on a number of levels. "Do you see anything?"

"No," Lucy admitted. "But someone HAS written a telephone number across your lower back along with 'call me when you are ready' plus their initials - do you know a J.W.? Now tell me about this married man."

BS

Babs took a breath.

"That's bullshit."

Greta had a reputation for extreme exaggeration.

"Babs, I bought you those longjohns as a joke when you got back in February from Eqypt".

"Ergh."

"Sorry. I thought i was funny, both times."

Long John

greta texted the girls from the lobby of mount sinai. this was about the fortieth time during this two month rotation that she swore never to drink again.

a Saudi IMG bought her a latte and managed to touch her thigh while handing it to her. he said he was pleased to be on call with her that night. Greta very audibly groaned and opened her first chart.

fourteen yr old 22 wks gestation incest suspected/ consult psych. Greta could always suspend her hungover state for cases like this.

her pager went off. it was frigging Babs. she called her back.

"Do you recall me EVER purchasing long johns?"

"Babs, he was an ice climber. I think they live in their longjohns. In fact I've treated dermatological fungi caused by excessive and utterly unhygenic longjohn-wearage in those prone to participation in dangerous and painful winter sport. His name was Dan or Don or Ron and he's supposedly visiting from Red Deer for the weekend. Or he just lives at that seedy motel on Ossington. You're back already eh, how's Lucy?"

"MOTEL?"

Morning after 3

"Mmm. Hello?"

"Babs? You awake?"

"Mmm."

"Babs do you have my keys?"

"What?"

"Babs it's Lucy, I think you have my keys"

"Mmm don't think so - didn't Greta have them?"

"No i called her, she was throwing up. She says she doesn't have them."

"Where are you?"

"Outside of your apartment."

Babs sat up, her hair a dark brown cloud. Her eyes were rimmed with mascara and she was wearing a backwards shirt and a pair of long johns that she'd never seen before. The memories of the previous night came hurtling towards her so hard that she fell backwards against her headboard with a smack.

"Ouch!"

"Babs?"

What had she done?

"Babs? Can I come in? It's kind of cold out here."

Morning after 2

Lucy felt the light on her face but she refused to open her eyes. She refused to do so because she knew that if she did, she'd be forced to face who was lying next to her. And she wasn't ready to do that yet. Instead she kept her eyes shut and in an evasive maneuver, rolled sideways and out of bed.

Safely on the floor - whose floor? - Lucy opened her eyes and peeked through her fingers. She'd landed in a pile of laundry, shoes, maybe both belonging to her - she herself was wearing an XXL Metallica t-shirt and nothing else. Oh wait, she had on one sock. Sitting up slowly Lucy peered over the edge of the bed and at the person who she'd been lying next to.

"Oh thank Christ" she breathed. He was still asleep.

Getting dressed as quickly as she could with her head spinning, Lucy couldn't help feeling as if she was in a Margaret Atwood novel - did any of those heroines wear Metallica t-shirts? Finding her shoes Lucy pulled her hair back into a pony tail and looked back once at the sleeping figure on the bed. Despite everything, Lucy allowed herself to smile.

Fuck it, she was keeping the shirt this time.

Morning after 1

Greta opened her eyes. At least she tried to so that she could find her alarm clock. How was it noon already? Good thing she'd bothered to set it or she'd have been late for her rotation. Raking a hand across her nightstand and knocking over various things - ear plugs, lotion, a half empty class of water and pictures of her family she finally reached her alarm. But by now she was awake. Greta sat up slowly, raising a hand to her pounding temple. She was horribly awake.

"Let's see" she heard herself say. "I remember the party." She swung her legs over the side of her bed and touched her feet to her cold hardword floor. "I remember the pub" she stood. With a slight teeter she made her way to the bathroom but stopped short when she reached her computer. The monitor was on and her steps has jostled the thing out of sleep mode. Her email was open. Frantically Greta lurched forward, and clicked on the sent box.

Two emails had been sent - apparently - by her last night. One was to Eliot in California. The other was to her friend Jill, the Love Coach.
"Oh god" Greta stumbled onward to the bathroom and threw up.