The streets of RhyDin were quiet as Eva walked home from the Inn, but her mind was as loud as the bar when it was packed to the rafters. She?d never thought of being a doctor as a thankless job ? it had its rewards ? but recently she?d begun to feel invisible. She knew Alain and his girlfriend were appreciative. Or at least Alain was. His girlfriend was too drunk to really appreciate much. That was okay. Eva had done her thing. Stitched a wound. Cleaned up a mess.

So why did she feel so... empty? Eva sighed.

She hadn?t seen Tucker in more than a week. Hadn?t heard from him since the note he?d left that morning. In the grand scheme of morning-after notes, Eva had gotten some pretty bad ones. But thinking back on it, she felt worse now about Tucker?s note than she felt about any of the other ones. At least with the other ones she?d gone into the affair with some awareness that it would probably be over in the morning. So even the worst of the notes were dulled. Thanks for last night. It was fun. Don?t call.

Eva could hardly call Tucker?s note a morning-after note. It was the morning after nothing. They?d barely touched, let alone kissed. All she?d done was fix up a stab wound that he?d let go too long without proper care. But now, after a week of hearing nothing, her ego stung. Was she letting herself get used? Was that what the feeling was? The emptiness?

Eva brushed the thought away. She just had to find a way to see him again. Because she could still remember those expressions on his face. How terrified he?d looked when she?d told him to get into bed, terrified and maybe hopeful. And how sweet as he drifted to sleep. No, notes wouldn?t do. She had to see him.

When he?d asked how he could pay her for the work, she asked him to promise to see her when he was feeling better. Eva paused in her walk, looking down the dark street ahead and sighed. It was time for her to get paid.