Saving Forever - Part 3 (3 page)

Chapter 4

After a night of passion, Charity didn’t want to wake up. She heard Elijah moving about his room: a drawer opening and closing; a closet door sliding; clothes rustling and the water running in the en suite bathroom. She rolled over and watched Elijah come out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his hips.

He reached for the clothes he had laid at the edge of the bed and smiled when he met her gaze. “Mornin’ sweetie.”

She smiled, wondering if her hair shot out in every direction. “What time is it?”

“Half past five. I have to be at the hospital at six.”

She sat up and tucked the duvet under her arms. Compared to last night, she was now shy. “I need five minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”

He crawled across the bed and kissed her nose. “Go back to sleep. I’ll take my car in. I usually catch the subway, but then I can meet you after work.”

She set her pillow so she could lean back against it and brought her knees up. “What time do you… finish?” She was distracted watching him dress. She could feel herself grow warm and hugged her legs to stop the sexual train of thought her brain and body were trying to head down.

“I’ve got a twelve-hour shift. Barring anything crazy happening, I should be done by seven at the latest.” He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. “I should have tried to switch my shift last night, but I was too distracted.” He winked at her.

“Nice excuse, except no one would have offered to take your shift on Christmas Day.”

He made a face. “True. Your dad and I did the same shifts last year and agreed to do them again this year. We’re both on tomorrow as well. What are you doing Friday?”

“I’m flying back to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. I have a meeting in the morning with the architect-owner of the hall where we are hosting my Dad’s gala. I booked my ticket for after that.”

“Want to call today and change it?”

She couldn’t. “I can’t.” She didn’t want to tell him why.
Please don’t ask, please don’t ask–

“Why?”

“I’m meeting Malcolm – er, Dr. Parker, Friday evening.”

“On a date?” He jumped off the bed and ran fingers through his hair.

“No! It’s to go over stuff for the Valentine’s Gala with Forever Hope Hospital.”

“On a Friday night?”

She didn’t like the tone of voice he was using. “It’s the holidays. We went with whatever time worked.”
You and I hadn’t been speaking at the time. How was I to know I’d be in your bed?

“Where are you meeting
Malcolm
?”

Seriously? She was not going to answer Elijah. He would never understand. Malcolm and she were going to meet at his place but it was completely platonic. The guy was still in love with his ex-wife. She slipped out of the bed and grabbed a shirt sitting on Elijah’s dresser. It was an Under Armour top, one of the tight-fitting shirts that barely managed to cover her bum. Her dress lay somewhere in his living room. She had no idea where.

“Where are you meeting him?” Elijah repeated.

She walked past him to the hall. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”

He followed close behind her. “Why won’t you answer? You have a thing for doctors? Is that why you were so hush-hush about going to New Zealand with me? And then left so suddenly?”

Furious, she spun around and crashed into Elijah’s chest. He caught her, their faces inches apart. They glared at each other, both their chests heaving. 

“Dammit!” he swore. He crushed his lips against hers and pulled her tight against him.

She tried to pull away, but barely made the effort. Her body responded and she was kissing him back before her brain realized what was happening. It took all her concentration to step back. She held him at arm’s length, both of them panting, but this time for an entirely different reason. “You have it all wrong.” She inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I get why it seems that way to you, but it isn’t. I’m not interested in Dr. Parker. At all.”

“Really?” He looked skeptical.

“I’m only interested in one doctor.”

He watched her face with intense eyes. He slowly grinned. “Me?”

She laughed. “You drive me crazy when I’m not around you, and you drive me crazy when I am. What are we going to do?”

“Figure it out as we go?” He rubbed his recently-shaved chin. “I’m sorta new at the relationship-thing and I really don’t want to mess this up before it starts.”

She nodded. They did seem to be driving down some roads of destruction without even trying. She wondered if things would be easier if she lived in New York. It didn’t matter. She had no intention of moving anywhere until her contract in Atlanta finished. “I think figuring it out as we go is a fantastic idea.”

He smiled and then frowned when his watch beeped. “Oh crap! I’ve gotta go. I’m late!” He kissed her, lingering a second longer than he should.

As he headed out the door she called out, “Tell my Dad I’m bringing you guys lunch!”

He popped his head back in. “I’ll text you the alarm code for the house. You okay to set it?”

“No problem.” She kissed her hand and blew it at him. She ran to the window and watched him back a black BMW out of the garage.  She waved as he drove off and stood in the living room feeling domestic – for about twenty seconds. She folded her dress and took Elijah’s clothes to a hamper she had noticed in his bedroom. Beside the hamper was a laundry basket of clean clothes. She grabbed a pair of green hospital pants and took them with her to the bathroom to put on after she showered.

Forty minutes later Charity was showered, dressed and had a coffee at the house. She’d snuck a peek around the house but hadn’t opened any drawers or tried reading anything that wasn’t her business. She had just wanted to see a little of how he lived and what he liked. She set the code Elijah had texted her and double-checked to make sure the door was locked. She drove back to her hotel to change before heading back to her father’s place to get the leftovers planned for dinner and make a lunch.

The roads were quiet and a light snow started to fall, making everything fresh and white. Feeling festive, she dressed in a red sweater and black skirt. As she drove back to her father’s place she drove past the church she had attended as a child and where her mother’s funeral service had been held. She pulled into a driveway and turned the car around back to the church.

Inside, she slipped into a pew at the back. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of her mother and how much she missed her. It had been six years but there were days she wished so hard her mom was still around.
Just one more conversation, one more hug, one more chance to say goodbye.
“I miss you, Mom,” she whispered.

When the service finished, Charity drove to her Dad’s place. The house seemed oddly quiet and sad, like it was hurt that nobody had decorated it for Christmas. She went into the kitchen and set water to boil and organized what she would make. She decided on chicken salad sandwiches, wraps with curry, and she would use some of the leftover vegetables for a pasta salad. She set to work. As she waited for the pasta to finish cooking, she grabbed a few Kleenexes and headed into the family room.

Her throat ached as she walked down the four steps to the sunken room with the old brick fireplace. The furniture had been rearranged but she could still picture her mom’s hospital bed where a treadmill now stood. The room now seemed different. The memories of growing up here—watching movies with friends; her first kiss; doing homework; sneaking in the house through the sliding doors when she was in high school and past curfew—all seemed vacant now. Like the hospital bed that had been removed had taken more than just her mother.

She stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed and tears escaping from behind them. Her mother had been so sick by that point. She had fought so hard and then she had just lied there exhausted, her body fighting long after her spirit had surrendered.

Charity bit her lip. She didn’t want to remember the sad part
. It’s just a room
. It didn’t own her memories. Water splashed and sizzled in the kitchen, so she turned and headed back. The pasta would be tasteless if she over-boiled it.

Back in the kitchen, she shook off the feeling of sadness and thought about Elijah. She grew warm as she remembered his touch from last night. She quickly packed the food in Tupperware her mother had purchased. The Tupperware still sat in the same cupboard her mother always placed it in. She wanted to see Elijah, not be in this depressing house.

She drove to the hospital. After parking her car, she sent Elijah a text to say she had lunch. In the elevator, he sent a text back: Be another 20min. Meet in your dad’s office?

Her Dad sat behind his desk with his office door open when she reached it. He looked up, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. “Charity.” No Merry Christmas, no greeting whatsoever. She supposed they were back on awkward terms, even after their conversation from last night.

“Merry Christmas, Dad.” She set the cooler of food on a table and began to take the containers out.

“Don’t use that table. I have clients fill out forms and do paperwork on it.”

She sighed, glad her back was turned to him. “Fine. Where do you want me to set the lunch I packed for
you
?” Man, could he be anymore of a control-freak?

“Maybe grab a cart from the nurse’s station? Less mess.” He went back to reading the papers in front of him.

Charity rolled her eyes but headed down the hall to the nurse’s station. “Do you have an extra cart here Dr. Thompson could borrow?”

The older nurse smiled, as if sympathetic and knew what her father was like. The woman probably had no idea Charity was Dr. Thompson’s daughter. “I think there is one in the back. All the girls brought cookies and snacks for today. Let me just empty it for you.”

“Thanks so much. Can I help?”

“Sure, and help yourself to a cookie or two as well. You little skinny thing could use the calories.”

Charity smiled and went around to help the lady. “Merry Christmas.”

“And blessed Christmas to you as well, dear.”

Charity could have hugged the sweet lady. Back again in her Dad’s office she set the cooler on the floor and put the food, utensils and paper plates on the cart.

She blew her bangs away from her face as she dropped onto the loveseat to wait for Elijah. She checked her watch. Any minute. She leaned her head against the back of her couch and slipped out of her shoes. She rest her feet on the table.

Her father huffed and loudly stacked his papers against his desk.

Eyes closed, she knew exactly what her father’s exasperation was directed at. She crossed her ankles and pressed her lips tight. If he saw her smile, who knows what would happen to the over-bearing, controlling man.

She jumped in surprise when he sat down beside her. She straightened and set her feet back on the ground. “What’s up?”

“I spoke with Dr. Cheeves this morning.” He paused and watched her.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Who’s he?”

“He’s our head of residence.” He looked at her like she should know who the man was. “It took some convincing, and a bit of arguing,” he said as he nudged her with his elbow, “and maybe a bit of extra donations toward the residential studies, but he’s willing to let you join his rounds.”

“What?” She stared at her Dad. Could he really be serious?

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity. He’s one of the best in the country and to be willing to let you step in after being gone so long, it’s huge.” He leaned forward, excitement in his eyes and carrying over to his voice. “He wants you to retake a few exams, but if you start studying now and get working, by spring you can step up into full rotation. I’ll pull some strings to get your stuff up to date and organized. It’s the least I can do.”

“Dad.”

He continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “Where is your passion? You know, the part of being a doctor that makes you want to conquer anything? When I started, it was surgery in the emergency department. I could see you there. Trying to help everyone. Or what about peds?”

“Dad! Stop!” She stood and began pacing the room by where he sat. She halted right in front of him. “I’m not going back to med school.”

He looked at her, confused. “But last night, you said…”

She shook her head, knowing she was disappointing him again. “No. I didn’t say. I’m happy with my job. I thought that’s why you hired me to do the gala for your birthday.”

He waved his hand. “Don’t worry about the gala for me. We can hire someone else to take over. You need to get cracking on those books.”

She sat on the table and looked him directly in the eye. She could see he was itching to say something about where she set her bum down, but miraculously he held off. “I’m NOT going back to med school. I don’t want to. Nothing is going to change my decision. It’s not for me.”

“But it was. It is. You’re extremely talented and you’re wasting your ability on throwing parties for other people.” He shook his head. “I’m throwing you a bone here. You won’t get this chance again. It’s a huge opportunity.”