The Nature of Love (Love in the Spotlight #3)

Chapter 39

Thirty-Nine

“Great catch, Dr. Kennedy. He does indeed have a blood clot.”

My stomach clenched. “It’s still in his calf, right? No other clots anywhere else?”

“No. But it is a big one, so we’ll need to keep him to monitor it as we start him on blood thinners. We want to ensure it doesn’t travel.”

“Understood.” Because the deadliest thing that could happen was for that clot to travel and end up in his lungs, heart, or brain. He’d suffered enough—having his oxygen blocked in his lungs or suffering a heart attack or stroke was too much.

“I’ll go check on the status of his room transfer. The nurse will assist you from there.”

Chris wasn’t out of the woods yet. I hated that, but at the same time, the hospital was the best place for him if the clot did in fact travel upward.

Please heal Chris. I don’t care if You use medicine or a miracle. Just don’t take him away from me.

Though the man was beyond stubborn. How could he try to send us away, but then confess to loving me? Ahh! He loves you. I wanted to hug him close to me and shake him all at the same time.

I squinted my eyes at Chris.

“What?” He held his hands out. “I’ve literally said nothing since the doctor walked out of the room.”

“You do know you’re not Jesus, right?”

“Of course I’m not.” His eyes widened. “What are you even talking about? What does this have to do with the blood clot?”

“No one’s talking about the clot.” I waved a hand in the air. “I’m talking about the way you tried to push me away. You really think I expect anything from you since you broke your leg? You think I expect you to go shovel the driveway or scrape the snow from my windshield?”

“I should be the one to do those things.”

“Oh, I see. So when I got sick that one week, and you had to care for the girls, you were really expecting me to get up out of the bed and ensure I didn’t fumble my responsibilities? How thoughtless of me to just lie there and recover. You must have been so furious with how lazy I was being.”

An exasperated groan fell from his lips. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Do you? Because trying to point out your foolishness without calling you a fool is taking every ounce of verbal skill I possess. Remember, I went to school to become a doctor, not an orator.”

“I feel so useless sitting there doing nothing while you and the girls pick up my slack. I can’t help you with Ash or Cheyenne.”

“Yes, you can. You do every single day. You pick up Cheye from the bus, with a broken leg and a blood clot, I might add.” I pursed my lips. “And Ashlynn is only happy and calm when she’s curled up next to you, which allows me to decompress from work and take care of dinner.”

“At le ast let me make dinner.”

“With crutches ?” Was it wrong to shake a grown man until sense fell into his noggin?

“I can dump something in the multicooker. Maybe buy something that can cook slowly all day. But watching you come home after a long day and cook tears me up.”

I blew out a breath. “Have you ever been still and simply rested? You think maybe God wanted you to slow down because you’ve been running ragged between the nonprofit, PathLight, and my complicated life? I haven’t seen you rest yet. Not even on the weekend, because you’re at church volunteering and attending service when you’re not wrangling animals.”

Chris grimaced. “Maybe you’re making some sense.”

“You don’t like being still, do you?”

“Not at all.”

“Is that what prompted that farce of a conversation?” I held my hands out wide.

“Actually, my mom offered to stay with me and help me recover. Said there was no reason you needed to stay here if you were halting your house search because of my injury.” He cleared his throat. “I then came to the conclusion it would be best if I stopped holding y’all back from the next step.”

I took a chance and walked to his side of the bed, then bent my head until our foreheads touched. “Silly man. I’ve stayed this long because I want to be near you. I feel safe. I feel cared for. I feel...” What was the word that could adequately describe all these feelings? “Cherished.”

Chris cupped the sides of my face with his warm palms, and my heart melted at the care shining in his eyes. “I’d like nothing more than to show you exactly how I feel.”

Our breath mingled as my lips hovered above his. Did I dare initiate a kiss?

A throat cleared, and I jumped backward. A knowing grin p ulled the nurse’s mouth upward. “Sorry to interrupt. But I just wanted to go over your room transfer. Your escort is here.”

She pointed to a woman wearing red scrubs, a sweater, and a lanyard with her picture on it. She waved but avoided looking us in the eyes.

My own cheeks were hot. I’d almost kissed Chris. We’d been so close, but now, still so far away. Had we actually resolved anything? Were we together now? Did we need to have a DTR discussion, as the residents would say, to define the relationship? Surely Chris knew I was all in for this relationship, no matter where I lived. If he needed me to leave, I would, I just didn’t want the door closed on our future.

I kept my thoughts to myself as I followed the escort down the halls, into the elevator, and through more hallways. Finally, Chris’s bed was wheeled into his new room on the med-surg floor.

I pulled out my cell and read a text from Piper.

Piper

How is he? Is it a clot?

Erykah

It is. They’re keeping him overnight and starting blood thinners. It’s big, so they want to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t travel.

Nevaeh

We’re praying.

Lamont

Without ceasing.

Tuck

Tell the ol’ man he’s not a single wheel anymore.

I frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked up at Chris’s question only to see it was just the tw o of us once more. “Oh, Tuck wanted me to pass on a weird expression.”

“What did he say?” Chris adjusted the back of his bed, sitting up more.

“That you’re not a single wheel anymore.”

Chris dropped his chin to his chest, and a soft chuckle left his lips. He looked up again. “Tell him I get it. I won’t be thick-headed any longer.”

“O-kay.” I typed up the message, then slid the phone into my bag. “You gonna tell me what that’s all about?”

“Are you going to come closer?”

I walked to his side and stopped. “Okay. I’m close. Now what?”

“You’re gonna have to help a brother out, since I’m kind of stuck sitting in this bed.”

“Are you finally going to kiss me, Chris Gamble?” I sat on the edge of the bed.

He slid his hand around the back of my neck and tugged me closer. “Every day, if you’ll let me.”

“Yes, please.” I slid my arms around his neck and held my breath in anticipation.

Warmth filled me at the first brush of lips. My breath shuddered as he grazed his full lips against mine once more. If he was trying to fan the flames, he succeeded. I tugged his head closer, pressing our lips fully against each other, and let out a sigh.

Chris groaned and deepened the kiss, twisting the edge of my shirt between his hands. All thoughts ceased, and I could only feel. Feel how much I wanted to kiss this man for the rest of my life. Never ever had I felt so much from one contact. From comfort to safety to feeling like every pore was on fire. I couldn’t get close enough. I needed to get far away.

We broke apart, and I ran my hands down the back of his neck and patted his shoulders. “Um, yes. That was...” I inched backward, my gaze never leaving his.

I’d never seen his eyes such a brilliant blue, and that made me want to erase the distance. You’re in a hospital. Despite him having a private room, I did not behave this way in a hospital. This wasn’t Grey’s Anatomy .

“You really do love me,” I said, just to reassure myself.

“So much.”

I grinned. “And you take back kicking me out?”

“Erykah...” Chris ran a hand down his face. “After that”—he pointed between us—“don’t you think it’s even more imperative that you move out? I don’t think I can stay in the same place with you now that we’ve kissed.”

I bit my lip. I wasn’t going to lie. I loved the look he gave me as if he couldn’t get enough. At the same time, I loved that he didn’t want to live with me for that reason. “I’ll move out as long as you retract the ridiculous reason you suggested.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckled. “I was a fool. I retract that reason and offer up your virtue and mine as the valid one.”

My virtue? He cared about my virtue? How sweet was this man? “Um, do we need to have an exclusivity conversation?” Why was this so awkward? I should’ve just used DTR confidently instead of acting like a geriatric millennial.

“Exclusivity? You’re it for me, Erykah Kennedy.”

I couldn’t keep the joy from showing on my face. “And you’re it for me, Chris Gamble.”

As I curled up next to his side, I wished I could tell Ellynn that I’d finally found someone. She’d probably break out singing the Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams song. And though I couldn’t tell her, knowing how she’d respond gave me the comfort I needed in this moment.