Epilogue
S ix Months Later
“I’m telling you, the gravity feeder is going to be the much better option!” Lillian shouted as she pulled bags from the trunk of the car.
“Why are you still telling me this?” Jade snapped. “We bought the feeder, we got the one you wanted, you convinced me, can we let it go?”
“Not until you admit I’m right,” Lillian said with a lift of her chin.
“Fine, you were right,” Jade said, walking the bags between her bike and the edge of the driveway.
“I don’t believe you,” Lillian said, and Jade rolled her eyes as she unlocked the door.
Lillian picked a small pebble out of the window container that held her herb garden—something else that Jade swore she would never be able to keep up with.
So far everything was still alive, though the cilantro looked like it was struggling a bit.
Jade’s phone pinged as they loaded their haul into the loft.
They had spent almost three months searching for the perfect place.
Lillian had grown to hate her own apartment, and Jade’s went up for sale as soon as her lease ended.
She considered buying it outright, but she wanted something new.
She had shared that apartment with her ex, and though there was nothing left in it to remind her, she still felt better with a fresh start.
They had both co-signed on a loan to buy this loft, and it was actually closer to the hospital.
They could see it from their front door, which would likely bother most people, but it was happily convenient for the both of them.
Lillian had insisted on furnishing it through thrift stores and estate sales, which Jade had absolutely hated, but she had to admit that she loved the final product.
They had a gorgeous plush leather couch and matching chair, antique lamps, and cast-iron tables.
Their bed was made from hand-carved mahogany, though Jade had put her foot down on the mattresses.
The estate sale mattresses went straight to the dump, while they purchased a new memory foam mattress and blood red sheets and comforter set.
Despite spending a relatively small amount, the place looked rich and luxurious.
Jade glanced at the phone and rolled her eyes. “I have to go. I’ll be right back.”
Lillian called after her, “The appointment is in an hour and a half, be there or I’m handling it myself!”
“Oh, I’ll be there,” Jade said with a smirk.
Lillian began to unload the things they had brought into the house when her own phone pinged. She looked down at it with a groan. One of her patients was struggling, and the new intern didn’t know what to do. She took a deep breath and headed over to the hospital herself.
When she walked into the recovery room, she saw Elizabeth Rourke sitting in one of the beds. “What are you doing here?” Lillian asked.
“It’s a check up, something this hospital won’t let me forget,” Elizabeth said with a lift of her eyebrows. “It’s been six months since my surgery.”
“You’re who I was paged for?” Lillian said, though it was more of a statement than a question.
“You think I’m going to let you pawn me off on the interns?
If I have to be inconvenienced by this appointment, then so do you,” Elizabeth said and lifted her chin.
Her hair was starting to grow out around where Lillian had performed the surgery, and honestly, the short cut looked pretty good on her.
“Of course,” Lillian said with a saccharine sweet smile. It was more than worth it to come to the hospital to see Elizabeth.
“How are things with Jade?” Elizabeth asked as Lillian took her vitals.
“Really good, we bought a loft,” Lillian answered as she noted each statistic.
“Wow,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “I knew you two were perfect for each other.”
Lillian lifted a brow at the woman. “I don’t see how you could think that; all we do is fight.”
“No, you don’t,” Elizabeth said. “You challenge each other, there’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
“Of course there is,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “People win fights.”
Lillian laughed out loud. Elizabeth was not wrong, her “fights” with Jade were rarely actual arguments, more so that they are both highly passionate about what they do.
“How did the board take the announcement?” Elizabeth asked.
“The same way the rest of the hospital did,” Jade answered from the doorway with a smile as both women looked toward her. She sauntered into the room and planted a kiss on Lillian’s lips. A hint of color rose to Lillian’s cheeks. “They acted like it was about time.”
“Well…” Elizabeth chuckled with a shrug.
“Are you almost done? The adoption office called; we are going to be late if we don’t get a move on.”
“Adoption?” Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide. “That I didn’t see coming.” She shook her head. “It’s a little quick, don’t you think?”
Jade smirked, and Lillian knew that if she let her, Jade would go on letting Elizabeth believe they were getting ready to adopt a child.
“Not that kind of adoption,” Lillian said before the conversation could go any further, and she could visibly see Jade deflating.
“We’ve talked about it,” Jade said with a shrug. “Especially after hanging out with Jasmine for so long while her mothers recovered, but between our jobs and who we are, we didn’t think adopting a child was right for us.”
“Oh! How are they doing? I met them while I was here, they were a beautiful couple, and Jasmine was such a strong child,” Elizabeth said, her eyes lighting up with the memory.
“They’re doing well, especially considering the severity of their operations,” Jade said.
“Hannah is still taking things slowly, but is back on her feet, and Stephanie has managed to start walking on her own again. Another six months and it will be like it never happened,” Jade continued with a smile.
“That’s wonderful,” Elizabeth said. “So, then what appointment are you talking about?”
“Oh!” Lillian said checking her watch. “We do need to get a move on.”
“We’re getting a cat,” Jade said with a wink.
Elizabeth laughed heartily and embraced both of them. “Well, you better scoot, then, wouldn’t want to miss something that important.”
“It’s good to see you, Elizabeth,” Jade said, and Lillian nodded along with her then they both hurried out the door.
They crossed the street back at their apartment and hopped into the sedan that they shared.
They had decided to purchase a car even before they decided to buy the loft.
Lillian didn’t have a car, and though she loved riding on the back of Jade’s motorcycle, there were many times she would much rather have had a car.
Now that they were together, they actually looked forward to their occasional time off where they could travel and do things together.
They had already visited several of California’s state parks and were planning a trip to the Grand Canyon soon, though they would have to find a pet sitter, now.
They drove downtown to the shelter, and the woman behind the counter greeted them warmly.
“Here she is,” she said as she pulled a small pet carrier from behind the counter. “We just have a few more signatures we need from you.”
Jade turned to the paperwork as Lillian peeked into the carrier. “She’s perfect,” Lillian whispered, and Jade couldn’t help but chuckle. She could see why people might get the impression they were adopting a child. They finished up their signatures as the tiny kitten mewled in the container.
“She’s so small,” Jade said on the drive home. “Are you sure we should do this?”
“Cats are easy,” Lillian said. “As long as at least one of us is home at some point during the day she should be fine, though we may need to adopt a friend for her at some point.”
“Let’s start with one for now,” Jade said with a chuckle. “We don’t want to end up being the crazy cat ladies.”
“I don’t think we could do that if we tried,” Lillian chuckled.
They made it back to their loft and took their new addition inside.
Jade finished setting up the feeder and litterbox, she had insisted on one of the expensive self-cleaning ones.
Lillian tried to insist that they save the money, but Jade pointed out that they could easily afford it, and it was one less really gross chore that they had to do.
Once Lillian acquiesced, she then insisted on an automatic feeder, since they would likely not have the ability to follow a regular feeding schedule.
Lillian let the tiny kitten out of the carrier, and in the light they could see the gorgeous tortoiseshell markings. Lillian squealed with delight as the tiny cat crawled out and started sniffing around the floor. Jade just smiled; she knew she would do anything as long as it made Lillian happy.
She sat down on the couch next to her and put an arm around Lillian’s shoulders. Lillian leaned into Jade’s shoulder. Jade pressed a kiss to Lillian’s forehead, before Lillian turned and kissed her fully on the lips.
“I love you, Lillian,” Jade whispered as she turned her eyes back toward the kitten.
“I love you, too, Jade,” Lillian answered with a smile.