Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Wednesday morning, Hunter couldn't wait for Emmalyn to show up, not just because he had to get to his physical, and he needed her help to get Olivia ready for school, but because he hadn't seen her in thirty-six hours, and it felt far too long. He'd even hung out with Olivia in the courtyard yesterday evening, watching Olivia and Henry in the pool while Paige took a workout class, in the hopes of seeing Em, but she'd never shown up.
The thought that she might have been on another date didn't sit well, which was ridiculous, since he had no reason to be jealous. And he'd never been a jealous guy. He'd always figured if someone didn't want to be with him, it was better to find out early, but maybe that was because he'd never really cared that deeply about anyone. Not that he cared that deeply about her. He just liked her more than he'd expected.
Even without Emmalyn showing up, he'd enjoyed the previous evening. He'd spent time with Gabe and Max Donovan, who went back and forth between Hollywood and Ocean Shores as he worked on a screenplay for a movie that needed a rewrite to fit a new actor. Talking to a chef and a writer had reminded him of how narrow his worldview had gotten. It had been interesting to learn more about the trials and tribulations they were working past to get a restaurant off the ground and a movie made.
Checking his watch, he realized he needed to get breakfast going. Olivia had told him that her mom always made her pancakes on Wednesday mornings, and he'd decided to give it a shot. He couldn't remember ever making pancakes, but how hard could it be? He had a box of mix, water, and an egg, as well as maple syrup that he'd picked up at the market last night. He could do this.
After mixing the batter as directed, he turned on the skillet, spraying it with some sort of healthy oil. Then he spooned out the batter, watching the first pancake drip into the second. He made a slight adjustment for the third one, but it also ran into the others, making one oddly shaped and way too big pancake, but whatever. He could break them up when they were done.
When it looked like the batter was thickening, he flipped the pancake over and frowned. It was burned on the edges with long brown streaks through the middle of the cake, somehow looking both well-done and raw at the same time.
As he put the large, ugly pancake on a plate, Olivia came into the kitchen. "What's that?" she asked with a disgusted shake of her head. "That doesn't look like Mommy's pancakes."
"I'll make more."
"Can you make them better than that? Why is it just one big one? I like little ones."
"I can do little ones. Why don't you finish getting dressed?"
She gave him a doubtful look, then headed back to the bedroom.
A knock came at the door, so he turned off the stove and moved quickly into the living room to let Emmalyn in.
"Good morning," she said, looking pretty and fresh in a skirt and sleeveless sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her hazel eyes sparkling. "Do I smell pancakes?"
"Something went wrong," he grumbled.
"Uh-oh," she said, following him to the kitchen.
"I followed the instructions, but I got this." He held up the plate, seeing her bite back a smile.
"That was your first one, right?"
"Yes. I'm not sure I should try for a second. I obviously did something wrong."
"The first pancake always comes out like that, especially if you haven't made pancakes before. The trick is to get the griddle really warm before you start cooking. You put the flame at a low to medium heat level." She turned the flame back on. Then she moved to the fridge and grabbed some butter. "I also like to use a little butter on the pan versus a spray." She dabbed some butter onto the griddle.
"Okay. Should I do the batter now?" he asked.
"Not yet. We're still heating the pan and letting the butter melt so it doesn't burn before the pancakes cook."
"Got it," he said, realizing his mistake was that the oily spray had probably burned, which had given his pancake the weird streak marks.
Em waited another minute, then spooned out the batter into three perfect circular pancakes. "As soon as the pancake fills with little air holes, it's time to flip." A moment later, she flipped them over, and they were a perfect golden brown.
"Amazing."
She laughed. "Your second one would have been better even without my instruction because the griddle would have been at a more even temperature. You can't give up too soon."
"I wasn't going to give up. Quitting isn't really in my nature."
"Mine, either. Mostly because I always want to believe there's a perfect pancake coming, or whatever it is I'm trying to make happen."
"So, pancakes are a metaphor for life," he said with an amused smile.
"And also really delicious, especially with butter and syrup."
As she put her perfect pancakes on the plate, he called Olivia, who was very excited to see both Emmalyn and the kind of pancakes she was expecting.
"These look yummy," Olivia declared, dousing them in syrup.
He probably should be controlling that, but she was happy, and her sugar high would happen at school, so he wasn't going to worry about that.
"Shall I make the rest?" Emmalyn asked. "Are you going to have some, Hunter?"
"No. I'm fasting for my blood work, but you're welcome to eat."
"I already had breakfast. I'll just cover the batter and put it away."
He felt so domesticated as he watched her moving around his kitchen. With Olivia sitting at the table, he had the strangest thought that this could be his actual life if he wanted it. Not with Olivia, who needed to be with her mother. And probably not with Emmalyn…although, she was a big part of his interest in the picture in his head.
The closing of the refrigerator snapped him out of his reverie. This wasn't his life. He wasn't a family man. He was a pilot, someone who was always taking off and going somewhere else, and he didn't want to worry about who he was leaving behind.
"I've got this," Emmalyn said, "if you want to get going."
He really should get going before he forgot why he was going.
"Thanks." He turned to Olivia. "I'll see you after school."
"Okay," she said with her mouth full.
He exchanged a smile with Emmalyn, his gut twisting once more as he found it far too difficult to drag his gaze away from her.
"Is there something else?" she asked, a question in her eyes. "Do you need me to bring Olivia home from school?"
"I'm not sure when I'll be done."
"I'll plan on bringing her back unless you text me otherwise."
"Thanks, Em."
"You're more than welcome. I hope the tests are all good."
"Me, too." But he wasn't thinking about the tests when he left the apartment; he was still thinking about her.
Hunter got his focus back as soon as he entered the bustling medical center, which had become his second home the last seven months. While it was a great facility, he really couldn't wait to be done. He checked in at the lab first and did his blood work and other tests. Then he headed upstairs to see his physician. It was after nine when he was ushered into an exam room with Dr. Marquez. He'd seen him a few times during his recovery period, but not for the past three months.
"Captain," Dr. Marquez said, shaking his hand. "You look better than the last time I saw you."
"I'm back to normal," he said confidently.
"How's the leg? Any pain, weakness, issues with your lower back or hip?"
"No pain, no weakness, no problems at all."
"Glad to hear it. I'm going to run you through a variety of tests to see if your body is as strong as your confidence," Marquez said with a smile.
"It is. I've been working hard for a long time. I'm ready."
"I can see that, Captain." He paused. "I know you have a lot to prove and feel your entire career is on the line."
"It is on the line. That's not a feeling; that's a fact," he pointed out.
"I understand the stakes, and I want you to succeed as much as you want to succeed. So don't look at anything we're doing as adversarial. We're on the same team."
"I understand."
"Then let's get started."
The next three hours were challenging. He ran on a treadmill with electrodes attached to his chest, monitoring his heart rate and oxygen levels for both sprints and long-distance running. He did flexibility tests that pushed the limits of his recovered muscles, reaction time assessments that measured his responses down to the millisecond, and a battery of vision and hearing checks that were more comprehensive than any standard physical.
By the end, he was sweating and tired but still confident. His body had responded well to every challenge. The months of physical therapy had paid off; he was in peak condition, perhaps even better than before the crash in some areas.
He was told to grab lunch and report back to Dr. Marquez at three, where he would go over his results. He'd hoped to move straight through to that meeting, but apparently, the blood work wouldn't be back before then. Knowing he wouldn't be able to pick up Olivia, he texted Emmalyn and confirmed that he needed her to bring Olivia home. Then he headed to the cafeteria and grabbed a chicken Caesar salad and a bottle of sparkling water.
A few minutes later, he got a text from Emmalyn. No problem. How's the day going?
He texted back: Good. Just waiting for the results. Can't see the doctor until three.
No problem. We should celebrate tonight.
We'll see. He was confident, but he needed to get the official results before he could even think of celebrating.
I'm going to keep positive thoughts.
He appreciated her supportive text. He could use all the positivity he could get.
When he reported back to Dr. Marquez at three p.m., he had to wait another excruciating twenty minutes before he was invited into his office to review the results.
"I'm impressed," the doctor said, giving him a smile. "Your recovery has been exceptional, Captain." He looked at the computer screen on his desk. "Blood work is perfect. Cardiovascular and lung function are excellent, flexibility is within optimal parameters, strength and reaction times are slightly above your last pre-injury exam."
"So I passed?" he asked, still needing to hear the words.
"Yes."
He stood up and shook the doctor's hand. "I appreciate all the help I got here from you and your team. I wouldn't be feeling as good as I am without the excellent medical care I received."
"You're very welcome," Marquez replied. "And I hope I never see you here again."
"I hope the same thing."
As he walked out of the medical center into the bright afternoon sunlight, he drew in a deep breath and let it out, feeling a tremendous amount of relief. One hurdle cleared.
He pulled out his phone and texted Emmalyn: Physically cleared.
Her response came almost immediately: So happy! Olivia and I are going to swim with Henry and Paige if that's okay with you.
Absolutely!
See you soon.
The simple message gave him far too much pleasure, and he had to remind himself that Ocean Shores wasn't his long-term home, and that Emmalyn and Olivia weren't his family.