Chapter 6
My Sweetness had always been a firecracker, but it seemed that since we’d parted ways, she’d become closed off and mean. I didn’t want to believe that our situation had made her that way, but something told me it was the case.
We didn’t speak again until we arrived at the hospital. I showed her to the locker room where she could store her things, and we met in the hallway a few minutes later. After introducing her to some of the staff, we headed to see my first patient.
“I delivered two babies on Friday, and one on Saturday and Sunday.”
“I thought you were going into pediatrics,” she said.
“That was my initial plan, but I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“The woman I’m in love with unknowingly talked me into it. She spoke about helping women bring life into the world with such passion and conviction, convincing me that it was what I should aspire to do.”
I stopped in front of the door to our first patient’s room and caught her staring at me, possibly trying to figure out if the woman I was referring to was her.
“Can you tell me a little about this patient before we go inside?” she asked, shifting her eyes away from mine.
“It was a scheduled C-section, and there were no complications. If all is well, she’ll be released tomorrow. You can take a look at her chart while I talk with her.”
She nodded, and we went inside.
“Dr. Jordan, I wasn’t expecting to see you this early. Good morning,” Mrs. Levy said before I could greet her.
“Good morning. I usually schedule my rounds around my appointment schedule, and today, the morning worked better. Mrs. Levy, this is Nurse Burns. She’s working in my office for the next six months while Nurse Michaels is gone.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Mrs. Levy said.
“You too, and congratulations on your little one.”
“Thank you.”
I proceeded to ask Mrs. Levy several questions about how she was feeling and examined her incision.
When her husband arrived, I informed him she was cleared to be released tomorrow, and Ginae took over.
She explained to the couple what should be prioritized upon release.
One of the other nurses brought their baby boy in as we were leaving, and Ginae cooed over him for a moment.
“He’s absolutely adorable,” Ginae said.
“Thank you, and we agree, although we are biased. I’m sure you were the same way with yours,” Mrs. Levy said.
“I don’t have any children, but I’m sure when I have them, I’ll think they’re the cutest beings on earth. Congratulations again,” Ginae replied.
We stepped into the hallway, and Ginae waited for me to lead her to the room of our next patient.
“You couldn’t wait to have kids. I’m kinda surprised you’ve waited this long,” I said.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you how insensitive that comment is, especially in your position. Maybe I’m not waiting and can’t.”
“Oh shit. That was incredibly insensitive of me. I apologize.”
“Apology not accepted. Where to next?”
“Ginae, I—”
“Let it go, Phyre.”
I nodded and headed down the hall. For the next hour and a half, I kept it strictly professional with Gina, avoiding small talk and side conversations. By the time we returned to my car, I couldn’t take the tension anymore and wanted to smooth things over.
“Ginae, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I wasn’t offended because, as far as I know, having children won’t be a problem when I’m ready. I just get sick of people, especially men, assuming certain things when it comes to women.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed you were waiting because that may not have been the case. Again, I apologize.”
“All right. This conversation isn’t work-related, so we should get back to the office.”
Without another word, I started my car. When I stopped in front of the building, Ginae hopped out of the car before I put the car in park. I shook my head in frustration because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to honor her wishes.
I had high hopes when I realized the only woman I’d ever loved would be working with me. The thought of being in her presence every day filled me with excitement about the possibility of us having a future together.
It hadn’t been two full days yet, and my hope was fading, but I wasn’t prepared to give up. I’d been waiting for this moment for too long. We crossed paths again after all this time for a reason. God knew my heart, and I believed He gave us a second chance.
No matter how adamant she was about keeping things professional, I would only respect her wishes to a certain extent.
As much as I wanted to rush the process, I had to be patient.
I finally cut the engine and went inside, and the first thing I witnessed when I entered the office pissed me off to no end.
“I’m available if you ever want a tour of the city,” Waylen, my sole male nurse, offered.
“Although I haven’t been back since I left, I completed my undergraduate and a semester of my graduate degree at Black Elm University, so this isn’t my first time in the city,” Ginae told him.
“Oh, yeah. I think Dr. Jordan might have mentioned that. What years did you attend?”
She shared the years she’d attended the university, and coincidentally, Waylen had completed his last two years of undergrad at the university during her first two years.
“I don’t know how we never crossed paths because I’m positive I would’ve noticed and remembered. The city has changed quite a bit since you were last here, and I’d be more than happy to show you what’s new.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, it definitely has. I might take you up on that offer,” Ginae responded.
Waylen looked at me and smirked before returning his attention to Ginae. His flirting was intentional, and his goal was to get under my skin. Everyone in the office knew of the history between Ginae and me because I’d talked about her for years.
When the question of why I was still single arose years ago, I told them who my heart belonged to. Of course, I didn’t give them all the gory details, but my staff was well aware of how deep my love ran for Ginae.
The moment Ginae accepted the assignment, I shared the news with my staff, and I had to give them three extra vacation days to keep their mouths shut. Waylen was on the verge of losing those extra days if he kept flirting with my future wife.
“Ginae, you gotta be careful with Waylen. One thing he’s not short on is women,” Lauryn warned.
“Aye, don’t do that, Lauryn. I’m just trying to show her around the city.”
“She’s not lying, Ginae,” Tania said. “Waylen is a big flirt, and these women eat it up.”
“How’d everything go?” I asked, interrupting and hopefully ending the conversation.
“We had two cancellations, and everything went smoothly. How’d it go at the hospital?” Lauryn asked.
“As expected. Ginae was a hit with the new moms.” I looked at my watch. “How many patients do we have before lunch?”
“Four,” Tania responded.
I nodded and headed to my office, fuming because I didn’t like the way Waylen looked at Ginae.
It was clear he was attracted to her, but I couldn’t tell if she was attracted to him.
I’d seen him in action many times, and I’d be the first to give him his props.
Waylen had a way with women, and I refused to sit by and watch him work his magic on my woman.
I had no right, but I wanted to check Waylen about stepping to Ginae. It may have seemed innocent to her, but those who knew him knew he could charm most women right out of their panties. We’d heard many stories of his conquests and even seen women fawning over him.
Lunchtime had arrived, and it seemed everyone had gone out. I remained in my office, still simmering, replaying the interaction between Waylen and Ginae. I was tempted to see if Ginae was in the break room, but I thought against it since I’d pissed her off twice already today.
Besides my entire staff, I’d only shared with Lennon that Ginae would be working with me. The only other person I’d talked to about her was Phoenix, and I’d yet to tell my sister that I was on a quest to win back my only true love. I needed some advice on how to move forward, so I called her.
“What’s up, Phy?”
“Nothing much.” I paused. “Actually, a lot. I need your advice. You got a minute?”
“Of course.”
“Remember Ginae?”
“Ginae, as in the love of your life?”
“Yeah.”
“How could I forget her? She’s the reason our family is the way it is now.”
“Don’t do that, Phee. Our family is like this because your father is a controlling lunatic.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Calm down. What about her?”
“She’s in town.”
“Really? How do you know? I didn’t think you still kept up with her.”
“I don’t, but God dropped her right into my lap.”
“Umm, explain.”
After a few minutes, Phoenix was up-to-date and shocked about what I’d shared.
“It hasn’t been long, but I’m losing hope. Ginae wants nothing to do with me outside of this office. Honestly, I’m almost afraid if I keep pushing, I’ll push her right back out of this city.”
“Well, stop pushing. She’s made it clear where she stands.”
“Nah, I can’t do that, because this is more than a coincidence. She’s here for a reason.”
“And I assume you think that reason is to rekindle things with you.”
“Hell yeah. I’ve been praying for us to cross paths for years. God masterminded this, and I won’t waste this opportunity.”
“Maybe God brought her here so you can get closure and move on. You’ve let so many good women slip away because you refuse to let go of her.”
“I’m not sure you understand. I’m not giving up. I need some advice on how to get her to listen to me.”
Phoenix sighed and didn’t speak for a moment. I prayed that whatever she said next would help me reclaim Ginae’s heart.
“Write her a letter,” she finally said.
“A letter? Hmm.”
“That way, you can say everything you want to say, and she can read it in private. I would suggest having it delivered to her on Friday, and she’ll have the whole weekend to let it marinate.”
“That could work, but there’s a possibility she won’t read it.”