Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Lily
“Good morning, Oliver. How did you sleep last night?”
He was one of the last patients I needed to see during my rounds that morning.
“I don’t know how they expect me to get any rest when it’s like Grand Central Station out there.”
“I hear you. Oddly enough, the most restful sleep often happens here during the day; at night, the alarms and machines are loud, but in the daytime, they have a way of fading into the background.” I moved the tray table closer to him and placed two white cups on it.
One contained his blood pressure medication, and the other was water.
“I think you might be onto something beautiful. Now, if only you could do something about that dismal display of whatever the hell they call that mush under that cover, I’d call you a miracle worker.”
“Let me guess, cream of wheat with a side of plain toast again?”
“Yep. It’s like pairing two emotionally uninteresting people together; it’s stunting my brain and killing off what cells I have left.”
“Nah, you’re still as sharp-witted as you were when you woke up from surgery.”
“That’s just around you; the nighttime nurse is scary. I feel like I’m being scolded by my mother, and that’s saying something because, God rest her soul, she’s been gone nearly twenty years.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re on day three post-op, and your chart says things are trending in the right direction regarding your bowels. How’s your pain level out of ten today, ten being the highest?”
“Four, maybe?” He shrugged.
“That’s real progress, Oliver.”
“I was still slightly tender last night when the doc poked at my abdomen.”
“That will get better, promise.” I nodded. “I’m hopeful once your labs are updated and good, today could be the day the doctor gives us the clearance to start increasing your selection of foods in your diet.”
“I’d kill for a steak.”
“I have a sneaking suspicion that won’t be on the menu, and if it were, I can only imagine how rubbery it would be.” My body shuddered just thinking about it. “Ick. Yeah, no. Let’s not even go there.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a real gem, Lily?”
“Ah, no.”
“Then let me be the first. You’re one of the special ones who genuinely care about your patients, which is why I cooperate with you. You’ve been the only bright spot in what has been an otherwise awful situation.”
My heart swelled. “That’s very kind of you to say, thank you.
” Knowing I was making a difference meant the world to me.
If I could help make someone’s day a little brighter, then the stress of the job was more than worth it.
“Now, how about before you take your pill, you let me check your vitals so we can get the ball rolling on this fine morning.”
“Have at it. Better you than Nurse Grouchy at three in the morning.”
“So, did Jaxon go all out for Valentine’s, or what?” Erica asked, pinning her badge to the pocket on her scrubs.
“He was working, so we’re doing our official celebration tonight.”
“Good thing you’re off for the next few days,” she said with a telling smirk.
“Why? What are you implying?” I narrowed my eyes, already knowing exactly what she was hinting at, but I wanted to hear her say it.
“Because, girl, you won’t be walking straight tomorrow,” she cocked her head to the side.
I burst out laughing and shook my head. “You’re ridiculous. But also accurate.” I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.
“Damn, I’m just going to live vicariously through you if you don’t mind.”
“What happened to the guy you were seeing, Darius, was it?”
“The sex was great, but it was just casual in the end. I didn’t see it going anywhere, so I thought it was best we moved on.”
“Gotcha. I honestly don’t know how you do it with the dating apps.”
“Yeah, dating isn’t what it used to be, or so my mom keeps telling me. I leave my location services on for my parents still.”
“That’s smart,” I said.
“Gotta be safe out there.”
I knew that all too well.
I woke my phone’s screen to check the time. “All right, I’m officially off the clock.”
“Sounds good. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks, and here’s hoping the call bells are few and far between.”
“One can only dream.”
I took the stairs to the main level, exited the building, and headed to the employee parking lot, texting Jaxon along the way.
Lily: Just walking to the car now, can’t wait to see you!
Jaxon: Same. Drive safe. Love you.
I clicked the key fob to unlock my car and slid into the driver’s seat, dropping my bag on the passenger side and my thermos in the cup holder.
Lily: Love you too.
I put my phone in the other cup holder after quickly syncing it to Bluetooth so I could listen to my favorite playlist on the way home.
Nine songs later, I pulled into the driveway at the lake house, glad not to see Jaxon’s car or motorcycle yet, since I wanted to shower and freshen up before he got there.
I huffed out a breath of irritation when I spotted a black business card tucked on the other side of the driver’s window that I hadn’t noticed when I left work. I hated when salespeople targeted the parking lot with their flyers.
“Know your audience,” I said out loud to myself, removing it from between the rubber window trim and glass. People parking at a hospital weren’t exactly thinking about getting their home windows cleaned. “Like, honestly.”
Once inside the house, I dropped my bag in the mudroom, threw the business card in the trash, and washed my hands in the laundry sink. I’d never had a designated mudroom and or a space like this before, and I loved it, that and the fact that the rest of the house was almost finished.
Just thinking about it made me giddy as I texted Jaxon again.
Lily: Just going to jump in the shower before you get here.
All I needed to make the place livable was running water, electricity, and a bed.
All of which we had, so I could easily ignore the rest. Being at the lake gave me a sense of peace and clarity.
It grounded me in the best way possible.
The memories, our firsts, and the promise of what was ahead, made it my happy place.
Jaxon: I like that plan. Please don’t rush. I’ll be there in 20.
I turned on the main level lights.
Lily: You going to reach all the spots I can’t or get me dirtier?
Jaxon: Both!
Lily: Can’t wait
On that note, I sprinted up the stairs, driven by the kind of urgency that matched how desperately I wanted him there already.
But as I approached the upper landing, I tripped over the last step and went flying forward, landing hard on my hands and knees with a loud thud that echoed down the hallway.
“Jesus, Lily, get it together,” I scolded myself.
I gave myself a minute to get my bearings and catch my breath, but when I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see that my two hands had somehow multiplied. Confusion swirled as my hands shook, their edges wavy and warped, like a prism pulsating with color.
I blinked my eyes several times, thankful for each one that sharpened my vision back into focus. Blowing out an exasperated breath, I climbed to my feet and winced from the pain in my knees that vibrated down my shins.
I then gingerly padded along the hardwood floor, six, seven steps to where my cell phone had slid when it went flying from my hand.
I bent to pick it up without any trouble, but a heavy blanket of exhaustion wrapped itself around my limbs as I undressed in the closet.
I peeled off my scrubs and dropped them, along with every other piece of clothing I had on, into the linen basket.
With a clean pair of underwear from the dresser and my robe off the back of the door, I bumped my shoulder on the doorframe as I entered, arguably, my most favorite room in the whole house, the primary bathroom.
Every time I stepped into the magnificent oasis, I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, which, to be honest, I kind of felt like I was at that moment.
While the shower warmed up, I stepped over to the sink to brush my teeth, since my mouth had gone dry and pasty.
It felt like I was trying to swallow cotton balls.
It didn’t take long for me to realize my efforts weren’t improving matters, so I spat out the toothpaste and dropped my head toward the faucet, angling it just right so the water rushed into my mouth.
But I couldn’t drink it fast enough.
Why was I so damn thirsty?
I tapped my finger on the screen of my cell phone, lying on the counter, waking it up to see both the time and Jaxon’s latest text.
Jaxon:
Seeing the cheeky devil emoji he’d sent had guilt seeping into what was left of my semi-conscious state, knowing I’d let him down on what was supposed to be our first official Valentine’s Day since getting back together.
Finding me asleep wasn’t exactly the type of foreplay I’m sure Jaxon had in mind when he got to the house.
My eyelids sagged when I stepped beneath the stream of hot water, realizing what I really needed was cold water to help wake me up. But the change in temperature didn’t help. I tried to reach for the soap, but my arms hung like limp noodles at my sides.
Nothing made any sense.
My thoughts kept misfiring, and standing made me dizzy.
I managed to summon the barest of strength I had left in my legs to shift myself backward until my back felt the cold marble tiles on the wall.
With no choice but to surrender to the menacing weight on my shoulders, I slid down the wall until I landed on the floor and collapsed on my side in the fetal position.
A dull pressure crept behind my eyes, causing my vision to flicker and blur, while a faint, shrill noise barely rose above the sound of rushing water from above.
It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
My brain was scrambled, and any attempt to move my hand that was right in front of my face failed. Everything in my sightline warped into a foggy haze until eventually darkness clouded my vision and pulled me under its wrath, robbing me until there was nothing left in me to give.