Chapter 11
Blair
The difference between getting ready for today’s date with Sutton and our hiking date last week is like night and day.
I’m not nervous this time, not one single bit. Instead, I’m excited and have been watching the clock the whole time I was at work. As soon as I was able to escape just before three, I was out of there like a bat out of hell–or a woman excited to see the man she’s fallen in ‘like’ with.
I look over to check the time and spot the romance novel Isla gave me to read. I haven’t started it yet, I haven’t even opened it up. I can’t explain why but something is stopping me from taking that step.
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s written by Aster Hollingsworth, the same author who is Alex and Cate’s favorite, and who–coincidentally–is also loved by Birdie and now Isla.
There must be some sort of phenomenon where you resist giving in to hype or actively try to avoid it.
If there is, that’s what I’m doing. Why do they all want me to read her books anyway?
My phone vibrates on my bed where I left it and I grin when I see the name on the screen.
“Uncle George! How are you?”
“Hey, Blair Bear. How’s my favorite niece doin’?”
I laugh. “I’m so telling my sister that the next time I talk to her.
“I have no doubt. You always did love to rile your sister up.”
“Isn’t that what siblings are for?” I reply cheekily.
“Indeed.” I can hear the mirth in his voice.
“And to answer your question, I’m good. These ninety degree plus days down here in the Sunshine State are terrible.
” One of many places my uncle is visiting during his long service leave is the Florida Keys.
In his words ‘I’ve been savin’ my pennies my whole damn life and it’s high time I start spendin’ them, and I want to do that somewhere hot. ’
“Such a hardship,” I reply wryly.
George sighs. “It really is.” He chuckles. “Anyway, unfortunately this isn’t just a social call. I know we just talked last week but I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything, Uncle. You know that.”
“Yes, I do. That’s why you’re my favorite.” He sighs, and suddenly I’m curious about this favor of his. “I need you to check in on a long-time patient of mine.”
While he’s talking, I walk into the kitchen and grab a notepad and pen from the counter. “Is this not official or anything?” I ask, even though I doubt he’d ever do anything ‘off the books,’ so to speak. Then again, maybe there are some unspoken rules in this mountain town.
“No. It’s nothin’ like that. You’ll find the patient file at the bottom of the locked drawer in my office.
Everythin’ you need to know will be in there.
It’s just…” His voice drops off and my spidey senses start tingling.
“It’s a bit of a sensitive situation, Blair.
He has been my patient for the past three years and I’ve only managed to keep it that way because I promised complete confidentiality.
Nobody can know. Especially anyone outside of his family. ”
“George. What’s going on?” I’m now intrigued and concerned. Who would demand secrecy in order to be treated?
“You’ll see when you read the file. I did a full work up about a month before I left and the agreement was that–barring any deterioration in his health–I’d see him as soon as I returned to town,” he explains.
“But the man’s daughter emailed me yesterday.
She lives out of town but after talkin’ to him on the phone yesterday, she’s worried that he’s taken a turn for the worse.
That’s why she reached out and asked me to visit, she just didn’t know I was takin’ leave for six months. ”
A secret patient who is only receiving treatment due to a deal he bartered with my uncle? This can’t be good. “Will this patient even meet with me, George? His agreement is with you, not with me.”
“That’s all been taken care of already. He’s all bark and no bite, Blair Bear.
He’s grumpy and stuck in his ways, thinks he knows best and won’t hear any different.
The one thing he has conceded is that he needs frequent monitorin’,” he explains.
“I said before I left town that you’d be his doctor in my absence and since you were my kin, he had to be respectful. ”
“So not himself?” I snicker and George joins me.
“Thought you’d like that. You’re a much better fit for him as a physician than me anyway, especially with your extensive expertise.”
My heart soars before it sinks because I may love my job, but I can read between the lines and understand what my uncle is not saying.
This is obviously a terminal case–the worst kind in my opinion because there’s only so much you can do.
And given the fact that my uncle has called me to make a special house call, I’m thinking this patient has taken a turn for the worse.
“What’s his diagnosis?” I ask.
“Congestive heart failure.”
I sigh. Yep, that’s what I expected. “Stage?”
“Put it this way, you won’t talk him into gettin’ any help and there’s no point in tryin’. He’s not interested in prolongin’ his life, sweetheart. He just wants enough time to tie up loose ends, his words not mine.”
Something I learned early on in my medical career is that it goes against everything in my nature not to try and help people. If there’s a way to treat them and ease their suffering, I want to do it. “But–”
“Blair,” George says matter-of-factly, his voice low and meaning business now.
“Believe me, I know what you’re thinkin’, but he waited too long to see me in the first place.
It’s like gettin’ blood from a stone just to get him to take diuretics.
I’ve done as much as I can for him, but it’ll never be enough.
He’s on borrowed time and he knows it. All we can do is keep him comfortable. ”
This isn’t my first rodeo with not only this condition, but this exact kind of patient. At the end of the day, you can only do so much. If he doesn’t want to prolong his life, all I can do is monitor him and offer treatment for symptoms as they arise.
I sigh. “Obviously the patient’s contact information is all in the file?”
“It sure is, Blair. Thank you.”
That makes me smile. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
“Then you won’t mind if I ask for one last thing?”
“Hit me. It can’t be any worse than a secret house call I can’t tell anyone about,” I reply, smirking to myself.
“That’s the thing. You can’t tell anyone at Cooper Ranch. Not a soul. That is a dealbreaker. If anyone catches wind of this, he’ll stop any and all treatment. And I know he’ll do it.” What in the world is going on here?
“Even with you?”
“Even me, sweetheart,” he replies, sounding resigned. “The Wilsons and the Coopers don’t get along and haven’t for generations. It’s better for all involved if you just keep this to yourself.”
“Sure thing, Uncle. I promise I’ll make you proud,” I tell him. “Besides, it’s literally my job to keep my patients’ confidentiality.”
“No doubt about that, sweetheart. You have done every day since you were born.”
I blink rapidly at the sudden hit of emotion I feel. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Blair Bear. Be safe and don’t let anyone walk all over you.”
“Like that has ever happened. Why did you think I needed a break from my life in the first place?” I quip.
His voice softens. “The question is, are you findin’ what you were lookin’ for in Timber Falls?”
I think back to the people I’ve met at the hospital and the family I’ve been welcomed into here on the ranch, especially by the person whose footsteps I hear outside the cabin.
A smile graces my lips. “Yeah, Uncle George. I think I might be.”
“Welp, you’ve got five more months to be sure. Use them wisely,” he replies. “Talk soon, sweetheart.”
“Bye Uncle George,” I say just as the expected knock sounds.
That’s when I return to my room, give myself one last check in the mirror, before moving to the front door to greet my date.
“Still want to see the bunker?” Sutton asks as we walk hand in hand–complete with skin-buzzing tingles that I've decided to stop thinking about–away from my cabin.
“Is the sky blue? Of course I do!” I reply, making him laugh.
“It’s not exactly… fancy.”
“Well, duh. The purpose of a prepper bunker is in the name. It’s to prepare for a catastrophic event and provide safe and secure long-term accommodations in the extremely rare chance that it would be needed.”
He stops moving and turns to me, his curious gaze locking with mine. “Is there somethin’ you want to tell me, Blair?”
I scrunch my brows. “No… why?”
“You seem to know a lot about prepper bunkers.” I almost think he’s really concerned until I catch the quirk of his lips.
I nudge him playfully and pull him forward so we’re walking again. “And he thinks he wouldn’t have had a chance with me. Jeez,” I mutter.
Sutton splutters out a laugh. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Sounded like somethin’,” he says, his eyes dancing before slowly drifting down to my tipped-up mouth.
A slow-burning heat grows inside of me the longer he does it and I force myself to look away before I do something crazy like launch myself at the man.
What exactly is in this mountain air? I’d never do that back home.
I hear the faint bray of Grumps sound in the distance followed by Sutton’s relieved sigh. “At least we know we won’t be havin’ any jackass-related happenings today.”
“Are you doubting his ability to move around the ranch at speed?”
“There is nothin’ that animal could do that would surprise me.” He scoffs. “Literally nothin’.”
Sutton leads me forward and a few moments later after walking around the Zen Garden trees—still open on one side thanks to said donkey—we come to a stop in front of a big green bush.
I shoot him a skeptical look. “You sure you know where it is, doctor?”
His eyes crinkle as he lifts his hand and taps my nose with the tip of his finger. “Ye of little faith.”
“Ye of little information,” I shoot back
“Before we go in, I want to warn you. It’s a little rustic down there.”
I tilt my head. “Is that a code word for messy, run down, smelly, dirty, or all of the above?”
“You really do want to see this, don’t you?” he says, surprise and wonder written all over his face.
“Well duh. Though, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s just an excuse to spend more time with a certain doctor I’ve met.”
“Hmm,” he says, his gaze roaming my face. “I’ve heard he wants to spend time with you too.”
I lean in close and drop my voice to a scheming whisper. “Isn’t it lucky we’re here then.” I straighten. “But you should know by now to never keep a woman waiting. Tell me, where is this secret bunker?”
A slow growing smile transforms his face, amusement covering his features. “OK. OK.”
He leads me around the foliage and I gasp as two thick wooden doors seemingly appear out of nowhere in the middle of the trees. Somehow, instead of seeing trunks there’s the entry to a prepper bunker.
I stop and tug on his hand. “Are you sure there isn’t something you neglected to tell me, doctor?”
His brows adorably scrunch together to form two lines I itch to smooth out. What I don’t understand is why he’s whole body has gone as stiff as a board for some reason. “Huh?”
“Are you Batman?” I whisper conspiratorially.
A snort escapes him as he visibly relaxes. “Not likely.”
“Hmm. Then again, that’s what superheroes always say. Don’t worry,” I reply with a wink. “Your secret’s safe with me, Sutton Cooper.”
“You sure have an active imagination, gorgeous.” The endearment must’ve just slipped out and caught him by surprise judging by the way his eyes bug out.
“Hey,” I say, squeezing our joined hands. “It’s OK. I like it. No one has ever called me that before.”
“Really?”
I shake my head. “I’m Little Blair to my family, I’m Blair Bear to Uncle George, and B to my best friends. I like that you’ve got something that’s just yours and mine.”
“Really?” he asks again.
I gently nudge him with my shoulder. “Yeah.”
“It’s what I used to call you,” he blurts out.
“What?”
“Before, when I used to see you across the quad. I didn’t know your name. I had to come up with a name in my head. That’s what I called you.”
My heart melts into a gooey, Sutton-shaped mess. “I like it even more now. Though, I do reserve the right to come up with an equally sweet name for you too.”
I give myself a pat on the back for seeing him fully relax again now. “You already call me doctor.”
I shrug. “Maybe that’ll stick. Maybe it won’t. I guess we’ll find out depending on how many more of these dates we go on.”
His eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles again. “I guess we will. But first–”
“First you’re going to show me your Gramps’s secret bunker that may or may not be a superhero lair.”
“You wish is my command.”