Reaching Hearts - Faleena Hopkins Page 0,56

to look at me, on the way to the door. “Nice meeting you, Annie.”

“Have fun, Mrs. Clark.”

“I love you,” Brendan calls to her.

“I love you, too.”

As soon as the door closes behind her, I whisper, “Your mother is very progressive.”

“She’s become more so since Dad died. I think coming face to face with mortality makes people change. Things don't become as important.” He’s staring at the door, thinking about her out with a man he doesn’t know. Life is unfair for taking our loved ones away from us before we’re ready. Why can’t we all go at the same time?

I walk over. “Hey.”

He gives me a smile he would never give her. “Hey,” he says and takes my hand, looking down to watch our fingers naturally entwine. “I doubt I’ll get used to that.”

“I’m sure she won’t have you meet anyone until it gets serious.” He closes his eyes. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll deal with it when it comes. I wasn’t thinking about that.” He’s looking at our fingers still. “I was just thinking about us getting interrupted again. You know what I can’t wait to do?”

“No, what?”

His eyes slide up to meet mine. “I can't wait to take you back to my place where we can lock a fucking door."

I laugh. “There would probably be an earthquake or something where the building would have to be evacuated.”

“Right?” He laughs, too. “Every time. It’s like someone’s laughing at us up there.” His eyes travel heavenwards.

I sit down beside him, looking at him, and wishing I could tell him, now. I could, couldn’t I? I could just say it and get it over with. But my mouth doesn't open and my tongue doesn't move. I just sit here, frozen and guilty.

The door opens and a doctor walks in who I’ve not yet met, wearing glasses under thinning gray hair. He nods to me and looks at Brendan. “Well, how’s it going in here?”

“Great. I’m feeling stronger today.”

Nodding, he walks to the other side of the bed to look at Brendan’s wound. He lifts up the gown while Brendan holds the blanket over himself, throwing a hilarious look to me like the doctor wants his body. I try not to start laughing, and bite my smile back instead.

“Well, this is healing well. You’ve got some stretching here. Did you pull at this?”

Brendan throws me another quick look. “She ran around the room begging me to chase her, doc. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

The doctor smiles and walks to the end of the bed to look at Brendan’s chart. “I’ll refrain from answering that so I don’t get sued.” He writes a note and looks over to me. “If I sent him home tonight, you think you could watch over him?”

Brendan’s eyebrows fly up. “Really? I can go home?”

Quickly, I agree, “Of course!”

The doctor keeps the folder in his hands as he heads to the door. “I think you’ll heal faster with a good night’s rest, don’t you?”

Brendan nods, incredibly relieved. “That’s what I was saying! Yes. Definitely.”

“Okay, well, first I’m going to give you another M.R.I. and make sure that lung is healing. If so, you can go home.”

“How long does the M.R.I. take?” Brendan asks, wishing we didn’t have to wait.

“About forty minutes.” The doctor nods to both of us and leaves.

“Holy crap. Did I say you were magic, or what?” He grins as I go to open up the curtains.

"I can't believe it. It's like our luck is finally changing. Look at the world you're about to go out in again. Oh, what a nice view of the parking lot.”

“It’s good, isn’t it? That's why I had them closed."

“Gorgeous. All that cement and steel. And light posts. A couple bushes. Wow. It’s like we’re in Cabo.” I turn and see him smiling. At me.... Brendan Clark. Maybe it’s the distance, but looking at him from here hits me in a way that it didn’t when I was close to him, or when his mother was here. Or even when we were making love. Maybe it's knowing we're about to leave together. That he wants me to be the one to take him home. It's mind-bending and once again the desire to confess consumes me. What good would that do us? He's happy. If I'm living in guilt, then that's on me, isn't it?

“You okay?” he asks, frowning.

I bite my lip and look down at the clean tile. “I’m just glad it’s all ending well.”

“Yeah. We’re going to get burgers