Snowed in with the Doctor

by Dara Girard

  Grace smiled, relieved that her husband was finally beginning to show his love for his daughter. After sending the letter to Lora, he had spent several days alone in his workshop. She knew not to disturb him. He needed to be alone with his thoughts.

  He’d needed to come to terms with his father’s treatment of him and his disappointment at never fulfilling his dream. He saw in Lora the same drive and ambition he had had as a child but had never been able to fulfill. Letting go of his resentment and anger hadn’t been easy, but it had been a gift.

  “He’s convinced us,” Bernard said. “I hope he’ll be able to convince Lora.”

  * * *

  Lora sat in the food court at the mall with Belinda, who had gone on a shopping spree for two friends’ upcoming weddings.

  “So how are things at work?”

  “Fine, but something strange happened.”

  Belinda leaned forward. “What?”

  “Remember that Warren guy I told you about?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “He’s disappeared. He just left without a word.”

  “Good. You won’t have to worry about him again.”

  “I wonder what happened.” She paused. “Wait. How do you know I won’t have to worry about him?”

  “I’m just making a guess.” Belinda looked away quickly.

  Lora narrowed her eyes. “You know something.”

  “What could I possibly know?”

  “The last I saw him he was leaving Justin’s office.”

  “How is Justin?”

  “I heard from Dr. Rollins that he’s out of the hospital and is doing well. But don’t change the subject.”

  “Justin’s more interesting. When will you see him?”

  “It’s over.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not going to love a man with a death wish.”

  “Men can change.” Belinda held up her hands. “Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but if you’ve got a good man, hang on to him.”

  “We’ll see. Now tell me what you did to Warren.”

  “Remember that nickname you gave me as a child?”

  “Yes.”

  Belinda smiled, formed her hands into the shape of a gun and blew on the end of it as if she’d just fired it. “Let’s just say that Bullet Belinda accomplished her mission.”

  Chapter 19

  “You know that Lora should be here with you,” Maureen said to Justin. He was at the ceremony for Louis to receive a Pet of the Year award to honor his heroic effort to save his master. The ceremony was being held in City Hall and was hosted by the county executive and the local fire department. But Justin didn’t seem to care. The most important person to him was missing. He hadn’t seen her in two weeks. “Dad and Mom were hoping to see her,” Maureen continued.

  “They shouldn’t have flown in for this,” he said. He had tried to convince them that they didn’t need to come all that distance for an event that may take only ten or fifteen minutes. But they had been stubborn.

  “He saved your life. He’s part of the family,” his mother said. “Didn’t I tell you that you needed him?”

  “Yes, and I’ll take pictures and send them to you.”

  “No, I said we are coming and we will. The dog we got for you saves your life, and you don’t want us to be there?”

  “You know that’s not it.”

  “I’m so glad I trusted my instinct to get you that dog. I can’t wait to see him. We’ve already bought our tickets and packed out bags, and your sister is expecting us.”

  Justin looked at them now as they sat two seats away. His dad had worn his best suit to the event, and his mother had used the opportunity to buy herself a brand new outfit.

  She looked dignified in her dress, matching coat and white gloves. She had grown up in the South, and whenever she went to any kind of formal event, she had to have her purse and white gloves. She said a woman wasn’t fully dressed unless she was wearing gloves.

  Fortunately, they hadn’t mentioned Lora, but he knew if Maureen had her way they would start asking questions. He’d begged his sisters not to mention his breakup with Lora. His medical crisis had upset them enough, and he didn’t want them to worry about his relationship, too. His sisters had honored his wishes, but he wasn’t sure how long that would last. “Mom and Dad will see Lora another time.” Justin sighed, wishing he could get through the ceremony without another mention of her.

  “When?” Maureen pressed.

  “Soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “Can we just enjoy this moment for now?” he asked, even though he was eager for the event to end. Although all three of his sisters, Ann’s husband and her two children were there, along with Oliver and Anya and his parents, he felt empty. Like a part of him was missing. He’d always thought they’d be enough for him. Now he knew he’d been wrong. Lora’s absence from his life seemed to grow more evident every day.

  He’d missed her the most as he’d prepared Louis for the event. The weekend before he’d found the new dog collar Lora had bought for him. After taking Louis to the groomer for a special bath and to get his nails trimmed, he had the new collar placed on him. Louis wore it now and had been patiently sitting beside Justin but was slowly falling off to sleep.

  He knew he’d been stalling. He hadn’t yet figured out how best to contact her. What he should say. How he could convince her that he wouldn’t be careless with his health again. Justin watched the ceremony, feeling disconnected from everything around him.

  Finally, Louis’s name was called and Justin stood with him and walked across the stage to get a gold plaque. Louis was not the only animal being honored, and the event lasted two long hours.

  At the end of the awards, his parents came over to him and gave him a hug. “We’d expected to see Lora,” his mother said.

  Maureen folded her arms. “She—”

  “Couldn’t make it,” Justin interrupted.

  “Such a shame,” Sarah said joining the group. “I’d hoped to see her, too.”

  Justin sent her a look, but she merely smiled.

  “Since we’re staying a few days,” his mother said. “I hope we get to see her before we go.”

  Maureen wrapped a hand around Justin’s arm. “I’ll make sure that he tells her.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Sarah said, then led their parents away to drive them to Ann’s house to celebrate.

  “Now you’re in your element,” Maureen said.

  “No, I’m not.” Justin glanced down at the plaque in his hand. “You know I’m not big into ceremony.”

  Maureen rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about the ceremony. I’m talking about your challenge.”

  “Challenge?”

  “Yes.” She stood in front of him and rested her hands on her hips like a sergeant issuing orders to a private. “You have a deadline, little brother. Our parents are leaving in four days.” She poked his chest with her finger and lowered her voice. “Get Lora back or deal with me.”

  * * *

  Carla went to the front desk of the lab, surprised that she had a visitor. She stepped out of the elevators but halted when she saw a man in a suit turn to her. Griffin. He looked like a stranger.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought it was time I saw where you worked.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s important to me.”

  “Is there a problem, Dr. Patten?” the guard asked.

  “No, it’s okay.” She turned and walked back to the elevators. “I thought we’d agreed to give each other space.”

  “I did give you space.”

  Once the elevator doors closed, Griffin drew her to him and kissed her.


  Carla tried to push him away, although her body craved more. “What are you doing?”

  “You know exactly what I’m doing,” he whispered, then kissed her again.

  She turned her face away. “I don’t want this.”

  He loosened his grip. “You know, for a while you had me convinced that breaking up was the right thing to do. But then I realized that you need me.” When the elevator arrived on her floor, she marched to her office, let him in, then closed the door.

  “I need you?” she said, stunned.

  Griffin slowly walked around her office with his hands behind his back. “Yes.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  He turned to her with a smug grin. “Yes, you do. You need me to remind you there’s more to life than work.” He lifted her up and placed her on the desk, then rested his arms on each side of her. “To make you laugh when you start taking things too seriously. And someone to love you no matter what. I’ve always been responsible. Now I want to tell you the rest of my story.

  “I fell for a woman—Ariel’s mother—my parents didn’t approve of, and they cut off all ties. I was working on my PhD and then everything changed. We were going to get married, but after Ariel was born she changed her mind and left. Ariel had health issues when she was only two months old. She suffered from RSV.”

  “RSV?”

  “Respiratory syncytial virus,” he said. “It’s common in infants, but it caused a lot of stress. Our relationship didn’t survive. She didn’t want, or wasn’t ready for, the responsibility of being a mother, so I kept Ariel. Thank God she’s fully recovered.”

  “You have a lot on your plate—”

  He straightened and sighed. “I know, and it’s too much right now. When I missed your party because of my goal to finish my degree, I realized that I no longer cared about it. I knew I had to make a change. I’m not going to live trying to prove to my parents that I’m not a screwup. I like the work I’m doing, and I can support us. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks about our relationship. You need me, and I need you. Not to help me raise my daughter but to just believe in me. You never treat me like a failure. I’ve put my degree on pause for now. Not for you, but for me. You forced me to see what my priorities are. What I want them to be. All that matters to me is you and Ariel. If you need me to be there for you when you start your new research program, I will. Seeing you happy makes me happy. I can finish my PhD another time if I want to, but this is what I need now. I love you.”

  “You’d give all that up for me?”

  “I don’t think I’m giving up anything.”

  Carla wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She would have kept kissing him if she hadn’t heard someone pass by, reminding her that she was still at work. She quickly pulled away. “How serious are you about this?”

  “Very.”

  “What do you think about us moving in together?”

  “My place is too small.”

  “I was talking about my place. My town house is bigger than I need. Think of waking up each morning in a warm bed with me.”

  “I love the image, but having me move in with you also means having a baby around 24/7.”

  “I’ve thought of that.”

  “Just now?”

  “I have a quick mind. I could turn my extra bedroom into Ariel’s room and redecorate it in pink, and I want to hand stencil colorful animals on the walls. I can also install an intercom system, you know like those baby monitors, and a closed-circuit TV, so that we see what’s going on with her when she’s in her room.”

  “But...”

  “Because you are a rather tall man, I’ll put my bed in the third bedroom, so we can get a king-size bed for the master bedroom. And don’t worry about where your work stuff will go—I have another room that can function as your office. My unfinished basement will be perfect for storing some of your things, and what doesn’t fit, we can put in a small storage. It shouldn’t cost too much.”

  He hesitated.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to live off of you. You’re giving me so much and—”

  “You were right. I need you.” She kissed his nose. “And you need me.”

  “I won’t argue with that,” he said as his lips descended on hers. They both didn’t hear the knock on the door until Lora opened it and peeked her head inside. “Carla?”

  They quickly drew apart.

  Carla straightened her collar with trembling hands. “Yes?”

  Lora looked at them, unable to stop a smile. “I’m just being nosy. Is this him?”

  Carla couldn’t help beaming as she took Griffin’s hand. “Yes, it is.”

  * * *

  Lora returned to her desk with a smile. Griffin seemed like a nice guy, and she was happy for her friend. At least someone’s love life was working out. After falling for a jerk like Warren and then getting her heart broken by Justin, she was ready to stay single for a while.

  She was looking at the upcoming lab schedule when the phone rang. She absently picked it up. “Dr. Rice.”

  “I’d like to talk to you,” a deep, familiar voice said, sending a shiver of pleasure and pain through her. She’d been able to guard herself against the sight of him but not his voice. She adjusted her glasses with trembling fingers.

  “Can it wait, Dr. Silver?”

  “No.” He sighed. “I miss you.”

  Lora took a deep, steadying breath, wishing she could calm her racing heart. Wishing she didn’t feel the desire to run into his arms and tell him how much she missed him, too. “Please don’t do this to me here.”

  “You won’t answer my calls at home.”

  He was right. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks. He’d returned to work more than a week ago and they’d held a welcome-back party, but she’d decided not to attend. Since then she’d barely seen him, let alone spoken to him. And all the calls to her home and cell phone had been left unanswered. Now she had to face him. “Okay. I’ll be right there.” She hung up and then walked to his office.

  She would be calm. She wouldn’t react to him as she had before. She walked into his office, surprised by how it was the same yet different. Now she knew that the sculpture on his table had been created by Monique. That the Ravens cap had a matching shirt and jacket at home. That he kept a large thermos on his desk to keep from getting dehydrated. She still saw him as a warrior. But this time he wasn’t sitting behind his desk—he was standing in front of it, waiting for her. He looked healthy and vibrant, effectively erasing the image of him in the hospital.

  She sat and crossed her legs. “Yes, Dr. Silver?”

  “Lora—”

  “I heard that Louis got an award. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. Now Lora—”

  “Your family must be so proud.”

  “They are, but—”

  “And if I were you, I’d give Louis his favorite biscuits every day for a year.”

  “Lora!”

  She blinked, feigning innocence. “Yes, Dr. Silver?”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  She clasped her hands in her lap. “What would you like me to call you?”

  “I’ll get to that. But I wanted you to be the first to know that I’m resigning.”

  Lora jumped to her feet. “What? Why? When?”

  A grin of satisfaction touched the corner of his mouth. “Does the thought of me leaving bother you?”

  Lora gathered her emotions, knowing she’d revealed more than she’d wanted to. “You’re good at what you do, and you love this job.”

  Justin lowered his gaze, his lashes shadowing his cheeks. “You once told me I was accomplished as a scientist but a failure as a man.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  He
folded his arms, his eyes still lowered. “Not if you still believe that,” he said softly.

  “You know that I don’t.”

  He lifted his gaze and met hers across the room. “No, I don’t. Who do you want to stay?” He pushed himself from the desk and slowly closed the distance between them. “Dr. Silver the scientist, or Dr. Silver the man?” He stopped in front of her, his eyes never wavering. “Which one would you miss more?”

  Lora shook her head. She didn’t quite know how she felt. She wanted to run, and she wanted to stay. She wanted to scream at him for scaring her and hug him for being all right. “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.” He grabbed her shoulders. “You were right, Lora. I don’t blame you for leaving. I don’t blame you for being unsure right now. Lying in that hospital bed forced me to recognize a lot about myself. I can be selfish and stubborn and arrogant. I like people to do what I tell them and leave me alone. But I also realized something else.”

  “What?” Lora whispered.

  “That I want to be the man in your life. A man you’re proud of.” He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the good luck stone she’d given him. “I want you to have it.”

  “You’re giving it back?”

  “I want you to hold it for me. A warrior needs someone to come home to. When I’m battle worn and weary, I want to come home to you. I have a great family, and I always thought that my work and them would be enough, but these past several weeks without you showed me how wrong I was.”

  “You’ll really take care of yourself from now on?”

  “Yes. I promise I’ll get regular doctor visits, not overexert, take my supplements and—”

  “Listen to me if I’m concerned?”

  “Yes, I want to share my life with you. And I—”

  Lora placed a finger over his lips. “Are you asking me a question?”

  He narrowed his eyes and removed her hand. “You’re jumping to conclusions again.”

  “Am I wrong? You don’t want to ask me a special question...?”

  He held her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I’m getting to it.”

  “Get to it faster.”