I'll Be Seeing You

  "Oh, baby, you know how to wake me up," he says, his fingers circling me. "Mm, so wet."

  Taking hold of my leg, he positions himself at my entrance and slowly pushes his way in.

  "Damn, you feel good," he says, slowly moving inside me.

  "Matthew,” I cry out when he stops. "Matthew, you meanie, I was so close," I say, panting.

  "I know, but I'm not, and I want to come with you."

  Reaching down to touch where we’re joined, I know this might help prepare him to come with me, and I’m right.

  "Christ," he growls, pumping into me faster.

  "Oh, Matthew. Please," I beg, and when he makes small little circles over me with his fingertips, I feel the fire spread throughout my body.

  Falling into a mass of goo in his arms, he holds me tight to him, wrapping me up in love and warmth.

  "You are the woman for me, do you know that?" he says. "I love you so much."

  "I'm glad," I sigh. "Because I love you, too. I love this. I love when you hold me like this. I feel like I have nothing to worry about, ever."

  "You don't have anything to worry about. I will take care of you," he says, kissing my neck, up my jaw, and ending at my lips. "You ready to start the day? I hope so, because now I'm hungry."

  "All right, let’s take a quick shower first." A squeal escapes me when he lifts me out of the bed and tosses me over his shoulder, carrying me to the shower.

  "I want to eat you for breakfast first."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  After our shower, we dress and walk to the kitchen with our arms securely around each other. The first task on the list — coffee. Because I want to help, and to make it easier and faster, I stand at the refrigerator while she tells me everything she needs. Pulling each item off the shelves, I place it all on the counter for her.

  After placing a brick of cheese on the growing pile, I shake my head in disbelief. "Jesus, Joy, what the hell are you making?”

  "Frittatas. Three different kinds," she answers as if she expects me to know.

  "All right!” I say, holding my hand out to high-five her. Embarrassed by my faux pas, I wipe said hand on my stomach and return to my task. “What else do you need? I'll pull it from the cupboards for you." I ask, standing ready and waiting for her instructions.

  After she has everything she needs, she begins preparing the ingredients. Watching her for the first time functioning in the kitchen as a blind person, I’m even more in awe at how skilled she is. She adeptly remembers where she places each item, such as an onion compared to a green pepper. Feeling all the ingredients, determining what they are, she then places them in a particular order. Using both hands, she scans over them a second time and then begins to prepare the dish. It’s very methodical. What I find equally intriguing is the particular way in which she cracks an egg open. She holds the egg in her fingers similar to the way a ball player holds a baseball and then gently taps the edge of the bowl. Then a second rap cracks the shell in a clean break. She said it's to avoid a crumbled shell from falling into the egg whites. After going through two dozen eggs, not one eggshell landed in the bowl.

  I think what impresses me the most is the way she uses a knife to chop or dice food. She keeps the blade so close to her finger, yet she does it with such skill, it would put the most professional chef to shame.

  "Hungry, Dr. Davis?" she asks, smiling as she continues her work.

  "For you, baby. Only for you," I flirt, walking around the counter to nuzzle my face into the curve of her neck.

  "Ditto." She smiles up at me while whisking the eggs into a frothy foam.

  Continuing to watch her for a while longer, I let her know that I'm going to make a few calls to check on a couple of patients. "I'll be back to help in a bit, all right?"

  "Okay," she acknowledges, focusing on her task.

  After a short ten minutes on the phone, my mind drifts back to planning Joy’s surgery. I’ll take her to the clinic on Monday for follow-up blood work to make sure her body is clear of infection. Once I’m sure of that, I’ll schedule the surgery for the following Thursday. Following a review of her test results and further examining her myself, I've determined a Vitrectomy is the best way to go. The recovery time is a bit longer, but if she follows her doctor's instructions, she should heal enough in time for the Ball.

  I have a friend with a cabin on Whidbey Island and he is always offering me the use of it so I've decided to take him up on it if it is available over New Years. It's an ideal setting to tell Joy of my plan to restore her eyesight by using my procedure. I know it will take me all weekend to convince her and I’ll have my presentation ready for her to read as well so she'll have an educational understanding of what it entails.

  "Matthew? Breakfast is ready," Maddie calls from the doorway.

  "Be right there," I reply absentmindedly, angry with myself for not returning to help Joy like I said I would.

  "What are you working on?" she asks curiously, coming up behind me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Oh, are you going on vacation?"

  "Not really. I want to take Joy away for the weekend over New Year's," I answer, clicking out of the program.

  "Come on, they're waiting for us," she says, quickly kissing my cheek.

  We are making our way through the office door when my cell phone rings. I quickly answer it, walking toward the dining room.

  "Dr. Davis," I answer.

  "Mattie, baby. How are you, handsome?" The all too familiar voice coos, stopping me in my tracks.

  Fuck!

  "What do you want? There is no possible reason for you to be calling me, Emma. This is my office number, and it would be easier for you to never call it again than it would be for me to change it." I squeeze my eyes closed in disgust.

  "Now, Mattie, stop that talk. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Is there anything wrong with that?" she whines, feigning hurt and concern.

  "Yes, there's something wrong with that … on all levels, Emma. Do not call me again." Looking down at my phone, I hang up on her.

  "Matthew, let me help." Brian gets up from the table and takes my phone from me. "I'm going to block her number, so when she calls, she can't get through." I watch him click a few buttons and programs in the number Emma called from, completely blocking it. “When she calls, you’ll know it’s her but she won’t get through. She’ll get a message that her call’s been blocked.”

  "Thanks, man," I say gratefully when Brian hands me my phone. Slipping it into my pocket, I make my way to the table. "Wow, these look great, babe."

  "Okay, let's dig in," she tells everyone, holding her plate out to me. She’s smiling, but I can tell she is hiding something.

  "Which one do you want?" I ask.

  "The broccoli and cheese, please," she answers, cheerfully. I surely hope she doesn't allow Emma's call to interfere with our holiday. That woman does not deserve a single one of my girl's thoughts.

  After cutting her a piece of the frittata, I place a slice of her homemade toasted bread on the plate and hand it back to her. "There you go. These look really good, Joy," I praise her

  "Yeah, Joy, what kinds did you make?" Jessie asks, checking out the spread in front of him.

  "There's the broccoli and cheese over there, right here is chorizo and cheese, and that is spinach, potato and goat cheese there," she answers.

  "Mmm … this is really good!" Brian says with his mouth full.

  "Brian, you'd love anything that remotely resembles a pie," Joy replies.

  "Got that right, girl," he says, putting the last bite into his mouth as he drops his fork down on his empty plate. Everyone is shocked that he’s devoured his already and is scoping out the other two, trying to decide which one he wants next.

  After we finish making gluttons of ourselves, we sit back and rub our full bellies. I can't believe we ate all three of those things. They were huge too.

  "Okay, guys, let's clean up this mess since Joy did the cooking, shall we?" Laura says, getting up
from the table and grabbing a handful of dishes before turning toward the kitchen.

  ~.~

  "Great breakfast, hon," Matthew says, bending down to kiss my cheek.

  "Thanks, dear," I reply with a huge smile as I lay down on the bed.

  Burying his face in my hair, he wraps his arms around me tightly, holding me to him. We lay like that until we both fall asleep, taking a long nap. When I wake, I try to move from his arms wanting to go downstairs to help Maddie and Laura with dinner. As soon as I move, Matthew holds me to him, preventing me from moving.

  "I have something I want to tell you," he says, sounding vaguely like a confession is coming.

  I prop myself up on my elbow. "What is it?"

  "When we get back to the city, I've made arrangements with the clinic to get your blood tested again. If it comes up clear from infection, I've scheduled the appointment to do the surgery on Thursday. It's an outpatient procedure, so after recovery, I’ll drive you home, to my house. You should be better by the Ball."

  “What?” she says shocked.

  "I told you, Joy. You will get that disease out of your body. It's an easy surgery and I’ll do it personally. No more high fevers and no more trips to the hospital in the middle of the night. Done."

  "But, Matthew, I said no more —" As soon as he hears me begin to speak, he jumps out of bed.

  "What? What, Joy? Are you still in this all by yourself? Are you telling me you want to go on like this? Is this the fight we are going to have just to fix your retina? You should have had the surgery years ago. I don't want to watch the woman I love go through what we just went through simply because you are being stubborn. It’s one lousy hour, Joy. One hour to fix something that has caused you years of illness. You fucking decide," he yells before slamming the bathroom door. I hear the shower start along with a lot of banging and slamming.

  Why am I being so stubborn about it? Why can't I trust him on this? He only wants to help me … but they all did. I listen for him getting out of the shower and when the water shuts off, I hear guitar music coming from downstairs. Brian is playing. Getting out of bed, I walk to the bathroom door and quietly knock, but he doesn't answer.

  "Baby, please, open the door," I say, running my hand across the wood. When he opens it, I throw myself into his arms. "I'm sorry, Matthew. I am stubborn. I'm just scared. I've fought this all of my adult life. It's the only thing that I have control over after all those years of people telling me what to do. I’ll let you fix it, all right?" I say, hugging him tighter to me. "Please, let's not fight anymore."

  "I don't want to fight anymore either," he says before kissing me. "I can hear Brian playing. Let's go join the party, shall we?"

  Matthew places a brief kiss on my lips before pulling away to get dressed. Once he’s ready, he turns around and lifts me onto his back, bouncing me with each step he takes.

  ~.~

  The girls are in the kitchen, dancing around the counter to Brian's guitar playing, and when he plays the familiar Beatles songs, Joy sings along and we all join in when we know the words … sometimes even when we don't.

  I help set the table, using the china my mother gave me for Christmas last year. I don't believe I've used it before. I only wish Joy could see it. Sneaking a glance at her, she folds napkins for the table settings. Sighing, I inwardly visualize her eyes looking directly into mine. If today’s reaction is any indication of the wall I'm up against, I have a long road ahead of me.

  After I place the food on the table, I set out several bottles of Chardonnay to complete the meal and pour a glass for everyone.

  "I'd like to propose a toast." I say, after seating myself at the table.

  "May your joys be as deep as the ocean, your troubles as light as foam, and may you find sweet peace of mind, wherever you may roam. Joy, when I met you, you brought sunshine to my otherwise gloomy days. My best friend is happy and my sister even happier. Everyone I care about is sitting at this table, minus my parents of course. I am thankful to you all and grateful you are in my life."

  We all touch our glasses, and I bend down to kiss Joy's sweet lips.

  "That was beautiful, Matthew, thank you," she whispers.

  "Here, here," Jessie says, tucking his napkin into his shirt collar.

  "Dig in," I say, carving the turkey, and all hands begin to move, passing food and filling their plates. This is the best home-cooked meal I've had in a very, very long time.

  Just when we finish clearing the table of dinner dishes, my cell phone rings, and I cringe that it may be Emma again. I look at my phone this time and see that it's my mother.

  "Hello, Mom," I say cheerfully. I look at Maddie and call her over to me, moving to my office to put the call on speakerphone.

  "Hello, Son. Happy Thanksgiving."

  "You too, Mom. Hang on, I'm moving to my office so Maddie can get on, too."

  Going via the kitchen, I gently take Joy's hand urging her to come with me.

  "Okay, we're all here, Mom." I say, putting the phone on my desk and Joy on my lap.

  "Hi, Mom," Maddie says into the phone.

  "Hello, darling. Dad's here, too," she says. We all say hello and then the inquisition starts.

  "Did you have a nice dinner?" she asks.

  "Yes, the girls did an incredible job," I say.

  "Girls?"

  "Yes, Maddie, Joy, and Laura. Laura is Joy's best friend and Jessie's girlfriend," I explain. I hear whispering on the other end of the line.

  "Is Joy the girl you spoke about in New York?" she asks.

  "Yes, she's right here with me."

  "Joy?" Mother says.

  "Yes, hello, Dr. Davis," Joy answers. I do believe my mother is crying.

  "Oh, you dear girl. It's so good to talk to you."

  "It's nice to talk to you, too," Joy says politely.

  "We can't wait to meet you."

  "Same here." I look at her and see the blush on her perfect cheeks.

  "So, where are you guys at these days?" I ask, trying to get the conversation off Joy.

  "We’re in the south of France, darling. We’ll be back in the states in time for the Ball. Speaking of which … Maddie, dear?"

  "Yes, Mother?" Maddie answers, leaning in closer to the phone.

  "I bought a dress in Paris, and I'm having it shipped to Matthew's home in Seattle. Would you please take it to a professional and have it steam pressed in time for the party?"

  "Of course, Mother," Maddie answers. "Is there anything you need? Shoes, bag?"

  "No, I will have all that with me when I arrive. I just ordered this gown off the runway and thought it best to have it delivered there rather than cart it all over the countryside."

  "Good call, Mom," Maddie replies.

  "What about you, Joy. Do you have your gown yet?" Mother asks.

  "No, not yet. I think Laura and I will begin our search when we get back to the city on Monday," she answers.

  "Are you there, Dad? I haven't heard a word from you since Mother called," I ask.

  "I'm here, Son. You know how it is when your mother gets going. I hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Sorry we weren't there this year, but we’ll see you for your Ball in a few weeks," he says. "I look forward to meeting you, Joy, as well as your friends. Maddie, will you be bringing your Brian?"

  "Of course. He's here in the other room. He wanted to thank you for the book you sent him on the history of the Eighteenth Century Literature. I found it boring as hell, but he couldn't put it down," she answers.

  "That's good. I'm glad he enjoyed it then. Well, kids, we need to get to bed. It's been a long day and we are meeting the Bannisters in the morning for brunch. It was good talking to you, Joy. Looking forward to meeting you," he says. "Matthew, we'll stay with you if that's all right?"

  "Absolutely. I'll let Rebecca know you’re coming so she can get your room ready," I say into the phone.

  "Good. Then I guess we will see you in a few weeks. Happy Thanksgiving again," Mom says.


  We all say our goodbyes before we hang up. When I look down at my phone, I see that Emma has made seven more attempts to call me.

  What could she possibly want?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After getting a full night's sleep, I get up early to take a jog along the beach. Leaving Joy sleeping, I quietly dress in the walk-in closet so as not wake her. I slip out the door, shutting it quietly behind me. Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, Laura and Jessie, who are dressed and look as if they are leaving, greet me.

  "Hey, what's up?" I ask, looking at the bags near the door.

  "Good morning," Laura says, sounding a bit guilty. "I need to get back to the city … Black Friday and all." I look at Jessie as he shrugs and rolls his eyes.

  "But I thought you would be here for the whole weekend! Does Joy know you’re leaving?"

  "No. It was a last minute decision. I thought about it yesterday, and I can't hang out here when all the stores are madhouses. I need to stop by and check in at least," she answers. "Will you say goodbye to everyone for us? Tell Joy I'll call her and Matthew, thanks for having me," she says, hugging me goodbye.

  "Sure. Absolutely." Still curious why this sudden decision to leave, I ask Jessie to talk privately.

  After we walk into my office, I shut the door behind us. "What's going on? Why are you leaving?"

  "Seriously, dude, she wants to make her rounds of the stores. She started to feel bad about being on a four-day holiday while the stores are slammed with this Black Friday shit," he answers. "That and it gives me three nights alone with her." I look up at him as he gives me a smirk.

  "Okay, as long as it isn't anything related to what happened yesterday." I motion for him to take a seat while I sit down at my desk. "I'm doing Joy's eye on Thursday, provided her labs come back clean."

  "Good. How'd she take it?"

  "Not very well at first and we got in a fight about it before we came down for dinner yesterday. She's going to fight me on the replacement procedure for sure but I have a plan. I'm prepared for the big one." I lean forward with my elbows on the desk, tapping my fingertips together, "I'm taking her to Whidbey to stay at my friend's cabin and will let her know my plans then."