Rise

by Leslie McCauley

  Chapter 26

  Getting to Know You

  I wake at my usual time and I am drenched in sweat. This time I was in an open meadow and I could hear a baby crying. I knew that it was Evan, but I couldn’t see him. I was startled by footsteps behind me and when I turned, Sam was there running toward me. I turned and tried to run from him, but I felt as though I was moving in slow motion. Just then, Evan appeared in front of me. He was wrapped in his blanket lying on the grass, and I knew I needed to get him before Sam did. Suddenly, Sam wrapped his hand around my mouth from behind. That’s when I woke up.

  I stay in bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling and decide it’s a lost cause. I am again thinking of Linc. I wonder what he is doing right now. Well, sleeping, hopefully. It is after two in the morning. I make my way to the living room and decide to read instead of watch TV. After a few minutes, I realize the effort to forget about Linc is fruitless. I pick up my cell and decide to text him. I know this is stupid, but I feel this uncontrollable need. I take a deep breath and scroll through my contacts. There he is. I smile when I read his name. Lincoln Connor; call him!

  Oh, my God, he put that in my phone! Well, I guess I am going to do as instructed. I hit call instead of a text. Surprisingly he does not sound like he has been sleeping when I call.

  “Hello?” his voice is so rich and smooth.

  “Um, Lincoln. This is Nettie, from group.” You are such a fucking idiot. Of course, he knows who you are! You just left him not five hours ago!

  “Hi, are you alright? Is everything okay?” Shit, I shouldn’t have called.

  “Yeah, no I mean, I am okay I just couldn’t sleep and thought I would take a chance that you would answer your phone.” I wait in anticipation for his reply.

  “It’s no problem at all, Nettie. I am actually just having a coffee.” Coffee? I look at the clock on the living room wall. It is 3 a.m. “I have rounds at five,” he explains. Oh, yes, he is a doctor. Well good, I don’t feel like such an ass about calling him so early.

  “Good, I am glad I didn’t wake you. I should apologize anyway. It was rude of me to call in the middle of the night like this. I just felt like hearing your voice.” Did I just say that?

  “Well, I am glad you did. Call I mean. I have been thinking about you since I woke up.” I can hear the smile in his voice. Oh good, so I’m not crazy. These feelings I have for him are mutual. “What are you doing right now?” He catches me off guard. What does he think I am doing? I am at home in the middle of the night.

  “Well just sitting here, not being able to sleep. See I have these nightmares sometimes. It’s kind of hard to go back to sleep after having one.” I feel the need to explain my erratic behavior.

  “Can I pick you up?” Huh? Why? I thought he had to go to work. “I have time for breakfast if I skip the gym.” I blush at the thought of seeing him again.

  “I’d like that,” I say shyly.

  “Good. It’s a date. Where do you live?” He called it a date. I am beaming on the inside. I give him my address and he agrees to pick me up in ten minutes. And we hang up.

  Oh, shit ten minutes. I run to the bathroom and turn on the light. “Fuck!” I look terrible! I brush my hair as fast as I can and pull it into a tight smooth ponytail. Reaching for my make-up bag I pull out only the essentials My concealer, mascara, blush, and some lip gloss. I do my best to make myself presentable in the short amount of time I have been given. I throw on a pair of jeans. Just as I am digging through my closet to find a sweater, there is a knock at the door. Shit, shit, shit I am not ready. I grab the first shirt I find and throw it on. It’ll have to do. After smoothing my hair once more with my hand I make my way to the door. I take one last deep breath before I open it. When I do Linc is standing there with that gorgeous grin on his face. He looks as handsome as ever. He is clean-shaven and his hair still a little damp. I want to scold him because it is so cold out, but he looks so damn good. He has on a long wool coat and black leather gloves. His neck is wrapped with a matching black scarf.

  “It’s really cold, you know,” he interrupts my evaluation of him.

  “Oh, sorry. Come in,” I giggle and step back so he can move into the room. I close the door behind him and get my coat and scarf on as well. “Ready,” I say to him.

  “How do you look so adorable this early in the morning?” I am so uncomfortable with compliments, but I maintain eye contact.

  “You mean this late at night?” he shrugs his shoulder at me.

  “My day is just beginning. And beginning well at that,” he smiles, just enough so that his dimple shows. “Breakfast?” he holds out his hand for me and I don’t hesitate to take it.

  He is so charming and sweet. On the way to breakfast he tells me about a few of the patients he will be checking in on today. He lights up when he is talking about these kids. He describes a few and luckily none of them are in for anything more serious than pneumonia. He stops talking for a moment and shakes his head.

  “What is it?” He looks so sad all of a sudden.

  “My job. I love it, but sometimes I do lose patients. I think of how lucky I am to be around kids all day but that just makes me miss my own. And the parents.” He focuses again on the road and doesn’t say any more about it. I think about the doctor who had to come out and tell me that Evan was gone. To think that Lincoln has to be the one to do that. He seems like the type of person that would take his work home with him. He looks so young right now. So handsome.

  “How old are you?” the question just flies out of my mouth.

  “How old are you?” he snorts at my audacity.

  “You should never ask a woman that!” I giggle “I am proud to say I am thirty.” I stand up very straight to reinforce my pride. And he giggles again. He has a beautiful laugh. It is deep but soft and very infectious.

  “Well, since you told me I’ll tell you. I am thirty-two, not thirty also but thirty-two,” he holds up his fingers to me and emphasizes the number two. I notice his sculpted hands again. Long slender fingers and perfectly smooth and soft. I am staring at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?” I can’t help a loud laugh that escapes.

  “No, sorry. I didn’t mean to.” How can I not stare? “You’re just…funny.”

  “Funny? Funny ha-ha or funny strange?” He is trying to sound offended, but I can tell his mood is light.

  “Don’t worry, I meant funny ha-ha.” I feel relaxed and nervous with him all at the same time.

  “Ok great. Funny ha-ha I am okay with. So, do you have a preference where we eat?” he asks, changing the subject.

  “No, wherever you want, is fine with me. I’m not picky.” He has a childish grin on his face.

  “Good, because I only go to one place.” We pull into the dirt parking lot and I can’t help but laugh. “What’s so funny? Have you eaten here? It’s my favorite.”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I have.” I look up at the sign that reads Mona’s and sigh.

  “Oh yeah? Do you like it? I have been coming here almost my entire life.”

  “Me too.” He looks surprised.

  We climb out of the car and I am startled when he grabs my hand. “It’s icy, I don’t want you to fall. Don’t worry, I’m not getting fresh with you,” he winks at me. Damn, I wish he was. I nod at him and we make our way inside. I search the room for Jen, but she is nowhere to be found. She probably doesn’t work this shift.

  As I look around the room, I don’t recognize any faces. A woman by the name of Zel seats us. What a strange name. Linc seems to know her well. He must come here a lot at this time of night. He is very sweet with her, almost flirty even though she is old enough to be his grandmother. She is a pretty woman. She has very dark brown hair and her eyes are a beautiful soft blue. After we are seated, she takes our drink orders and we both get coffee. I need a coffee the size of my head right about now.

  “Zel this is Nettie, a friend of mine. She has been coming here for a long time too.” She looks confused.


  “Never this early in the morning. And I haven’t been here in a really long time actually.” She smiles politely at me as she fills my coffee cup. “Um, I know Jen really well. Does she work this morning?” Her face pales in an instant.

  “No, I am sorry to be the one to tell you, but Jen passed away. It’s been about five months now.” My heart aches for her. She was such a nice woman. I should call my mother. Surely if she had heard she would have called me.

  “I had no idea. Wow, I feel terrible.” I look over at Linc and he is looking at me sympathetically.

  “I’ll give you two a minute to look at the menu.” I think she is about to cry.

  “Are you all right?” He gently places his hand on mine.

  “Yeah,” I shake my head. “I am just surprised that’s all. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard. She was a great lady. Every time I have been in here, for as long as I can remember, she has waited on us.” My eyes tear a bit and I wipe them before they can fall.

  “I don’t think I knew who she was,” he said. I smile at him. Oh, he would if he had met her. She was very hard to forget. The waitress is back again. She looks as though she has composed herself. Oddly enough we both order chocolate chip pancakes and a side of bacon.

  “Are you doing this on purpose?” I ask partly joking but partly serious.

  “What do you mean?” he returns a mischievous grin. “Have you ever thought we might just have a lot in common?”

  “Mmm-hmmm” I shift in my chair. I do think we have a hell of a lot in common. This must be the reason I feel so comfortable with him. I feel like I have known him all my life. I can’t shake the way he looks at me sometimes. I don’t think anyone has ever gazed into my eyes the way he does. Like he is really listening to me and not just waiting for his turn to speak. I like him. I like him very much.

  After the most fun breakfast, he asks If I want to join him for rounds. I can do that. Well, anything to spend more time with him. I agree and he takes me across town to the hospital. I am a little hesitant at first because I haven’t had many pleasant experiences here, except for Evan’s birth, of course. He senses my apprehension and once again holds my hand. I feel like I am a teenager again and on a first date with the most sought-after boy in school. When we walk through the doors, he takes me into the doctor’s lounge. He takes off his black suit jacket and replaces it with the white lab coat that he was wearing the first time I saw him in. He then reaches into his locker and pulls out a stethoscope, draping it over his muscular shoulders. He looks so professional. So together.

  “Ready?” I nod. This is exciting. He visits his first few patients and I watch cautiously from the doorway. He is so amazing with these kids. He is sensitive and funny. They seem to adore him as much as he does them. The parents are smitten with him as well. He was made for this job and it’s obvious. After about an hour he says a few words to one of the nurses and turns his attention back to me, “Do you mind if we make one more stop?”

  “Of course.” There must be a colleague he needs to speak with or something. I follow him to the elevators, but instead of stopping he continues to walk. We go through another set of double doors and then to the end of the hallway. The walls are yellow with suns and rainbows all over them. We approach a room and he holds a finger up to his mouth and his dimple appears.

  What is he doing? He looks like a kid himself. He peeks quietly into the room and I tiptoe behind him.

  “Boo!” Holy shit! I jump about two feet in the air and so does Linc. A little boy in a hospital gown, about ten years old, just scared the hell out of us! He is attached to an IV and has no hair on his perfectly round head. His hand is on his stomach and he is laughing hysterically. Tears are running down his face. What is going on here? “Hahaha Dr. Connor you are going to have to learn that I can hear your clumsy feet coming from a mile away!” Linc leans forward and playfully puts his dukes up.

  “You think you can pull one over on me huh? Now you started a war!” We are all laughing now. Finally, Linc excuses himself and properly introduces us. “Cam this is Nettie, Nettie this is Cameron Drake. My favorite former patient.” He lights up as he speaks. He must really love this kid.

  “It’s a pleasure, Cameron,” I nod, and he blushes.

  “Wow, you are really pretty.” Then I blush. “What are you doing hanging out with this guy?” Linc shoots daggers at him with his eyes.

  “Well, nobody else wanted to do anything at five a.m. Just this guy.” I point my thumb at him and roll my eyes at the same time. When I look at Lincoln the daggers are now flying in my direction. I flash my famous too much teeth, please forgive me, smile. He can’t contain his own grin and focuses his attention back at Cameron. He is a handsome young man. He has a twinkle in his eye too. So full of joy. He must be a very strong kid. They talk and joke for a while before another doctor comes in. He and Linc exchange pleasantries but he doesn’t introduce me. Linc bids goodbye to Cameron and gives him a warm hug.

  “See you tomorrow?” Cameron asks him on the edge of his seat.

  “Yes, see you tomorrow.” Lincoln replies. I wave to the little boy as we walk out of the room and I hear him yell.

  “Nice to meet you, lady! You’re welcome back anytime!” What a little flirt he is!

  “Is he like that with all the ladies? Awfully bold for such a young kid.” Lincoln looks so happy right now. I can see why he loves what he does. I don’t want to ask how sick Cameron is. I am afraid I won’t like the answer. Lincoln doesn’t offer any detailed information. All I know is that he has lymphoma. I don’t know how bad it is, or if he will get better or not, but I don’t want to upset Linc. I am sure we will talk about it again. I hope we have many more talks.

  “Well, I guess I need to take you home now. I would love to spend the day with you, but I have patients at the office now.” The feeling is mutual. I want to spend the day with him too.

  “Sure, I should get some things done today too.” After a nap of course. I am so exhausted. I only slept a few hours.

  On the drive back to my place, there isn’t a moment of silence. We talk the entire way and realize we have a lot more in common. Neither of us has siblings. His parents are still happily married as well, which seems unheard of these days. We love the same movies and music. And he has one of the most important qualities I love in a man, he cracks me up! He has the best sense of humor. I haven’t felt this good in so long. I am finally feeling like a human being again. I feel like something inside of me has woken up after all this time. I am falling for him already and oddly it doesn’t scare me at all.

  When we arrive, I am hesitant to get out of the car. I don’t know whether we will say our goodbyes here or if he’ll walk me to the door. Just then he opens his door and I know it’s the latter. He walks around to open my door and helps me out of the car. When we reach the door, I am secretly hoping he will kiss me. What am I thinking? We practically just met. Our eyes lock for a moment and I feel like he can read my mind. He begins to blush a bit and I can tell he is nervous. He slowly leans forward planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I close my eyes and take in the soft feel of his lips. The smell of his skin is divine. I can’t pinpoint what cologne he is wearing, but I know I have smelled it before. When he backs away from me, I can’t help the silly grin covering my face. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want him to leave.

  “Can I call you later?” he acts like a teenager. A thirty-two-year-old man is uncomfortable talking to a girl.

  “I would love it if you would,” I suddenly have butterflies in my stomach again anticipating his call and he is still in my presence.

  “Good. I’ll call you tonight. Around eight?” I nod. His grin begins to grow as well, and I know I am not alone in my feelings. He likes me too. Without another word he gets into his beautiful BMW and leaves. I miss him already.

  Chapter 27

  Much Needed Love

  It is 7:50 and I am sitting at my kitchen island willing the phone to ring. This has been a horribly long da
y. I did my usual after resting up this morning. The only difference is that I cannot get Lincoln out of my mind. I have been giddy all day. Even Hank noticed my change in mood. He joked that I must have gotten lucky because no one’s mood changes that quickly. Well, I did get lucky just not in the way that he was implying. I shake my head. No, I am certainly not ready for that step, but I hope I will be someday. My cell phone ringing interrupts my stray thoughts. I snatch it up a bit too quickly.

  “Hello?” Oh shit! I sounded too anxious. Play it cool Nettie. No need to throw yourself at the man.

  “Hey, what’s up?” It’s Jessie. Damn, why is she calling now?

  “Oh, hey. Nothings up here. What’s up with you?” I lack in hiding my disappointment.

  “Were you expecting someone else? You picked up the phone before it even rang.” I think she has me figured out.

  “No, I’m sorry. I was expecting someone, but I would much rather talk to you.” Good, that should do it. Can’t hurt to butter her up a little bit.

  “Well, I was just calling to check in with you. We haven’t seen each other in a while, and I wanted to see if you wanted to have a girl’s night?” That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I suppose we do need to make up for some lost time. I have been completely emotionally unavailable for a long time.

  “That would be great Jess. Just let me know when and where.”

  “How about this Saturday at my place? Colton is going to be out of town all weekend with the boys for some fishing trip or something. We can have a few drinks and just catch up.”

  “Perfect, I can’t wait,” I sound a little too enthusiastic, but what’s funny is I am not pretending.

  “What’s with you?” What does she mean? Does she think I am being sarcastic? “You sound, I don’t know happy. What gives?” God, does she know me too well. No sense in lying to her about it.