by Robin Nadler
She glanced at him. “A beer?”
“I think we need to relax. I think we need a drinking game.”
She smiled. “Okay, but I have to warn you, I may seem small, but I can handle my alcohol.”
“I have no doubt you can handle pretty much anything,” he grinned and his eyes sparkled as she led him to the kitchen.
Chapter Thirty-Six:
David looked in on Adam and Eve while Lila was in the bathroom. Their idea of a drinking game sort of ended when she started to feel sick again and he figured it was probably best not to have her drink anything. He worried about her and all that had happened over the past 24 hours. He looked at his watch and saw it was almost 1 in the morning and he knew she needed to sleep. He understood her reluctance to be in the bed, but he had another idea.
******
Lila looked in the mirror in the bathroom and saw the circles under her eyes. She felt like garbage and it seemed like all of the stress of the past few days suddenly came out in her entire body. Everything ached and she knew she needed sleep, but the thought of being in her bed made her stomach churn. She wondered if that would ever change? Her tears came again and she wiped them away as she exhaled and opened the door to rejoin David.
She walked out into the family room and when she saw the scene in front of her, she felt her tears come again. He was sitting on a blanket on the floor surrounded by pillows. He had his shirt off and there was a plate of something on the coffee table.
“What is this?” she asked as she walked to him.
“It’s really late and you have to sleep, but I understand that you don’t want to be in your room, so I made a bed out here for you. I also found some marshmallows and hot chocolate to help you relax a little. Sort of comfort food, but nothing too heavy.”
She pulled off her sweater top and had a small tank top underneath. She walked to him and sat down on the blankets. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “You are most welcome.”
“Were you going to leave now?”
He blinked at her. “No, why?”
“You said me and not we. I figured you wanted to go home. This has been kind of a crazy 24 hours and I can’t imagine you really want to be here with an emotional roller coaster like I am right now.”
“I like roller coasters,” he smiled and she chuckled. “Now have some hot chocolate and help me understand something.”
She looked at him and took the cup, taking a sip and feeling the warm liquid flow through her. It was wonderful and she looked at him.
“What is it?”
“Why did you bring marshmallows if you weren’t going to give me any?”
He grinned. “You have to earn those.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep,” his eyes twinkled.
“This is my house and those are my marshmallows,” she countered.
“That may be true, but right now they are in my possession and possession is 9/10th of the law.” He took a marshmallow and popped it in his mouth.
“But I love marshmallows and I deserve one,” she pouted.
“Perhaps, but I still have questions. Answer one and you get whatever you want.”
Her eyebrows shot up and he smiled. “Within reason.”
“Alright. What’s on your mind?”
He leaned in closer and flashed his dimples. “What would be your best date ever?”
She took another sip and thought about it. “I think sitting in a quiet family room in a bed made out of blankets and talking about everything and nothing is pretty perfect.”
He smiled. “I should have said you couldn’t talk about now.”
“But you didn’t and I answered, so gimme a marshmallow.”
“Gimme?”
She nodded. “Yup.”
He laughed and handed her a marshmallow
“Thank you,” she dunked it in her drink and popped it in her mouth. “I want another.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Okay, another question and then you get what you want.”
“Shoot,” she said and took another drink.
“What is the strangest case you ever had to treat? Not including mine,” he added, smiling.
“Your case is far from strange, but that’s an easy one, Mr. Pickletits.”
He choked on his marshmallow. “That was not his name.”
“Oh it was, and I haven’t told you what he needed yet,” she said.
“I can’t wait,” he said, a little afraid.
“He and his wife were trying to be adventurous in their home office and he had taken a rather high dose of Viagra. He sat her on the desk and when he went to enter her, his foot slipped and he slammed into the desk drawer.”
David blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard me.”
“Oh, damn,” he said, dropping the bag of marshmallows.
“He needed immediate surgery to set the fracture, although there is no bone, but we call it that. It was a unique injury,” she picked up the bag of marshmallows and took some.
“Was he okay after?”
“Of course. I told you, I’m the best. They went on to have three children.”
He swallowed.
“Sorry you asked?”
“No, yes, maybe.”
She put her drink down and looked at him. “How about you tell me your strangest case.”
He took the bag and ate a marshmallow. “Ms. Sukit.”
“Ms. Suck it?”
“Well that’s not how it was spelled, but yeah. I met her when I was doing my gynecological ER rotation.”
Lila rolled her eyes. “Did she put something where it didn’t belong?”
He laughed. “A handful of small red skin potatoes.”
Lila’s mouth dropped open. “Was there a reason?”
“Apparently she had an argument with her husband about how she never makes him any potatoes and she decided if he wanted potatoes so badly, he would have to find them himself. She began to feel ill and we had to dig them out of her. One began to sprout.”
Lila looked at him in horror. “You can’t be serious.”
He nodded. “I still can’t eat potatoes.”
They both looked at each other and burst out laughing. David loved how happy she seemed and how much more relaxed she appeared. It was a little after 2 am and she yawned.
“I think we should try and sleep,” he said and pulled the blanket back on their little fort he built.
She moved in and lay down, propping herself up on her arm as he lay down next to her. “It’s now.”
He looked up her. “What’s now?”
“My best date ever. Thank you,” she lay down and snuggled against him.
He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “I wish I could do more.”
“No David, this is everything,” she whispered as she fell asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Lila woke up and panicked for a minute when she couldn’t move, but she soon realized David was laying half on top of her, his face on her shoulder. She felt her heart race with feelings of happiness at his close proximity and she knew, without a doubt, how important he was to her. She looked at her clock and knew she needed to take her antibiotics, but she hated to move him. She looked at him and the dark stubble that covered his face and tickled her skin. His dark eyelashes were long and full and his arm, which lay across her waist, was a symbol of his strength.
She gently moved his arm and he snored as he turned over. She grinned as she stood up and smoothed her hair down before she went into the bathroom to shower. She took her meds and let the hot water wash over her body. She flashed back to the shower they took together and her face flushed under the warm feelings that crept through her. There was something really profound about their connection and how close they had become. She finished her shower and wrapped a towel around her body before wrapping another around her hair. She saw the bruising on her arms from where Paul h
ad grabbed her and her shoulders hurt to move up and down, but all in all, she was feeling better than she had in a long time.
She walked into her bedroom and pulled on her clothes, trying to remain quiet so she wouldn’t wake him up. She pulled her wet hair into a pony tail and walked out to the family room, smiling at his still sleeping form, now on his back, his pajama bottoms down a bit and his strong abdomen moving as he quietly snored. She walked over and checked on Adam and Eve, turning their light on and getting their food ready. She looked into the incubator and checked on the only egg that was growing. It still looked okay, and she hoped it would continue to grow.
“Lila?” He muttered as he sat up.
She turned around and smiled at his rumpled appearance. “Good morning.”
He looked at his watch. “How long have you been up? Did you already shower?” He saw her wet hair.
“Yep. I had to get up to take my meds and you were so comfy that I didn’t want to wake you. You needed to sleep.”
He ran his hand through his hair and was thrilled she looked so much better. “Did you sleep okay?”
She walked over and sat down on the blanket with him. “I did, better than I have in such a long time.”
He stroked her cheek. “I hope you know how happy that makes me.”
“I do,” she smiled. “Thank you for making sure I was okay.”
He was a little choked up and shrugged. “Thanks for letting me into your life.”
She was quiet for a minute and then spoke. “We had a deal and I really want you to honor it.”
He wrinkled his brows. “What are you talking about?”
“You told me if I got better, you would have an ultra sound done. I would like to go do that.”
He sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Can I tell you something?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I really think there is something we can do to fix what happened, at least the physical aspect. I am not saying that it has to be with me, but you deserve to have a healthy sex life, David. It would mean a lot if you let me help you,” she smiled. “I won’t perform the ultra sound, but I have someone I trust who can.”
“What if it doesn’t show anything? What if I’m a lost cause?”
She cupped his face in her hands. “You are not a lost cause. If this doesn’t work, we’ll find something that does. I’m not giving up and you shouldn’t either.”
He nodded and stood up. “Let me take a shower and then we can go.”
“Thank you,” she smiled as he stood up.
He walked a few steps and turned and looked at her. “If I can have any sort of sex life, I hope you know that I want it to be with you.” He smiled warmly and she watched him walk into the bathroom.
******
David let the hot water flow over his body and thought about the shower he took with her last night. He was so happy she was feeling better and it still broke his heart that she had felt so badly for so long. He was also worried about something that they didn’t discuss. He didn’t know how Paul had found them. He felt sure there was another threat out there and he needed to find out who it was.
******
“I really think you’ll like Steve. He was my mentor as I went through med school and he was a champion at paving the way for me to work in Urology. He runs a clinic for geriatric patients on the outskirts of the area and I emailed him about your case. He thinks, like I do, that there are discrepancies in your reports. He will do an exam and an ultra sound and we can go from there.” She looked at him as he drove. “I’ll stay completely out of the way. I don’t want you to be at all uncomfortable with me being there. I’ll wait in the car if you want.”
David tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach as he drove, but he also couldn’t deny that he was truly excited at the possibility of his problem being fixed. “I want you there with me. I trust you and I want the best. I think the only part I might prefer privacy is the exam. If I am naked in front of you, Lila, I don’t want it to be in an exam room.”
She felt her blood rush through her body and warm her skin. “I can understand that.”
He pulled up to the clinic and they parked.
******
Lila sat in the lobby while Steve examined David. She smiled at the elderly couples in the room and she realized just how much she missed being able to practice. She enjoyed research and she was grateful to still be able to work in medicine, but there was nothing like helping someone who felt hopeless. She rubbed her arms as there was a chill in the air and she looked up as Steve walked out.
“David wants you to come in now.”
She smiled and got up. “Thank you so much, Steve. Did he give you any trouble?” her eyes sparkled at her words.
“Surprisingly, he was pretty open to anything. I think he really wants to get better. I think he has a definite goal in mind,” he smiled at Lila. “I wonder what that is.”
She blushed, “Yeah, I wonder.”
They walked into Steve’s office and David smiled as she sat down next to him. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked her.
“I really am. How are you?”
“Glad that’s over, but hopeful.”
Steve watched them talk and felt such a sense of happiness for Lila. He had known her for years, and no one deserved happiness more than she did. He was also quite taken by David. He had been through something quite horrible, and a lesser man would have given up. He sat down and smiled.
“So? Am I a lost cause?” David smiled.
Steve chuckled. “Hardly, but there are some definite concerns I’ve had in looking over your records as well
as performing your exams. When I performed the ultrasound, it was evident that the blood flow was hindered in an area that leads to physical response to stimuli.”
“Do you think a bypass is possible?” Lila asked.
“Well, I was pleased to see there were numerous collateral arteries which had already formed. I was able to inject dye during the test and the blood flow through the collateral arteries is sufficient. It’s possible that they just recently formed, and will be able to work more efficiently very soon.” Steve looked at David. “I also believe, based on the type of trauma you suffered, there is a psychological element that’s holding you back.”
“So it’s all in my head?” David crossed his arms.
Steve shook his head. “No, absolutely not, but the fact that when you were initially treated, they didn’t address the main injury, added to the damage to the arteries. If the vessels had been opened and corrected right away, you would have likely had no physical issue to overcome. I think the fact that you did and it has continued to get worse has led to an expected and even anticipated response.”
David was quiet and Lila took his hand in hers. “What do you suggest we do next?”
David looked at her hand in his and the fact she was so open to helping him was really inspiring. He squeezed her hand and looked at Steve.
“I would like to talk to Lila alone for a few minutes, would that be okay? I will not go over any medical findings with her,” Steve looked at David.
“Of course. I’ll be in the lobby,” David smiled and left.
******
“So are you going to tell me what Steve said to you?” David asked as they drove back to her house.
“No, but maybe I’ll show you later,” she grinned.
He swallowed thickly. “Lila, I don’t think what happened today made any difference.”
She shrugged. “Maybe it did and maybe it didn’t, but I would like you to keep an open mind that maybe it did.”
He pulled into her driveway. “I’m starting to think that with you, anything is possible.”
Smiling, she looked at him. “Do you have plans for tonight?”
“Nope. What did you have in mind?”
“Will you come over for dinner?”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. See
you at 6,” she squeezed his thigh and got out of the car, waving as he drove away.
Chapter Thirty-Eight:
Lila put her bag down when she got into the house and took her hair out of the ponytail. She walked into her bedroom and pulled on her yoga pants and a t-shirt before looking at the bed and feeling her stomach churn. She knew she had to get over her fear, but right now, it was too fresh. She could sleep on the floor, who would know? Walking into the family room, she sat down on the fort of pillows and blankets which remained untouched from last night. There were a few hours left before she needed to start dinner, so she lay down and hugged the pillow to her, David’s scent surrounding her. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.