The next morning, Allison awoke to a very queasy stomach. She managed to drink some water and brush her teeth, but the mere thought of food had her stomach revolting and threatening to empty itself.
“Want some breakfast?” Russell asked from the bathroom doorway.
Allison shook her head. “No. My stomach’s not feeling very good this morning. It was probably something I ate on the picnic yesterday.”
“Are you sure? I could make you some toast,” he offered.
“No, thanks. I’ll eat something later.”
Russell tilted his brow, looking at her uncertainly. “I’ll be home early. Call me if you need something. Promise?”
“Promise.” She walked him to the door with wobbly legs, turning her head so he could kiss her cheek. “Just in case whatever I have is contagious.”
He smoothed a hand down her hair. “Get some more sleep, Ally. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
“Hopefully.”
She headed back to bed, but couldn’t sleep – especially when her phone started ringing with the distinctive ring tone she’d assigned for her family. She glanced at the caller ID. It was her sister Reese. “Hey, Ree.”
“Where are you? I tried calling you at home all weekend and you never answered.”
“I’m in Chicago with Russell.”
“I should have known it; you went through with that test theory of yours.”
“Yes.”
Reese laughed out loud and then said, “Hey, don’t mind me. If it works, why not?”
After a few minutes of catching up, Allison promised to call her sister later. As the morning progressed, she felt more like herself and decided to get some fresh air.
She walked to Millennium Park, taking her painting stuff with her. Chicago wasn’t so bad if you knew the right places to go, and she found a secluded and peaceful spot to sit and paint.
She painted for several hours and then packed her stuff up and returned home. By the time she arrived, she was exhausted and reclined on the couch with her Kindle, waiting for Russell to come home.
“Hey, Sunshine. Do you feel better?”
Allison nodded. “My stomach feels better, but I’m awfully tired.”
“Feel like going out for dinner?” he asked.
“Not really. Are you hungry?”
“Always. How about I order in and we watch a movie?” he suggested.
“That sounds about what I’m up for.”
Russell ordered their food and they settled down to watch a romantic comedy. Allison hated the fact she wasn’t her usual energetic self, but she loved to cuddle with him on the couch.
She’d enjoyed their week together and was amazed at how quickly they’d grown accustomed to each other. The thought of having to leave him to go back to Sandy Beach sent cold shivers down her spine, but then she couldn’t imagine moving to Chicago either.
In contrast to her older brothers, she had always loved the small-town life of Sandy Beach, and the day her parents had moved there permanently had been the luckiest day in her life. Her siblings longed for the excitement of the city, while Allison avoided it at all costs.
Maybe her test hadn’t been such a good idea after all?
Since those thoughts headed down a road that didn’t seem to have a happy ending, she pushed them aside and relaxed to watch the movie with Russell. As the movie loaded, he told her, “The patients at the clinic absolutely love your paintings. One woman even asked if she could be one of them. You should go talk to Mr. Wallace tomorrow.”
Allison’s heart sang with delight. “Russ, that’s fantastic. Maybe I’ll be able to make a living from my painting after all.”
The movie started up, but Allison never even made it halfway through it before she was sound asleep, cuddled up against Russell.
Chapter 16
The next morning Allison still felt sick. She’d fallen asleep during the movie the night before and he’d carried her to bed, but after sleeping soundly all night, she’d awakened weak, nauseous, and pale in the face.
His stomach twisted with concern and worry about her.
“Ally, don’t you think you should go see a doctor?” he asked, his worry for her showing in his voice and on his face.
She shrugged it off. “I’m sure it’s just a bug. I’m not horribly sick; my stomach is a little queasy. Perhaps I picked up a summer flu?”
“Perhaps. Take it easy today, okay?”
“I will. Have a good day at work.”
Russell left with a kiss to her cheek and headed for the clinic, his own stomach slightly queasy in anticipation of the conversation about to happen. He carefully rehearsed his words until he arrived at the clinic, where he searched for his partner Dex and found him in his office, sipping on coffee and looking over patient files.
“Dex? You got a few minutes?” he asked from the doorway.
“Sure. Come in.” Dex invited him to have a seat.
Russell took the chair in front of his partner’s desk and then steepled his hands under his chin, resting his elbows on the corner of the desk. “I’d like to make some changes to the focus of the clinic.”
Dex sat back in his chair, his eyebrows flickering skeptically. “What kind of changes?”
Russell steeled himself for his partner’s reaction. He knew Dex wouldn’t embrace his ideas with open arms, but he despised continuing with the status quo any longer. “I want to see the clinic get away from cosmetic surgery for vanity purposes.”
“What?! Are you crazy? That’s our bread and butter!”
“It has been, but that’s not what either of us wanted to do when we left medical school,” Russell reminded him.
“No, but paying off my student loans for the next fifty years wasn’t what we wanted either. Cosmetic surgery is where the money is.”
“I’m tired of chasing the money!” Russell said, exasperated ,and stood up to pace in front of the desk.
Dex stood up as well and pushed his hands deep into his pockets. “Russell, we’ve been over this before. There is no way I’m on board with this. I love having you for a partner, but I love my luxurious lifestyle even more.”
“We’d still earn enough money.”
“We’d barely scrape by.”
Russell could feel his jaw tense and abruptly stopped in front of Dex. “Is this all you care about? Money?”
Dex stared back at him, opening and closing his fists a few times, before he said, “Look, Russ, you need to think this through some more.”
“I have thought this through.”
“Then think on it some more, before making any rash decisions. I won’t hold you back, if you wish to leave.”
Russell shook his head and stormed out of Dex’s office. He was angry Dex wouldn’t even consider his request, and frustrated he hadn’t handled their conversation better.
He headed for his office, grabbing his white coat and stalking to the exam room, where his first patient of the day was waiting for him: Mrs. Mitchell.
He took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. “Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell.”
“Dr. Barkin. I’m so glad you had time to see me.”
“What can I do for you today?” he asked, flipping through her file. The woman had already undergone three facelifts, and the last time she’d had to endure some complications. It would be a huge risk to operate on her again.
“I wish to have another facelift.”
Russell raised his left eyebrow. “Another one? Why? You look wonderful.”
“My husband told me I’m looking old.” She leaned towards him and traced a line from her eyelid to her ear and down to the corner of her mouth. “Can you see all those wrinkles?”
For God’s sake, the woman was past sixty – how could anyone expect her to have a wrinkle-free face like a twenty-year-old girl? Russell grew impatient and asked with a harsh voice, “Are you happy, Mrs. Mitchell?”
“Happy?” Mrs. Mitchell asked, furrowing her brow.
“Yes! Happ
y!”
Mrs. Mitchell shook her head. “I’m not exactly sure how this has something to do with my wrinkles, but I guess not.”
Russell sighed. He wished Allison were by his side. “Were you happy after your last facelift?”
“God, no. It was awful. I was in acute pain for several months and subsisted on painkillers. I hate needles and operations. The only reason I had that last one was for Richard.”
She paled at the memories and Russell felt guilty to put her through this, but he wanted her to acknowledge that another facelift would be a huge mistake. A painful mistake.
“Richard is your husband?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Do you love him?”
Mrs. Mitchell raised an eyebrow at the inappropriate question, but slowly answered, “I guess.”
I guess? What kind of answer is that? You either love someone or you don’t. Russell was tired of it. “Mrs. Mitchell, I’m going to do you a favor and refuse to perform another facelift on you. It’s too dangerous and I won’t risk your health. My suggestion is that you find a man who loves you just the way you are.”
He pushed himself to a standing position and rushed out of the exam room, leaving a stunned Mr. Mitchell staring after him.
I wouldn’t want to change even one tiny detail about Allison. I love her the way she is. Not even fifty years from now when she’d be all wrinkly and have a flabby stomach and graying hair. He would still love her just as she was. Yes, even then. The burst of love was almost palpable, and he could have sworn he heard pieces of rock tumbling down when the protective wall around his heart collapsed. I love her!
He heard a commotion in the hallway and stalked to the door to see Mrs. Mitchell crying to Dex about her meeting with his partner. Dex glared daggers at him and then assured the woman he’d be happy to perform the surgery for her. After his nurse escorted Mrs. Mitchell to the reception desk to get the procedure scheduled, he stomped into Russell’s office, slamming the door after entering it.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Russell felt his rage rising. How could Dex countermand his decision? In front of the entire clinic? He clenched his fists and inhaled sharply. “Mrs. Mitchell does not need another facelift.”
“Who cares? She wants it and is willing to pay for it. We’re in business here.”
Russell folded his arms across his chest. “I told you this morning I want to get away from cosmetic surgery.”
Dex shook his head. “Then I suggest you find someplace else to do that.”
Silence filled the office for long moments before Russell nodded his head. “That would probably be for the best. I will of course stay on until you can find someone to buy me out. It shouldn’t be too hard.”
The tension started to diminish and Dex recovered from his shock. “Are you positive this is what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I’ll start asking around.”
Russell turned to leave the room, when Dex called him back, “Russ, I’m sad to let you go. We’ve had lots of fun together. But if this is what you want, I’ll do everything to find someone quickly.”
“Thanks.” Relief spread throughout his body. He had no idea what he was going to do next, but for the first time in a long time he felt free. Ally is right, happiness is much more important than money.
The one thing he knew was that he loved Allison and wanted to be with her. They’d have to figure out the details, but for now, he was ready to take the plunge and tell her the “relationship test” had been a success and he was willing to take things to the next level.
His fingers itched to call her, but he decided to deliver the good news in person. He glanced at his schedule and noticed he still had several more patients to see before he could leave. He made reservations at one of the city’s most romantic restaurants and then headed back out to deal with the next patient.
Tonight, he would tell Allison he wanted to be with her, and he’d make sure the evening was memorable.
Chapter 17
Allison did go back to sleep, and when she woke up almost at noon her nausea was gone. She showered and was about to leave for Russell’s clinic to meet with the facility manager when her cell phone rang.
“Hey, Reese. I was just stepping out. What’s up?”
“I wanted to remind you about the barbecue at Mom and Dad’s two days from now.”
Allison wrinkled her eyebrows. “Gosh, totally forgot about it. What’s the date?”
Reese laughed into the phone and told her the date. “Now that you’re with a man you forget about the rest of us? That’s not nice, Ally.”
Allison froze. I should have had my period by now. She grabbed a calendar and checked the dates again. I’m three days late. That has never happened before.
She vaguely remembered the first time she’d slept with Russell after the party. The condom had slipped off, but she hadn’t worried about it. Guess maybe I should have. No way. That’s not possible. Is it?
“Ally?”
Allison shut her eyes and tried to breathe through her panic. “I’m here.” Her voice quivered despite her best efforts to keep it calm and steady.
“What’s wrong?” her sister asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re fighting with Russell, aren’t you? What about? Maybe I can help…”
“I’m not fighting with Russell. He’s so wonderful, the best man I’ve ever met. I’m falling in love with him. A lot.”
“Then what is it? I know something is wrong. If it’s not Russell, what then?”
Allison scrambled for a believable excuse. “I guess I’m just nervous. It’s the first time I’ve fallen in love that much.”
“Try again.” Of course her sister saw through her feeble excuse.
Allison sighed. She might as well tell her. “I’m late.”
“Late?” It took a few moments until Reese grasped the momentous meaning of late. Then she whispered into the phone, “Tell me you used condoms.”
“Of course we did, but the first time something went wrong and it slipped off.”
“Oh my god! You need to make sure.”
“Ahh, I’m probably late because I’ve been so stressed out with the trip and everything.”
“Allison Paxton, you need to buy a test and take it right away. Promise me or I’ll come and do it for you.”
Despite her panic she had to laugh. Reese would be capable of rushing to Chicago and forcing her to take the test. “Fine. But I’m sure I’m panicking for nothing.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about. Go get a test and then call me with the results. Today.”
“Okay, I will.”
“When?”
Allison laughed, even though she was scared. “Right now. I’ll run down to the corner store and buy a test right now. Will that satisfy you?”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
Allison threw on her shoes and hurried down to the corner convenience store. She kept her eyes down and picked up the first test she spied. She paid for it and then tucked the brown paper bag under her arm and hurried back up to Russell’s apartment.
She entered the bathroom and with trepidation, followed the directions on the test, setting the test stick on the counter and refusing to look at it until the two minutes had passed. Taking a deep breath, she scrutinized the test strip, paling and bursting into tears when she saw not one, but two blue lines in the window. I’m pregnant.
She sank to the bathroom floor, crying in complete shock. After several minutes, she crawled into the bedroom and called Reese. Her sister knew immediately the outcome of the test when Allison bawled into the phone.
“Ally, honey, you need to calm down. Please stop crying.”
More sobbing was the only response.
“Come on, this isn’t the end of the world. Women get pregnant every day.”
“Not single women and not me!” Allison cried into the phone, completely hysterical.
“Ally, stop crying. Everything will be fine.”
“I can’t.” She hung up the phone and sunk back onto the bed, bawling with desperation. When she finally calmed down, another fear entered her mind. What if Russell thinks I got pregnant on purpose to trap him into marriage?
That notion brought about a whole new bout of tears. She needed to get out of there. Now. Outside she dawdled aimlessly around, until she found herself on the way to the lakeshore. At the promenade she walked for a long time, finally stopping to rest and let the tears flow freely. What was she going to do?
Chapter 18
Russell put his key in the door of his apartment, grinning from ear to ear about the surprise he’d planned. He had arranged for them to have a romantic dinner aboard a restaurant ship down at the harbor, where he’d spill the good news. All of it.
He quietly opened the door with the intention of sneaking up on her from behind and taking her in an impassioned kiss. But the kitchen was empty. He called out, “Sunshine. I’m home!” No answer. That was unusual. His smile faltered as he entered the bedroom, expecting to find her there. Empty.
A dark feeling crept into his heart. A feeling he’d believed gone for good. He stepped back into the hallway and shouted for her. “Ally?”
He opened up the guest bedroom door. Her paintings were gone, all of them – her suitcase as well. With sagging shoulders he shuffled back into the dining room, where a pink Post-it on the table captured his attention.
He picked up the note with a sense of dread, flopping onto the couch, his hopes and dreams crashing down around him as he read the note.
Dear Russell,
I’m sorry, but after thinking about this I’ve come to realize that you were right all along. This test was a mistake and any type of relationship between us wouldn’t work.
Allison
Dumbfounded, he read it a second time, and a third. A searing pain stabbed through his heart. He felt like someone had shot a big hole in the middle of his chest. Empty. Lost. Abandoned. It had happened again; whenever he loved someone, that person left him.
He pulled out his cell phone and called her. I need to talk to her. There must be a logical explanation. This must be some kind of bad joke.
Momentous Kisses: Love in Sandy Beach Page 7