by Alison Stone
She pulled her hand away and he stared for a moment at the space it had occupied.
“What are you afraid of?”
Lily blinked slowly. “We want different things.”
“I’m only asking for a date, Lily.” He tried to keep his tone even. “Get to know each other.”
Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms and seemed to smirk at him. “Why bother? My life is the lab. And you plan to reenlist. We have no future.”
“I’m not asking you to quit your job. And I won’t be in the army forever.” He narrowed his gaze. “What gives? There’s something bigger going on here.”
“Okay, you want to know why I don’t want to go on a date with you?” The chair scraped across the hardwood floor, and she stood and paced the small space, her hands flexing and relaxing.
He shifted sideways in his chair. “Talk to me, Lily.” He lifted his hand to touch her, then let it fall to his side.
Pausing for a moment, she looked at him; something flashed in her eyes he couldn’t quite name. She blinked a few times, as if snapping out of it, and started pacing again. “Shortly after Emily was diagnosed with the same disease that killed my mother, I was tested for the gene that carries the disease.”
Dread welled up in his gut. He stood and took Lily’s hand. He tried to pull her into an embrace, but she stiffened, lifted her hand, planted it against his chest and gave him a gentle shove. “Don’t.”
She covered her mouth. “I can’t have children. Not without worrying they may get sick. Not without worrying I might die before I get to see them grow up.”
The pain etched on her features crushed the air from his lungs. “But a treatment is on the horizon.” With his index finger, he tilted her face to force her to look at him.
“You’re the only person I’ve ever told.”
James couldn’t imagine the burden she carried. “Did you get a second opinion?”
Her eyes glossed over. “My sister passed the disease on to Emily.”
James followed Lily to the couch. Placing her palms together, she pressed them between her knees. “Even if I never actually get the disease, can I have children knowing they might? Even if I find a treatment. Is it fair?” She stared straight ahead, not meeting his eyes. “The disease is so rare, hardly anyone has heard of it. Yet, in my family, it scored a clean sweep.”
“You have to have faith. Isn’t that what you keep telling me?” He hated how cliché he sounded.
“Trust me, I’ve tried. Sometimes even I can’t dig deep enough to find the faith I need.”
ELEVEN
Lily swiveled on her stool to face the lab door when her assistant Sarah breezed in. Sarah froze and gave her a what’s-wrong? stare. “You do remember I had an exam today, right? That’s why I wasn’t in.” She pointed to her desk. “I came in to grab something.”
Lily nodded. She had remembered. Otherwise, she would have been alarmed if neither of her assistants had shown up for work during a time when a stalker was harassing her.
Sarah flicked a gaze toward Talia’s workstation. “She still hasn’t shown, huh?”
“You seem more angry than concerned.” Lily studied Sarah’s face.
“Aren’t you angry? Who ditches work?” Sarah grabbed something from her lab-coat pocket and slipped it into her purse. “I know Talia’s been here longer than I have, but I don’t know if I can keep picking up the slack for her. I know she’s disappointed she didn’t get into the Ph.D. program, but she needs to learn to put on her big-girl pants and get back to work. Talia’s smart. Other opportunities will come up.”
Lily put down her pen and planted her feet on the floor, perched on the edge of the stool. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. “Do you think that’s why she’s not here? Because she’s upset about not getting into the Ph.D. program?”
“It’s my best guess. I overheard her a few weeks ago grumbling about not being appreciated around here. Only lately did I put two and two together.”
“I wrote her a strong letter of recommendation.” Lily ran a hand across the back of her neck.
“Talia would have no way of knowing that. The letter was sealed, right?”
Lily nodded and sighed. “Did Talia mention anything about taking a trip? Maybe with her new boyfriend?”
Sarah scoffed. “She doesn’t seem the type, does she?” Sarah scrunched up her nose.
“James and I stopped by Talia’s and chatted with her mother. She said Talia was on a business trip. Do you know anything about that?”
Sarah threw up her hands, apparently determined to clear herself of any wrongdoing. “No, but Talia and I aren’t that close. It doesn’t sound right to me, though.”
“I can’t figure out why she didn’t get into the Ph.D. program. She had good grades.”
“Who knows? Maybe they accepted fewer students this year.” Sarah shrugged. “Don’t stress yourself about it.”
“I’m worried Talia’s having trouble dealing with the fact she didn’t get into the graduate program.” Guilt expanded in her chest. Lily had been so focused on the research, she hadn’t reached out to Talia. She had noticed Talia had become more withdrawn and moody, but quite frankly, she hadn’t wanted to deal with it. “I wish Talia would have talked to me. I would have gladly shared the letter I wrote. It might have made her feel better. I do value her work. And I value yours, Sarah.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Sarah smiled. “Academic people put too much pressure on themselves until they implode. The only time I ever saw Talia express any real emotion was when she thought I was trying to take credit for her work. Then her true colors came out.” Sarah raised her eyebrows at the memory.
“It’s understandable that someone would want credit for their own work.”
“I was pointing out a flaw in her research. I wasn’t trying to take credit for that.” Sarah’s eyes grew hard. “She didn’t have to go psycho on me.”
The memory of small, quiet Talia trembling—teetering on the brink of a meltdown—while she accused Sarah of documenting her findings flashed in Lily’s mind. It had blown over as quickly as it had blown up.
A small blip in an otherwise peaceful coexistence.
Lily rubbed her gritty eyes. Had Talia’s response been appropriate or had her anger shown her lack of maturity in handling her emotions?
Lily fingered a paper clip in her pocket. “I wish I could talk to her. Assure her that everything is going to be okay. She’s not answering her cell phone, either.”
Sarah gestured to the door with her thumb. A look of contrition softened her features. “I’ve got a hot date waiting for me. How about you, Doc?”
Hands still in her pockets, Lily pushed off the stool. “Do I have a hot date?”
Sarah laughed. “No. I meant, are you leaving? But hey, if you have a hot date, all the better.”
Lily scratched her head. “I’m afraid my social life is quite boring.” The memory of James’s soft kiss heated her cheeks.
The door made a sucking sound when Sarah opened it. “Talia will show up. Maybe on Monday. Then she’ll act all indignant as if we shouldn’t have touched her stuff while she was gone.”
“I hope so. It’s been a few days. I thought she would have shown up by now.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” Sarah dragged out the word fine. “Probably trying to figure out her next step since she won’t be going to graduate school. Night, Doc.”
“Night.” Lily stared at the door long after it had closed.
Lily rolled her stiff shoulders. It was time to go home. She sat back down and put her paperwork in order.
A soft knock on the door made her jump. James peeked through the window along the edge of the door and Lily leaned forward to hide her smile behind a curtain of hair.
Slowly, she got
up, crossed over to the door and opened it. “Sorry, have you been waiting for me?” She should have known. She still didn’t have her car back from the collision shop.
“I have news.” James spoke faster than usual.
“News?” The periphery of her vision started to fade.
James’s eyes flashed bright. “Good news.” He reached out and squeezed her arm, his hand warm through her sleeve. “I got the blood work back from your niece.”
Lily froze and held her breath. Anticipation charged her nerve endings. Calm down. He had said good news, right?
“I had the lab compare her recent blood work with blood work from last year after her recovery and there’s been no change. She’s still in remission.” He leaned in close, a bold smile lighting his entire face.
She let her shoulders drop. Thank You, Lord. “Thank God.”
“I have a few phone calls in to specialists in the Buffalo area. Emily needs to be under the regular care of a physician.” He gave her arm one more reassuring squeeze before dropping his hand. Suddenly, she felt adrift, floating high on the best possible news.
Briefly, Lily closed her eyes and concentrated on her feet firmly planted on the floor. “That is the best news.” Stretching up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. He smelled clean, like soap and subtle aftershave. She settled down onto her heels and heat crept up her neck and cheeks. She spun around and busied herself with some papers on her desk. “Did you call my sister?”
“Not yet. I just received the lab report and thought we could tell your sister in person.”
The enormity of her relief made Lily forget all her worries. This was all that mattered. “Yes, let’s do that.” She grabbed her purse from the bottom desk drawer and strode toward the door, then turned back around. “You don’t know how happy this makes me.” She slipped her lab coat off and flung it up on the hook. “This definitely calls for a celebration.”
James reached the door first and gestured for her to go ahead of him. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Ha. No, but you can come with me to share the news.” She couldn’t help but smile at his good-natured ribbing.
“Sounds great. I’ll take what I can get. Let’s go.”
“What sounds great?” Kara stood in the hall with her arms crossed over her chest. She smiled coyly at them. “Going on a date?”
Lily narrowed her gaze, wondering if all her coworkers were conspiring to set her up on a date. She ran a hand down her blouse. Did she seem that desperate? It didn’t matter. Nothing could dull her joy today. “We received some great news about my niece, Emily.”
“That’s wonderful.” The lilt in Kara’s voice seemed forced, considering the tightness around her eyes and brows. She looked stressed.
Lily did a double take at her friend. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah, you know me. Running around like a crazy person for Mrs. O’Reilly.” She tipped her head to see around Lily to James. “No offense.”
James held up a hand. “None taken.”
“She has you running around on a Friday night?” Lily glanced down the long corridor, anxious to share the news with her sister.
“I have to take care of a few things at the travel agent for the O’Reillys’ cruise.” Kara dug into her purse and pulled out her keys. “I just wandered down to this remote part of the complex to see if you needed a ride.”
“She’s all set,” James said. “We’re heading out.”
Kara’s mouth formed a perfectly round O. She leaned in close. “Didn’t realize you and the good doctor were a thing.”
“We’re not.” Fiddling with the clasp on her purse, Lily tried to keep her tone even. “It’s better if I use the buddy system.”
“Good idea,” Kara said. “Well, I better go.” She jangled the keys in her hand. “I have lots to do. I need to start looking for a new job.”
Lily grabbed her friend’s hand. “What?”
“Well, you don’t think Mrs. O’Reilly needs me when they’re traveling around the world?”
“Did she tell you that?”
“She told me my hours would be reduced.” Kara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I can see the writing on the wall.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Lily glanced over her shoulder at James, then back at her friend. “Are you okay?”
Waving her hand in dismissal, Kara smiled. “Oh, listen to me. I didn’t mean to be a killjoy. Don’t let me hold you up.”
Lily caught her friend’s eye.
“Really, I’m okay,” Kara insisted. “Go.”
* * *
James watched Lily kneel next to her niece, Emily, who worked a puzzle on the coffee table. Bethany sat on the edge of a blue recliner with a worried expression in her eyes.
“It must be bad, right?” Bethany wrung her hands, her voice barely above a whisper. “You wouldn’t take the time to come here if it wasn’t bad.”
James reached over and touched Bethany’s shoulder. “It’s good news. We didn’t mean to worry you.”
“It’s wonderful news.” Lily spoke up, smoothing a hand down her niece’s long hair before pressing a kiss to her forehead. The scene tugged at James’s heart. Smiling, she glanced up at James with bright eyes. “Emily’s still in remission.”
“But her symptoms?” Bethany’s eyes grew wide and a tear spilled down her cheek. Emily stopped working the puzzle and stared at her mother, no doubt wondering why her mom was crying.
“Everything’s okay, Emily. Your mom’s happy,” James said, wanting to reassure her.
Bethany swatted at her wet cheeks and smiled. “Yes, honey, everything’s fine.” Her daughter lifted another puzzle piece and tried to fit it into a section near the corner. One blue piece looked like the next, but the young girl was determined. “So she probably had a twenty-four-hour flu or something?”
“Yes, most likely.” Lily pointed to another section of the puzzle and Emily snapped in her piece. Lily touched the young girl’s hand. “How do you feel today?”
“Fine, Aunt Lily.” Bored with the puzzle, Emily scooted away from her and stood by the fan in the window. “I’m sweaty.”
Bethany laughed. Another tear tracked down her cheek. “We don’t have AC,” she said to James, by way of apology. Then she lowered her voice. “Are you sure the symptoms don’t mean something more?” She kept her voice low, but Emily was preoccupied with humming into the fan. The air swept back Emily’s hair from her cheeks and forehead.
“Yes,” James said. “You’ll have to stay on top of things. From now on, no more skipping doctor’s appointments.” He dug a business card out of his pocket. “This physician is the best when it comes to genetic diseases. He agreed to see Emily.”
Bethany opened her mouth to say something and Lily jumped in. “We’ll figure out the details of the insurance. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you,” Bethany said. “This has been an answer to my prayers.”
A long-forgotten memory of his mother sitting on his bed in a rustic setting in some foreign land niggled at the back of his brain. No matter how busy his mother was, she always tucked him in and helped him say his bedtime prayers. She claimed their work needed lots of prayers. That she and his father didn’t know all the answers...
“Mom,” Emily whined, snapping James out of his reverie. “It’s so hot in here. I wish I could go swimming.” Emily flopped on her mother’s lap in a dramatic fashion.
Bethany ran a hand down her daughter’s long hair. “I already told you the town pool closed at five.”
“Hey,” James said, suddenly getting an idea, “if it’s okay with your mom, maybe we can pick up a pizza and head back to my grandparents’ house and swim.”
Emily bolted upright. “Can we, Mom?”
An uncertain expression flitted
across Bethany’s face. She glanced over at her daughter, then her sister, then back at James. “If we wouldn’t be imposing.”
“Not at all. My grandparents have that beautiful pool and no one uses it.” He met Lily’s gaze, guessing he should have cleared it with her first, but her demeanor suggested nothing could bother her tonight. Not after the wonderful news regarding Emily’s health.
“Can we?” Emily jumped up and down.
“How does that sound to you, Lily?” Bethany asked.
“It sounds like a perfect summer evening.”
Emily continued her dramatics. She climbed up on her mother’s lap and fanned herself. “It sounds awesome to me because I am boil-ling.”
“You’re making me hot.” Bethany playfully pushed Emily from her lap. “Let’s get your bathing suit on.” James pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll order a pizza and have it delivered to the house.”
Planting her hands on the coffee table, Lily pushed up from her knees. A slow smile spread across her beautiful face. He narrowed his gaze as she leaned in close and brushed a soft kiss across his cheek. “Thanks. My sister and niece can really use this.”
He could smell the fresh scent of her shampoo. He studied her expression for a moment before snapping out of it. “You’re welcome.” He tipped his head toward the front door. “Let’s get moving before we all melt in here.”
“Go ahead. We’ll be down in a minute,” Bethany called from the other room.
James guided Lily outside with a hand to the small of her back. When he climbed into his side of the vehicle, he looked across at Lily, who seemed more content than he’d seen her in a long time.
“Was today a good day?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
Her pink lips curved into a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Definitely. A very good day.”
The trill of Lily’s phone disturbed the mood. “Sorry.” She bent over her purse and fished around for her phone.