Children's Doctor, Shy Nurse

by Molly Evans

  “My hands are getting tired.” Her arms were shaking from the effort.

  “I’ll take it for a while.” Crawling close to her, Mark placed his hands over hers, and she took his place to monitor the vital signs. The tension between them had evaporated and now they were the team they had been not so long ago. Ellie looked up and met his gaze. They looked at each other for a moment, and she could see the longing in him. A blink of his eyes, and the connection between them broke.

  Sirens cut the air and Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank heaven, they’re here.”

  “Vicki will show them where to come,” Sam said.

  After they turned Ricky over to the ambulance crew, who took him to the ER for further evaluation and monitoring, a gloom settled over the camp. Even the skies seemed to sense the discord of what should have been a happy day and a light drizzle chased everyone into the lodge. The carnival was over.

  Ellie grabbed the equipment and headed to the infirmary with Mark right behind her.

  “You did great back there,” he said and wiped his hand over his face.

  “So did you.” She shivered as her wet clothing began to chill her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. I thought we were going to lose him.”

  “Takes a real pro to not lose your cool like you did.”

  “I was just glad it wasn’t more hornets,” she said and another shiver crossed her flesh. “Ew.”

  Mark laughed, and Ellie joined him. They needed the break after sharing such an intense case.

  “Me, too,” he said and took a step closer to her.

  She caught her breath, afraid to move, afraid to hope. Her gaze latched on to his and wouldn’t let go. “I hate hornets.”

  He stepped closer still, all playfulness gone in an instant, his green eyes intense and focused on her. “Me, too.” With that, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “Ellie.”

  Tremors vibrated through him and into her as she clasped her arms around his back. This was what she needed—to be touched and loved by Mark. And he needed to be touched and loved by her. There was no one else for her, and she knew in her heart that she was what he wanted, too. Somehow she had to convince him of it.

  They stood for long moments simply holding each other and coming down from the high anxiety of the shared case. Mark’s soothing strokes on her back soon gave her the strength to pull away from him to tell him what he needed to hear and what she needed to say.

  “Mark Collins, I love you.” Reaching for his face, she pulled him down and laid a gentle kiss on his mouth.

  “Ellie.”

  She stopped him before he could deny her. She had to speak the words in her heart that were bursting to be free. “Whether you love me or not, you must know that I love you. Vows that are spoken in sickness and in health I give to you now, between just the two of us.” Tears formed in her eyes, and she dragged in a ragged breath as the beating of her heart nearly closed off her throat. “With all my heart, with all my soul, I will be with you whether you’re healthy or not. I love you and want time with you. What matters is not the amount of days we have together, but the joy and the love within those days that counts.”

  “Ellie.” His voice was a hoarse whisper, and he swallowed quickly.

  Desperation was in every movement he made as he reached out and yanked her back into his embrace. He trembled and so did she. The power of the feelings between them nearly scorched the air in the room. If he didn’t speak soon, she was going to die of embarrassment right here in his arms. He pulled back and cupped her face with his hands.

  “I’ve never known anyone like you.” Energy and passion and love nearly glowed in his eyes. “You mean more to me than I ever thought possible. I don’t know what my future is, but without you in it, it’s going to be awfully sad and boring.”

  Tears that formed in her eyes now overflowed down her cheeks, and hope began to ease the ache in her chest. Mark dropped to his knees in front of her and took her hands.

  “Let me give back the vows you’ve just given to me, because they are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.” He took a breath and squeezed her hands. “I, Mark Collins, vow to adore you for as long as we have together. We are a beautiful team that no one, not even me, can tear apart. You are the life that breathes within me and keeps my heart beating. Each step of every day I will take part of you with me.” He kissed the knuckles of her left hand. “I love you, Ellie Mackenzie. Will you honor me, and marry me, possibly bear my children some day, and love me until the day I die? Whenever that is?”

  She drew him up to stand in front of her. Happiness that she’d never experienced in her life filled every cell of her body. “I do love you, and I will marry you, and we will have children and a long, long life together. I just know it.”

  He pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, then held her against him.

  The squeak of the screen door let them know that they weren’t alone any longer. “Man, there’s just no privacy around here,” Mark said and they turned, holding onto each other.

  Sam and Vicki came through the door with a sleeping Myra on Sam’s shoulder. “What’s going on?” Vicki asked, concern etched in her face as she moved toward Ellie. “Did something happen?”

  “Yeah.” Ellie nodded and looked up at Mark. “We just got married.”

  “Wh-what!” Vicki yelled and gaped at them.

  “Well, not really, but Mark proposed, and I said yes,” she replied and squeezed Mark’s waist. She wasn’t going to let go of him any time soon.

  Vicki clasped her hands to her cheeks and turned to Sam, her eyes wide.

  “Wow. You work fast,” Sam said with a grin and held a hand out to Mark. “Congratulations.” He leaned over and gave Ellie a one-armed hug. “To both of you.”

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Vicki said and waved her hands as if trying to make sense of things. “You two sit down right now, and tell us what happened. Last thing we knew you were coming up here to decompress from the emergency.”

  “I guess we did that, too.” Ellie laughed and it was free and happy. “We’ll tell you everything, but first I have to call my mom.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone with a hand that still trembled and dialed. In two rings her mother picked up. “Mom? It’s Ellie. I’m getting married!”

  “What!” her mother yelled into the phone, and Ellie jerked it away from her ear.

  “Why does everyone shriek when I tell them?” she asked Mark.

  “Because you are a wonderful person who deserves happiness more than anyone I know,” her mother tearfully replied into the phone.

  “I’ll call you again, later.” Ellie finished the conversation in a minute, then hung up.

  “We need to celebrate,” Vicki said and headed to the kitchen. “Hey! This bag of stuff I brought you weeks ago is still sitting on the counter.” She turned narrowed eyes on Ellie.

  “What? What bag?”

  Vicki pointed to a grocery bag that lay rumpled on the counter, forgotten since it had been left there. “This. It’s part of the stuff I brought you when we were here last time and the stomach flu was running rampant.”

  “Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about that bag since everything I needed was in the other one.” Confused now, she headed into the kitchen. What could she have overlooked?

  “Not everything. You’re going to have to open it now.” Vicki brought the bag out just as Sam returned from putting Myra on a bunk in the ward room. “Sam, they didn’t even open my present.”

  “How rude,” he said and grinned. “What present?”

  “Present? I didn’t know it was a present or I definitely would have opened it. I thought it was just more stomach medicine.” She took the bag from her friend.

  “Open it.” Vicki crossed her arms and tapped a toe, waiting.

  Reaching into the bag, Ellie pulled out a bottle of wine and handed it to Mark. “Oh, lovely. We can share it and toast our engagement.” She smiled at Mark.

  “The rest
we’re not sharing together. I don’t care how much we love you,” Vicki said and snickered.

  Reaching again into the bag, Ellie pulled out a small box, then shoved it back into the bag with a giggle. “Vicki!”

  “Hey, those were meant for you and Mark. If you’d opened the bag at the right time you wouldn’t be turning three shades of red now.”

  “Just why is she turning three shades of red?” Mark asked and reached for the bag that Ellie shoved behind her back.

  “No reason.”

  Before Ellie could think, Mark grabbed her around the waist and took the bag from her, opened it and laughed.

  “Am I the last one to know?” Sam asked.

  Mark hugged Ellie to him while he continued to chuckle and handed the bag to Sam.

  “Hey! We could use some of these, too.” He looked at Vicki. “Just because we’re married, and they’re not, doesn’t mean they get all the fun.”

  She reached up and gave him a quick kiss. “True. Very true.”

  Mark looked at Ellie, and the future no longer held fear for him. With Ellie by his side, he knew that he could conquer whatever challenges life and his health threw at him. “How do you feel about moving to New Mexico? Or I could move to Dallas?”

  “My home is where you are. New Mexico has fond memories for me.”

  “With you there, I think we’ll make some more.”

  “Absolutely.”

  He kissed her, seeming to find doing so in front of his friends, who witnessed the love between them, a vow, sealing his love for the woman who would soon be his bride.

  “You know, Sam and I renewed our vows here at camp. Gil even gave us the use of the main house and grounds for a week before they closed things up for the winter. He might be willing to extend the same offer to you.”

  “My mom and brothers will kill me if I get married without them.” Although enticing, the idea might not work for everyone.

  “Then invite everyone here for the ceremony. Have a collective family reunion or something,” Sam said. “I think we can swing a long weekend, then. How about over Labor Day? Most people are off an extra day for that anyway.”

  “What do you think?” Ellie asked Mark. The light in her eyes nearly brought him to his knees. He would do anything for this woman who loved him.

  “I’m up for it. All we can do is ask Gil and ask the family to come.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I want to marry you, Ellie. I don’t care where or when, but I will be there.”

  Vicki whispered in Sam’s ear, then he nodded. She looked at them and cleared her throat. “You know, Sam and I have reservations at a lovely bed-and-breakfast in town. Since Myra’s already asleep, why don’t you two take our reservation for the night? We can handle anything that comes into the infirmary for one night.”

  “Vicki, Sam? Are you sure?” Ellie asked. The generosity of their friends was overwhelming.

  Reaching out, Mark grabbed the key that Vicki dangled in front of her. “They’re sure, now go pack a bag.” He nudged Ellie toward her room. “All you’re going to need is your toothbrush and that bag of stuff Vicki bought you.”

  “Mark!” She giggled as she walked down the hall. “I think I need a little more than that.”

  “Okay. A bottle of aromatherapy oil, but no more than that,” he said and turned toward their friends. “Thank you. We’ll owe you one.”

  “Just be happy. That’s all the thanks we need.” Vicki embraced him and then Sam did as well, with a hearty clap on the back.

  “We’ll do that,” Mark said and knew that it was going to be true.

  EPILOGUE

  Just a few weeks later

  SAM stood with Mark, who fidgeted, on the dock by the lake. “Are you okay, man?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” was Mark’s tight-lipped response. “I’m good.”

  “You’d better hold onto me, because when you see her, you’re going to want to faint. I don’t want you to fall in and drown on your wedding day.”

  Mark laughed and some of the tension in him lifted, the positive energy of the day now filling him again. “I won’t, I promise.”

  Vicki and Myra walked down the path to the lake dressed in matching summer dresses. “Now I think I’m going to faint. They’re so beautiful,” Sam said.

  “Be strong.”

  “You’re next,” Sam said and gave a small wave to his daughter, who waved back.

  “I sure hope so.” Mark’s dreams of a family of his own were uncertain, as was his future, but at least he was beginning by marrying Ellie. She was his family and his future. The rest would fall into place as long as they loved each other.

  When Ellie appeared, Mark’s heart, which had been doing fine, began to race in his chest. Each pulse he heard in his ears until it drowned out any other sound. He was hers; there was no doubt about it.

  Soft and dreamy in a beige summer dress and sandals, she looked like a dark-haired fairy come from the forest to tempt him. Giving in to the temptation, he held out his hand to her and brought her by his side, where she would remain the rest of their lives together.

  “Friends and family of Ellie Mackenzie and Mark Collins, you have been invited here to this grove to witness the love shining between these two people who have promised themselves to each other.” The words rang out and were forever etched into the hearts of Mark and Ellie.

  At the end of the reception in the lodge, Skinny turned to Bear. “Think I could work in the infirmary next year?”

  Bear frowned at the man. Had he gone daft? “No. You’re not a doctor or a nurse. Whatcha want to do that for?”

  “There’s so much romance going on in there, I was hoping some of it might rub off on me.”

  Bear laughed and clamped his arm around Skinny’s shoulders. “Sorry, son. You’re stuck with me and the boys in the lodge. We’re as romantic as you’re gonna get.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-6072-0

  CHILDREN’S DOCTOR, SHY NURSE

  First North American Publication 2010.

  Copyright © 2010 by Brenda Schetnan.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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