Her Forever Fling

by Kimmie Ferrell

  “Jayla!” Melissa yelled. She turned back to the camera, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

  “You’re fine, sweetheart, and I do mean fine with a capital ‘F’.” Elijah winked as Melissa burst out in laughter. “You’re looking all sexy with your hair straightened. If I didn’t know any better, or was insecure, I’d think you were going out with someone other dude tonight.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you know better,” Melissa sassed. Her dark brown eyes twinkled under the lights of the kitchen. “Now, did you get everything set up? It’s still bright in your office.”

  “Give me a second to wash my hands, and I’ll be ready.” Elijah stood and walked over to the bathroom in his office. He quickly washed his hands, dimmed the lights in his office, and sat down at his desk. Once he looked back at the screen, Elijah raised a brow at the vision of beauty in front of him. Gone was the oversized sweatshirt Melissa worn only seconds ago, and in its place was a black and pink, form-fitting dress with a sweetheart neckline. She’d brushed her hair over one shoulder, securing her flowy locs with a pink flower clip, and coated her full, kissable lips with a thin sheen of gloss.

  “Wow,” Elijah breathed hoarsely. “You look…wow.”

  Melissa glanced away. Her long, curly eyelashes fluttered wildly. “Thanks,” she whispered. “I know our schedules have permitted us from going out on a date, so I thought I would change that, even if we aren’t in the same room.”

  If there were any questions or doubts in his head about how much he truly cared for and adored this woman, Elijah would’ve tossed them out with the quickest of ease because Melissa was unlike any woman he’d ever met or dated. She was in a league of her own—a supernova amongst mere stars. More than the wind beneath his wings that inspired him to soar high, Melissa was the sky itself. Whether at sunrise, midday, sunset, or midnight, she was ever-changing. The depths of her empathy were limitless. She’d made her mark as the ethereal beauty behind the madness of his crazy life. Always willing to assist with a helping hand, Melissa had a heart of gold. A heart Elijah would do everything in his power to protect until he drew his last breath.

  Elijah touched the screen as if to gently caress her face. “Soon, I promise.”

  Chapter Twelve

  It’s never easy losing a patient. Despite death being a natural occurrence in life and a part of her job, Melissa hadn’t gotten used to it. What made this particular loss so much more difficult to swallow was the patient. An eighteen-year-old basketball player whose heart stopped in the middle of a game. It had been touch-and-go after the young man was resuscitated and rushed to the hospital where he’d undergone a long, grueling surgery. After three days of keeping watch over him, non-stop prayer circles, and holding onto hope despite the grim reports being given to them, his parents made the heartbreaking decision to remove him from life support.

  Melissa did everything she could to prepare herself for the moment when the doctor announced the patient’s time of death. She’d even closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer for strength for all those people whose lives the young man affected. In the end, her heart shattered in her chest as the wails and sobs rang out louder than the steady tone emitting from the monitor across the room.

  She’d lost her first patient since she began working at BCMH a month ago.

  Usually, Melissa was never in the room during this time, but the patient’s parents requested her presence during those final moments. It was an uncommon practice, but Melissa understood why being there was so important to them. His family needed her presence, maybe as a reminder of how hard the staff worked to save their loved one, or simply because they’d grown fond of her since she’d shown them more than the usual regard given by a healthcare provider. Whatever the reason, Melissa stood there, willing herself not to cry. But now…

  “Nurse Gaines? Is everything alright?”

  Melissa nodded but didn’t turn around, knowing the moment their eyes connected, she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to go into his arms and lay her head on his chest to absorb the strength she needed, strength only Elijah emitted.

  “Nurse Gaines?” His strong hand touched her shoulder, squeezing with enough pressure that Melissa knew he meant business, yet with the gentleness of a lover’s caress.

  She turned to face him, pulling in a deep breath. “I’m fine, Dr. Grayson.”

  “No, you’re not okay. I’m not saying this as your superior. I’m saying this as the man who genuinely cares about you.” His eyes searched her face, causing Melissa to feel self-conscious under their scrutiny. “It’s killing me not to be able to hold you or wipe your tears away. To not lend my strength to you. To have to pretend my only reason for following you out here was to check on a colleague.”

  Melissa’s eyes swung to Elijah’s. Her throat thickened with the emotions she fought tirelessly to keep at bay. Having to hide their relationship grew exhausting after the first few weeks. And standing here, inhaling his delicious scent, seeing that look in his eyes she could never decipher but had come to adore, Melissa wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and cry on his shoulders, but she wouldn’t. “Dr. Grayson, I—”

  “I know,” Elijah whispered. He glanced around the hallway before his gaze slid back to her. “I made a promise to remain professional while we’re at work, but never forget I am still the man who awakens with you on his mind, who thinks about you during the day and wonders if you’ve eaten, if you’re getting enough sleep, if you’re taking care of yourself, and who goes to bed at night thanking God for you and your presence in his life, and I’m struggling not to say to hell with hiding things, take you in my arms, and hold you for as long as you need me to do so.”

  Melissa lowered her head, unable to stop the tears welling in her eyes at his words. As the first one fell, she questioned if her reasons for not wanting her relationship known to the public meant more to her than the man standing in front of her, and as much as Melissa wanted to throw caution to the wind, there was no way she could deal with what she’d endured in Louisiana.

  “But I didn’t come out here to make you feel uncomfortable. I came out here to tell you to take a break.” Her head snapped up, but Elijah continued to talk, unaffected by the narrowing of her eyes. “You need a couple minutes to get yourself together, and once you’re ready, come see me.”

  Melissa opened her mouth to respond but snapped it shut. She nodded, conceding to the softly spoken demand. “Okay, thank you, Dr. Grayson.”

  “You’re welcome, Nurse Gaines,” Elijah said, then walked away.

  Damn, Melissa thought as she watched Elijah disappear through the double doors of the CTICU, leaving her standing in the quiet hallway with her mouth agape, eyes wide, and her heart pounding a mile a minute. Whether in his role as Dr. Grayson or just being her boyfriend, Elijah Grayson was sexy as sin, and Melissa was beyond grateful for his patience, support, and friendship. In the two weeks since she surprised him with a video dinner, she and Elijah spent as much time together as their schedules allowed, both inside and outside of the hospital. Though those moments inside of BCMH were fleeting and to an outsider seemed more like two colleagues talking, to Melissa, it transformed their entire relationship.

  I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

  Once he called the time of death on an eighteen-year-old patient, consoled the young man’s family, then checked on Melissa after overhearing a couple residents talk about her crying, all Elijah wanted to do was go home and decompress following a long, tiring day of work. But as good as it sounded, a mere fantasy was all it would ever be. Instead, as the doctor on-call, Elijah would be spending the next thirty-six hours somewhere inside of the hospital, checking on patients in the CTICU, doing consults—if needed—in the emergency department, and continuing his research on how to make X-Vision, a program he’d helped developed with a local tech company, a better tool to assist with all types of surgery, not only thoracic.

  But more than anything, Elijah wanted to
be with Melissa to really make sure she was fine. As he’d asked, Melissa came to see once she’d gotten herself together, but the sadness in her eyes caused his heart to constrict in his chest. No matter how many times she told him she was okay, Elijah knew the truth. She wasn’t. Losing a patient was never easy, but in the three days since Bernard Salvatore was rushed to BCMH, Elijah saw how close Melissa got to the case. Even yesterday, on her day off, Melissa came into work to check on the ICU patients, including Bernard, and brought food to the families whose presence in the ICU were an everyday occurrence.

  A couple of doctors and nurses questioned why Melissa would spend her day off at work, but not Elijah. He remembered the passion in Melissa’s voice during their time together in Chaud and the months following, each time she retold story after story about going beyond the call of duty to ensure the patients and their families were comfortable. He’d seen the emotion in her features when she tried so hard to school them while listening to grim reports and updates or seeing the helplessness of family members. Elijah had even seen Melissa bow her head in a silent prayer outside of the room of Bernard Salvatore when she thought no one was watching her. Melissa was a dedicated healthcare provider, and it made his heart swell with pride each time he overheard her receiving praise and compliments. Because the truth was, Elijah was proud of Melissa, of how she’d stepped into and embraced her role as a CTICU nurse. Dr. Simeon told Elijah he believed Melissa would be an excellent fit for the CTICU and the cardiothoracic department, and she’d more than proved herself to be an invaluable asset. He’d told her as much when they spoke on the phone last night before she went to bed.

  A knock on his closed office door pulled Elijah’s attention from his thoughts and the charting he’d been doing for the past two hours.

  “Come in,” he beckoned, standing as the door opened.

  Melissa walked into the office wearing a pair of black leggings, boots, and a knee-length, red sweater. Though she wore a smile, Elijah noted how it barely reached her eyes.

  “I see you’re ready to get the hell out of here,” he greeted, rounding his desk. “I don’t blame you.”

  “It’s been a long day.”

  Elijah eliminated the space between them, pulling Melissa to him. He reveled in the feel of her pressed against him and how Melissa melted in his arms as the tension of the day began to ebb away. “I know.”

  On their own accord, his eyes slipped closed. Images danced in his head, but unlike those of Sugarplum Fairies, the visions were of him and Melissa, in different places and times. Most of the scenes never happened, but they felt so real. Those thoughts of forever should have scared Elijah, but like so many things that happened in his life since Melissa came into it, they felt so right. Like the natural progression of their relationship would lead to that one moment in time, and Elijah welcomed it with open arms.

  At length, Elijah pulled back enough to brush a kiss over Melissa’s forehead. “There’s no need in me asking how you are. I can see it in your eyes.” He walked them over to his couch and sat down, pulling Melissa next to him.

  “I guess the same could be said about you, Eli.” Melissa gently caressed the side of his face. “You haven’t gotten any sleep, and the truth is, I’m scared you’re going to pass out somewhere from exhaustion.”

  Elijah pressed a lingering kiss to Melissa’s forehead. “I won’t. I was planning to take a quick nap once I finish charting.”

  “Or,” Melissa said, slipping out of her boots, “we can take a nap now. I’m in no shape to drive home, and we both need to rest.” She lifted her arms and sniffed, then frowned. “If you can ignore the fact I need to take a nice, relaxing soak in a lavender-scented tub.”

  “Wait.” Elijah shifted to face Melissa, wearing a frown of his own. “Did you sniff yourself and frown while sitting this close to me? You’re rubbing your stink on me, knowing I still have another twelve hours to work.”

  “Oh, hush. You know you like me and my funk.”

  Elijah twisted his lips from side to side and tapped his chin as if in thought. Finally, after a couple seconds, he looked at Melissa with a smirk on his face. “I sure as hell do like you. I may even tolerate your funk.”

  They shared a laugh. Once the laughter died down, Melissa turned to face him. “Good, because I like you, too, Elijah. A lot. So much so I may be inclined to like your funk as well.” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I won’t pretend like I’m not scared of this because I am. I don’t want you to promise you won’t hurt me or you’ll never cheat, nor will I make those promises to you because all humans make mistakes. But what I can promise you is that I’ll be honest with you, no matter what, and in return, I need you to be honest and truthful with me, even if it hurts.”

  Elijah pulled Melissa onto his lap and kissed her with all the emotions her words evoked in him. Pure, unadulterated happiness, lust, and all the love Elijah had for this woman swept over him like a tidal wave, threatening to pull him under, but for Melissa, Elijah didn’t care. He was ready to shout out how much he loved Melissa from the top of a mountain, or at least tell this beautiful woman in his arms how he felt about her. But not now. The last thing he wanted to do was make Melissa uncomfortable. She still needed time, and he would give her as much as she needed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Melissa groaned as she rummaged through her tote bag for the small umbrella she usually kept inside. Unable to find it, she muttered a curse and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. After typing in her passcode, Melissa selected the rideshare app she used to request a ride home and rolled her eyes at the driver’s estimated arrival time. Had she listened to her inner voice, Melissa would have driven her own car. But nooo, hoping to save time, gas money, and reduce her carbon footprint, Melissa bummed a ride with Jayla since they were both working the evening shift. Now, instead of being on her way home, she was standing outside of the hospital, caught in a late August rain shower, waiting for a complete stranger to pick her up in a city she was slowly getting to know.

  The intelligent thing to do was to go into the building to avoid getting any wetter than she already was, but Melissa was too tired. Her body felt like lead. The ringing of her phone jarred Melissa. She glanced down at the screen, hoping it was the driver she requested, telling her she was nearby. But instead of an unknown number flashing across the screen, a smiling picture of her and Elijah popped up.

  “Why are you calling me?” Melissa asked in lieu of a greeting.

  The sound of Elijah’s laughter floated across the line, warming Melissa from her head to her toes. “Oh, so that’s how we’re greeting each other from now on? No good morning?”

  “Good morning. Now,” Melissa paused, shifting her phone from one ear to the other as she pulled the tote bag off her shoulder, “why are you calling me? Shouldn’t you still be asleep or something?”

  “Probably. But the truth is I haven’t been to sleep yet.”

  Melissa checked her phone to see the whereabouts of her driver and smacked her teeth. The driver canceled the ride request. Using the opportunity to go hands-free, Melissa rummaged through her bag to find her earphones. Once located, she pulled them out and plugged them in the socket before sticking one of the buds in her ears.

  “Melissa? Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah, I was putting on my headphone. So, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”

  “I wasn’t sleepy.” A low rustling came through the phone line. “And since you’re asking me questions early in the morning, I have one for you.”

  She pictured him lying naked between the rumpled sheets of his bed, one hand draped behind his head as the other held the phone. His eyes blood-shot red from the lack of sleep, but the smile she’d come to enjoy, more and more these days, stretching his handsome face.

  Swiping to unlock her phone, Melissa logged back into her rideshare app. She entered her location and the drop-off point. “Okay, shoot.”

  “Why are you standing in the rain?”

&nb
sp; Melissa looked at her phone to see if she’d accidentally hit the button to video chat instead of answering a phone call. The only details on the screen were Elijah’s phone number and the time indicating the duration of their conversation.

  “Because your friend decided to wait until twenty minutes before our shift ended to pull Jayla into surgery. What grown-ass, Black man has freckles?” Melissa briefly met AJ, along with Patrick, a few days after the passing of Bernard Salvatore, about a month ago. Since then, when time permitted, Melissa—along with Jayla—would stop by AJ’s office, as they’d done earlier in the evening. However, Melissa had been shocked to see Elijah there since he’d worked a mid-afternoon shift. “How did you know I was standing in the rain?”

  “Because I’m looking at you,” Elijah said, his voice lowering to a seductive octave. “I’m across the parking lot, near the lamppost, right in front of you.”

  Melissa smiled so hard her cheeks began to hurt. She started across the parking lot. “I can’t believe you came back for me.”

  “I never left the hospital. I needed to catch up on some work.” As Melissa drew closer, a smile crested Elijah’s lips. “You look so sleepy, yet you’re so beautiful.”

  “Like Sleeping Beauty?”

  “More like a Sleepy Beauty,” Elijah said with a chuckle.

  “Look at you, knowing a little bit about Disney movies.” Melissa stopped walking to allow a car to pass. “But Sleeping Beauty didn’t have a horse and carriage. She only had a prince who didn’t understand boundaries and the need for consent.”