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Chapter 12: I've been waiting for this
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2022-11-24 14:32:55Bab terkait
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 13: Decisions
DeaconIt was nearly eleven o'clock, and I was exhausted. But then again, what else was new? The day had been a long one, but not a bad one. We were three weeks into real life for the oncology wing here at St. Agnes Memorial Hospital-the realization of a dream I'd had for years-and real life wasn't always pretty. The patients occupying the rooms on this floor were all seriously ill. Each one was facing pain, incredible suffering and possible death. I never forgot that, not for one minute. They deserved the best we had to give them, even when that meant sacrificing time, energy and any kind of life outside these walls.That was why the telephone call I'd gotten late this afternoon was such shitty timing. The last thing I needed was someone else telling me that I was needed-desperately-thousands of miles away from the hospital where I'd committed my time and energy. There was no way I should have told Erin Lopez that I'd even think about the possibility. I was the head physician i
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 14: First day, part 2
EMMA"Just who in the blazes do you think you are?"The voice that rang out behind me shook with fury. Anxiety threatened to close my throat, but I kept walking anyway. "Stop!" She was much closer behind me than I'd thought, but still, my step stuttered only slightly. "I said, stop walking." She grasped my upper arm, not so much to hurt me as to get my attention. A large part of me wanted to shake her off and keep running away, but the wiser portion of my mind-and years of training-prevailed. I drew myself up and turned to face her. "I'm sorry-Mrs. Hoskins, was it? Did you need something?" I pasted on what I thought might have passed for a pleasant smile. "I didn't hear you." We both knew I was lying, but she was too fired up to call me on that. "Yes, I do need something. I need you to not go into our patients' room and change their care plan-to tinker with what Dr. Girard has carefully and thoughtfully put in place for their treatment. You have no right." I sucke
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 15: Making friends
EMMAAn hour later, I left Mr. Crew's room, feeling somewhat better than I had when I'd gone in. He wasn't an easy man, that was for sure, but on the other hand, he'd been fighting multiple myeloma for almost four years. He'd been in remission for two years; now, the stem cell transplant that had given him a few years of relative health had to be repeated. He was in the hospital for a clinical drug therapy prior to the next stem cell harvest. The man had been through excruciating pain, crippling illness and fatigue. I couldn't blame him for being tired of more doctors, more questions and more options. Still, he'd opened up enough to listen to me for a while and had seemed amenable to further discussion, once I'd had the time to review his file more thoroughly.Back in the hallway, I wasn't unaware of the eyes that followed me with interest as I wandered toward the staff lounge. The head nurse and I hadn't been exactly circumspect in our disagreement, and if this hospital was lik
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 16: Well, hello, hunky
EMMAThe humidity wasn't bad today, but it was still muggier than I would've liked. Still, the sun was warm, and there was the slightest breeze keeping me from sweating through my cute little short-sleeved top and pencil skirt.I closed my eyes, lifting my face to the warmth, letting the soft air mend the hurt and upset from this morning. Intentionally relaxing my shoulders, I began the deep-breathing exercises that I knew would help bring me back to center."Is this a private class, or can anyone join?"I jerked up, my eyes flying open. In front of me, nearly blocking the sun, a man was looking down at me. In my surprise, as I squinted at him, I had the fleeting thought that he looked like a god, huge and backlit and impossibly attractive. "Um, what?" Ever the mistress of a snappy comeback, I blinked, trying to take him in.He pointed to me and then waved around the general area. "I figured this had to be a yoga class, right? You were doing that deep-breathing stuff that
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 17: Home, sweet . . . trailer?
EMMAI hadn't paid much attention to my surroundings when I'd driven into Harper Springs early that morning, but now, as I followed my navigation app's directions from the hospital to the piece of land that was my new home, I took the time to check it out. The main street was lined with shops and businesses that gave way to small homes, most of which looked like they were fifty years old or more.My first reaction to the email asking me to consider taking this position had been cautious interest. And then I'd opened up a map on my computer to see exactly where Harper Springs, Florida, was located, and I'd laughed. Why in the world would I leave Philadelphia? Why would I give up an apartment that was within walking distance of restaurants serving five different cuisines, the best grocery stores in the world, and a bustling nightlife? The answer was that I'd never really wanted to live in the city. For years, my dream had been to find a piece of land where I could build my own hom
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 18: With a little help
EMMA"Wow." Jenny stood alongside her car, gazing at my new home. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but her mouth had drooped open slightly. "I know." I slumped back against the side of my sedan. "And if you think the outside is bad, wait'll you open the door. The smell . . ." I shook my head. "It's bad. I think maybe if I open the windows and air it out, it might help some, but there's no question that it's going to take some bleach, too. Lots of bleach." Jenny nodded slowly. "Okay. So . . . we need bleach. And vinegar and baking soda." At my questioning glance, she explained, "It's good for cleaning sinks and showers and toilets. Great for deodorizing, too." She looked back at my car. "It's not furnished, is it?" "Bobby Lucas told me there was a bed, but it's nothing I'm going to sleep on, believe me. I'll haul it out. I'll need a mattress at the very least, and maybe a chair or two . . . but I won't be able to afford much." I threw up my hands. "I sank everything I have into th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 19:
EMMA"Well . . . this is better." Jenny stood in my sitting room with her hands on her hips, surveying the trailer. "I mean, with all due respect, it's probably not going to make the cover story of Home and Garden any time soon, but it's kind of cute, actually." I flopped back into the comfy chair we'd found at the thrift store, kicking off my shoes. "It smells better. And it's clean. And . . ." I took a deep breath. "It's mine.""It is, indeed." Jenny's tone left it up to interpretation as far as whether that was a good thing or a bad one. I understood her trepidation. While my little home-on-wheels was better than we'd found it, it was lit by a variety of gas lanterns (from the camping department at Walmart) and kerosene lamps (from the thrift store). My bedroom and sitting room walls were lined with jugs of water I'd bought for drinking, washing dishes . . . and showering. I hadn't been sure how I'd manage basic bathing, but then when we'd been looking for the lanterns at
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 20: Truce
EMMAI arrived at St. Agnes the next morning, feeling fresher and more myself. If I wasn't a whole new woman, at least I was one who had gotten a solid night's sleep, thanks to hours of hard labor and several glasses of wine. And if my new home had seemed a little less cozy in the harsh morning light than it had by the glow of the lanterns the night before, I was in a better place to square my shoulders and get on with it, even if that meant using the dreaded composting toilet and showering with my new camping equipment. Since the solar panels hadn't had time to work overnight, I cheated and warmed two gallons of water on my stove to use in the shower. The result might not have been the kind of experience I'd have had at a five-star hotel, but it did the job. What I hadn't taken into consideration was that I couldn't use my blow dryer. After a little bit of deliberation, I managed a French braid, which looked neat and efficient even if it wasn't the most flattering style. At
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-24
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 193: As long as we both shall live
NOAHNoahIt was a beautiful day for a wedding. We gathered at mid-morning under the covenant oak on Jimmy and Anna Girard's farm. Alison and I had decided that since Emma and Deacon's wedding had been the start of our love story, we should say our vows under the canopied branches of that same steadfast tree. We hadn't wanted anything grand or involved, but it was important to us that the special people in our lives were present. So when Alison and I joined hands and made our vows, among those surrounding us were Emma and Deacon, Darcy and Jackson, Jenny and Nico, Mira Hoskins, and all of the people who worked with Alison in her practice. Maggie Corning, the midwife, and Brooke Slater, Alison's therapist, were there, too. My family had flown down en mass from Wisconsin and other key points around the country. My mother couldn't stop smiling, and my dad looked proud. Even my brothers and sisters and their families were behaving themselves. And then of course, there was the Tam
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 192: Happily Ever After part 3
ALISONA human being can accomplish almost any task while sobbing her eyes out. I'd known this from experience in my past life, but after Noah left that afternoon, I went about proving it all over again.I cried as I wiped the table and counters. I wept as I took out a frozen macaroni and cheese to eat for dinner. I sobbed as I climbed the steps and listened at the baby's door-she was still asleep in the crib. I sniffled as I switched a load of newborn clothes from the washer to the dryer.He was gone, and I was alone. Again. Naturally.The hell of it was that even as he'd pleaded his case to me, even as he'd told me that he loved me, I'd known he was telling the truth. I believed him. But I couldn't trust what he thought he felt, not when people changed their minds about being in love all the damn time. People claimed to love a friend or a child or a lover, and then they changed their minds. It happened. I knew it first-hand. I'd experienced it over and over again before I was t
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 191: Break
NOAH"Where's the baby?" Alison walked into the kitchen, her face etched with fatigue. We'd had a long and trying few days as Evangeline had apparently been going through a growth spurt: she nursed almost constantly and was difficult to console the rest of the time. She'd fought sleep, and she'd cried piteously no matter what we'd tried to do. The pediatrician had assured us that this was normal and we'd get through it, but privately, I thought he was a heartless imbecile who clearly didn't understand that our daughter was advanced and needed more attention than the typical newborn. But finally, today we'd caught a break. Alison had gone upstairs to take a shower-her first in three days-and somehow, I'd managed to get the baby to sleep without the benefit of a boob. More than that, I'd actually laid her in the crib without waking her up. I was pretty satisfied with myself, all in all. I was also crossing my fingers that she'd stay asleep long enough that her mother and I could d
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 190: Parenthood
NOAHParenthood was amazing, fulfilling, beautiful, awesome . . . and exhausting. The first few weeks of baby Evangeline's life at home were a blur, a constant, never-ending whirlwind of feeding, and changing, and washing, and catching whatever small bites of sleep we could whenever she slept. People came to visit and brought gifts and food, and I was pathetically grateful for that, because I didn't have the energy to cook, and both Alison and I were tired of takeout. The one factor that made everything survivable was the baby herself. God, I hadn't known how much I was going to love this ten-pounds of tiny, perfect human. I'd never anticipated that staring at her sleep for an hour was better than four quarters of football. Or that catching what might have been a smile could make me feel as though I'd just witnessed greatness. What was some missing sleep compared with noting how well my two-week-old daughter could lift up her head?Even so, as much as I was ga-ga over my baby gir
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 189: New life
ALISON"Congratulations, mama! You're at six. I think it's time to break your water and get things really going." It sounded like a great idea to me, but I saw Noah's lips go white. "Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing my fingers over the back of his hand. "You look a little green." He swallowed, his throat convulsing. "This is the only part I'm a little, uh, squeamish about. I watched that birth online, and breaking the water looked-intense." Maggie chuckled. "Stay up there by Alison and keep your eyes on her face. We don't need papa hitting the floor and suing the hospital." Noah did as he was told, watching me intently as if waiting for me to show some sign of distress. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. "The water part, I mean." I shook my head. "It feels a little weird, but not-oooooh!" I gasped as I felt the gush hit my inner thighs. "Okay, then. Eyes here, Noah. Come on. We're in this together." After that, it felt as though everything got a lot more serious. The con
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 188: Giving in
ALISON Spoiler alert: having sex with Noah did not start my labor.But it sure was worth the effort. Two days after that monumental night-and after we'd given it the good old college try several more times-we went to Maggie's office. I was in a rotten mood-being a million years pregnant can do that to a person-and poor Noah looked a little haggard. He'd been sleeping with me in my bed (we both clung to the excuse that if I went into labor, I'd want him closer than across the hall), which meant that he woke up whenever I had to climb out of that bed to pee. He thought I'd been exaggerating about how often I had to go. He was quickly disabused of that notion. After a quick exam, Maggie made some notes on her tablet and then turned to the both of us. "So listen," she began. "Do you want to have this baby?" I stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do for over three weeks now, Maggie?" I bellowed. "Of course, I want to have th
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 187: Finally, at last
NOAHNow I got it. The night we'd first had sex-the night after Emma and Deacon's wedding-we'd challenged each other to come up with the sexiest, most outrageous names for cocktails. Alison was playing the game again."Ohhhhh." I grinned. "I still don't believe that last one is legit.""It totally is. The bartender confirmed it." With a smile that was deceptively seductive for an extremely pregnant woman, she reached down to grasp the bottom of her oversized T-shirt-which was not so oversized just now-and lifted it over her head. I helped just to make sure she didn't topple over in the process. It was the first time I'd really seen her without a shirt in many months. My first few impressions were awe at the size of her swollen middle. I knew she was huge, but damn. The skin was stretched as tight as a drum, and her belly button looked like a cork just about to give way. And her boobs-they were incredible. Within the utilitarian maternity bra, they were still the sexiest breasts
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 186: Things you shouldn't ask
NOAH"What's the world record for the longest pregnancy ever?" I glanced up at Alison from the book I was reading. We were both lying on her bed while a movie that neither of us was very invested in played on the TV. The couch downstairs had become too uncomfortable for her over the past week or so, so we'd begun hanging out here in her room. It was strictly for comfort, though; we stayed on top of the covers, with Alison on one side while I stuck to the other. It was a king-sized bed with plenty of room for us. But while we hadn't hesitated to cuddle and kiss on the sofa, something about being on the bed made us more cautious. I didn't know why, exactly; Alison was so tired of being pregnant that she wasn't up for much of anything other than television lately. She'd stopped going into the office after her due date since she'd already arranged with Dr. Johanson to cover her hours. So we were both at home now all the time . . . just waiting.She really was huge. While the ultraso
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 185: Trust love
ALISON"Read me that last part again?" Noah and I were sitting in the nursery, surrounded by boxes, gift bags, and about a million pieces of a pine crib. He had spent the last two weeks focusing on the nursery. He'd painted the room a lovely pale yellow color, insisting that I stay with Emma and Deacon at the cabin for the two nights after he'd completed the first and second coats so that I didn't have to inhale the paint fumes. Together, we had selected the crib and the dressing table. Noah's mother had sent us the cradle that all of her children had slept in, and that was already set up in my bedroom.Now, with my due date less than ten days away, we were finally tackling the project of building all of the furniture that hadn't come pre-assembled. I squinted at the paper in my hand, trying to decipher the words."I'm pretty sure that this was translated directly from Swedish by someone who didn't speak English," I commented. "It doesn't seem to make sense.""Does it say at wh
