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Chapter 37: First date
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 38: Hunger
EMMAMy heart skipped a beat. "How do you know?" "C'mon." He rolled his eyes. "I hired you. You don't think we did a background check? As a matter of fact, you signed a form consenting to the check. And Mira's sister Maybelle, who is head of our human resources department, is very thorough. When she picked up the change in your name between your undergrad and your post-grad work, she looked things up and figured it out." I chewed the side of my lip. "I wasn't really trying to hide anything. Nothing bad. But when people in the medical field see the name Baldwin, they always asked if I'm related to Frazier Baldwin. And when I say I'm his daughter, they either assume I got where I did by using his clout and think less of me, or they want to use me as a way to get to him. Neither is a very good feeling.""I understand that. Maybelle actually suggested that might be the case, which is why we didn't bring it up during your hiring process." "And you never asked me. All this time
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 39: Evening beach walk
EMMAWe stopped on the edge of the sand to take off our shoes. Deacon tucked his socks into his loafers, rolled up his pant legs, and gallantly insisted on carrying my heels as well as his own shoes. The sand was incredibly soft beneath my feet and still warm from the sun's heat. I noticed we weren't the only two people strolling along the water's edge, and that made me feel better. Deacon caught my hand in his free one, lifting my knuckles to his lips before he threaded our fingers together. His thumb drew lazy circles over the back of my hand as we walked. "I'm glad you enjoyed dinner." "I did. Thank you for asking me." I paused. "Why did you? I mean, I'm glad you did, don't get me wrong. But . . ." I struggled to phrase it the way I meant. "I mean, I wasn't sure you . . . saw me like that." "Why would you think that?" He swung our joined arms slightly, sounding genuinely curious. "Because we've been working together for months now, and you haven't given me any i
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 40:
DEACON"Hey, Donnie. I heard you're feeling a little rough." I paused at the doorway to Mr. Crew's room, remembering something Emma had told me about giving patients a modicum of control by not entering before I asked permission. "Is it okay to come in and talk with you right now?" The man in the bed turned his head slightly, wincing as though even that slight movement cost him strength. "Sure, doc. Come on . . . in. Join . . . the party." I strolled in, carefully schooling my face to hide my dismay. Donnie Crew had been kicking ass in this second phase of his treatment for multiple myeloma. We'd harvested his stem cells, and then we'd blasted him with heavy-duty chemo to kill off as many of the cancerous cells as possible. He had tolerated all of that well. I had thought that we were on schedule for his transplant this week. And then suddenly, as all too often happened, he went downhill fast. I'd spent a day watching his numbers and hoping like hell that this was just a wei
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 41: Torture
DEACON"So, you brought in the reinforcements, huh?" Donnie managed a smile in Emma's direction. "You gonna help me convince Deacon here that sometimes, enough is enough?" "Mr. Crew." Emma slipped past me and sat down next to Donnie, right on his bed. I didn't miss the way the older man's expression softened as his eyes tracked her movements. "Call me Donnie . . . sweetheart. We're all . . . friends here." She picked up his hand, holding it between her own. "Donnie. Let's be clear that neither Dr. Girard nor I are trying to talk you into anything. We just want you to have all the information possible. Sometimes when people are sick, our perspective can be skewed. A fever can impact our way of thinking."Donnie frowned, blinking rapidly. "So you're saying I could make a decision . . . that could lead to me checking out . . . and it could be just the fever talking?" "I'm saying we can't ignore the possibility." She hesitated. "If we really felt that there wasn't a good ch
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 42: On the farm
DEACONSunday was one of those rare Florida early fall days when I remembered that being outside could actually be enjoyable. When I stepped out onto my patio with the morning's second cup of coffee, I smiled. A cool breeze wafted over me, carrying with it the scent of oranges, thanks to the small tree I'd transplanted from the farm into my yard. The sky was a vivid, endless blue, and the sun was shining bright. As I showered, I thought about Emma and what the day might hold. As if by tacit agreement, we hadn't seen each other since Friday night when we'd left the hospital. We'd both worked on Saturday, but while I'd gone in early to round on my patients and catch up on charting, Emma had come in later, covering the evening rounds. She'd sent me a text on her way in to St. Agnes.Emma: What's the update on Donnie? Deacon: They isolated the type of pneumonia and focused the meds. He's holding his own, but even so, I think they'll have to vent him either tonight or tomorrow. Hi
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 43: Family
DEACON"Deacon Girard, what are you doing pestering that woman out here in the car, when you could be inside, acting like a gentleman and introducing her to us? Stop messing around, boy, and get yourself in here." I chuckled, resting my forehead against Emma's. "She always did have impeccable timing." Reaching for the door handle, I adjusted myself discreetly and climbed out of the car. "Hey, Gram! Are those your apple buns I smell?" "They might be, but you'll never know if you don't get a move on." "Yes, ma'am." I skirted the rear of the car and came around to open Emma's door, gripping her fingers as I helped her out. I kept hold of her hand as we climbed the steps to the porch. "Gram, this is Emma Carson. Emma, this is my grandmother, Anna Girard." Emma extended her free hand. "I'm so happy to meet you, Mrs. Girard. Thank you for having me out to visit today." "Honey, if you call me Mrs. Girard, I'm going to keep looking over my shoulder expecting to see my mothe
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 44: Memories
DEACONThe screen door behind us screeched as it opened. Gram came out followed by Emma, who was holding an old leather album, grinning at me with a teasing light in her eyes. "You were such an adorable little boy, Deacon." She dropped into the chair next to mine and opened the book. "Look at you in your little overalls!" "Gram," I groaned. "What have we talked about? These pictures were supposed to be burned." "As if I'd ever do that." Gram patted Pop's shoulder. "Move your arms, Jimmy, so I can sit down." He obliged, making room for my grandmother to get settled on his lap. I was used to the easy affection between my grandparents-they were never shy about kissing or appropriate touching in front of me-but it still warmed my heart to know that after almost sixty years of marriage, the two were still in love.Next to me, Emma was flipping through pages. "I love this picture, too." She glanced up at me, compassion and empathy all over her face as she tapped a photo of my
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 45: Joy ride
EMMA"Thank you." As he slowly navigated the dirt drive that led from his grandparents' home to the road, Deacon cast me a questioning sideways glance."For . . .?""For bringing me to the farm. For introducing me to your grandparents. They're wonderful." He smiled. "Yeah, I kind of like them. They've been . . ." He paused as though searching for the right words. "Stalwart and steady support as long as I can remember. I never felt a moment of insecurity growing up, even with one parent dead and the other constantly MIA. Gram and Pop had my back, no matter what." "I got that sense from them. As my mom would say, they're good people." He nodded but didn't say anything else as he turned onto the paved road. The car picked up speed, and I let my head fall back against the seat, the wind rushing through my hair and filling my ears. It had been an almost perfect day. I'd loved spending time with Deacon's grandmother, who was funny, irreverent and shrewd. She had made me
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