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Chapter 55: This time
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2022-11-24 14:32:55Related chapters
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 56: Moving Day
EMMA "UGH! Where the hell are you?" The fact that the man in question didn't answer me wasn't his fault, since he wasn't anywhere in the vicinity of my voice. That was part of the problem; I didn't know where he was, and he wasn't picking up his phone. He'd promised to be here at my little home on wheels fifteen minutes ago, and I was impatient. I peered out my window, frowning. My most recently cultivated garden plots were just a few feet away, and there were promising rows of happy green plants lined up in each of them. I'd decided to leave the trailer here as a resting place for when I was out working in my fields and as a reminder of how far I'd come in a little over a year. Maybe someday, I'd gut the trailer and remodel it as a guest home, but for now, I had my hands full with my new cabin, the plants I was cultivating-and my full-time job as a naturopath at St. Agnes Memorial Hospital.Building the cabin while trying to help run the oncology wing at St. Agnes hadn't be
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 57: With a little help from my friends
EMMA"Surprise!" Standing on the porch with the rest of my friends, Jenny clapped her hands. "What do you think?" "I love it. It's exactly my vision for this place." I knelt down to sniff at a blossom. "When did you do this?" Leaning on the rail, Anna Girard chuckled. "We all got here early this morning. Noah hauled over the plants I'd ordered from the nursery, and we brought the ones I've propagated from my own cuttings-from the ones you especially liked at the farm." "How did you know?" I marveled, touching a soft leaf. "Child, I pay attention when you talk." Anna rolled her eyes. "And I'm not so ancient that I can't keep track of what I hear." "You're not ancient at all." I wrapped my arms around my middle, mostly to hold in my excitement. Noah had parked the truck in my driveway, and now he strolled over to join us. "Nice work, y'all," he drawled. "Good to see that you didn't slack off after I left." Nico snorted. "You didn't leave us that much to do. You wer
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 58: All my friends
EMMAAnna wasn't kidding-they were there and ready to help the next time we met up to work.. Jimmy was a little quieter than his wife about his support, but it was stalwart, just the same. When Darcy-who had joined our happy band by that time-shared with us that the Monroe family was auctioning off the contents of their late parents' house and suggested they might have furniture and appliances I could use, it was Deacon's grandfather who had insisted that I store anything I bought in his barn. And that was why Nico and Noah were currently lifting a long wooden table from the back of Jimmy's old box truck-the one he usually used to haul produce to market. Behind them, Jimmy carried an antique rocking chair. "Where does this go, Emma?" he called as he maneuvered it up the porch steps. "The bedroom, please." I stepped aside to let him pass. Alison rose from the corner where she had just finished cleaning up the last bits of sawdust from around the baseboards in the living room.
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 59: Pillows and pals
EMMA"Noah? Are you still in here?" I closed the last kitchen cabinet and rolled my aching shoulders. It was late-nearly midnight-and everyone else had gone home hours ago. Darcy had run out for pizza and more beer around four, and after that, she had left, followed shortly thereafter by Anna and Jimmy. "If the old man doesn't get home before dark, heaven only knows where we might end up," Anna had confided as they walked out the door. "He won't admit it, but once the sun goes down, he loses all sense of direction." "Watch it, lady." Jimmy had pretended to glower at his wife as he swatted her backside. "Or I'll let you walk home through the woods." "And don't think I couldn't do it," she'd tossed back. "It can't be more than a mile as the crow flies from Emma's front door to ours. Might even beat you there, slow as you putter along the road." Both of them had kissed me on the cheek, but they'd never stopped sniping at each other, even as Jimmy opened the door for his wife
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 60: Lonely football players
EMMATaking a sip of my beer, I watched as Noah chugged his. His throat moved up and down, and his eyes closed, his long eyelashes-how was it fair that guys got those?-fanned out on his cheeks. I thought about how odd it was that since my arrival in Florida, I'd gotten close to two men who were such complete opposites in many ways. Deacon was an irresistible mix of the cerebral and the physical, between his crazy intelligent brain and his farmer boy physique. When he wore a suit, he looked as though he'd been born in one, but when he was in jeans, there wasn't any doubt that he was all rugged man.Noah, on the other hand, was so blatantly, in-your-face physical-all muscles and size and incredible sensuality. It would be easy to assume that a dude like him didn't have much going on upstairs, but that would be a mistake. Noah was a gifted mathematician who'd minored in British literature, simply because he loved to read Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott and Austen. He could've had any care
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 61: Moving on
EMMA"Donnie Crew, what's a robust specimen of mankind like you doing in my hospital?" I paused in the doorway of the hospital room, pretending to glare at the man who was perched on the edge of the bed. Donnie grinned back at me. "Just taking up space, Emma. You know me, I can't get enough of this place!" He chuckled and waved his hand. "Come in, come in. Don't linger in the doorway, or the fairies will get you. At least, that's what my grammy used to say." I strolled inside, tucking my tablet into the crook of my arm. "My gran says the same thing. The fairies and the wee people live in the in-between spaces, like thresholds and window sills." "Must be something to it, then. Sit down and stay awhile." Donnie pointed to the chair next to the bed. "I'm just here for the night. I've been in remission long enough, and I'm healthy enough, that I qualified for what that Dr. Alison calls an exciting and promising new study. Maybe something to get rid of this cancer once and for al
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 62: Lunch and love lives
I stopped at the nurses' station to check on a couple of patients' test results before I walked down to the lounge to retrieve my salad and handbag. Sliding my sunglasses over my eyes, I pushed open the door to the courtyard and wandered out to join Jenny. "What a beautiful day." I sat down and spread a cloth napkin over my lap. "It never fails to amaze me that the most pleasant weather in Florida happens in November and December." "I know. I have all of the windows at home open-I slept without the air conditioning on last night. It was glorious." Jenny bit into her sandwich. "Makes me remember why I live here." "Oh, you mean the smokin' hot guy who looks like he wants to eat you up with a spoon isn't the reason?" I teased. "He's a big part of it," she admitted cheerfully. "But being in love is even sweeter in Florida. At least, in the fall, the winter and the spring. In the summer, I think I'd rather be in love up in New England, where it's cooler." "Speaking of Nico, did yo
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 63: Are you ready for some football?
EMMA I'd been a football fan since I was a little girl, watching the Philadelphia games with my dad in our living room or sometimes even going to the stadium, if Dad had time. When I was in junior high, one of my father's patients was the wife of the team's assistant coach. She recovered fully from her battle with breast cancer, and thereafter, we had a standing invitation to request tickets for any home game. It was pretty sweet. But attending a game in Philadelphia, even as a guest of the assistant coach, was nothing like being at the Tampa stadium in the box that hosted the players' families. I stood near the bar, holding my second glass of wine, a vague smile pasted on my face in case anyone happened to look my way. I didn't know a soul here, and I felt awkward, self-conscious and utterly out of place. Noah's parents hadn't arrived yet-he'd texted me this afternoon that their flight had been delayed, thanks to a snowstorm in Madison. Jenny had dropped me off at the stadium ab
Last Updated : 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
