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Chapter 64: Parents and other inconveniences
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 65: An uncomfortable situation
EMMA"Finally. I was starting to get worried." Noah was there already, leaning against the counter. His suit jacket was draped over a nearby chair, and he'd tugged loose his tie. "Dad, did you get lost?" "I did not." Mr. Spencer bristled. "I just got a little turned around. I think they changed the road somewhere-and did they put in a new bridge?" "No, Dad. No new bridges." Noah pushed himself away from the counter and gave his mom a hug before offering his hand to his dad. "I'm so glad you guys got to come tonight. Thanks for making the trip down.""It was a pleasure, son. You know that. No place else we'd rather be." Mrs. Spencer beamed at her son. "And we had a lovely time talking with Emma, too." Noah slid his eyes to me. "Hey, Em." He bent to kiss my cheek. "What did you think of the game? And did you get to see the interview?" "I did." I reached out to squeeze his arm. Somehow, being with him centered me again, easing some of the sense of panic. "The game was fantastic-
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 66: Home for the holidays
DEACONThere was nothing like coming home at Christmas. When I got off the airplane in Orlando and walked into the main lobby of the airport, I felt as though I'd stepped into the middle of a holiday frenzy. The huge tree in the center of the terminal was covered with red bows and shiny balls, and all around me, people were buzzing, eager to get to their gate or to the baggage claim. Entire families were greeting loved ones at the end of the secured exit, squealing with excitement, while other groups were clearly theme park-bound. There was no one to greet me when I pulled my wheeled duffle bag past the other passengers. No grandparents waved wildly and then pulled me into a warm hug . . . and no beautiful auburn-haired woman leaped into my arms. I wasn't surprised by the lack of a welcoming committee, because I hadn't told a damn soul that I was coming home. Still, I found my heart was a little lighter as I glanced around at all the happy people. My family and the woman who had
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 67: Reunion, part 1
DEACONWell, now the decision of whether to stay or go had been made for me. Once Miss Sissie, my Sunday School teacher of old and one of my grandmother's dearest friends, had seen me, there was no way to make a quick escape. It was time to man up and face the music. I turned off the car, slid the keys out of the ignition and opened my door. Miss Sissie stepped back to give me room, and once I'd stood up and slammed the car door, she opened her arms. "Boy, if you aren't a sight for sore eyes," she murmured in my ear as I bent to hug her. "You've been gone too long. Why, this is the best Christmas present for Anna and Jimmy! They're going to be so tickled to see you." I eased out of her tight hug and straightened up. "Are you sure about that? I'm kind of feeling like the Prodigal Son, Miss Sissie. Like you could just slap me up on your flannel board with the pigs and teach a Sunday School class about bad choices."She tilted her head and skewered me with the same bright eyes tha
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 68: Reunion, part 2
DEACON"Deacon." She moved to the other side of the table as though she needed to have it between us for protection. That stung more than I cared to admit. "You're back." "Yeah." I stuck my hands in my pockets, mostly to keep from reaching for her. "I just got here. I didn't have any idea about the party going on today, but I wanted to come to see Gram and Pop right away . . . what're you doing here, anyway?" It hadn't even occurred to me initially that it was strange for Emma to be at the farm. She seemed at home, familiar with the kitchen. Oddly, I felt like the one who didn't quite belong. "Why shouldn't I be here?" She propped her hands on her hips and glared at me. "It just so happens that not everything stayed the same after you took off for Europe, Deacon. Your-Anna and Jimmy have been very good friends to me. They both helped me build my cabin and plant my gardens, and-""Wait. You built your cabin?" When I'd pictured seeing Emma again, it had always been in her little ra
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 69: Holiday mood
EMMA "Well, that was an interesting party." Noah kept his eyes on the road as we drove along the road that connected the farm with my cabin. "Lots of surprises." "Really?" I stared out my window. "I thought there was only the one." "You mean Deacon showing up, right?"I made a small noise in the back of my throat. "Yeah." I couldn't manage any more words. I'd been holding myself together by the thinnest of threads for several hours, and it felt as though I was on the verge of shattering. "That was the big one," Noah agreed. "But I was also kind of shocked by how calmly Jimmy and Anna took the news. And by the fact that he never ended up coming back downstairs. I mean, he's been away for over a year, and he comes home and takes a long nap?" Anna had gone upstairs to check on her grandson about an hour after he'd left Noah and me in the kitchen. She'd come back downstairs moments later, her face placid. "Poor thing's exhausted. He was on his bed in just a towel-I'm assuming
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 70: Not ready to make nice
EMMAI didn't sleep well at all that night. I tossed and turned, dreamed and woke up often. When I opened my bleary eyes again at a little after five, I decided to give up and go into the hospital. I was too tired and cranky to bother with dressing up as much as I usually did when I went to work. Ignoring my pretty sundresses, skirts and other doctor-appropriate attire, I tugged a pair of comfy jeans off a shelf. As I pulled them on, I decided a season-appropriate shirt would redeem my dress-down Sunday and went with a long-sleeved green cotton shirt and a cute little Santa Claus pin. There. Now I was not a slob . . . I was Christmas adorable. Twenty minutes later, thanks to non-existent traffic this early on a Sunday, I was walking down the hallway of St. Agnes' oncology wing, feeling a little more awake thanks to the coffee I'd sipped on my drive in. I heard my name coming from an open door and froze. The light was on in Deacon's office for the first time in over a year. And e
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 71: Christmas morning on the farm
DEACONDespite the fact that I'd grown up without either of my parents in my life, I'd always loved the holidays. That was entirely thanks to two grandparents who'd made sure that I had the best Christmases possible as a kid, with every bit of celebration and revelry imaginable. We did it all, and we did it up big: from the community party on the weekend before Christmas to the church service on Christmas Eve, from the huge fresh evergreen that took up residence in the corner of the living room in mid-December to the stockings hung on the fireplace, overflowing with gifts. This year, I didn't expect much. After all, Gram and Pop hadn't expected me to be home to spend Christmas with them, so they couldn't be blamed if they'd made other plans or if there was nothing under the tree or in those stockings for me. But to my surprise, when Gram had called me downstairs on Christmas morning-I always spent the night with them on Christmas Eve so that we could enjoy breakfast and gifts togeth
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 72: Hail and farewell
EMMA"Thank you all for this wonderful farewell lunch. I really appreciate it." Alison looked around the room, her smile warm. "Special thanks to Dr. Girard. With all due respect, if he hadn't felt the sudden urge to take off for Europe for a year, I never would've gotten the chance to come work with you all. I'm grateful that I did." She paused and then added, "And I'm also really thankful that he came back eventually, because that forced me to go figure out exactly what it is I want to do now. I'm excited about the next chapter." I slid a sideways glance at Deacon to see how he'd react to Alison's teasing. To my surprise, he was laughing along with everyone else, and it didn't seem to be forced. It appeared that he was genuinely enjoying himself. "Is it just me, or is Deacon a lot more relaxed since he came back from Slovenia?" Jenny's murmur was at my ear, since she stood behind me. "Like, less intense and more-dare I say it? Relaxed?" I shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Maybe.
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