I never see Brodie’s dad or his stepmom when I come over. It makes me sad to think that he is here all alone. His dad works a lot, and I assume his stepmom stays out of the way, considering how she broke up his mom and dad’s marriage. He hasn’t had many visitors since the accident and his move back to Houston. All the friends he once considered to be close, have moved on with their lives. The sad realization that he is alone is starting to become apparent. I want him to know that despite all that happened to him and what happened between us, he can count on me for friendship. That will never change us. I knock on the door and push it open.
“Hey, Brodie, what are you up to?”
I see him in his wheelchair looking up at the TV. There on the TV are pictures of all of us scrolling along displaying various times of our high school years. I look up at them and move toward the TV.
“Oh my goodness. Look at that.” I start to laugh and see him throwing me into the water, and I come running after him with this look of fury. “I remember that. You lost my sunglasses when you threw me in. I was so mad at you because they were new and expensive.”
He looks over at me with a small tilt of his lip, letting me know he remembers too. “We certainly had some fun times, didn’t we, Liv?”
I go over to him and sit on his lap. I pull him into a hug and kiss his cheek. “Yes, Brodie, we did.” I get up from his lap and go over to retrieve my bag. I start pulling out my books.
“So, what is on the agenda for today?” He moves his wheelchair over to me, and we sit by the window to get comfortable.
“Oh, the usual school work, but tomorrow, I get to go to the hospital and meet the nurse practitioner from the general surgery group where I will be doing my rotation. I am looking forward to it. It allows me to see other practice areas besides the emergency department role. Who knows, maybe I’ll like it there and change my mind about where I want to work.”
I start to lay out my books, and Melissa comes in to see if I need anything besides my latte. I thank her, but I just want to spend time with Brodie, and then I need to get a good night's sleep to feel my best for tomorrow.
I explain things to Brodie about what is expected of me, and he laughs. It’s nice to hear him laugh.
“Are you going to ask tons of questions like you always do?” he replies with a playful expression on his face.
I look at him. “What do you mean?”
He just shakes his head. “You were always the one in class that asked the most questions. I laughed because you had to know exactly how something worked down to the molecule.”
I hit him playfully on the arm. “Well, I’m curious. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
We both continue to enjoy each other's company. It starts to get late, and I begin to pack up my books. When I stand, I see a sad look on his face. He quickly changes it over to a small smile.
“Good luck tomorrow, Liv. I hope you have a good day. I want to hear all about it when you visit me next time.”
I embrace him and stay for a bit longer in the hug. “I will give you all the updates. I promise.” I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, and his lips turn to meet mine. I pull back, momentarily shocked, and see the same expression on his face. He looks remorseful.
“I’m sorry, Liv, I forgot; it used to be just a normal motion between us that I just reacted without thinking.”
I give him another quick kiss on the cheek to let him know that it’s okay. This time his lips do not meet mine, and I walk toward the door.
“I’ll see you soon, Brodie.” I leave the room with a slight wave as I walk through the door feeling in my gut that many more changes are coming for both of us.
ChapterTwenty-One
Dax
After I droppedLiv off at her apartment yesterday morning, I headed to the hospital. I have a long case scheduled in the OR, so I try my best to focus on the day ahead. But my mind continues to drift back to Liv and how she felt in my arms and her warm body against mine, waking to her beautiful face. Strangely I woke up feeling rested, despite not sleeping much. But it’s not just my body that feels calm; my brain seems at ease too. Maybe it was because she was always on my mind, and now that I, hopefully, have her back, I can finally relax. I was worried I’d never see her again, and the thought downright scared me.
Although, I still don’t know where we stand exactly. What if she doesn’t feel the same? I shake my head, trying to rip that thought from my brain. I know that she is mine, especially after last night. There’s no denying our chemistry—this pull toward each other. I thought it was all in my head, but now I know for sure that it’s real. Now that I had a taste of her, I’m craving more. My thoughts never stray from Liv as I make my way to work with a smile on my face. I wonder what she’s doing this morning and if she’s thinking of me too.
She mentioned starting a new clinical rotation for her NP program, so I sent her a quick text.
Good luck today. I’m sure you’re going to do great.
The hospital is busy with the morning shift change, and I make my way to the OR, passing friendly faces as I go.
“Good morning Dr. Johnson,” I hear one of the OR nurses say.
“You’re looking happy today.”
“Morning, Sue,” I say over my shoulder as I head to the locker room to change into scrubs.
