I passed a boat rental and scanned their wares. I made a mental note to come here again. Next time, I’d try my hand at kayaking. The river moved slowly, and I wanted to sit in the middle and feel the world swirl past me without asking me to do anything about it.
I cleared the bend in the river by Michigan Avenue when I saw her.
Emma.
There was no way I could mistake that bouncing blond hair. Lately I had seen it every night in my dreams, as my mind subconsciously both stressed over and reveled in our brief time together.
I’d never seen her outside of work before, and my mind started processing details that I’d missed. She wasn’t overly tall, about 5’4”, but she carried herself with confidence that made her seem taller. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t that tall, as I was not tall either.
What? Wait. Why would it even matter if I was tall or not? It wasn’t like we were a thing.
Her scrubs hid her toned frame. She was running, and her exercise clothes hugged her curves, accentuating her nice physique.
I blushed and had to look down. I didn’t want her to catch me staring at her. She would get the wrong impression, and then work would really be more awkward than it already was. I turned so my back was toward her and pretended that I was looking at some birds in a nearby tree. I was so awkward out here, so out of my element, that I didn’t know what to do.
Just when I was about to break into a run and disappear, Dylan’svoice popped into my head.You’re planting seeds.
Whatever I was trying to do, it was because of my own discomfort—not something she’d done. I decided to square my shoulders and say hello.I could walk on by like I took this path all the time and knew where I was going. Seeing her was a coincidence, one I wished I could avoid, but I didn’t have that option anymore as she closed the space between us.
My internal battle had taken so long that she was almost past me when I turned, waved, and tried to sound casual. “Hey.”
Emma’s eyebrows shot up to meet her hairline as she pulled out her earbuds and turned to face me. “Oh! Dr. Mitchell. I’m sorry, I was in my own little world and didn’t see you.”
Did I notice the faint blush on her cheeks? Yes. Yes, I did. But it could be from exercising. Though it hadn’t beenthere when I’d first seen her.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your run.”
“It’s all right. I was just about ready to start my cooldown anyway.” She slowed to match my pace and walked with me.
I wasn’t sure how to read her friendliness. But at least she didn’t brush me off. Which wasan improvement from our previous status of completely ignoring one another, so I’d take it with a grain of salt but take it nonetheless.
There was an awkward pause while Emma wound up her earbuds and looked everywhere but at me and I looked out across the river.
“I didn’t know you like the outdoors.”
“Neither did I, but I am new here and trying to find something to do outside of work.” That was about all she was going to get out of me on that subject. No way was I going to tell her I was there by order of my therapist. I tried to smile. “Technically, we’re in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the country. I don’t know if this qualifies as the great outdoors.”
Emma slightly blushed again. The smattering of color was endearing. “That is probably true, but at least it has a little green, and the water brings the feeling of peace and calm.”
“Is that why you come running here, for the peace and calm?” I asked, truly wanting to know.
“I guess so. I grew up in Montana, so this is my way of trying to stay connected to the country, even though it really is the city.” She winked to let me know she was teasing. “At least here I get to see more than buildings and potted plants.”
I nodded my head in understanding. If someone had said that three days ago, I would have thought they were being unrealistically romantic or sentimental. But I couldn’t deny the feeling of release I’d experienced on my walk. “I can understand that.” There was another pause, though less awkward this time as I realized we had something in common. Maybe there was more. Maybe we could find some common ground. I didn’t dare hope, but since she was being open, I thought I’d try. “So, Montana, huh? What brought you to Chicago?” I ventured.
“Life.” She left it vague, which left me with the feeling of holding a pen over paper, waiting for something important to write down. Her added sigh said thatlifewasn’t all roses and sunshine, which piqued my interest further. She was an optimist with a ready smile, so the idea that she’d struggled was hard to process. At the same time, I wished I could have protected her from the hurt that rippled in her eyes.Which surprised me, because I wasn’t the type to take up someone else’s banner and march into battle. What was it with this woman who discovered parts of me that I hadn’t known existed?
I let her elusiveness hang there, not ready to push her to reveal more. Maybe one day, if we ever became real friends, I’d ask for more.
“How about yourself?” she countered.
“Northwest Memorial was my best offer out of residency.It’s the kind of gig you don’t turn down.”
“That makes sense. You’re an amazing surgeon, and they couldn’t pass you up.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Where are you from initially, though?”
My head spun. Amazing? She thought I was amazing? I’d thought she couldn’t stand me, and here she’d handed me a sincere compliment. All of a sudden, I started to feel warm inside.The feeling was as unexpected as it was welcome.
I hurried to answer, not wanting to leave her waiting. “I’m from Phoenix originally, but it has been a long time since I have lived there. I went to California for my undergrad, Washington for med school, New York for my residency, and now Chicago. So I really feel like I have lived all over. I don’t have roots in one particular place.”
