number.
Jodie couldn’t get to the elevator fast enough. At first when she entered her father’s suite, Kevin hung back in the hallway, allowing for privacy. A few minutes later, Jodie asked him to join them, and introductions were performed, but her dad was groggy. While they chatted, a nurse delivered sedation and an anti-swelling medication. Before long, her father dozed, and the constricting band of pressure that had squeezed her chest over the past several hours began to loosen.
She sat next to the bed, leaning against the guard rail, watching him sleep until Kevin rested a hand against her shoulder. “C’mon. He’s sleeping, and he’s comfortable for now. Why don’t we get something to eat?”
His whispered words brought her around. Jodie stood, unkinking her back with a subtle stretch. “Are you sure you can spare the time?” Kevin’s only answer to that was a long, pointed gaze stamped by a raised brow. Jodie’s lips trembled when she gave him a smile. “OK, OK. Message received. There’s a cafeteria on the ground floor. I really don’t want to leave the hospital yet. In fact, I might just crash here tonight. There’s that two-seat sofa over there where I can curl up. I have my computer and the TV.”
Exiting the hospital suite, Kevin slid an arm around her waist in a gesture of light possession. “You know, I play a mean game of blackjack. Maybe we could buy a deck of cards at the gift shop after we eat. I’m just brave enough to challenge you to a few rounds.”
Friendship and authentic support as opposed to loneliness and artificial comfort. At once, Jodie breathed deep of gratitude. “You’re on.”
Kevin gave her a disarming wink while he led the way to the elevator bank. “As for food, a hospital cafeteria won’t have the same ambiance as our last meal together at Viviano’s, but for you I’m willing to bite the bullet.”
Jodie tucked against his side and delivered a coy glance. “Very funny.”
“Seriously, you need to keep your strength up. Let’s get you nourished.”
She stepped into the elevator and craned her neck so she could meet his eyes directly. “I think you’ve already accomplished that task. Thank you for being here. I can’t begin to say how much it means to me.”
The elevator began its descent with just the two of them as passengers. Kevin quirked a fingertip beneath her chin and bent smoothly to claim her lips. A world of soft velvet, of sweetness and tender sensation lifted Jodie straight away from anything and everything but the tender, intimate moment they shared. A flood of light filled every dark, empty spot that had grown unchecked over the last several months.
Renewal, refreshment and joy—the elements of love—poured through her soul. An eloquent reverence was evident in the way his mouth moved slowly in time with hers. The interlude was brief, but infinitely precious.
A bell chime signaled their arrival, and Jodie leaned back from their embrace. “This strikes me as pretty risky,” she whispered, stroking his chin with the back of her fingertips. “We’re both kind of struggling. Maybe it would be smarter to—”
The doors swooshed open into a bustling lobby, and Kevin paused just long enough to meet her gaze straight on. “I don’t think I want, or need, to hear the end of that sentence. Come on. Let’s eat.”
Directional arrows had them tracking left, and soon they were seated at a café-style table eating tuna croissant sandwiches. Jodie ripped open a bag of chips for them to share. Kevin divided the contents of a container of fresh fruit. Only then did hunger set in—with gusto. For a time, they ate in a comfortable silence, watching people drift past, employees walking at a fast clip on an open mezzanine just above.
She knew she should say something about the kiss and his comment, but what? How much could she really say about the way he had entered the stream of her life and her heart? She had clear-cut ideas in mind about
Jodie couldn’t get to the elevator fast enough. At first when she entered her father’s suite, Kevin hung back in the hallway, allowing for privacy. A few minutes later, Jodie asked him to join them, and introductions were performed, but her dad was groggy. While they chatted, a nurse delivered sedation and an anti-swelling medication. Before long, her father dozed, and the constricting band of pressure that had squeezed her chest over the past several hours began to loosen.
She sat next to the bed, leaning against the guard rail, watching him sleep until Kevin rested a hand against her shoulder. “C’mon. He’s sleeping, and he’s comfortable for now. Why don’t we get something to eat?”
His whispered words brought her around. Jodie stood, unkinking her back with a subtle stretch. “Are you sure you can spare the time?” Kevin’s only answer to that was a long, pointed gaze stamped by a raised brow. Jodie’s lips trembled when she gave him a smile. “OK, OK. Message received. There’s a cafeteria on the ground floor. I really don’t want to leave the hospital yet. In fact, I might just crash here tonight. There’s that two-seat sofa over there where I can curl up. I have my computer and the TV.”
Exiting the hospital suite, Kevin slid an arm around her waist in a gesture of light possession. “You know, I play a mean game of blackjack. Maybe we could buy a deck of cards at the gift shop after we eat. I’m just brave enough to challenge you to a few rounds.”
Friendship and authentic support as opposed to loneliness and artificial comfort. At once, Jodie breathed deep of gratitude. “You’re on.”
Kevin gave her a disarming wink while he led the way to the elevator bank. “As for food, a hospital cafeteria won’t have the same ambiance as our last meal together at Viviano’s, but for you I’m willing to bite the bullet.”
Jodie tucked against his side and delivered a coy glance. “Very funny.”
“Seriously, you need to keep your strength up. Let’s get you nourished.”
She stepped into the elevator and craned her neck so she could meet his eyes directly. “I think you’ve already accomplished that task. Thank you for being here. I can’t begin to say how much it means to me.”
The elevator began its descent with just the two of them as passengers. Kevin quirked a fingertip beneath her chin and bent smoothly to claim her lips. A world of soft velvet, of sweetness and tender sensation lifted Jodie straight away from anything and everything but the tender, intimate moment they shared. A flood of light filled every dark, empty spot that had grown unchecked over the last several months.
Renewal, refreshment and joy—the elements of love—poured through her soul. An eloquent reverence was evident in the way his mouth moved slowly in time with hers. The interlude was brief, but infinitely precious.
A bell chime signaled their arrival, and Jodie leaned back from their embrace. “This strikes me as pretty risky,” she whispered, stroking his chin with the back of her fingertips. “We’re both kind of struggling. Maybe it would be smarter to—”
The doors swooshed open into a bustling lobby, and Kevin paused just long enough to meet her gaze straight on. “I don’t think I want, or need, to hear the end of that sentence. Come on. Let’s eat.”
Directional arrows had them tracking left, and soon they were seated at a café-style table eating tuna croissant sandwiches. Jodie ripped open a bag of chips for them to share. Kevin divided the contents of a container of fresh fruit. Only then did hunger set in—with gusto. For a time, they ate in a comfortable silence, watching people drift past, employees walking at a fast clip on an open mezzanine just above.
She knew she should say something about the kiss and his comment, but what? How much could she really say about the way he had entered the stream of her life and her heart? She had clear-cut ideas in mind about
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