Midnight Kisses by Wayne Jordan

Neither did his. He couldn’t let her think he was weak. Eventually, she looked away.
    â€œI’m tired. My head hurts,” she said, her face showing her discomfort. “I need to get some sleep. You can go. Your good deed for the day is done. God must be pleased with you.”
    â€œI’m sure he’s pleased with you, too. You seem to have been a bundle of joy for the day. I’ve been told you’ve been surly to the nurses.”
    And then she laughed, a loud heartfelt laugh that transformed her from a scared little girl hidden behind a wall of bravado, into an angel.
    It was unexpected and he just watched her, until she stopped, her wall rebuilt higher.
    â€œDon’t say anything.”
    â€œI wasn’t going to,” he said.
    â€œYou always seem to want the last word.”
    â€œSeems that I am getting the last word. Comes with years of practice.”
    She did not respond, only rested her head back onto the pillow. Daniel could see that she was avoiding responding.
    â€œLook, I just came to check in on you. I need to get home now.”
    â€œHave a big date?” she said with a sly smile.
    â€œIn fact, I do.”
    â€œWith Ms. Walker?”
    He felt the heat against his face, but responded.
    â€œNow that is certainly not any of your business. You have a good night,” he said and turned to leave, but not before he saw the laughter in her eyes, the same loud uninhibited laughter, and it made him happy. Before he closed the door, he looked back. Her eyes were still on him. “I’ll be back tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that. Be sensible and get accustomed to it. You won’t drive me away.”
    The look of bewilderment on her face was priceless.
    He turned and walked away. At least he knew she’d got his message.
    Â 
    Renée put the phone down. She finally called him to let him know she could go out with him on Sunday, after having had to cancel their date on Friday night.
    She wanted to go, but an emergency at work had forced her to remain there well into the evening. She wanted to get to know him. It wasn’t about her attraction to him. That was a given, but she knew the best way to deal with what was happening.
    She’d use their time together to find out about him. What made him seem so controlled and caused those occasional glimpses of sadness.
    She shook her head, rose from the stool and walked over to the oven. The decadent whiff of chocolate chip cookies filled the room. Before the night was over, they’d all be gone.
    Renée poured a glass of milk, a nightly habit, and walked to the sitting room. For some reason cookies and milk seemed to be the only thing to calm her, andtonight, her trepidation at the upcoming date left her feeling edgy.
    She used a remote control to turn the home theater system on. Strains of smooth jazz filled the room. Perfect for her milk and cookies and the perfect time to look over the important cases she had to deal with; allowing her mind to focus on something besides Daniel Buchanan.
    Sometimes she wondered why she continued to do the work she did. Working with children and teenagers haunted her at night.
    Where had her childhood dream of being a singer gone?
    She’d woken up some time in high school and realized that life was more than a great voice. That she wanted to help people. She’d known that being a doctor had been out of the question. She and blood did not mix and it had taken her a while to accept that she could not do what her mother wanted. In fact, she’d finally realized that much of what she had wanted to do had been what her mother wanted her to do. She realized now that she’d found a purpose for living.
    And that was what she planned to do with Daniel Buchanan. Help him on the road to recovery. She could tell that he’d suffered, but with time she knew that she could help him to heal.
    Without warning the phone rang, making her jump with its shrill