Authors: Clara James
“What?” he asked, smiling down at her.
“Nothing,” she dismissed, shaking her head.
“What?” he repeated.
“I was just thinking,” she sighed, her thighs slowly
drifting down, while her feet stroked lazy patterns on the backs of his calves.
“Promise me, next time we do this, we'll be somewhere a little nicer.”
Reece smiled, but it was a melancholy expression. The
thought of a 'next time' frightened him. What if there wasn't a next time? He
knew the thought must have flashed through Allie's mind, too. But she seemed to
find comfort in not dwelling on it and just assuming there would be a ‘next
time’. “This isn't your idea of a romantic night spot?” he teased.
“No,” she responded between giggles. “It's certainly not
something that I ever imagined I'd be doing,” she added.
“All right,” he exaggeratedly sighed. “You uptown girls,” he
grumbled quietly. “Always got to be wined and dined, huh?”
“You better believe it,” she tartly responded, while a tired
but satisfied grin teased at her lips.
Million Secrets
T
he next morning was dull. The sun was masked by
big gray clouds, and it had been drizzling off and on for hours. Allie had got
up to take a shower, while Reece went out to get himself some coffee and
breakfast. He'd flatly refused to indulge her with any baked goods, because, as
he argued until he was blue in the face, if the doctor managed to get her
surgery booked as quickly as he wanted to, she would need an empty stomach.
She took her time under the warm jets, her limbs feeling too
weary to do much other than simply let the water do its work. When she finally
stepped out of the small cubicle, she glanced herself in the mirror. She had
large dark circles beneath her eyes, she looked pale and drawn. Now she
understood why Reece had been so dead set on treating her with kid gloves the
night before, she really did look sick; much sicker than she felt. It was in
that moment that she fully appreciated the gravity of her situation.
Allie took her time drying and slipping into a clean gown
that had been brought into her by one of the nurses. That same nurse was busy
changing her sheets and Allie could hear her whistling as she worked in the
adjoining room. Taking one last look at herself, she decided that the mirror
must be a particularly unflattering one, and quickly left the bathroom.
“Okay?” the nurse asked, turning as she tucked in the last
corner.
“Yes, thank you,” Allie replied. She wasn’t, of course, but
what else could she say? What did the nurse expect her to say?
“Right, well I’m all done here,” she offered, sliding one
foot on the shiny floor, so that she could reach the top of the bed sheet and
pulling it down slightly. “You ready to get back in?” she offered.
“Umm,” Allie hesitated. “I think I’ll stay up for a little
while,” she suggested. “It’s been driving me crazy being stuck in bed.”
“All right,” the nurse nodded kindly. “But don’t overdo it,
Ok”
Having always hated being told what to do and especially
loathing being told what’s best for her, Allie fought the urge to tell the
young woman what she could do with her advice. Instead, she managed a polite
nod.
Unaware of the thoughts going through her patient’s head,
the nurse continued to smile. “Doctor will be in to see you soon,” she added,
before leaving the room.
Allie was tired, but much too proud to admit it even to
herself. So she resolutely stayed on her feet, wandering aimlessly to the
window. She looked out at the dingy sky, with thick clouds threatening another
dose of rain. Sighing, she rested her forehead to the cool glass. “So, this is
it?” she mumbled quietly. Allie had never been religious; having spent a career
finding and reporting on all that was bad about the human race, she found it
difficult to believe in a supreme being. At least, she found it difficult to
believe in a deity that had some sway over what happens on Earth. As far as
she was concerned, if there was a God and he was supposed to be looking out for
his creations, then he spent an awful lot of time asleep on the job.
So, she didn’t seek His help as she gazed at the sky. She
simply wondered at the enormity of it all. She was, of course, just one person
among the billions that inhabit our world. And at some point, we all have to
leave it. “If it’s my turn,” she continued softly. “Then, it’s my turn.”
The quiet squeak of the door caused her to leave those
thoughts and turn. She quickly pressed her back against the wall, to hide the
expanse of bare bottom that was no doubt displayed. However, she quickly
realized she needn’t have bothered.
“Hey,” Reece said, wandering into the room with his hands in
his pockets.
“You didn’t get anything?” she quickly noted, moving toward
the bed, but still refusing to get into it.
“I ate it on the way back,” he responded. “Didn’t think it
was fair to have it in front of you.”
“Ahh,” she sighed, nodding. “Well, that was very thoughtful
of you.”
He shrugged and allowed himself a little swagger as he
resumed his seat by the bed. “That’s just the kind of guy I am,” he muttered in
jest.
She had been about to bat a sarcastic comment back at him,
but she was prevented by a soft tap at the door and the irritatingly familiar
creak of its hinges. Both of them turned to see the man who entered the room.
Doctor Luitger was scraping his upper teeth anxiously across
his lower lip, as he walked in. “Hi,” he greeted the pair.
“Hi,” Reece echoed. “Have we got a slot for the surgery?” he
asked eagerly, jumping to his feet.
“I’m afraid not,” the doctor replied, shaking his head
apologetically. “We’ve got a problem.”
“What is it?” Allie asked for both of them. Her weary legs
giving up the fight, she slowly lowered herself, until she was sitting on the
edge of the bed. Her feet dangled almost a foot above the floor, she swayed
them gently.
Doctor Luitger moved sluggishly to the end of the bed,
perching himself on the same side as Allie. “Your insurance is refusing to
cover the cost of the treatment,” he said flatly.
“What?” Reece blurted. “Why?”
The doctor kept his eyes on Allie as he explained. “Because
it’s still experimental, they won’t touch it.”
Allie’s jaw fell open slightly, but she didn’t speak
straight away. “How much is it going to cost?” she queried.
For the first time since she’d met him, the doctor was
unable to look her in the eye when he spoke. Gazing at the hand he held loosely
folded in his lap, he said, “All told, we could be talking somewhere in the
region of 500 thousand.”
Sucking in a breath, Allie was lost for words. However,
before she even had time to contemplate what a huge sum of money that was,
Reece’s voice cut across her thoughts.
“That’s fine,” he stated quickly.
“What?” Allie replied, craning her neck, so she could look
at him. “It’s not fine, Reece,” she told him adamantly. “I know I said I have
some money saved, but I don’t mean that kind of money.”
“You’re not paying for it,” Reece countered, shaking his
head. “I am, and I’m telling you it’s fine.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Allie argued.
Reece seemed to consider the matter closed though. His gaze
moved to the doctor and he nodded. “Do it,” he urged. “Book the surgery, let’s
get this moving.”
His eyes flashing quickly between the young couple, the
doctor no longer knew who he should be directing his words to. “Unfortunately,
the hospital administration will need some evidence that you can afford this,”
he said regretfully.
“Okay,” Reece said, dismissing the point as if it were of
absolutely no consequence. “Whatever you need, just let me know. If you want it
all in cash, I can get it for you.”
“Reece,” Allie muttered, shaking her head. “I don’t know
what you’re thinking of doing, but I can’t let you get yourself in that kind of
debt.”
Looking at his shoes his cheeks tinged pink, before he
finally lifted his face back to Allie’s. “Umm,” he mumbled, his eyes flicking
to the doctor. “Could you give us a moment?”
Without a word, Doctor Luitger got to his feet and quickly
left the room. It wasn’t until the door was closed that Reece was able to meet
Allie’s gaze again.
“I won’t be getting into debt,” he mumbled quietly. Allie
simply responded with an ever more quizzical look. “I can afford to pay for
this for you,” he added, believing that a different way of phrasing it would
explain everything.
“You’ve got 500 grand lying around?” Allie suggested,
laughing at the absurdity. His silence and serious expression, caused her
chuckles to quickly subside. “I don’t understand,” she sighed.
Uncomfortably, Reece shuffled his feet, before gradually
settling back into the chair. Her neck stretched painfully, Allie spun around
so that she could face him properly. When they were both still, Reece took a
deep breath. “About five years ago, I founded a business with a friend,” he
began, placing his hands between his thighs. “It quickly became very
successful, and we made a lot of money when we went public to the stock market
one year ago.”
“ A lot of money?” Allie repeated, seeking clarification
over what ‘a lot’ meant.
“We both earned several million,” he answered simply,
although his tinged cheeks left no doubt that he was embarrassed about it.
Allie’s mouth fell open. “You’re...” she said slowly.
“You’re a millionaire?” It was part statement, part question. But
realistically, she knew that was the only conclusion to what he’d just told
her.
He silently nodded, his eyes darting to his nervous feet as
they drew patterns on the floor. He knew what was coming next.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Allie said, her face still frozen
in an expression of shock.
“It’s...” he sighed. “It’s complicated, but I don’t like
some of the things that money brings, you know?” he looked up hopefully,
willing her to understand. “So, I’m a silent partner on the board, I don’t get
involved with all the publicity for the company and I try to live a quiet,
uneventful life.”
“I...” she stammered. “I suddenly feel like I don’t know you
at all.”
“You do know me,” he insisted. “And I know that you’ve got a
lot of questions. I also know I went about this all wrong, but none of that’s
important right now.”
“It isn’t?”
“No,” he replied. “The important thing is getting you this
treatment,” he explained. “And I swear, I will answer all of your questions
later.”
“I’m still not sure I can let you do this for me,” she
argued. “Millionaire or not, we’re talking a lot of money.”
With a light scoff, Reece shook his head. “I want to take
care of you,” he said, his eyes focused intently on hers. “I meant what I said,
when I told you I’d do anything I could. Well, I can do this and I want to.”
Allie was equally unswerving. “I can’t let you, unless you
agree to me paying you back.”
“I don’t want you to pay me back,” he countered.
“Then, I’m not accepting it,” she said defiantly.
This time Reece’s laugh was genuine. This was his Allie;
headstrong, moral and unwilling to let anyone help her out of a jam. “All
right,” he relented. “After all this is over, we’ll work something out.”
“Good,” she stated.
“I’m going to find the doctor and get the ball rolling,
okay?” he said, placing his hands on the plastic arms of the chair and pushing
himself out of it.
“Okay,” she replied in no more than a whisper. She watched
his back, as he walked away. He looked just the same as he always had, and yet
something fundamental had changed. He wasn’t the man she thought he was; not
because of the money, she didn’t care about that. What made him seem different
in her eyes was that he’d lied. Well, she had to admit, he hadn’t actually
lied, but he’d certainly lead her to believe something that wasn’t true.
In quiet stillness, she waited for the doctor to return, and
hoped that she would be granted the opportunity to yell at Reece. The thought
brought a smile to her face; having the luxury of being able to yell at Reece
sounded great.
***
He’d stopped looking at the clock
over two hours ago, after he became convinced something was wrong with it.
Doctor Luitger had said that the surgery could take several hours, but Reece
hadn’t been prepared for how long that would feel.
Occasionally, a nurse would wander down the hallway and
suggest he read or something, but no amount of trying to distraction worked.
The one time he’d attempted it, he’d gotten halfway through an article, before
realizing he hadn’t actually taken in a single word of it. The glossy magazine
had then been quickly discarded and he didn’t bother trying to pick it up
again.
Drawing a hand across his cheek, which was covered in rough,
two-day stubble, he sighed deeply. Not able to sit still for long, he then
jumped to his feet and wandered a few paces back and forth, like a tiger in a
tiny cage.
“Hey,” a voice behind him called.
He spun quickly on the ball of his feet, hoping it would be
one of the medical staff, although it was a pretty unprofessional mode of
address. His look of hope faded, as he set eyes on Rosalind. “Hi,” he greeted,
raising a hand.
“Any news?” she asked, strolling to the small row of red,
plastic chairs.
Running both hands through his hair, he shook his head.
“Still nothing yet.”
“Maybe you should go home and get some sleep,” she
suggested, glancing at her watch before sitting in one of the seats.
“I can’t,” he insisted.
“Well, she’s still going to be under for a while anyway,”
Ros shrugged. “I can call you and you’ll be back before she’s awake.”
Leaning against the wall, he rubbed his index finger in a
circle at his temple. “No,” he sighed. “No, I can’t.”
“Okay,” she responded, dropping the argument with an
understanding half-smile.
There was nothing else to be said. Neither of them could
make the other feel better or ease the anxiety, so they simply stood, sat and
walked intermittently in silence. Unlike Reece, Rosalind was unable to keep her
eyes off the time and she counted the agonizingly slow minutes. It was nearly
seven o’clock in the evening and Allie had been in surgery for a little over
five hours, when footsteps could be heard.
Rosalind was sitting with her head in her hands and as she
saw Reece move out of the corner of her eye, she leaped to her feet. They stood
in the middle of the corridor side-by-side, their shoulders touching, as they
watched the doctor’s approach. He was still in his scrubs, the surgical hat
he’d worn balled up in his hand. His expression was impossible for either of
them to read, so both Rosalind and Reece held their breath as they waited for
him to reach them.