“So tell me about your case,” Kate said while we served our plates. “I just checked my cell and saw that you messaged me. Sorry I didn’t reply but my phone was in my bag in the living room and I must not have heard the alert.”
I poured a glass of red wine for us, and thought about my case. I described the patient and the diagnosis.
“It was pretty straight-forward and I really didn’t need to consult,” I said.
“Was Michael busy?” Kate asked, twirling her fork in her pasta. “I thought he was handling evenings in the ER this week.”
I nodded and took a sip. “He was in the OR with an emergency case. Sam had a patient and asked me to consult.”
Kate’s fork stopped twirling in the pasta for only a second or two, then resumed. She nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Sam, hmm?” she said finally, taking a mouthful of pasta and chewing without meeting my eyes.
“Yes,” I said and pushed my bread into my sauce then took a bite. “I was Michael’s backup. I had no choice but to consult.”
“I understand,” Kate said, her voice light. She smiled. “You want to do pediatric neurosurgery. It’s perfectly natural you’d want to consult on her case.”
I reached out and took her hand. “I was pissed that she asked me. It was a really simple case. She didn’t need my advice.”
“She just wanted to have you around,” Kate said and looked at me through narrow eyes. She sighed dramatically. “I guess that’s the price I’ll pay for having such a hot fiancé… Everywhere you go, the nurses and female docs will be drooling over you.”
I laughed out loud at that. Then I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “There’s only one woman I want drooling over me.”
She met my eyes and smiled. “Never doubt that I do.”
I grinned. “I bet you were too busy today to even think of me.”
She shook her head. “I pined away for you, and had to console myself with my art…”
“It’s really good, Kate. I mean it. Elaine will love it.”
“I hope so.”
We finished our meal, talking about the day, the week and how close we were to leaving. In less than twenty days, our flight would take us out of Nairobi and Africa and to a connecting flight in Copenhagen, before flying across the Atlantic to Manhattan.
Bot
h of us would be busy with work soon after we returned home. My fellowship at NYU started in September, and Kate was registered in her MA program and would work on her thesis. We had to get back so we had some time to get settled into our place. With only a few weeks to go before our flights, there was so much to do, I felt as if I needed another month.
We’d be exceptionally busy, with just enough time to be settled in Manhattan before it all began. Plus, we had a date for our wedding and would be busy organizing that. Both of us wanted a small wedding at Ethan and Elaine’s with just a few friends and family in attendance. Of course, I didn’t really have family with the exception of my foster family, the O’Rileys and as for friends it would be them and my band mates and their spouses. Dave Mills. I invited Michael, but he wasn’t sure if he and Claire could make it. Apparently, Claire was busy with some art exhibition…
After we cleaned up the plates from dinner, we sat on the patio and watched the stars for a while.
“I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted,” I said and squeezed Kate’s hand.
“You go to bed,” Kate said, her voice light but I could hear a touch of something in her tone.
“Come here,” I said and pulled her off her chair and onto my lap. She slipped her arms around my neck and we sat like that for a while, enjoying each other while listening to the sounds of the night.
“I want you in bed with me,” I said. “I like falling asleep with my arms around you.”
“My mind’s still too wide awake to sleep now. You go ahead and I’ll be there in a while. You need your sleep.”
I smiled and brushed hair off her cheek. “If you were a man, I’d say you should have sex to help you sleep but an orgasm seems to wake women up, so that won’t help.”
Kate laughed at that and leaned her forehead against mine. “You know I leave all that up to you,” she said softly. “Whatever you want. Whatever you need.”
“I want your happiness. I want your fulfillment.”