Surgeon Boss, Surprise Dad

May nodded. “Dr Cline was my first choice, but he rescheduled my appointment first due to your grandfather and then again due to something personal. John didn’t want me to wait another week and I ended up seeing Dr Mills.”

Liz tried to hide her surprise. Adam had rescheduled appointments beyond the days he’d taken off with her following Gramps’s death? Why would he do that? Where had he gone? What had he done?

Who was he with?

“John wants me to go to a larger hospital,” May continued, oblivious to the turmoil rocketing through Liz. “One in Jackson.”

Liz doubted Jackson held a finer surgeon than Adam, but refrained from saying so. The thought of him rescheduling patients had her mind spinning.

“Just you get that second opinion,” she said firmly in an effort to hide her dismay.

“Enough about me.” The older woman waved her hand dismissively, as if her problems were no big deal. “How are you holding up?”

Maybe she hadn’t hidden her dismay so well.

For the briefest of moments Liz thought May was asking about the gaping hole in her chest, but no one knew about that. Fortunately Kelly had been spending quite a bit of time with Jason. Liz hadn’t seen her friend until that morning, by which time she’d sort of pulled herself together and hadn’t had to explain why her heart was so tattered. Kelly had asked, but they’d been interrupted and Liz hadn’t been forced to go into any details.

Until May’s revelation about Adam rescheduling appointments, she’d done a good job holding her act together.

May asked about her grandfather, though.

“As well as can be expected, I suppose.” Considering everything. “I miss Gramps, but am trying to remember the good times we shared and move on with my life.”

True. Regardless of what was going on with Adam, Liz would move forward with her life. For years she’d put her grandfather first, had planned to put Adam first for the rest of her life, but if he didn’t want her love, she’d still find happiness. Perhaps she’d travel, see a bit of the world as a traveling nurse.

May looked pleased. “It’s what he’d have wanted.”

“Yes.” Gramps had wanted great things for her. Great things like Adam.

She bit the inside of her lip and forced her thoughts elsewhere.

She chatted with May for a few more minutes, made sure she was comfortable, then went to check on her own patients.

Liz was pleased to find them all recovering as expected without complications. Two of her five patients were Adam’s, which meant she’d have to see him.

Her stomach lurched at the t

hought. God, she wished whatever was going on with her stomach would pass. She’d taken a handful of antacids yesterday and had obtained a little relief, but this morning her nausea had been right back. Truthfully, her stomach hadn’t been right since Gramps’s funeral. No wonder. She missed him so much. And then all this with Adam.

Stress definitely took its toll on a person’s body but hopefully her nausea would soon pass and her appetite would return.

Recalling May, she decided that if her symptoms persisted much longer she’d have to see a doctor just to get reassurance.

“Everything OK with your patients?” Kelly asked when Liz arrived at the nurses’ station. Her friend eyed her with worry.

“All’s well at the moment.”

Both nurses knew how quickly that could change.

Kelly punched her personal code into the medicine cart that tracked each nurse opening the medicine dispensing device. “I’m going to administer this, and then you’re going to tell me what you have planned for this weekend. Jason’s having a cookout and I want you to come if you aren’t busy.”

This weekend? Liz racked her brain, trying to recall what was going on the upcoming weekend. The fourth of July. She’d be working a twelve-hour shift on Saturday and Sunday.

The previous year’s Fourth of July celebration sprang into her mind. She closed her eyes, picturing Adam and herself sitting on a blanket in the city park. They’d been holding hands, staring up at the bright, exploding lights in the sky. Adam had leaned in, kissed her in the magical way he had that had made fireworks rivaling those in the night sky go off inside her chest.

“Liz?”

She opened her eyes and stared into the object of her fantasy’s blue eyes. He still looked tired, but it was so wonderful to see him that Liz fought throwing her arms around him. “Adam.”