I'll Take a Chance (2 page)

Kyle

Spence
had good timing. I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel comfortable lying to Amelia about my sister. Going into details about my family, though, wasn’t a good idea either. Usually, I just tell people that I’m an only child to avoid all the unwanted questions about my family. It’s just easier that way. I don’t know why I told her I have a sister. It just came out. I just couldn’t lie to her.

There is something special about this woman
. I sensed it from the first moment I saw her come into that room with those ridiculous flowers. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion when she collided with me and dropped the flowers. When I saw that she cut her hand on the glass, my heart sunk. I don’t know why I felt so drawn to her. An overwhelming urge to help her coursed through me, which was ridiculous. She’s a stranger. As a doctor, I see injuries far worse than this all the time, and I never get this worked up inside. I could have just as easily wrapped it up for her and told her how to get to the emergency room, but for some unknown reason I felt the need to take her there myself.

The past two years of my life have been a living hell. Between
finishing the residency program at the hospital and everything that happened with my family, I haven’t had time to have a relationship or even date for that matter.

When I saw Amelia though
, I couldn’t help but think there was something special about her. I didn’t want to let go of her hand. When Spence came in to numb her hand, she tensed up. I don’t know what had come over me, but I found my hand on her back soothing her.

“Alright
, this will only hurt for a second. Then when your all numbed up, we’ll stitch you up, and you’ll be as good as new,” Spence tells her.

If Amelia thinks she is fooling anyone she needs to think again. I can see it written all over her face. I know that cut has to hurt. It is pretty deep.
I let go of her hand again to let the nurse prep her. Spence steps up with a needle, and Amelia takes a deep breath and holds it.

“Hey, just look at me
,” I say.

She looks at me with those soulful blue eyes
while Spence quickly administers the shot. She didn’t even flinch. Spence puts six stitches in her palm then wraps it with gauze.

“OK
, Amelia, you’re all set. Keep it dry for a few days, and if you have any problems you can give Dr. Peters here a call,” Spence says with grin.

“Oh, I don’
t really know Dr. Peters. We just met up in maternity. My sister-in-law just had a baby girl. Speaking of which, I really do need to get back up there. I haven’t met my new niece yet,” Amelia says as she grabs her hand and stands to leave.

“I’
ll walk you back up there. I need to close up a few cases and see to some paper work,” I say, hoping I can spend just a little bit more time with her.

“OK, thank you,
that’s very kind of you.”

“How
’s your hand? Does it feel OK?” I ask her.

“Yes, it’
s a little sore, but it will be fine. Thank you for asking.”

Riding back up to maternity in the elevator
, I come up with a brilliant idea to spend some more time with her. Reaching in my pocket I pull out a business card and write my cell phone number on the back of it.

Handing it to her I say, “Here, this is my personal number if Spence didn’t do a good job
or if you have any problems with your hand, give me a call.” Her cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink as she takes the card.

“Thank you.
Do you always give such wonderful patient care?” she asks.

“Only to
the ones as cute as you.” Where in the hell did that come from? I am such an idiot. Her cheeks deepen to a new shade of deep pink.

The elevator dings and stops at the maternity floor, as my heart plummets to my feet. We both step off and she walks toward her
brother’s room as I walk to the nurses’ station. She turns and walks backwards and says, “Thank you for taking such good care of me and personally seeing to my hand. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Amelia, watch out,” I say as she nearly walks into a laboring mother walking the halls. She apologizes to the woman, shoots me a smile and disappears into her sister-in-laws room.

Amelia

I have to be the biggest accident prone person alive. First the flowers
, which led to stitches, and now I almost plow a pregnant lady over in the hallway. But when I walk into the room and see my beautiful niece, none of that matters.

“Give me that baby. Come meet your Aunt
ie Amelia.” I take possession from Asher of the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. Tears instantly flow down my face as I look at the most pure and innocent being I have ever seen.

“She’s just beautiful Asher. Look at this beautiful baby girl. What did you name her?”
I ask, looking from Asher to Willow.

Willow looks at the two of us with the
utmost peaceful look and says, “We named her Abbey Olivia Wellington.”

“Willow
, that’s just beautiful and it’s as perfect as she is,” I say with a huge smile.

Naming her middle name after Asher’s first wife
, who was taken from this earth far too soon by a drunk driver, has to be the most touching sentiment I have ever heard. Fresh tears fall from my eyes as I remember the beautiful woman Olivia was. It just proves the type of person Willow is and why I love her so much.

Abbey starts to cry and turn a deep
shade of red. I think she may be getting hungry. “Here you better take her back, and I should let you guys have some alone time. I am so sorry about the flowers.” Just then I realize my entire family is in the room. I was so focused on Abbey, I hadn’t noticed until just now.

I give Asher a kiss on the cheek
, hug Willow, and then kiss my little Abbey on the head. I say my goodbyes to my family who are all sitting and standing in the room just pouring their love to this amazing new addition to our family. “Amelia, you don’t have to go. I’ll just try to feed her and then you can visit a little more with us,” Willow says.

My m
om stands and says, “No, sweetheart, you need your rest. You and Asher need some alone time to bond as a family. We will all leave you guys alone.” She says this as she grabs Aiden by the arm and pushes my dad toward the door.

Everyone says their goodbyes and kisses baby Abbey.
We are all standing in the hallway talking when I see Dr. Peters out of the corner of my eye. He eyes me in return with a sexy half grin that sends tingles to my happy places. Stupid happy places, they’re the ones that got me in trouble with my last boyfriend. To be honest, he was my first real boyfriend and what a disaster that turned out to be.

Stupid Roger.

Stupid happy places.

I head to the elevator
and push the down button. Dr. Peters starts walking in my direction and little butterflies start having a rock party in my stomach.

“I’m headed home now, I’ll walk you down,” he says as he stands next to
me and waits for the elevator.

“Dr. Peters
, it’s nice to see you again,” I say with a smile.

“
You can call me Kyle, remember?” he states.

“Ah right, yes you did. So Kyle, d
id you have a busy day today?” I ask, holding up my finger remembering he already told me to call him by his first name.

“Yes, there were several births today. I think it’s a full moon. There are always extra births when there
’s a full moon.”

“I knew it. I said the same thing as I was coming here. There were no parking spots
, I had to park all the way over in the parking garage.”

“It’s dark outside now. Can I walk you to your car?”
he asks with a smile.

“Ah sure, thanks, that would be nice.”

“How’s your hand?” he asks sincerely.

“Oh this, it’s nothing. It
’s throbbing a little bit, though. Is that normal?” I ask and then immediately regret asking because I know he will offer to look at it.

“
Maybe it’s wrapped too tight. I should probably take a look at it for you,” he says, just like I knew he would.

“No, no you don’t have to do that. I feel like an idiot as it is. I swear I’m the m
ost accident prone person alive,” I confess.

“You’re not an idiot, it was an accident. I don
’t mind looking at it for you,” he insists again.

We walk in silence side by side
through the sliding glass doors as I lead the way through the parking structure. We are almost to my car and I just can’t think fast enough of an excuse so he won’t look at my hand. I really don’t want to bother him, but it does hurts like a mother and man is it throbbing.

“Really you don’t need to look at it, but I
would really like to repay you for your kindness today. How about we meet for coffee tomorrow morning?” I ask, surprising myself. Why did I just ask him that? What happened to men are stupid?

“That sounds nice, but I’m paying
, I insist. It will have to be somewhat early though. I have to be on shift at nine.”

“Now how is that repaying you for your kindness if
you pay? I insist, I’ll pay and I’m fine with early. I need to get to my office early too.” I am going to have tons of work to do without an assistant for a while and there are still things to do because of the fire drill.

“OK, tomorrow
it is then. Say seven at the coffee house around the corner from the hospital.”

“That sounds like a date. I mean not a date. That sounds wonderful. I mean crap,
no I don’t mean crap either. I mean that it sounds like a plan.” I am a fumbling idiot. I can’t even make plans to get together with a man for coffee without sounding like an idiotic dork.

“OK, seven it is. I’ll see you tomorrow
, Amelia,” he says and waits for me to get in my car.

Opening
my car, I reach across the driver’s seat and toss my bag on the passenger seat. I attempt to gracefully turn back around to face Kyle to tell him goodbye, when I bonk my head on the roof of my car. I exhale slowly trying desperately to wish in some other universe that I am not an utter klutz. Slowly I plaster a fake smile on my face and look at him, hoping just maybe he didn’t see that.

“Amelia, are you alright?”
he asks concerned.

Nope. Yet again the universe is against me.

“Yes. I’m fine. I’m embarrassed, but I’m fine.” This day, besides welcoming my beautiful niece into this world, has gone down the crapper. I want to get home, crack a bottle of merlot, and sink into a hot bubble bath. We say our final goodbyes, and I drive home intending to do just that.

Heading straight to the wine cabinet
, I grab a special bottle, it is my niece’s birthday after all. I crank the hot water in the tub, flip on some music, poor in some bubbles, and head to the kitchen for a wine opener. The only problem is my hand is wrapped in a mound of gauze. How can I open the bottle? Where there’s a will there’s a way. I have this handy dandy rabbit, ha ha rabbit. I wonder if the makers of this wine opener realized when they named the thing a rabbit that rabbit means something else to the ladies. I decide this bottle is not going to happen with this much gauze on my hand. I unwind it all and get to work on the prize.

I have an opened bottle a wine
, a filled glass, and a steaming bubbled tub in view so I strip naked and sink into the stress relieving water. This is heaven and exactly what I need. I close my eyes and sip my wine.

Pure heaven.

I set the bottle on the side of the tub and I fully intend to sit in this tub until either the water gets cold or the bottle is empty, whichever comes first. I rest my injured, unwrapped hand safely on the side of the tub so I don’t get it wet, and I finish off the glass. I pour myself another glass and place the bottle back on the side of the tub.

On
any other day and with any other person this would have gone smoothly, but then again we are talking about me. I swear it’s like I’m a walking example of Murphy’s Law. If I can trip over it, walk into it, or in any other way, shape, or form harm myself with it, it will happen. This simple task did not go this way. I completely missed the tub and the bottle slipped into the tub with a loud plopping splash. I didn’t even think twice about my hand. I was only thinking about the wine and how long I had been saving it, thus reached in the tub with my stitched, unwrapped hand. Instantly I knew this was a mistake and pulled it out of the hot water with my mouth hanging open with no sound coming out for fear that the entire floor would call the police if I unleashed the scream that went along with the pain.

So now we have a wasted bottle of fine wine
, and my hand that was already throbbing and raw, is now scalding hot, and forgive me please, but it hurts like a son of a bitch. Shit. I am an idiot. Bath time is cut short because now the water is red and I really don’t want to soak in a wine bath. I would probably turn as red as a lobster. I think it’s time to just say screw it and go to bed.

Kyle

My alarm goes off at five and
the first thought in my head is of meeting Amelia for coffee in only a few short hours. I don’t know how good of an idea it is to get involved with someone. Especially with my family drama that is still going on, but it has been two years. Two long hellish years. Maybe it’s time to move on. Maybe there is no hope for Chloe. There is already no hope for my parents. It has torn them apart and resulted in them divorcing.

Coffee,
I need coffee. Then I need more coffee with Amelia. As I get ready to head out the door I catch a quick glimpse at the photo of me and Chloe at graduation. Man that was a fantastic day.

I must be the first one at the coffee shop because I don’t see Amelia anywhere. I don’t know what she likes so I can’t order her a coffee
. Besides she’d probably be mad if I pay for the coffee. I take a table for two by the window and wait patiently.

Fifteen minutes
go by and she’s still not here. Did I seriously get stood up for coffee at seven in the morning? That doesn’t leave much hope for the rest of my day. I get myself a cup of coffee and decide that I can wait another fifteen minutes, and then I need to get to work. As soon as I sit down with my coffee I hear a big crash coming from the entrance of the coffee house. Looking up, I see Amelia with her hands full and she has knocked over a display of coffee. I shake my head as I walk over to help her.

“Kyle
, I am so sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get my hand wrapped by myself. I tried all morning, but I just ended up making it hurt,” she says as she tries to help the clerk pick up the coffee bags.

She dropped her purse and a wrapped package of gauze and tape when she collided with the display. I help her to her feet, grab the
medical supplies and lead her to the table.

“You bought your own coffee,” s
he says with a sad sigh.

“You were late
. I thought maybe I got stood up, and I was dying for another cup of coffee. Here, sit down. Let’s take care of your hand first. Oh, Amelia, this looks like it’s starting to become infected. How long have you had this wrap off?” I ask with concern.

“Before or after I dropped a bottl
e of wine in the bathtub and scalded it with bath water?” she asks meekly.

“You had it in your bathtub
, unwrapped? You were supposed to keep this dry for a few days. We’re going to need to get some antibiotic ointment on there before it gets any worse. Let’s head to the hospital, I can do it there.”

“I need coffee first.
If I am going to make it through this day, I need coffee,” she says looking defeated.

She gets a coffee
, and we walk to the hospital. Since Spence was her treating physician, I look to see if he is on duty and if he can take a quick look at her hand. Sure enough, he’s in the doctor’s lounge. He takes one look at her hand and just shakes his head.

“We can
get that fixed right up for you,” Spence says. And in no time she is bandaged back up and ready to go.

“I’m only here for a few hours then I am off for two days. How about we meet for lunch?”

“Deal, but I’m buying. I didn’t get to buy you coffee this morning, and I won’t take no for an answer,” she says with a stern look on her face.

“Alright, no arguments.
Did you want to meet somewhere?”

“
Shoot, I just remembered I have a meeting until noon. Since Willow is on maternity leave I don’t think I can make it happen today, I’m so sorry.”

“That’s not a problem, how
about I bring lunch to you?” I ask, hopeful that I get to see her again today.

“That will work,
but again that’s not me treating you. I’ll have my assistant… ugh, I mean I’ll order in food and have it delivered to my office. I’m in the Wellington building on the fifteenth floor. Let’s say noon. Do you know where that is?”

“That will work just fine
. I know exactly where that is. I’ll see you then. Make sure you keep that hand wrapped all day today and dry, I’ll check it after lunch and change the dressing.”

“You don’t have to do that,
” she says, looking embarrassed.