Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (13 page)

The soup she made was delicious. His mother would have put pasta in it, but otherwise, she would have approved. The soda bread was also very good slathered with butter. That was one thing he was certain his mother had never made.

“I’ve never come home to hot soup and fresh bread after a long day. I could get used to this.”

Elizabeth looked genuinely pleased. “I’m glad you like it. I like to cook, although it is a little hard with this.” She motioned to her cast.

“Speaking of that, did you use ice and take your medicine today?”

“Yes, I did.”

“And how do you feel?”

“I’m a little sore and tired, but not as bad as last night.”

“Good. You should ice it one more time before we go to bed.”

“I will. I’ll just put things away first.”

“Leave it. I’ll take care of the dishes and leftovers. Ice your ribs.”

“You’re bossy.” She leaned in and, to his surprise, kissed him, igniting his desire.

When she broke the kiss, he grinned at her. “You’re stalling.”

“But I like kissing you.” She kissed him again, fanning the flames.

He gave into the kiss for a moment. She was warm and sweet and wonderful. His right hand slid around her waist to pull her closer, brushing against her cast.
And she has broken ribs
. With great effort, he pulled away. “You’re still stalling. Ice. Now,” he said with mock sternness.

She pouted. “Okay.”

After he put the kitchen to rights, he joined her in the bedroom. She was wearing the beautiful but insanely impractical cashmere pajamas and lying with ice packs on her right side.

She frowned at him. “You know, this kind of hurts.”

“I know. But it keeps the swelling down and makes it hurt less in the long run.”

“I believe you. Thousands wouldn’t.”

“They always say doctors make the worst patients.”

Sadness flitted across her features for a moment. “But I’m not really a doctor. At least not now.”

“Your memories will return, sweetheart. I’m sure they will. But even if they don’t, you know that doesn’t matter to me.”

“I know. And you’re right. My memories will come back soon.”

“That’s the way to stay positive. Now, I think that ice has been on for at least fifteen minutes. I’ll put it away and then I’m ready to sleep.”

When he returned to the bed, she curled up next to him. If he counted the night in the hospital room—and he did—this was the eighth night he had slept by her side. His desire for her grew with each passing minute. He wouldn’t act on it, not until her ribs had been allowed to heal a little longer, but he hoped going to bed with her soon would mean more than just sleeping.

While she had been excited the previous day to see her parents, she dreaded lunch with Elizabeth’s mother. Still, if Dr. Rose was right, she needed to do this. She dressed in the skirt and blouse that Gabe had bought for her. She smiled at her reflection. She really did love the outfit.

She was to meet Dr. Rose in front of the building at fifteen minutes before twelve. She was standing just inside the lobby door when he drove up. He leaned across the front seat and opened the door for her. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose. As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Well, lass, ye look lovely. Hop in.”

When she was settled and buckled in, he said, “Ye have nothing to worry about, Elsie. Just be yourself, and everything will be fine.”

Elsie nodded, but had trouble tamping down the butterflies in her stomach.

“I understand ye met Aldous and Jo Sinclair over the weekend, and everyone had a bit of a surprise.”

At the thought of her parents, Elsie smiled. “Yes. I never, ever imagined that they were time travelers.”

“I have to admit. I thought it amazing when Jo found Aldous, but that you have turned out to be their lost daughter is mind boggling. Just when I think I have Gertrude’s plan sorted out, something else pops up.”

“That’s the truth.”

“You know, Elsie, in many ways, Elizabeth’s parents are a bit like Aldous and Jo. They made choices in their lives that led them away from their daughter. Now, they realize just what they have lost and are trying—at least Elizabeth’s mother is trying—to find her and connect with her again.”

Elsie nodded. “I guess I can understand that.”

“So, you’ll give it a chance? You’ll try?”

“Yes, Dr. Rose. I’ll try.”

Charlotte Quinn was already seated when they arrived at the posh French restaurant in SoHo. She stood and opened her arms, a nervous, hopeful look on her face. “Elizabeth, darling, how are you feeling?”

Elsie hugged her. “Better, thank you. My ribs still hurt some, but not nearly as much as they did.”

Charlotte turned a warm smile on Dr. Rose. “Dr. Rose, it’s lovely to see you again. Thank you for arranging this.”

“It was my pleasure, Mrs. Quinn.”

“Please, call me Charlotte.”

“Charlotte, then. Shall we sit down?” He held Charlotte’s chair and then Elsie’s before seating himself.

“Elizabeth…I…well, darling, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding last week.”

Of all the things Elsie thought the woman might say, an apology was the last.

“We were so worried about you. Truly, we were. And your father—you know how he can be. But, no…I guess you don’t. When something is very important and things aren’t going well, when he is worried or scared, he shifts into command mode. He trusts
his
ability to handle anything more than he trusts anyone else. Darling, I have never seen him as upset as he was when the officers came to the house to tell us you had been in an accident. He wanted to leave immediately, but we were in the middle of a terrible snowstorm. He had our driver and helicopter pilot on standby. He wanted everyone ready to leave the minute the heliport was open. I am so sorry it took something as dreadful as this to…well…bring us together. I don’t want a misunderstanding to tear us apart. We love you, Elizabeth.”

As Elizabeth’s mother rambled on nervously, Elsie realized everything Dr. Rose had said was true. Charlotte was fully aware of the distance that had developed between them, and she wanted to repair the relationship.

Elsie smiled. “I know you do.”

Dr. Rose cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should order before we dive too deeply into this.”

Elsie looked blankly at the menu and frowned. She had learned all of the letters and was beginning to be able to read small words, but this menu had no pictures.

Charlotte said softly, “You’ve always liked the eggs benedict. You are also fond of lamb, and there is a lamb sandwich on the menu. Also, today’s special is
lapin à la moutarde
.” At Elsie’s frown, she added, “Rabbit in a Dijon mustard sauce.”

She wasn’t sure what
eggs benedict
was and she did like lamb, but she
loved
rabbit. “I think I’d like the rabbit.”

While they ate over the next hour, Charlotte kept the conversation going with inconsequential things. But eventually, she brought the topic back around to Elizabeth.

“Darling, it seems even though you haven’t recovered your memories yet, you are becoming a bit more comfortable than you were in the hospital. Wouldn’t you rather stay with me at our suite at the Fitzwilliam than be a burden to Dr. Soldani?”

Elsie stiffened. Was she a burden to Gabe? She remembered his words from the previous evening:
I would do anything for her. I love her
. She shook her head. “I am not a burden to Gabe. While I appreciate the offer, I would prefer to stay with him.”

“I know you better. I can help you remember things.”

“My memory will come back when it does. I like being with Gabe. I
love
him.”

“But—”

“No. Gabe helps me, too. He is teaching me to read and do math.”

“He isn’t family.”

“I don’t want to argue about this. I would love to see you again and spend time with you, but I am going to continue living with Gabe for now.” Elsie’s tone was gentle but firm.

Dr. Rose stepped in. “Charlotte, ye have clearly raised your daughter to be a strong, capable woman.”

“But she isn’t able to be independent now.”

“Not completely, no. But forcing yer will on her is only going to make her more dependent, not less.”

Charlotte took one of Elsie’s hands in hers. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Elsie squeezed her hand. “You won’t.”

Charlotte smiled and nodded. “Okay. Are you free on Wednesday?”

“I meet with Dr. Rose on Wednesday afternoons.”

“I could pick you up and take you to lunch before your appointment.”

Elsie smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Afterward, we can go shopping. I’m not sure where you got that outfit, but Boho-chic is passé and not your style.”

Elsie shook her head and laughed. “If this outfit is Boho-chic, then it is my style. I don’t care if it’s passé—whatever that is—because I love it.”

Charlotte pursed her lips as if poised to criticize, but stopped herself. She gave Elsie an indulgent smile. “You’re right. If you like it, it’s your style.”

When Elsie was in the car again with Dr. Rose, he asked, “How do ye feel that went?”

“Okay, I guess. I see what you meant now about Elizabeth’s parents being afraid.”

“I thought ye handled things beautifully. Ye were kind and accessible, but you stood firm where ye needed to. I suspect Elizabeth would have had a bit more trouble with that.”

“It’s a little surprising. I come from a time and place where I have few, if any, choices.”

“Indeed. In fact, most of the people I know who travel back in time—especially the women—struggled quite a bit with that. When they return, they usually have a newfound appreciation for their personal freedoms.”

“I’m not surprised. Once I learned I could make my own choices, I really didn’t want to give that authority to anyone else.” Elsie sighed. “It will be hard to lose that when I return.”

As soon as she said it, she knew it wouldn’t be the hardest thing to lose. She would lose her parents again. And Gabe. Her mind was filled with images of the man Elizabeth loved.
I could love him too. Nay, Elsie, don’t go there. Ye’ll have Geordie when ye return
.
Don’t make leaving even harder by giving yer heart to Gabe
.

“Are you all right, Elsie? You became very quiet all of a sudden.”

“I’m fine. I was just thinking about my parents…and Gabe.”

“Ah, yes. We should talk about that more on Wednesday. This won’t be easy.”

“No, it won’t be.”

“Maybe I can help you prepare.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Dr. Rose pulled up in front of Gabe’s building.

“Thank you for going with me, Dr. Rose. It helped a lot, having you there.”

“Ye’re comfortable enough to spend time with her on yer own now. That was the goal.”

“And thanks for pushing me in the first place. I think I understand a little more now.”

“Good. I’ll see ye on Wednesday then.”

She nodded and got out of the car. “I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

~ * ~

When Gabe came home that evening, Elsie told him every detail of lunch with Elizabeth’s mother that she could remember. He seemed genuinely pleased to hear things had gone well and that they had plans for Wednesday.

“I was wondering the best way to get you to Dr. Rose’s office. It’s good that you and your mother are spending some time together.”

“That’s important to you?”

“Of course it is. I know you don’t remember this, but I have always thought family was important. In medical school, it was hard for me to understand why you were so distant from yours. It is a little clearer now, but I still think it is a great opportunity for you to bond.”

“Bond?”

He chuckled. “Spend some time getting closer.”

“I see. And do you
bond
with your family a lot?”

He laughed outright. “Sweetheart, if my family were any closer, we’d be attached at the hips.”

“But you haven’t spent any time with them since I…uh…since my accident.”

“No, my parents’ home is in New Jersey, about an hour away by train. I usually go down there at some point during my days off.”

Guilt rose in Elsie, and she looked away. “And I kept you from that?”

Gabe put a finger under her chin, drawing her gaze back to him. “I don’t always go. Taking care of you was important. And I usually talk to at least one member of my family every day. On my walk to work in the morning, I usually talk to Joey, Dad, or Mom. They are all very early risers. When I walk home in the evening, it’s usually one of my other brothers. Angie is all tied up in high school stuff during the week, but I nearly always talk to her on Saturdays. Nick is an architect with a big firm not far from NYUHC. Once in a while, he meets me at the hospital for lunch. I saw him yesterday.”

“You did? You didn’t mention it.”

“I guess I didn’t. The Sinclairs were here when I got home, and it slipped my mind. But we’re going to go out to dinner with him on Saturday evening.”

“That’s why we couldn’t have dinner with the Sinclairs?”

“Exactly. I was also planning to go down next week for a couple days if that’s okay.”

“I…I suppose so. I…uh…I am a little afraid to stay by myself, but I’m sure I can manage.”

Gabe took her hand. “I didn’t intend to leave you here, sweetheart. I was hoping you’d go with me.”

Elsie brightened. “And meet your family? I’d love to.”

“Good. We’ll go down Thursday morning and come back on Friday.”

“That’s over a week away.”

He grinned and canted his head sideways. “Is that a problem?”

Just that Gertrude might come and send me home before then
. “No. I just…well, we could go on Monday.”

“We could, except Thursday is my birthday and my mom would be very upset if I didn’t come home for it.”

Go with him to his home?
She wanted to meet his family. At that moment, she vowed that even if Gertrude came before next Thursday, Elsie would not say the word until after she had met Gabe’s family.

~ * ~

The next day when Elsie visited the Sinclairs’ home, she was stunned. She had been aware that they were very well off, and she remembered that Gabe had described himself as coming from a “working class” family, which she’d assumed meant they had more modest means. She’d thought Gabe’s apartment was quite nice, but she assumed the Sinclairs’ might be larger. She was not prepared for the reality.

Dixon called for her as her parents said he would. The driver stopped in front of a large building like Gabe’s, but fancier. Dixon escorted her `past the doorman and through the main lobby to a set of glass doors. A guard in this private lobby let them in.

“Good morning, Dr. Quinn. I’ve notified the Sinclairs that you’ve arrived. You can go right up.”

“By myself? Where do I go?”

The other guard frowned, obviously confused. Dixon’s stern demeanor slipped for a moment, and she caught a brief glimpse of a smile. “You’ll be fine. The elevator only goes to one floor and opens directly into the Sinclairs’ home.”

Sure enough, when the elevator doors opened, her mother and father were waiting to greet her. The Sinclairs’ apartment, which she learned was called a
penthouse
, was huge. Gabe’s entire apartment would have fit in the living room with plenty of room to spare. For that matter, she thought perhaps the entirety of Castle Macrae could fit inside their home. There were more rooms than Elsie could count, including one room that contained a beautiful pool of water that was for swimming.