“What’s that?”
“Will you go to one more place with me?”
“Of course. Where did you have in mind?”
“Home.” Stephanie hesitated as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “It will be easier to start packing with someone there. I would like that person to be you.”
“Of course, I will. I’m here for you always, Stephanie.”
“And I for you. Let’s start with the house.” She chuckled as they walked from the building together. She looked down and smiled when she saw that their hands were joined together again.
Kevin followed her gaze to their hands. He realized that he liked the feeling of being close to Stephanie. Color flooded his face, and he averted his gaze quickly. Even though women were attracted to him, Kevin had never been much of a ladies’ man.
Memories of high school brought flashbacks of a disastrous social life. His whole life had been consumed with science and mathematics and extracurricular tutoring leaving, little time for after school sports. His father’s obsession for him to become a doctor overshadowed every childhood activity growing up. Kevin was more than just a smart kid. He had been the embarrassing epitome of a full-blown nerd. Thick black glasses framed his face because his parents said he was too young for corrective surgery, and they didn’t think he was responsible enough to wear contacts. They said surgery was an option he could choose when he became an adult. It wasn’t until he was twenty-five that he became free of his corrective lenses.
Saying he was shy was putting it mildly. Socially inept would have a better description. He had been a fumbling idiot whenever a girl came around and was always at a loss for words whenever a pretty one asked for his help with homework. But when he thought things couldn’t get worse, then came the dreaded acne, something he suffered through for several years. It seemed his life during high school was destined to be cursed, and he couldn’t wait until he graduated into college. Looking back in time, he saw his limited social life as a blessing in disguise. It gave him an excuse to focus on his school work so he could graduate at the top of his senior high school class. If he had been attractive and popular, he would have been too busy messing with girls to worry about his grades.
College had been a little better for him. His acne had started to clear, and his parents finally offered to help him get contacts. It was during college that he finally had his first real experience with dating. With some helpful tips from his outgoing roommate, he finally began to date for the first time. After a few disastrous dates, he finally found his first girlfriend, Kiera. While Kevin fell head over heels in love with her, their three-month whirlwind romance wasn’t destined to last. She eventually left him for someone else, and his focus returned back to his grades and schoolwork.
Kevin dated a few more women through college, but nothing serious blossomed. In his mind, he had dedicated himself to becoming a surgeon and nothing would prevent him from graduating from one of the best medical schools in the world. The crowning achievement in his career had been his acceptance into the internship program at The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. While helping children had been one of his other interests, trauma surgery was his real passion. He had decided to take the position at Harbor Hospital in California so he could be closer to Crystal and Sarah. He had hoped it would be the starting point for a whole new life. Unfortunately, his dream turned out to be more than he bargained for.
Stephanie watched the parade of emotions as they traveled across Kevin’s face. He was lost somewhere in another world, a world of memories that he would hopefully share with her one day. She saw excitement and happiness flash through his eyes before sadness and weariness settled in. When his moment of quiet reflection was done, his eyes rose to meet her own. Taking a deep sigh he smiled, and they started to walk forward again. He continued to hold her hand, and she felt safe next to him.
Kevin was an amazing man who had a huge heart, and she knew any woman would be lucky to have him in her life. He was remarkable, but he just didn’t know it. She knew the Lord had sent her to help him realize his full God-given strength and talents and that was exactly what she planned to do. They decided to meet for lunch the next day, and as he dropped her at home, he stopped to gaze into her eyes as she climbed out of the car. She smiled as his eyes roamed her face. His hand reached up to stroke the hair on the back of her head before pulling her in. To Stephanie’s shock and surprise, his head leaned in so that his lips were merely inches away. Her pulse skipped, and her blood was pounding thick.
“I will see you tomorrow?”
She drew a breath, suddenly feeling fragile. “Yes.”
“Do you want me to pick you up? It might make it easier.”
“That would be great.”
“OK. Say noon. We can go to lunch and then Dr. Richardson said to be at his office at 1:30.”
“You made an appointment?”
“I spoke to him while we were there. He understands and wants to speak to both of us in private and alone. I told him I thought it would be good for us both. I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t want to go then that’s fine. We don’t have to. I just ...” His words trailed off. He looked down to his arm where she placed her hand. Looking up he met her eyes.
“I think that’s a great idea, Kevin. I am glad that you talked to him. I think we could both use a talk with the doctor.”
“You’re not mad then?”
“No. I know you did what you did to help us both, and I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am to have such a caring and wonderful man in my corner.”
“Thanks. OK then. I’ll see you at noon.” He smiled and walked her to the door. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead lightly and then turned to walk back to the car.
“Goodnight, Kevin.”
“Goodnight, Stephanie.”
***
She took extra care the next day as she got ready for Kevin. She had left her hair down and curled the ends. Deciding on a short dress and sandals, she looked at herself in the mirror. She sighed as she looked at the woman in front of her. It was as if someone had set the time clock forward ten years. She looked and felt older. Stephanie wished there was a way she could turn back the hands of time. But now all she could do was accept the new reality of who she was, a woman with a part of her heart missing, a part she would forever commemorate.
As always, Kevin was punctual and showed up five minutes before noon. He was in the living room with her mother and father when she came down the hallway. The sound of his voice made her heart beat faster.
“Yes. We’re so grateful that the two of you met. You saved my husband’s life and that is something we can never repay you for. Of course, he’s a grumpy bear now, but you know, you have to go with the flow so to speak.” Stephanie laughed at her mother’s words.
“I’m only a grouchy bear cause you won’t let me have anything to eat.”
“No. I won’t let you have what you want to eat. There is plenty here that you can eat, you just choose not to eat what I have. That, my love is your own fault. I will not take the blame when none of it is my fault.”
“A man needs his quirks to stay sane.”
“Quirks are one thing. Potato chips, fried chicken and ice cream are not quirks.”
“Hmph. They are to me.”
“Mark my words. God will not give you another chance, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Oh, come here.” Her father welcomed her mother into his arms. “I know love, Val. I’m not going anywhere. How about you pick the movie tonight. But please, no tear-jerker romances.”
“But you said I could pick.”
“Oh boy.”
Stephanie walked in to see her parents looking at each other. Her mom sat on the arm of the couch beside where her father was sitting. His arm was wrapped around her waist as he looked into her eyes, smiling with contentment. She watched Kevin smile at the two of them, and then his head turned towards her like he felt her presence.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Mom, Dad, thanks for keeping Kevin company, but I think we should go before things get all mushy around here. I know how the two of you can be.”
Her mother laughed as she stood and made her way over. Framing Stephanie’s face with her hands, she smiled down at her daughter. “I only wish you can find a man as wonderful as your father to share your life with someday.” She gave Stephanie a wink.
Stephanie reached up to pat the older woman’s hands. “I will Mom.”
“I know. Now go on with you two. Have a good time, and tell me how it goes when you get home.”
“Will do, Mom. Bye.”
They walked silently to the car, and as he held the door she sank into the seat of his little car. Looking around, she realized that she had never paid much attention to the interior of his car the other times she had caught a ride. Her gaze roamed over the driver console, and that’s when she saw it. She knew instantly what it was. Taped to the dash was a picture of a little toothless girl staring back at her with a huge smile. It was Sarah, his niece. She peered closer at it, trying not to be obvious. She didn’t want him to think she was being nosy.
“She was a remarkable young girl. Sarah would have been beautiful just like Rachel.” She watched as he picked up the picture and pulled it from the dash where it had been taped. He handed it to her, and she looked down at the little girl. She had freckles across the bridge of her nose, and she was surprised to see the little girl had reddish-blonde hair. As if he read her thoughts, she heard him say:
“My sister took after my mother with her hair. I look like my father. Sarah, as you can see, took after my sister with a little of her father’s reddish coloring.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, I’m glad to share the picture with you. I only hope we can share a lot with each other. I have to say it’s been a blessing to have someone that I can be completely open with.”
“Yes it is. Don’t get me wrong, my parents have both been completely wonderful and supportive with everything that’s happened, but I don’t want to lean on them too much. It’s hard to realize they lost a grandchild as well.” She sighed deeply as she caressed the cheek on the picture of the small girl. “I just don’t get it. Why did God need them so badly when they’re just naïve teenagers? They were still babies and had their whole life still ahead of them.”
She felt his hand squeeze hers. The reassuring gesture brought tears to her eyes. She looked over at him when she heard him speak.
“That’s the million dollar question, honey. And I’m sure we’re not the first ones to ask it. I’m beginning to accept the fact that God gives us free will to live our lives and, unfortunately, some of us leave this earth by unforeseen circumstances and some of us by making bad choices. That’s the saddest part. To think that could have been me if you weren’t there to help me and save me that day. Your mother thanked me today for saving your father’s life, but really it’s me that should be thanking you and your father. Not only did you save my life that day, but you’ve given me purpose again as well. That’s something I can never repay you for.”
“You help me each day by helping me get through the loss.”
She placed the picture back where it had been and turned back to gaze out the front window as they drove down the coastal road. He turned his attention back to the road in front of them. They rode the rest of the way in silence until they reached a little place on the edge of town.
“I was thinking pizza. Is that OK with you?” Kevin stole a quick glance at Stephanie.
“You read my mind. That’s probably one of my favorite foods.”
“Bacon and mushroom are my favorite, but what’s yours?”
“Add pepperoni to that, and you have the best pizza made.”
“Wow, you’re a woman after my own heart.”
Stephanie giggled. “Hold on cowboy. There’s a lot about me you don’t know yet.”
“But I hope to soon.”
She gazed at him as they pulled into the parking spot. “Me too.” She smiled shyly at him as he hopped from the car.
They walked into the restaurant, and she was surprised when he steered her away from the hostess at the podium. Instead, he took her to a room on the right where the gaming machines stood next to the entrance. She laughed when he steered them to the claw grab game there. She couldn’t contain her laughter when he began rubbing his hands together.
“I thought we were going to eat?”
“Yeah. We will. This was mine and Sarah’s place. She used to make me play the game before we ate. I normally spent ten bucks or so before I won her one of these little stuffed animals. I told her once that with the amount of money I spent on these machines, I could probably buy her two animals.”
“Yeah probably. But what fun is that?”
He looked at her with a grin. “You sound like her. She said the joy of having the animal was how I won it, not how much I paid for it. She didn’t care what it was, she kept them all and cherished them. I remember one time I got a strange doll name Pee, and she wouldn’t stop hounding me until I got her the matching doll Poo. I can’t believe the twisted humor today’s toymakers think up. You should have seen Sarah, she carried it to the table with us and sat it next to her like they were princess dolls.”
Stephanie watched as he played the game. He never lost his patience, just pushed another dollar into the machine. The tip of his tongue stuck out the side of his mouth, and he bit it while concentrating on the game. After ten minutes of convulsive movements, he finally produced a baby blue dolphin. Turning, he smiled as he handed it to her. Stephanie smiled at him tenderly.
“Thank you. That was sweet of you.”
“You’re welcome. Now we can eat.”
Stephanie watched as Kevin looked over the menu as if he was ordering for the first time. They waited until the waitress brought their drinks and then he ordered a large pizza. He told her that what they couldn’t finish, one of them could take the leftovers home. She had laughed and said it would definitely be him. She confessed to him that her mother constantly tried to shove food in her mouth because she was constantly afraid she wasn’t eating enough after Rachel’s death.
They ate in silence and laughed some more at the stories they told each other. After paying the bill, he led her out to the car, and they made their way to Dr. Richardson’s office.
The commercial building appeared unpretentious, blending seamlessly with the other buildings on the block. It was a large building that held around forty different offices. There was a variety of businesses in the building, most of them medical in nature. They rode the small elevator in silence as they climbed to the third floor. The doctor’s office was the second door on the right, and when they went inside there was no one else in the waiting room. There was a small loveseat sitting on one side, and the door to the back was open. On the wall next to the reception window were three buttons. Stephanie pressed the one with Richardson’s name next to it.
“I’ll be right there.” She recognized Dr. Richardson’s voice as he called out from the back.
Walking over, they sat on the small couch and waited for the doctor. As he came from the back, she couldn’t help but feel her tension melt away as soon as she saw his smile.
“I’m so glad you guys came. I was looking forward to talking to both of you. From the meeting, I know a little about what’s been going on in both your lives, but I hope we can get into more depth today. I know the two of you have become very close but do you mind if I speak to each of you alone first?”
“No, that’s fine,” Stephanie heard herself say, and then she looked over at Kevin, hoping she didn’t offend him.
“It’s OK. I think it would be good for him to know each of us individually.” He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Right then. Who wants to go first?”
Stephanie looked over at Kevin as he gestured for her to go first, and as she rose to her feet, she felt his hand give her a reassuring squeeze before letting it go.
“I’m right out here if you need me, OK?”
“Thank you.” She gave him a parting smile before heading down the hallway.