a
way.”
She
snorted. “Of course I’m right. I’m a woman.” Smiling at him, she got up from
the table, piled up their dirty dishes and took them to the sink.
He
followed her into the kitchen, carrying what had been left on the table. When
she started washing, he stood next to her, ready to dry them as she handed them
over. They worked together silently, making quick work of the chore.
“I know it’s easy for you to think that
way since you are human,” he said, taking the last plate from her to dry.
She
shut off the water and turned to face him, leaning against the sink and
watching him as he put the now dry plate into the cabinet as she dried her
hands on a clean dishtowel.
“I understand
the fear of mass panic you guys must have. I know there are people in this
world who wouldn’t be accepting of you and yours, but there are people out
there who would be. Maybe there’s a way where you guys could keep your secret
and be with whomever you chose. Maybe it’s possible to have your cake and eat
it too. Everything doesn’t have to be so black and white.”
He
faced her, his voice going soft. “It’s something to think about.”
Lila
met his eyes and couldn’t look away from him. It was as if she were being
sucked in and she could feel an ache building in her. She wanted him and she
hated that he so easily had shut down anything that they could have because of
something someone two hundred miles away dictated. It frustrated her even more
than she already was.
The
piercing shrill of her cell phone made her jump, tearing her attention away
from Gabriel. They both stared at the annoying piece of technology for a second
before Lila made a dash for it. He followed behind her as she lifted the phone
from the cradle.
“Hello?”
“Lila.
I lost my damn phone.”
“Carey?
Thank God!” Lila was hit by the overwhelming relief. She glanced up at Gabriel,
who had followed her into the living room.
“I don’t
know where I left the son of a bitch. Do you know how hard it is to function
without a cell phone in this day and age? I’m totally going to invest in a
house phone. Those suckers don’t wander away. I’m sure Grandma Ruby would love
another phone in the house. Her little Jitterbug cell phone is always ringing
and she’s always bitching when it dies on her.” Lila could hear the sounds of
monitors going off in the background and knew that she was already at work.
“Carey,
I need to talk to you.”
“Why
else do you think I’m calling? I got your message when I checked my voicemail
from the work phone. You should see it here. The ED is popping tonight and I
haven’t even been here an hour yet.”
“I need
to talk to you,” Lila tried but Carey either ignored her or didn’t hear her.
“EMS
brought in this unconscious man who is presenting with all the signs and
symptoms of dehydration, but Lila, he’s sweating. You know just as well as I do
that people with severe dehydration don’t sweat. My gut tells me that something
isn’t right. His drug screen came back negative and so far the only thing that
makes even the slightest bit of sense is dehydration. I guess I’ll just have to
keep a close eye on him. And Doctor Sallis stole my damn pen again! Can you
believe it? Fucking asshole.”
“Carey,
I need to talk to you. I need to see you.”
“That’s
what they all say. Jesus, Lila, I’m so busy it’s not even funny. I’ll have to
call you back.” Lila could hear some of the nurses calling for her in the
background, but she was determined to make Carey listen to her.
“It’s
important. It’s life or death, Carey.”
“That’s
the same thing they’re telling me right now. Got to go Lila. Talk later.” The
click of the phone being hung up and the following silence of the dead line
left Lila stunned.
“She
hung up on me,” she told Gabriel in disbelief. He was standing next to her and
she was sure he had heard the entire conversation.
“Not
technically.” He took the
way.”
She
snorted. “Of course I’m right. I’m a woman.” Smiling at him, she got up from
the table, piled up their dirty dishes and took them to the sink.
He
followed her into the kitchen, carrying what had been left on the table. When
she started washing, he stood next to her, ready to dry them as she handed them
over. They worked together silently, making quick work of the chore.
“I know it’s easy for you to think that
way since you are human,” he said, taking the last plate from her to dry.
She
shut off the water and turned to face him, leaning against the sink and
watching him as he put the now dry plate into the cabinet as she dried her
hands on a clean dishtowel.
“I understand
the fear of mass panic you guys must have. I know there are people in this
world who wouldn’t be accepting of you and yours, but there are people out
there who would be. Maybe there’s a way where you guys could keep your secret
and be with whomever you chose. Maybe it’s possible to have your cake and eat
it too. Everything doesn’t have to be so black and white.”
He
faced her, his voice going soft. “It’s something to think about.”
Lila
met his eyes and couldn’t look away from him. It was as if she were being
sucked in and she could feel an ache building in her. She wanted him and she
hated that he so easily had shut down anything that they could have because of
something someone two hundred miles away dictated. It frustrated her even more
than she already was.
The
piercing shrill of her cell phone made her jump, tearing her attention away
from Gabriel. They both stared at the annoying piece of technology for a second
before Lila made a dash for it. He followed behind her as she lifted the phone
from the cradle.
“Hello?”
“Lila.
I lost my damn phone.”
“Carey?
Thank God!” Lila was hit by the overwhelming relief. She glanced up at Gabriel,
who had followed her into the living room.
“I don’t
know where I left the son of a bitch. Do you know how hard it is to function
without a cell phone in this day and age? I’m totally going to invest in a
house phone. Those suckers don’t wander away. I’m sure Grandma Ruby would love
another phone in the house. Her little Jitterbug cell phone is always ringing
and she’s always bitching when it dies on her.” Lila could hear the sounds of
monitors going off in the background and knew that she was already at work.
“Carey,
I need to talk to you.”
“Why
else do you think I’m calling? I got your message when I checked my voicemail
from the work phone. You should see it here. The ED is popping tonight and I
haven’t even been here an hour yet.”
“I need
to talk to you,” Lila tried but Carey either ignored her or didn’t hear her.
“EMS
brought in this unconscious man who is presenting with all the signs and
symptoms of dehydration, but Lila, he’s sweating. You know just as well as I do
that people with severe dehydration don’t sweat. My gut tells me that something
isn’t right. His drug screen came back negative and so far the only thing that
makes even the slightest bit of sense is dehydration. I guess I’ll just have to
keep a close eye on him. And Doctor Sallis stole my damn pen again! Can you
believe it? Fucking asshole.”
“Carey,
I need to talk to you. I need to see you.”
“That’s
what they all say. Jesus, Lila, I’m so busy it’s not even funny. I’ll have to
call you back.” Lila could hear some of the nurses calling for her in the
background, but she was determined to make Carey listen to her.
“It’s
important. It’s life or death, Carey.”
“That’s
the same thing they’re telling me right now. Got to go Lila. Talk later.” The
click of the phone being hung up and the following silence of the dead line
left Lila stunned.
“She
hung up on me,” she told Gabriel in disbelief. He was standing next to her and
she was sure he had heard the entire conversation.
“Not
technically.” He took the
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