In Search of the Past (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #2) (14 page)

The first week back at the hospital wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. Shane called the nurses station to ask for a patients MRI film. Rhonda pulled it from the file and asked the Sister to have a student nurse take it to Doctor McLeod.

“I’ll take it,” Brenda said. “I’m going that way.”

Rhonda gave her a smile and the shake of her head. It was no secret, Brenda had a crush on Doctor McLeod.  Rhonda had never known Doctor McLeod to get involved with a nurse.  He would smile and chat with them, but that was about as far as it went. They all knew he dated the super model, Tiffany Blair, when she was in the city, plus a dark haired beauty Rhonda had seen him with a few times.

Brenda took the film to Doctor McLeod. When she entered his office, he said, “Good morning Sister.”  He took the film from the envelope and held it to the light.

“I thought we were passed sister, doctor, and on a first name bases before you went on holiday,” Brenda said, pouting.

“Were we?” Doctor McLeod asked, with his interest on the film.

Brenda scooted her bum upon Shane’s desk and crossed her legs and said, “There’s a nasty rumor going around that you became engaged while you were on holiday.”

“Not a rumor at all, but an absolute fact, Sister,” Doctor McLeod said with his interest still on the film.

“Do I know her? Is it Tiffany Blair?” Brenda asked.

“Tiffany Blair?  Of course not,” Doctor McLeod said, “And no, you don’t know her.”

“Well, who is this mystery woman? What does she have that the rest of us poor mortal women don’t have, that captured the heart of the good doctor?” Brenda asked as she leaned back on her hands and her uniform pulled tight across her breast.

“She’s an American archaeologist,” Doctor McLeod said. “Now if you will kindly remove yourself from my desk, I have patients to see.”

The next morning, Brenda sought Shane out again. He was still in his scrubs. When she saw the look of irritation on his face, she said, “Hear me out Shane. I hear your fiancée lives in the states. Why should you or I be lonely. We could be discreet, and she would never know.”

Shane chortled and said with mirth, “Don’t kid yourself, she would know. And more importantly, I would know. This may be hard for you to understand, but I love her and she trusts me.  I don’t want to ever do anything to jeopardize that trust.  So whatever you think you have in mind, find someone else. I’m not interested. I have who I want.”

A few days later Shane wrote to tell Stacey, he’d made reservations to New York and tickets to see the musical, ‘Chicago.’  He gave her dates and times, and told her he had made joining reservations at the Millennium Hotel.

The next morning Shane had stopped in up on the cardiac unit to visit with Hugh for a few minutes. As he was coming down the hall and passed a patients door, a few steps further on he stopped and turned back. He saw a young girl with her back to the door. He knocked lightly and said, “Hello, may I ask you the name of that song?”

“Why?” she asked

“Well, a few weeks ago my fiancée and a friend of hers sang it at a going away party, may I listen to it?”

The young girl pitched the remote to him and said,”Play it yourself if you’re that interested.”

Shane caught it and said,”My name is Shane, what’s yours?”

“Gracie, and why do you care?”

“Well it’s easier to be friends if we know each others names. What’s the name of the song Gracie?”

Gracie looked at Shane, raised and eyebrow and said,”Pictures.”

Shane started laughing and said, “My fiancée raises her eyebrow just as you did when she is

exasperated with me.”

Gracie smiled slightly, and turned toward Shane as he listened to the song. When it finished Gracie said, “So, you’re jealous of your fiancées friend.”

Shane looked at her in wonder and asked, “How do you know that?”

With a shake of her head, she said, “I can hear it in your voice.”

Shane, taken a back asked, “Do you think she knows?”

Gracie humped her shoulders and said, “She’s a woman, she probably does. But she’s engaged to you not to him, that ought to tell you something.”

Shane pitched the remote back to her and asked, “How did you get so wise to be so young?”

With a wicked grin, she said, “ I am woman, hear me roar.”

Shane reached out to take her hand and sincerely said, “ Thank you Gracie. I shall be back for more sage advice.” and left with a big smile on his face.

Shane had heard Hugh speak of a young heart patient who was in a mild to deep depression, he hoped it wasn’t Gracie. He liked her young spirit and would be back to visit her.

Discussions

S
tacey was walking on air.  She made her reservations, now all she had to do was wait and study hard.  Stacey knew if she wanted days off, she would need to be ahead of the game.  She knew there was no way, Professor Cooke, would let her off if she were behind on her studies.

When Stacey told her mom, she was flying to New York to meet Shane for a weekend, her mom asked, “Are you on birth control Stacey?”

“Yes ma’am, I am,” Stacey assured her. 

That night, Jessie told Sam about their talk. “Why am I so concerned? It’s not like you and didn’t... you know...fool around,” Jessie said.

“Baby you’re just being a mother. Try not to worry so much at least she’s engaged to the guy,”  Sam said.

“Yes, I know,” Jessie said, “and that’s quite a rock, she has on her finger.”

Both sets of grandparents were very happy for Stacey, but yet, they were all quite surprised.  They didn’t think she would settle down this early. They all knew she had her life all planned out on being an archaeologist. Stacey’s twin cousins Brittany and Brandy said to Gram Flemming, “This Englishman must be a tasty morsel to have swept our Stacey off her feet.”

“Please, girls, he’s Scottish and Welsh, that’s quite a combination,” Gram Flemming said, as she and her granddaughters discussed romantic combinations.

“Gram, Granddad is English,” the twins said.

“Not entirely,” Gram said. “His father was from Yorkshire and his mother was from Wales. That’s a romantic combination too.”

“Good gosh, Gram, isn’t it all the same?” Brandy asked.

“No my darling, it isn’t,” Jacquelyn Flemming said.

Across the Atlantic the McLeod family was discussing, Shane and Stacey.  At least the McLeod’s had the advantage of having met Stacey.  Shane’s father was very much in favor of his son’s choice. “I like Stacey too, but she is young and still in school,” Elizabeth McLeod reminded them.

“After they’re married, Stacey can always transfer to the university over here,” Grandmother McLeod said.

“Elizabeth, our son is thirty-three, don’t you think he knows if he’s in love or not? Personally I approve of Stacey, I couldn’t be more please.”

“Yes, I like Stacey too,” Elizabeth said. “She doesn’t seem like the flighty type. I just don’t want to see Shane get hurt.  I don’t thing he’s ever before been serious about any girl.”

“Elizabeth, the women Shane has been dating are not girls. They are mature, experienced career women.  They’re the type of women looking for the next high powdered promotion or the next high priced modeling job.  Not the type of women that would ever settle down and have a family.”

Elizabeth was stunned, “Andrew, how do you know so much about our son’s social life? If I recall correctly, he has never been interested in marriage either, until Stacey came into his life.”

“Well, that alone should tell you something, Elizabeth,” Andrew said. “It’s not everyday that a young woman like Stacey comes along. I’m very pleased our son saw the writing on the wall, and didn’t let Stacey slip away.”

“Andrew, what do you mean by, experienced career women? Do you know these women?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, not personally, but I am acquainted with Edmond Ferguson, the uncle of one of the women.”

Elizabeth sat thoughtful for a few minutes, then said, “Edmond Ferguson. Isn’t he Sophie Cox’s brother. Yes, I’m sure he is. I remember him at the funeral when Sophie’s husband, Lester died in that plane crash a few years ago.”

Andrew didn’t want this conversation going any further, therefore he changed the subject. With Elizabeth that was hard to do. Soon she was bringing the conversation up again. “Andrew, I Spoke with Sophie Cox a while ago about the Garden lunch party at McClure manor. She told me her daughter Miranda is now CFO at Strayhorn’s Industries. Sophie is very proud of her daughter and rightly so.

Andrew was reading the paper, however, he knew staying silent would only bring on more

questions. Therefore, he folded his paper and listened while Elizabeth speculated on Sophie’s daughter, and her high powered career. The phone rang, to Andrews relief it was a patient. He kissed his wife and made a hasty retreat. He veritably hope she would forget about Miranda Cox by the time he returned home. Andrew didn’t want to lie to Elizabeth, however, at the same time, he did not feel comfortable discussing Shane’s female friends with his wife.

New York

T
he middle of October finally arrived and Stacey flew into JFK. A taxi took her to the hotel. When Stacey knocked on the door and Shane opened it, she fell into his arms. “Oh god, I’ve missed you,” Stacey said.

“I know sweetheart, I’ve only been here a little over an hour and I’ve called the airport twice. I know they think I’m some daft Englishman.”

Stacey kissed him again and said, “Sometimes I get so scared. I wonder if I’m dreaming all of this too.” 

“No my sweetheart, you’re not dreaming; I promise,” Shane said as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

“If I am dreaming, I don’t wanna’ wake up,” Stacey said.

After they made love, they sat in the hot tub and talked and touched and made slow passionate love again. Later in the afternoon, hunger raised it’s tempting head and they had dinner in the hotel dining room, then went to a jazz club in the village called, ‘The Blue Note.’ 

Stacey felt very grown up being with Shane.  He seemed to know his way around everywhere. This was her first time to experience New York City, therefore she felt like a novice.

“You know Shane, everything with you is a first for me.” 

“You have no idea how much that pleases me,” Shane said as they went to bed and made love one more time. Then as young lovers do, they slept entwined in each others arms.

On Saturday, they toured the museum of natural history, where they spent most of the day. They had dinner at a restaurant near the theater, then went to see the musical ‘Chicago.’ On the way back to the hotel they were singing the tunes from the show. They sang in the taxi, in the lobby and in the elevator on the way up to their room. They were still singing and dancing as they entered their suite.

“I think we’re about ready for the east end, what do you think?” Shane asked.

“As always my love, I think you’re right.”

“I love the way you lie to me,” Shane said chortling, and twirled her around the room.

“I would say or do anything to make you happy,” Stacey said as she put her arms around him. “I’m so happy to be here with you. I feel like Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, all rolled into one.”

“I feel young too,” Shane said. “Young and alive when I’m with you. My profession keeps me somber, but being with you brings a lightness into my life I’ve never before known. You bring out a youth and vitality in me, that I thought had passed me by, somewhere along the way.” 

After Shane made love to Stacey, he held her in his arms, and said, “I must confess sweetheart, before you came along, I never made love.” Stacey smiled at him. “No, absolutely, I know now, I didn’t make love before you. I copulated. I was merely satisfying a need with little or no emotional tie or affection.  Being in love with the person you’re making love to, is totally different. Loving you brings out a me, I never before knew.” 

“Now you’re saying things that make me very happy,” Stacey said, and kissed him deeply. Once again they slept in each others arms. They were acutely aware that tomorrow they must part again.

At the airport they reminded one another that Stacey would fly to London in November for a week over the Thanksgiving holidays. “I’ll make your reservations on the concord,” Shane said.  Stacey gave him no argument this time. They had so little time to spend together, that extra hours here and there were welcomed.  Stacey watched Shane’s plane take off, then she walked over to Delta to catch her flight back to DFW.  Stacey’s dad was waiting when her plane arrived. Stacey was surprised to see him.  She hugged him and said, “I thought Eric was coming to meet me.”

“Nope, not this time. Your mom, Mr. Chen and I drew straws to see which of us would do the deed.”

“What deed is that, Dad?”

“To cheer you up, of course,” her dad said.

“Thanks Dad, I’m glad you won, but why would ya’ll think I’d need cheering up, as you put it?” 

“I’m not real sure, sweetheart.  We haven’t met this guy yet, and we didn’t know how this weekend might go.”

“So, ya’ll thought he might decide to ‘kick me to the curb,’ after he had a few weeks to think about it,” Stacey laughingly said, “Thanks a lot Dad.”

“Sorry baby doll, we didn’t mean it that way.  It’s just, this has all happened so fast. Your mom and I seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the fact, we’re gonna’ lose you.” 

“You’re not gonna’ lose me Dad, I’ll just be living someplace else, and besides, aren’t you looking forward to grandchildren?  DAD, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!”

“Are you ready for that, Stacey?”

“I will be after June,” Stacey said.

Doctor Sam was quiet for a few minutes, then said, “Your mom and I are looking forward to meeting this young man of yours.”

“Good, he’s looking forward to meeting ya’ll too. I might as well tell you now, I’ll be going to London over the Thanksgiving holidays.”

“When will your young man be coming here?” her dad asked.

“He’ll be coming for Christmas,” Stacey said.

Inquisitorial

S
tacey’s dad dropped her off at the dorm, then headed on home. He knew Jessie would be waiting for him. When he drove in, Jessie and Le both were waiting. “Well, I don’t think this romance is gonna’ be over, anytime soon,” Stacey’s dad said.