Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6) (20 page)

"Of course! You shouldn't be alone yet, and since
I'm a doctor, that works out nicely."

He looked at her sitting in the chair with the sun
coming in behind her. Her hair seemed to sparkle in the light. It really was no
wonder that he'd mistaken her for a model. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her
big brown eyes were gazing at him quizzically.

"I was just thinking how beautiful you are."

She blushed.

"I like that top you're wearing."

"It's a bit tight. Maggie let me wear it. She said
my t-shirt was too plain to come visit you. Instead, I got one of her purple
tops that she can no longer wear."

"Maggie?"

"I stayed at her house last night, and Beth was
there, too. We had a brownie and milkshake fest and talked half the night. It
was fun."

"I'm glad you weren't alone."

The pancakes arrived on a tray with a large glass
of freshly-squeezed orange juice, icy cold milk, maple syrup in a jug, and a
cheerful trio of daisies in a short vase.

"Wow," Ben said, after tasting the juice. "This is
fantastic."

The nurse took the cover off the plate and he saw
a hefty stack of golden brown pancakes, with butter melting on top.

"Okay, I may need to stay longer if the food is always
this fantastic."

The nurse laughed and left them alone.

"Help me eat these, Rose. I don't think I can
finish all this off."

They ate the pancakes and Ben was pleased to feel
hardly a twinge in his chest. Rose told him to rest a bit after eating and then
they'd tackle getting him dressed. He hated feeling like an invalid, but there
was something very satisfying about how protective she was of him.

"Ben, there's something we need to discuss," Rose
said.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I'm afraid the press may soon have the story
about you being injured. The town gossips, you know. Shouldn't we notify your
sister and your parents before they hear about what happened on an
entertainment show on television?"

"Damn, I hadn't even thought of that. Yes, I
definitely need to contact them. Is my phone anywhere around here?"

She opened the drawer to the bedside table and
brought out his phone. The next twenty minutes with his sister were spent
reassuring her that he was actually going to live. She remembered what Suzanne
had been like before, and was shaken that it had eventually led to violence.
Dealing with his mother was easier. She could tell by the sound of his voice
that he was on the mend.

When he was finished with the calls, including one
to his agent and another to his manager, he leaned back against the pillows and
felt exhausted.

Rose gave him a knowing look. "It takes something
out of you, dealing with the emotional reactions of those around you. Take a
rest for a few minutes. There's no rush to get up today. You can take your
time."

He realized she was right, and that he'd started
to push himself. Instead he closed his eyes and within seconds, sleep pulled
him under.

* * * *

Rose patted him gently on the leg, but Ben was
sound asleep. She smiled at him, and then took the breakfast tray down the hall
to the nurse's station.

"He's asleep for a while," she told them. "I'm
going for a short walk around the square, and then I'll be back."

They nodded and smiled, and she left. Walking was
always her favorite way to think. The miles of corridors in the big hospital
she'd worked in were a far cry from a bright sunny day like this one. She
headed for the park and found a winding trail. She stopped at one of the picnic
tables and sat down to enjoy the breeze and the wildflowers.

"Hi! I'm Nicky!"

Rose looked up to see the young man she and Ben
had met in the park before.

"I remember you, Nicky. I'm Rose. I was here with
Ben."

"I know. The movie star."

"That's right."

Nicky smiled at her. "You want to pick some
flowers for the movie star?"

"Some flowers?"

"The movie star is sick. Doc said so. But he's
gonna be okay. Doc said so."

"That's right, he will be okay. We'll come here
and see you when he gets out of the hospital."

Nicky frowned at her. "I don't like the hospital.
They stick needles in you."

"Sometimes. Did you know that I'm a doctor, like
Doc?"

He blinked a few times, his mouth partway open.
"You're a doc, too?"

"Yes."

"Do you stick people with needles?"

"Hardly ever. But sometimes medicine is in the
needles."

"Doc said that to me. Do I call you Doc too?"

"Whatever you want, Nicky."

He smiled broadly. "How 'bout...Doc Rose?"

"Sure," she said, smiling back at him.

"I never met a lady doc. You wanna pick flowers?
You pick these blue ones cause there's lots of them."

"Okay, I will. Thanks!"

He waved and walked off, and Rose smiled after him.
Picking flowers sounded like the perfect activity for her pensive state of
mind. She picked a bouquet of blue wildflowers for Ben, and walked slowly back
to the hospital. Her thoughts went to Ben's sister out in L.A. and the fact
that he had a life established out there. How were they to be together, with
him there and her in Sully Point?

When she walked through the door, having first
found a vase at the nurse's station, Ben was awake and sitting in the chair by
the window.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to wake up until I got
back," she said. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Nicky
from the park said I could bring these flowers to 'the movie star' so, I did."

"Movie star, hmm. We'll see when this next one
comes out."

"I forgot to tell you earlier that I was asked by
Frank to find out your favorite food, and he'll make it for your celebration
party."

"I don't know. I like everything."

"If you think of anything just call him and let
him know. Otherwise I think he'll be calling you with some choices. I wish I
was a cook like him. I haven't ever had time to pursue it as a hobby."

"Rose, what about your work? Are you going back to
Philadelphia?"

"No, I'm done with big hospitals. I'm ready for a
change of pace." She stopped and looked carefully at him. He was still pale,
but he seemed to be handling sitting up just fine. There was no reason to hold
back her news.

"Ben, I need to talk to you about something."

"Uh, oh. Why do you make that sound so ominous?"

"Sorry. The thing is, when I say I'm ready for a
change of pace—I've figured out where I want to do that, and it's here, in
Sully Point. Doc Watson has asked me to join his practice with the plan that
he'd retire after a while."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "Hold on...that means...you'd
have to live here."

"Yes."

"I live in L.A.—but you knew that already."

"I cherish what we have growing between us, Ben.
But I can't go to L.A. with you. I want...I need...a slower environment,
without so much stress. I got really burned out, to the point that I considered
giving up medicine. Then I realized I can't do that, it's too much a part of
who I am."

He sat quietly, looking at her. "Rose...I don't
want to lose what we have."

"Neither do I," she said.

"But my work is in Los Angeles."

"Not really, Ben. Your work is all over the world.
How many months per year do you live in L.A.? Couldn't you just as easily live
somewhere else for those months?"

"I have a life there, with everything all set up.
You can't ask me to just walk away."

She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm not
asking you to walk away from anything. I don't have that right. Why don't we
see where things go with us? It's been such a short time that we've known each
other. Everything has happened so fast."

"But—I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too. If we're going to be together,
we both have to be true to ourselves. I'm not sure yet just what that will look
like for us, except that I can't see myself in L.A.," she said.

"Long distance relationships hardly ever work."

"I know. On the other hand, anyone you're involved
with is going to spend some months away from you, every time you go on location
to do a movie."

"Yes, but—"

"Look, how about we don't decide anything right
now. We can think about it, talk about it, but no decisions. Okay?"

"Yeah, I guess that's best." He waited a moment in
silence, and then looked into her eyes fiercely. "But know one thing, Doctor
Rose Carter. I'm not willing to give you up. No matter what else happens, I
want you in my life."

She smiled at him. "I want you in my life, too.
We'll figure something out." She stood up. "How do you feel about a walk down
the hall?"

"Will you be with me?"

She nodded.

"Then let's do it."

* * * *

Rose walked into her parents' house and heard
music playing down the hall. Her mother had called earlier and pressed her to
stay the night with them, saying she might be out but the door would be open.
For a moment, Rose had an awful thought that maybe Suzanne had gotten out of
jail and somehow come to this house...until she heard a deep chuckle that could
only be her father's voice.

She headed down the hallway and stopped on the
edge of the living room and stood there quietly, watching her parents dancing
to the music. Sophia was gazing into her husband's face as if he were the only
person on Earth, and Ed twirled her around with another chuckle and such a look
of love in his eyes that it brought tears to Rose's eyes.

Another twirl brought her into their gaze, and
they stopped dancing and came over to her.

"What's wrong, darling?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing—nothing's wrong. You two—are just
so—so—beautiful," she said brokenly, and then began to really cry.

Her father patted her on the shoulder as her
mother held her.

"Whatever it is, we can fix it," Sophia said
gently. "Let's go into the kitchen and have some tea and talk it over."

"I'll make the tea. Why don't you two go out onto
the sun porch and talk?" Ed said.

"Thank you, dear," Sophia said with a smile at
him.

Rose had never seen the sun porch, which turned
out to be a screened in porch on the back of the house, with wicker furniture
covered in comfortable cushions in navy and cream stripes.

"Now what's all this about?" Sophia asked.

"Ben. His life, he says, is in L.A., but I've
decided to stay here, so I don't see how we can be together."

"Oh, you told him, did you? Hmm. Maybe you should
have waited, you know. He's just been traumatized. He's not exactly at his
best, darling."

Rose felt stricken. "You're right, you're
absolutely right. What was I thinking?"

Her mother smiled at her. "It's not the end of the
world. I'm just saying that maybe it will take some time for him to consider
everything."

"But, Mom, there is no solution to this no matter
how long he considers it."

"Of course there's a solution. Once he realizes
that he can live wherever he wants and still do his work—"

"But what if he doesn't? What then?"

"Then he's not as smart as I think he is."

"He has a sister in L.A. who lives at his house.
She's in her twenties, but I think he feels responsible for her."

"Rose, darling, here's what I think you need to
do. Stop. Stop worrying, stop thinking, and let the man have time. Can you do
that?"

Rose thought about it. She'd already thought of
what her mother was saying, but when she came in and saw her parents together
and so much in love, it had gotten to her.

"Yes, alright. I'll let go of it and wait to see
what happens. He's coming home from the hospital to my apartment. I should
enjoy being with him while I have the chance."

Ed brought the tea out on a tray, setting it down
on the table between them.

"You worry too much, Rose, always did. I heard
part of what you were saying. This Ben of yours seems like a nice guy. He'll
figure it out. And if he doesn't, well then, he isn't the right guy for you."

Rose burst into tears all over again.

"Oh, Ed," Sophia said, shaking her head.

* * * *

In the end, it took several more days for Ben to
recover his strength enough to leave the hospital. Rose moved his things from
the cabin over to her apartment, with the help of the bodyguards. Until Suzanne
was moved and securely incarcerated elsewhere, nobody wanted to let go of the
guards.

Ben decided the hospital was the best he'd ever
been around, but he was chomping at the bit to leave by the fifth day in there.
He wanted to spend more time with Rose and get back to rehearsals. The play was
supposed to open in a week. His sister planned to come out to see it on opening
night. He was anxious for her to meet Rose.

The one thing that had been on his mind
continuously the past few days was Rose's decision to stay permanently in Sully
Point. It seemed like an impossible situation.

He squirmed in the chair and wanted to scratch his
healing wound. It seemed to itch a lot. Just as he lifted his shirt to scratch
around it, Rose came in the room.

"Not so fast, pal. Leave it alone," she said
sternly.

"Rose! I thought you were coming to visit after
lunch."

"Nope, and it's no visit. I come bearing news.
First off, Suzanne is gone. She's been confined in the institution I told you
about. She's out of Sully Point. She's locked up. We're safe, Ben. We're really
safe."

He stood up slowly and walked over to Rose, taking
her in his arms.

"That is the best news. It's over now, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Oh, there will be a trial at some
point or you might have to speak to a judge since they don't consider her
competent to stand trial, but yeah, the Suzanne saga is at an end."