Exquisite (8 page)

“Mr.
Langely?”

Mason
motioned for her to come in and decided, then and there, that before the day
was over he
would
know Lena’s last name and he
would
hear her
call him Langley again.

Twelve long hours later Robert
Tipton had been admitted to the hospital. They couldn’t get young Robbie’s
fever down and after running all the blood work and labs under the sun some
answers had finally appeared. Lena gritted her teeth hating this part of her
job. She walked into the small room that had Mrs. Tipton next to a window and
Robbie finally asleep, and stopped at the foot of the cot. Mrs. Tipton looked
over at her and Lena could see the dark rings around her eyes and knew they
were only going to get worse in the following weeks and months.

“Mrs. Tipton.”

“Please call me Becky.” she replied
as she stood and moved closer.

Lena nodded then made a move toward
her. She stopped and looked back at little Robbie then turned to his mother.
“Is there someone who can come down here and be with you?”

Automatically she saw Becky’s body
tense up and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

“His father. He’s been at work
today and was going to come by if he needed to. I just thought he had an ear
infection,” she said then sniffled as a tear leaked down her eye, “So I told
him not to bo-th-ther.” pausing she looked from Robbie then back to Lena.
“Should I call him?”

Lena reached out and took her hand.
“Yes, you really should.”

Becky gasped softly and sat down on
the chair almost as though her legs wouldn’t hold her, dropping Lena’s hand.
Lena squatted down and reached out squeezing Becky’s fingers tightly because
she knew the news she was about to deliver was going to be like a knife to the
gut.

“Robbie’s blood tests came back and
he has a very high white blood cell count and he’s also suffering from anemia.
That, plus the fever and you had stated he’s been sick a lot over the past few
months, all indicates to me a high chance of childhood leukemia.”

Becky openly sobbed now. So Lena
forged on knowing it wouldn’t get easier. “I’ve sent a request to have the peds
oncologist come up here and talk to you about this and what needs to happen from
here, but Becky. I think you need to call your husband.”

She nodded looking up at Lena
through glassy wet eyes. “Okay. Thank you Doctor O’Donnell.”

Lena shook her head, “Don’t thank
me for that news Becky,” she said and paused standing tall. “You thank me when
he’s well enough to go home and we’re victorious because we found it early, you
hear me?”

She nodded reaching for her cell
phone as Lena stepped back and walked to the door. Leaving the room and taking
a deep breath she gave Becky some privacy. Standing on the other side of the
closed door she looked up at the ceiling and asked softly, “Why are you so
greedy? Why, when they’re so young?”

When it was apparent there would be
no answer she pushed off the door and made her way back to her office.

Sitting down in her chair Lena
turned to face the window and stared out at the night sky. It was clear tonight
and she could see the stars from her office. They twinkled over the city like
little diamonds. Lena closed her eyes blocking out their brilliance. She often
thought to herself,
what right do I have to even see such magnificence after
all that I’ve done?
Today being no different, telling a mother her child
was going to have to fight for his little life for the next few years, and then
having that mother thank her? No, something was terribly wrong with that
picture. Not to mention how she felt about Carly.
Why’d she get to go on, be
successful and live out life when she’d driven Carly to the end of hers?
Memories, they weren’t your friends just cruel reminders of your past and what
you needed to make up for before you died. Jostling her out of her thoughts was
the phone. She turned back to her desk and picked it up.

“Dr O’Donnell.”

“Hello dear.” she heard her mother
say over the phone. Lena winced then picked up the post it notes again, for the
third time today, hoping to finally sort through them.

“Hi mom how are you?”

“We’re good love. How are you
doing?” she asked almost warily at the other end of the phone.

“I’m ok just had a really tough day
today but other than that I’m doing ok.”

“Lena honey,” her mother said and
paused, “Did you eat something healthy today?”

Lena thought back to what she ate
then smiled as she saw a telephone message from Shelly,

Memo:

We’re not done yet. Ext 531

“Ahh I had some tomato soup.”

“That’s it? In how many hours?”

Lena sighed deeply, her mother the
meddler. “In about 13 hours.”

“Magdalena O’Donnell please look
after yourself.”

Lena smiled and asked softly, “Is
that why you called? To grumble at me?”

“No I called to see if,”

“Yes I got the flowers.” she
answered quickly but instead of the heart piercing pain she expected to feel
she felt a niggle of warmth thinking of the delivery man. Pushing that aside
she noticed one yellow post it stuck to the bottom of a folder and pulled it
out.

“I didn’t go mom.” she answered
rubbing her eyes then closing them, “I just can’t bare to think of her in the
cold ground. Maybe, maybe in summer.”

She heard her mother sigh and then
say softly, “You’ve been saying that for the past nine summers my girl. You’ll
go when you’re ready I suppose.”

“And you’ll keep trying to find out
when that is.”

“Your father and I love you Lena.”

She swallowed back tears and
squeezed her eyes tight. “I know mom, I know.”

“Alright I’ll let you go. Please
eat something.”

“Will do.” she replied rocking
forward on her chair to place the phone back. Glancing down she opened her fist
to glance at the yellow post it that had been stuck.

Memo:

Dr. O’Donnell,

It’s amazing what one kind find
out on Google.

Langley.

And just like that Lena found
herself smiling, smug bastard.

F
riday night came around quicker than Lena
expected. Although her days were long she was finding they were flying by and
before she knew it Shelly was calling her to meet up at O’Malley’s, a small
Irish pub just down the street from the hospital. Picking up her bag she
checked her make-up in the small mirror by the door and walked out. The air was
nice tonight, not bitingly cold, but cool enough to redden her cheeks. She
pulled her black mid-thigh coat on and tied it around the waist tucking her
blue scarf in at the neck before she headed down the street. When she got there
it was just around 9pm and the pub was jammed with locals. They had a house
band playing tonight and it was clear everyone was ready for the weekend. Lena
scanned the crowd and found Shelly sitting by the bar laughing with Liam, the
owner. She pushed her way through the sea of people to the spot that was vacant
for her then hitched herself up onto the stool.

“Well look who’s here. How you
doing tonight young Maggie?”

Lena smiled at the older man. “It’s
been a long week but I’m happy to be here about to drink one of your fine
ale’s.”

“Is that right?”

Smiling Lena nodded, “That’s right.
Start me off with the usual please Liam.”
He winked at her and squeezed Shelly’s hand then walked down the end of the
bar. Shelly turned to her, all smiles, and asked, “So how are you tonight
Maggie?”

Rolling her eyes at her friend she
reached out for a potato chip that was in front of her. “Don’t call me that. I
only let him do it because he is sweet and old.”

“And Irish!” she heard Liam yell
from just down the bar.

Grinning she crunched down on the
chip and nodded once, “Yes and Irish.”

Shelly laughed then picked up her
martini taking a sip before putting it back down.“Really though, how was your
week?”

“Pretty awful. I had the lovely
task of telling a lady her child had leukemia.”

Shelly grimaced and sighed. “See
that right there is exactly why I couldn’t work with children.”

Lena reached forward for some more
chips and was about to crunch down on them when she heard Shelly say softly,
“Holy shit.”

Frowning at her friend Lena turned
looking behind her and asked, “What?”

That question was answered the
minute her eyes landed on the front door of the pub, right where Mason Langley
was standing. Lena spun back around on her chair and hissed at Shelly. “What’s
he
doing here?”

Picking up her drink Shelly took a
quick sip. “How am I supposed to know?”

“Don’t play that innocent shit with
me, it wont work. How would he know to come here?”

Shelly placed her glass down and
admitted softly, “He called me.”

Lena’s mouth fell open and she sat
staring at her friend with nothing to say. Then she gathered her wits and asked
softly, “What do you mean he called you? For a date?”

Looking appalled Shelly shook her
head, “No! He called and asked for your number and when I told him no, he may
have asked me to get you to meet him here tonight. I didn’t think he would
actually show.” she finished lamely.

Groaning Lena shook her head and
took a gulp from the beer Liam had left in front of her. She’d just started to
accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, she’d been a little more obnoxious the
other night then she had intended and she’d been leaning toward going back and
apologizing to him. It had also been a good excuse to see him again, but to be
ambushed? Now that was something she was
not
ready for. Just as she was
trying to think of a good excuse to get up and leave,
without killing her
friend
, she felt him stop right behind her.

Mason had known she was going to be
mad. When he’d called Dr Shelly Monroe, she’d warned him how mad Lena would be,
but even from across the room he could almost see steam coming out her ears.
It’d been three days since he’d called and left the message for her and he
hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. He didn’t know what that said
about him but something about her had crawled under his skin and refused to go
away. He pushed through the crowd and stopped behind her. He watched as
she physically stiffened and when it was clear she wasn’t about to turn around
he leaned over right by her ear.

“It’s so nice to see you again Dr.
O’Donnell.” He saw Shelly stifle a giggle and straightened up winking at her,“You
too Dr Monroe.”

“Oh call me Shelly.”

He heard Lena sigh so he turned and
signaled the bartender down. He took the stool next to her and rested an elbow
on the bar top.  “So this is a nice surprise.”

Finally she turned to face him and
when their knees bumped she quickly shifted back. “It’s hardly a surprise when
you’re stalking me.” she stated bluntly.

Instead of acting offended he
looked at Liam, “I’ll have a Guinness please.”

When he turned back he noticed she
was glaring right at him. Her green eyes were twinkling under the light, and
although she
was
in fact glaring at him, she didn’t seem as pissed off
as usual. “It was the only way I knew you’d see me.”

“By ambushing me?”

“By going through your friend.” he
countered. “Thanks for that Shelly.”

Shelly took that moment to stand.
“Ahh you can leave me out of this, thanks. I’m going to go over,” she waved
behind her at nothing, “There for a bit.”

Lena shook her head, “Shelly. I’m
revoking your friend card.”

Mason couldn’t help grinning at her
when she turned back to him.

“Stop flashing your damn dimples
around like a weapon.” Lena grumbled as she picked her beer up and took another
gulp. The man looked absolutely mouth watering tonight in all black. He was
wearing a button up shirt that was tucked into perfectly fitted slacks showing
off his broad shoulders and trim cut waist. Draped around his neck was a
burgundy scarf to fight off the cool night air and he had a trench coat, that
he’d been wearing, now resting up on the bar. His deep blue eyes sparkled as he
grinned at her. In a word he was,
gorgeous
. It wasn’t fair that he was
dressed to impress and she was dressed from 7am this morning.

“A weapon huh? I’ve never heard
them described like that.”

“But apparently I suppose there
have been poems dedicated to them.” she snapped back then she shut her eyes and
sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so ugly to you.”

He was silent for a moment then
leaned toward her and spoke in a voice so deep and smooth it slid right into
her, “Actually there’s not one thing I find ugly about you.”

Lena’s eyes flicked up to meet his
brilliant blue ones and she shook her head slowly. “This wont work.”

“Why?” he asked and she felt his
breath whisper across her lips.

“Because I don’t want it to.” she
stopped when she saw his eyes narrow a little, “With anyone. I’m not ready for
it to work with anyone.”

He reached out and pushed a piece
of hair back from her face tucking it behind her ear, then sat back picking up
his drink and taking a sip. Lena sat frozen on the seat and tried to remind
herself this was an extremely bad idea. He was a womanizer, he was almost at
celebrity status here in Chicago. She didn’t know the first thing about having
a relationship, she knew how to run away.

“Stop thinking so hard Lena
O’Donnell and enjoy a beer with me.”

Mason watched her pick up her beer
and take another quick sip. He knew she was tense, he could feel the waves
rolling off her, he just didn’t understand why. She’d pretty much told him, no.
She didn’t want to date. Didn’t want to start anything with anyone, but for
some reason the more he was with her the harder he was finding it to stay away.
He knew she’d come straight from work and tonight she was in one of those
classy little skirts he was coming to like a whole lot. It was snug and curved
over her hip and finished just above her knee, which meant that right now
perched up on this stool it had ridden up to mid thigh.
Oh yeah, he liked
those skirts, a lot
. Her baby blue blouse was tucked neatly in at the waist
and her hair was pulled half up on her head and the rest spilled down to her
waist. He wanted to wrap his hand around all that hair and pull her in close to
him. He also wouldn’t mind wrapping her hair around other parts of his body,
but since she was still actually seated beside him, he figured he should keep
that enlightening piece of information to himself. “So how was work?”