That evening Miriam cooked for them.
She had worked the afternoon shift, so they had decided to spend the night in.
"How did it go today?" Miriam asked pouring some water in her glass.
Michaela took a sip, and said: " I'm keeping the baby."
"It's a big decision" Miriam said, and Michaela nodded.
"I know. But it feels right. I don't believe in terminating the pregnancy…" "
What about David?" Miriam asked.
"He called twice this afternoon. He said you didn't answer your phone."
"I turned it off", Michaela mumbled in between eating.
" I don't know what to tell him. He's not going to take it well "
"It's not like you cheated on him or anything." Miriam said.
"You weren't seeing each other when you went to Mexico."
Michaela shrug her shoulders.
"I guess he might see it differently. He asked me to consider going out with him before I went,
and when I got back… well he put a lot of pressure on me."
Miriam nodded in understandig .
"Yeah, I wondered why you seemed so absentminded when you got back. I thought it was because of David, but it wasn't was it?"
"No" They had moved to the sofa and Michaela had fetched some tea for them and she took a sip of the hot liquid.
"I had a lot of things on my mind, and David…" she sighed. "Well he persuaded me in the end."
"But you said you and David never…?" Miriam sounded a little confused and looked at Michaela who confirmed what she said.
"No, it never went that far. It did not feel right –like I wasn't ready. But he wanted to. Probably still does."
They sat in silence for a while, and then Miriam said: "So what was different with him?"
Michaela's answer was simple: "Everything…"
She lay in the sand listening to the sound of the sea gulls and how the waves crashed against the shore.
She felt his gaze on her, and opened her eyes blinking against the sun.
Their lunch had consisted of some cheese and bread, and the leftovers were sitting on the sand next to her.
"It's so peaceful here" she sighed.
"Sometimes I forget what it's like to just be… and not worry about everything," she explained.
Sully sat a few feet away observing her.
He was drawn to her, but could not explain what it was about the young doctor that attracted him.
She was so unlike any other women he'd known: clever, educated, unselfish and caring.
There was an air of secret understanding between them like their souls were talking on a different level than their physical beings.
"May I draw you" he blurted out after a while.
She hesitated a little suddenly feeling self-conscious.
Then she shrugged her shoulders. "Sure.
How do you want me to sit?"
"Don't move" he said moving closer to her.
"It's perfect like this. I only have one request."
Their eyes met and she felt a surge in her stomach.
"What?" Her voice was a little hoarse, probably because of the sun and the salty air.
He reached out, and for a moment she was unsure of his actions, but then he grabbed hold of her hair, which had been gathered in a braid.
He slowly undid it. Their eyes never lost contact.
"Wear your hair down" he said running his fingers through the auburn strands, and she closed her eyes enjoying his touch.
"You've got beautiful hair. You should wear it down more often."
She was about to say how impractical it was in her job, but something held her back.
Instead she took a deep breath, and their eyes met again.
"Thank you" she smiled a little.
He had not removed his hand from her neck, and now he ran a thumb across her jaw to her lips.
He was drawn to her, and leaned closer. She nodded slightly in admission and he kissed her softly.
His kiss made her head spin, and she clutched the blanket she was sitting on.
Then he drew back. "It's perfect like this. Don't move."
"So you went with a perfect stranger to a secluded place in the middle of nowhere…." Miriam concluded in disbelief.
It was so unlike the Michaela she knew. 'Michaela stretched out on the sofa.
"I know. It's crazy, but it felt so right –like it was meant to be."
"Love at first sight?" Miriam asked, and Michaela shrug her shoulders
"I don't know. It was just like I had to spend time with him, like we had known each other always."
Miriam smiled at her friend "sounds like love to me. By the way you're beginning to show…"
"I am?" Michaela placed her hands on her lower abdomen.
Then she sighed "I better speak to David tomorrow ."