Chapter 35: Celebration
Claire was more than busy these days. She was about to validate her two new certifications in cardiothoracic surgery and in pediatric care. She was sad not to have enough time to help with the clinic. Neil told her it was not a problem. Morgan and Cassie were in control of everything. He helped too every Friday as he managed not to work at Bonaventure on this day. And Alex was always ready to come and give a hand.
Today she passed her last exams. Six months of hard working, navigating between her patients, her surgeries, the trauma department, the studies and the work to do to validate her degrees. Neil had been nothing but supportive to her, even when she was annoying as hell. Did she really yell at him about a missing shower gel? OMG she was the worst!
She decided to go to the clinic to see her friends and help with the patients they were receiving. More and more people were coming to be cared. Mrs. Lynch even called Neil the other day to congratulate him on the success of the clinic. She also announced him that Bonaventure committee agreed to sponsor the clinic for another two years. When she entered the clinic, Morgan was in the middle of the waiting room calling for patients.
"Mr. Bamba. Come with me. I'm gonna take care of your foot."
As she turned to go the consult room, she saw Claire in the doorstep. "Can I do anything to help?"
"Oh God, yes! Please take a scrub in the locker room and take care of some patients. Today is a crazy day!"
Claire went to the locker room and changed. She came back to the waiting room and started to examine the patients. One at the time. She treated a sprain, many colds, a twisted knee and a head injury. At the end of the day, she joined Morgan and Alex in the main office. They were drinking some scotch to relax.
"Hey, look who's here!"
"Hey Alex! Glad to see you!"
"How is our crack head? Did you finish to take all your exams?"
"Finished this morning. Now wait and see!"
They kept talking. Then, they went to the restaurant. Claire texted Neil she was coming home late this night. He answered her he was still at the hospital taking care of unexpected patients who came to the ER this afternoon. He will not be home anytime soon. She enjoyed spending the night out with Alex and Morgan. They talked a lot about their lives and the crazy decisions they had taken over the last few years. Morgan drove Claire and Alex at home.
"First stop, Mr. Park! See you tomorrow?"
"I don't think so, I have a big brain surgery in the morning and it'll take the whole day to take care of the patient. Then I had to make a debrief with my residents. See you on Thursday, instead? Always Ok to go to the movies?"
"Yes. I come to take you at 7 PM at Bonaventure If it's Ok with you?"
Alex nodded and smiled at Morgan. "See you then. Goodnight Claire, goodnight Morgan."
He closed the car door and entered his building. Claire was smiling.
"Soooo, Alex and you go to the cinema together…"
"Don't go there, Claire."
She laughed. "Oh come on, Morgan. I know something is going on between you and Alex since he joined us to work at the clinic. And it's fine. In fact, I'd love to see you both happy…. And Alex is kind of hot!"
Morgan seemed embarrassed. "Come on…. Shut up… No Claire I assure you, we're just friends…"
"To others, Morgan. Not to me. Not after what I had lived with Neil… Time is precious. Don't waste it. I lost too much time not telling Neil how I felt about him and hiding behind some moral principles which only caused us too much troubles… Accepting my feeling for him and telling him the truth had been one of the most frightening moments in my life but also one of the best decisions I've ever made. Alex is a really good guy and I think he likes you too. Don't be shy, don't be scared. I wish I had been less shy with Neil because today I'm the happiest person in the world, believe me."
Morgan remained silent for a while. "Thanks Claire for being such a good friend… Especially after what you've been through, especially after what I've done to you…"
Claire got off the car and made Morgan promise to her she will think about what she had said to her. "Time is precious. Finding someone you can't imagine your life without, it's hard… Goodnight Morgan. See you tomorrow. I'll come to the clinic, I've a group of teenagers to take care of!"
As she was walking to the entrance of the building, she looked at Morgan's car fading away at the corner of the street. She hoped her friend will take into consideration her advice. She deserved to be happy. When she came to the apartment, it was empty. Neil was still at the hospital. She took a shower and went to bed. She was exhausted.
This night, Neil came home late as he had predicted. Claire was sleeping in their bed. He remembered the time when she had nightmares. They were gone for long by now. Dr. Malkin had done a perfect job to allow Claire to move forwards from her past demons. He went to the bathroom to change and joined in the bed. She moved when she felt him under the quilt. He kissed her hair and her cheek. Then he put his arm around her waist and pressed against her. She let out a sigh. She knew he was here. He put his head on her shoulder and fell deeply asleep.
A month later, Claire received the confirmation she had taken all her exams. She was officially certified in cardiothoracic surgery and pediatric care. She wanted to scream when she received the email giving her the good news. Instead she jumped in her office. She had to call Audrey and Marcus to tell them the good news. But right now, the only person she wanted to tell about was Neil. He had been so supportive of her project, and so nice to stand her when she was hypersensitive because of stress or tiredness.
She made her way to the 5th floor and entered Neil's office. He was so absorbed in his files that he didn't see her coming. She looked around, came closer to him and dropped a kiss in his neck. He shivered.
"What was this for? I thought you didn't like to do this kind of love demonstration in public."
"I did it. I did it. I passed!"
"Like you passed and you're officially graduated in cardiothoracic and pediatric surgery?!"
She nodded, smiling. He stood from his chair, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. "I knew it! I told you you were gifted Dr. Browne!"
He kissed her. "Let me take you to dinner tonight to celebrate! I promise I won't offer you flowers. I don't want to be classed as a lame or a romantic guy." He laughed while putting her on the floor.
"I don't like romantics… except when it's you." She kissed his cheek and got out of the office. "I need to tell the good news to Audrey and Marcus."
Neil was surprised by her answer. She always told him she hated romantics. From the very beginning, when they were hanging out as "platonic friends", she confessed she thought guys sending flowers were a lame. He was proud to have proved her, romantic men were not always desperate guys or losers. Sometimes they were only men who were in love with their girlfriend…
On the evening, Claire and Neil joined at the entrance of the hospital. He grabbed her hand and told her to follow him. They left Bonaventure and Neil drove till a tiny street next to the harbor. They came out of the car and Neil led us to a tiny restaurant. She remained at the doorstep. "Wait for me just a minute, I come back right away."
He was back a few minutes later. "If you want to follow me…" He showed her the way and led them to a small yard behind the restaurant. Here was a table and two chairs. A bottle of wine was waiting for them. Claire smiled blissfully, shaking her head.
"What have you done?"
"Something to celebrate you. And as you say I was the only romantic guy you like…"
She jumped to his neck and put her head in his neck. She was fine here. She was safe. She was happy. Up to now, her life had been a mess. Meeting Neil had probably been the most important blessing in her chaotic life. She whispered in his ear "Thank you". They joined the table and sat. "Time to choose our courses."
Time fled when you're with someone you like. They laughed, smiled, talked, shared new secrets about their pasts.
"Can I ask you question? I'd understand if you didn't want to answer…"
"Why all this mystery? What would you like to know?"
Claire cleared her throat. "In fact this is a question which is in my mind for almost a year… Or more…I couldn't tell. But let's say it became more insistent since you know… Our first night…Why antler tattoos?"
He looked at her, with a severe look. He could see her face crumple. And he laughed. She didn't know what to think and then she laughed too.
"Long story… you really want to hear it? We're supposed to spend a pleasant dinner to celebrate your success."
"I do! We spoke enough about me anyway. I really need to know about all the deer upon your chest."
"Well if it's what you want… Promise you, it's not a funny story like an university bet which turned bad. In fact, I did make them when I was at uni but it was to honor the memory of my uncle who often took me with him when things were a little too hard at home… You know with Gabbi and my parents. Uncle Marty used to come and we went in his cabin in the woods. He loved hunting. I was not a fond of but at least, I was far away from drama and it felt good just to be a kid again. He learnt me a lot about animals and nature. And he died when I was 17… Just a few months before I got graduated and went to Stanford. So for his spirit always be with me, I tattooed antler on my chest. You know as a way to remember Marty."
He remained silent for a while. She grabbed his hand. "Beautifully tragic story. Marty must have been a wonderful man! "
"He was." He smiled at her. "He taught me a lot and made me believe in myself. He was the one who forced me to apply to Stanford to study medicine. He was there for me and Gabbi when my parents had given up."
"I wish I could have met him."
They remained quiet, looking at each other. She loved when he confessed to her about his past. He loved to tell her because she was listening carefully each time and never judged him. He finally broke the silence.
"Done with the depressing stories! In fact, I'd like to tell you about something. I'm thinking about it for months but you were too busy. But now you've passed your exams, I think I can talk to you about the idea I have in my mind."
Claire was both curious and puzzled at the time. What was in Neil's mind? For a moment, she panicked. OMG he was gonna break up with her. All of this was too beautiful to be true. Each time, she got something good in her life, this thing vanished. She lost her mother when she tried to improve their relationship, she lost Jared when she was trying to reconnect. Why did everything needed to end badly for her?
"So I'd like to know if you agree to take some vacation with me… Far away from San Jose, from Bonaventure, from the people we know. Not that I don't like our friends but I'd like to spend time with you and only you… And it could a way to celebrate your success. What do you think of this?"
Claire was hit in the feels. It was the last thing she was thinking about. She had imagined the worst when Neil was only thinking about taking her to vacation. "Of course. I'd love to go on holidays with you, Mr. Melendez! Where do you want to go? Have you any idea? I'll take anything. I've never been anywhere except San Jose, San Francisco and Minneapolis. Some days off in Los Angeles or Seattle could be cool…"
"Claire, I'm not talking about a few days off… I would like you and me go on a big adventure in a foreign country, away from the country we're living in like Thailand… I was thinking more about 4/6 months off… Because we need this time to heal, to discover one another, to simply live our story. I want to spend time just with you. I want to be 24/7 together because I miss you too much when I'm working and I'm feeling like we're missing something… I went to see Mrs. Lynch in the HR to ask her some questions, telling her one of my residents was thinking about taking a sabbatical and it's not that complicated… "
Claire was stunned. She was thinking some days off, not almost a half year. She was kind of freaking out because if she left with Neil, it would imply she set aside her career for a while and she had worked so hard to build herself. The time when her mother stole the money from her to buy drugs and the one when she fled from home when she was 18 was far away but she was still feeling insecure. But she was so tired. Those last few years had been such a bitch to her: she lost Jared, Breeze, she got kicked off her residency and she almost lost Neil during an earthquake she was still traumatized by.
"You can tell me if this is a bad idea or if the timing is not Ok with you…"
"No Neil… Not at all… I love your idea… I was just… Thinking about us, my career, how tired I am after those last damned years…"
"And you came to the conclusion it was too early. I understand. You've just been graduated in cardiothoracic and pediatric surgery. And you're only a doctor for more than a year… Not counting the residency years of course. We could go far away later. Just leave for a few days, it can be…"
She interrupted him. "Neil, I say, let's do this. I've always been the person who follows the rules when it comes to my personal life. And all I know is that my life has improved since the day I've chosen to break those damned rules. So do it! Let's spend 24/7 together and see if after this, we can still stand each other! I definitely need to go far away and any place will be great as long as I'm with you…"
For any answer, Neil stood up, came close to Claire and kissed her deeply. She loved when their tongues met. It was as if her body was crossed by electric shocks. When their mouths finally separated, Neil grabbed her waist and pressed her tightly against him. "My life has definitively improved too since we have broken the rules".
