Chapter Five
"I know that it's probably not a good time," Lucas said as he entered Elizabeth's studio, "but I figured that you were hungry enough to take a break."
Elizabeth put down the brushes and forced a smile at Lucas, this was the third time he'd interrupted her. "I'm actually not hungry but thanks for the offer."
"Anything for our star," he smiled at her.
"Your star won't get anything done if you keep interrupting like this," she told him.
"I'm sorry," he apologised immediately, "but your work is so good and I just want to encourage you in any way I can."
"Thank you," she replied, "and thanks for the lunch and the flowers and the new paints and brushes, I'm working as fast as I can so that your fancy photographer can have the catalogue printed and ready well in advance."
"That's what I like to hear," he rubbed his hands together. He'd thought of bringing Gustav with him but Henry had told him to wait until Elizabeth was ready. He couldn't wait for the show, he was sure it was going to exceed all their expectations. "So, I left the food with Julie and now I'll see myself out."
000
"You know Lucas likes you," Violet told Elizabeth later that day when Elizabeth went by their offices.
"He's just watching out for his investment," Elizabeth replied.
"No, he's not," Julie said, "and if you think that then you don't remember the flowers he got you. They must have been at least a dozen huge bouquets."
The flowers had been quite excessive, Elizabeth had had to give them out to neighbours and the nearby convalescence home.
She thought about all her interactions with Lucas over the past few weeks and honestly couldn't agree with her sisters. Lucas wasn't interested in her, not in a romantic sense but he did love his grand gestures and had a world of good advice to dispense. He had actually been very helpful, and his knowledge of art was invaluable and he was such a great conversationalist. The one time he'd dropped in when she wasn't working they had gotten on very well and she could see why people would think she was such a great catch. What surprised her though, was the fact that although she knew that he was a very attractive man, she wasn't really attracted to him. She liked him sure, but she couldn't see herself spending a lifetime with him.
Which brought to mind the man she could see herself spending a lifetime with.
Now that she really thought about it, she hadn't seen Nathan for almost a week, not since their picnic. He had called her later that evening and then again two days later to tell her that he was going out of town for a few days.
"I have to go," Elizabeth told her sisters.
"Ohh," Julie laughed. "I know that look on your face. You're going to see Nathan."
"It's not fair that I've never met Nathan," Violet complained.
"You have met him," Elizabeth reminded her, "he was there at our wedding."
"Like I would remember him from that time," Violet scoffed, "I barely noticed him, as I'm sure, did you. I mean, when do I get to meet him now that you're dating?"
"We're not dating," Elizabeth replied quickly, "we're just… I don't even know what we are and what we're doing."
"The man got your things back for you," Julie said, making Elizabeth wish she hadn't been so forthcoming with that information, "got you Jack's pension years before anyone gets theirs."
"Not to mention he bought your first painting," Violet added.
"See you later," Elizabeth told them as she walked out of the room.
She didn't actually have a plan and had no idea where she was going but thinking about Lucas's gestures had made her think about the fact that she missed Nathan. She supposed it would be easier to dial his number and talk to him but somehow it didn't seem enough. She wanted to see him. Now.
000
She entered the science building and made her way to the biology department; she didn't let her mind wander, she would say whatever came to mind when she saw him.
"Elizabeth," Bill Avery, called to her, "it's so good to see you again."
"Dr. Avery," Elizabeth smiled to him, she had almost barreled into him.
"Please, just Bill please," Bill told her. "How are you? How is LJ? He must be so big these days. I actually have some things that I would like to pass onto him, if that's alright with you."
"Of course," Elizabeth smiled. She liked Bill, he had also been a rock when Jack had died and he occasionally called to check up on her.
"If you're looking for Nathan," Bill told her, "you just missed him."
Elizabeth looked at Bill, searching his face. Bill smiled back her, and she swallowed and nodded. Her visits to Jack's former office were few and far between so there would be no reason for anyone to think that she was looking for Nathan yet somehow Bill knew it.
"I sort of saw you the last time you came by," Bill explained, "and I also knew about Nathan's getting you Jack's pension. I had to know, since I had to sign some of the forms."
"Of course," Elizabeth forced a smile. She didn't know if she liked anyone thinking that she was now seeing one of Jack's friends.
"I'm sorry," Bill apologised, "I didn't mean to suggest anything by my comment, but I do know for a fact that Nathan just returned from the field, dropped off a few things and then went home, I was just saving you a few stairs that's all."
"I know, Dr… Bill," Elizabeth's smile was easier now.
"And I also know," Bill continued, "that Nathan Grant is a fine young man."
"Yes he is," Elizabeth agreed.
"And not that it's any of my business," Bill said, "but you could do a lot worse than him, and no one would fault you if you started seeing each other."
"I – Bill," Elizabeth was flustered, "it's not – that is, we're not."
"Of course not," Bill's smile widened, "it's way too soon, or you're not ready or have never even thought about it," he laughed, "whatever excuse you have, all I'm saying is it's okay to move on and to love again. And that is all I'm going to say for now."
"That's all, is it?" Elizabeth couldn't help laughing.
"For now," Bill added.
"You don't happen to have Nathan's address, do you?" Elizabeth asked him.
"Of course I do," Bill replied mock sternly, and gave it her. He thought of warning her that Nathan's field trip hadn't gone exactly as planned and that he wasn't at his best right now but he figured that seeing Elizabeth was exactly the thing Nathan needed at this time.
Nathan lived in one of the university residences that was quite close to the campus and Elizabeth arrived there a short time later. She hoped that she wasn't overstepping any bounds and to put herself at ease she stopped by a nearby bakery and picked up so baked goods.
000
Nathan stood under the shower and watched the water go down the drain. It should have been a very routine field trip with the third year students and they had gone to the woods to collect some samples. Maybe he should have kept a closer eye on Jen and her twin Joel, they were known troublemakers but no one could have known that there was a hornet's nest in the trees. There weren't even supposed to be any hornets in this part of the world, not that that mattered now.
The twins had walked right into it, and caused the insects to attack and sting them. They had managed to get out of it, and luckily none of the students were allergic which would have been the end of it except of them Nathan had been stung more times than he had been aware of and in fact they didn't find out until he'd almost fainted at the nearby hospital where they'd taken the students to be checked out before they headed back to the university.
Nathan had had to get checked out farther and after getting an epinephrine shot he'd had to rest for a while before they were allowed to leave. The doctor couldn't be sure that Nathan wasn't allergic to hornets and he'd been advised to check in with a doctor the next time to ensure that he was really fine.
Nathan couldn't believe that he'd almost fainted but the worst of it was that he face and hands were still swollen. He had been given a salve to put on after taking the shower.
000
The knock at his door as he was sitting down to eat made him way to the door wondering who could be visiting him. It wasn't yet night but the only person who knew that he had returned from the field, aside from the other lecturers who'd been with him, was Bill and Bill had promised not to check on him tonight. He hoped Bill hadn't told Colleen about the incident.
He opened the door and saw Elizabeth standing there and tried to smile.
000
Elizabeth took a breath and knocked on Nathan's door. She hoped that he wouldn't be too surprised or unhappy to see her. She put a small smile on her face when the door opened but when she saw his face her heart dropped to her stomach. She dropped the pastry bags she was holding without even noticing and reached to touch Nathan's face. It looked so painful and his hands were huge and angry.
"Nathan," she asked him, after forcing herself to calm down, "what happened?"
"It's nothing," he replied, and would have bent to pick up the bags that had fallen from her hands but Elizabeth blocked his path.
"It doesn't look like nothing," she said softly.
"Let me get your bags and I'll explain."
Elizabeth watched him bend over and get her bags and close the door behind him and without thinking about reached closer and hugged him tightly.
'I'm really fine," Nathan assured her, "and pretty soon my face and my hands will remember it too."
"Don't joke about such things," Elizabeth scolded him.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"So what happened?" Elizabeth eased out of his arms but still stood next to him staring intently at him.
"Some of the students walked into a hornet's nest and we got stung," he explained quickly. "Luckily no one was really hurt."
"You were hurt."
"Yeah," he nodded slowly, "turns out one of them stayed on my hands for longer than we realised and I nearly passed out."
"You nearly passed out!" She took a deep breath steadying herself. "Why did you go near a hornets nest if you're allergic to them?" She couldn't understand why he would do something so foolish and dangerous.
"Why don't we sit down?" he asked her, suddenly feeling very tired. He sat down on the sofa and Elizabeth sat right next to them and took his hands in her.
"You didn't know that you were allergic, did you?" she asked him.
"No," he replied, "I mean, I don't think that I am allergic to them, at least the doctor didn't think so however I was advised to go back to the hospital again tomorrow to make sure."
"Good."
"I didn't even know that there were hornets in this part of the world," Nathan told her, "who knows maybe it wasn't even hornets."
"I don't really think it matters what type of insects they were," Elizabeth pointed out.
"The important thing is that I'm going to be fine," he said.
"You'd better." Elizabeth told him.
"Not that I'm complaining," he said, leaning back and settling her next to him, "but how are you here? I thought you'd be so busy finishing up the paintings."
"I wanted to see you."
"That's nice."
"Yes, Lucas came by the studio earlier," Elizabeth said. Nathan wanted to ask why she was bringing up Lucas when she was sitting with him but he forced himself not to interrupt, she would explain everything in good time. Nathan couldn't lie to himself that he wasn't the tiniest bit worried about Lucas and his suaveness but the fact that Elizabeth was here with him now filled him with hope.
"He brought lunch, a whole gourmet meal," Elizabeth said, "and he's also bought me flowers, the most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen, like Julie pointed out it's a good thing I'm not allergic to flowers. Anyway, afterwards when I was talking to Julie and Violet about all his grand gestures I found myself thinking about you, and I needed to see you, so here I am."
"How did you know that I had returned today?"
"I didn't," she said, "I went by the university to check and I met Bill and he gave me your address and here I am. Although I'm surprised Bill didn't tell me about your getting stung."
"He probably didn't want to scare you," Nathan replied, "maybe he thought you'd have not come by if he told you that I was sick."
"Maybe." Elizabeth murmured although she doubted it. Bill had wanted her to visit Nathan, there had been something in his mannerisms that she couldn't put a finger to but after seeing Nathan she now knew that Bill had wanted her to come and see Nathan.
Nathan shook his head slowly. Bill had talked to him the day after Elizabeth had brought lunch to his office; he hadn't said much but from the little he'd let slip he knew how Nathan felt about Elizabeth, although he was sure nobody else did, and he was pretty sure Elizabeth would soon feel the same way.
Nathan had been so shocked by the fact that Bill knew how he felt that he had chickened out of asking any direct questions.
"Have you eaten?" Elizabeth asked.
"I was just about to when you knocked on the door."
"Okay," Elizabeth told him, "let's go and eat."
Elizabeth insisted on staying with him although he assured her that he was fine and it was glad of it when she gently woke up him in the middle of the night telling him that he was just having a bad dream. He knew that he was have to explain about the nightmares later but for now he was glad that he wasn't alone.
000