****
Roused before the alarm clock had a chance to chime its blaring and very annoying wake up call, Michelle blindly reached out for the nightstand and shut it off. Rising up on one elbow, she gazed down upon Nick as he continued to sleep soundly. He could sleep through an earthquake, but if he heard the phone or his beeper make the slightest sound, he would come awake instantly. In her estimation, he had to be the most dedicated doctor on the face of the Earth. She smiled lovingly before placing a soft kiss to his forehead and then slid from the bed without jarring him even the slightest. She entered the bathroom and shut the door quietly; unless the phone rang, Nick would sleep for another hour or so. She did not begrudge him that one bit; he worked hard and deserved his rest.
Stepping into the shower, she let the warm water cascade over her and ease the sleep from her tired muscles. She thought about ditching the conference and spending the day in bed with Nick instead. It was a very tempting thought, but she came along to Chicago with him for a reason and best she get to it. Many of the staff at the medical center assumed she came along to watch over Nick to make sure nothing happened between him and Rae. She frowned at the irritating thought before sticking her head under the water. When would they ever give that a rest? Even now, she bet Norman and Anita were yammering about it. The annoying reverberations reached across the hundreds of miles and gripped her at the base of her spine. Let it go, Michelle. You don't care what anyone else thinks!
After her shower was finished and her hair dry, she made her way back to the bed. She sat gingerly on the edge as she brushed her hair and watched him for a few moments while he continued to sleep. His features were softened considerably and he looked as though he slept without a care in the world. His tongue darted out suddenly and ran across his bottom lip. That action caused a few thoughts to run through her mind, and if she followed through on any one of them, she would never make the conference. With a soft sigh, she stood and went about dressing. Before she left the room, she kissed his lips softly and whispered, "Love you."
--
Nick yawned and stretched when he was awakened by the slamming of the door from the room next to his. The force of it was so strong; he actually felt the bed shake. He was sure it was Rae. She was headed to an early session of the conference that dealt primarily with patient care and Hospice.
He reached beside him for Michelle, but he was not surprised to find her gone. He looked over at the alarm clock and discovered it had been shut off. She must have done that so that he would not be disturbed. He was still amazed, even after the months they had been together, at her ability to move about the room without waking him. A chuckle escaped him; unfortunately for Michelle, he did not possess that ability and he often woke her while he readied for work. Of course, she said she did not mind and he was sure it was only due to the fact that most times they managed to delay his departure for work by making love. Now, how could that be a bad thing?
He did not think anything could be bad with Michelle. How long had they been together? Nearly seven months. Just three weeks ago he had moved into her house. Within weeks of their relationship starting, they were together either at her house or his apartment, so it only seemed natural to take the next step. At first the gossip at the hospital was constant, especially after word got out that he and Rae had had an affair. The inevitable bets started to take place, wondering when he would leave Michelle and take after Rae again. He groaned softly and buried his head in the pillow next to him. Michelle's fresh scent filled his nostrils immediately and he smiled against the pillow. How was it that just her fragrance could make him smile? God knows it was the oddest thing, as far as he was concerned. Even while working, if he happened into a room after her, he knew she had been there and her presence was a comfort on even the toughest of days. She had stolen his heart, almost from day one, and he hoped she would never try to return it.
He slid out of bed and hurried through his morning shower. He was dying for a cup of coffee and the chance to talk with his cousin. Unfortunately, the meeting with Michelle would have to wait until later because she had decided to go to the patient care conference. She sometimes filled in for other nurses not on the surgical staff, and patient care was essential. He was curious to find out what had happened between Rae and Frank. He could only imagine the scenario in which Rae had happened upon Frank and mistook his cousin for him.
Dressing quickly, he stepped across the hall to the door he had seen Rae beating on during the wee hours of the morning. He knocked lightly and waited patiently for a response.
Hearing the knock at the door, Shay peeked out from underneath her pillow. She heard the shower running and smiled wickedly. The only thing that kept her from slipping in to surprise her gorgeous husband was the person or persons knocking at the door. Sighing her disappointment, she fastened the hotel robe securely around her with its sash and went to the door. "Yes?" she asked sleepily, not quite looking up into the caller's face.
"Mrs. Frank Donovan?" a deep, Mediterranean accented voice questioned.
Shay blinked and then blinked again when she looked upon the stranger, thinking perhaps she was hallucinating. The sound of the shower being turned off made her believe this could not possibly be her husband standing in front of her, although this man was his mirror image. Seeing him dressed casually in a pair of beige Dockers and blue polo shirt, Shay grinned. "Put on a pair of dark gray slacks and a black turtleneck, buddy...and you'd be fair game," she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Nick chuckled. "I'll take it, then, that you are Mrs. Donovan?"
"She is."
Nick looked past Shay to see his cousin standing in the middle of the hotel room, pulling a turtleneck over his head. "Been a while, Frank."
"Sure has, Nick," Frank replied, moving closer to the door to greet his cousin.
Shay smiled wickedly while she watched Frank embrace his cousin in a light hug. "Hmmm...maybe I could keep them both?" she joked out loud to herself and received a mock glare from her husband. "Kidding...kidding. One of you is more than enough!"
Shay squealed happily when Frank caught her up in a playful embrace. "Why don't you go get dressed and we'll go to breakfast with our cousin?"
Her response was a swat to his behind and a wink in Nick's direction before she disappeared into the bathroom, stopping only to pick up the overnight bag and garment bag Frank had packed for her. She smiled to herself thinking about all the trouble he had gone through for her this weekend. With little time to make the arrangements, he had met with his supervisors, made sure the kids were taken care of, packed bags for both of them, and checked into the hotel before joining her for dinner. It was no great wonder he had been late.
Nick watched while Frank's gaze followed his wife; there was no doubt about the love he saw shining through his cousin's eyes. He suspected he looked just as sappy when his attention was on Michelle. "Your wife, she's very beautiful," Nick commented, noting the similarities between Shay and Michelle. Although there was a slight height difference, their bodies were both of a slight build and their hair was almost the same shade of honey-blonde. Their eyes were different color, Shay's sky-blue, whereas Michelle's were violet; however, the smile that reached them was the same – genuine and true. The love they felt for their men was reflected in those beautiful pools of color and Nick felt blessed to know that he was the recipient of his lady's love. He felt sure that Frank was just as blessed.
"Yes, she is...inside as well as out. I'm very fortunate," Frank admitted readily. "This weekend is to celebrate our four-year wedding anniversary and it was almost ruined by a friend of yours."
Nick's eyes locked with Frank's. He knew whom Frank was speaking of. "Congratulations and I'm sorry. What did Rae do?"
Frank shrugged carelessly. "Oh, nothing. Just cornered Shay in the ladies' room and told her I was having an affair."
"Damn, I'm really sorry," Nick apologized.
"Hey, it's not your fault. Thankfully, Shay doesn't spook easily. We've been through some messes together," Frank disclosed honestly. "Is she someone you're seeing?"
Nick shook his head and wandered over to the balcony door to stare out at the clear blue sky. "No longer. It's been over for quite some time. Later, I'd love for us to get together so you can meet Michelle." He smiled and turned back to face Frank. "Amazingly, your Shay reminds me a lot of her."
Frank grinned and shook his head when he heard Shay utter a foul curse. From the thump he had heard just seconds before, it sounded like she slipped getting out of the shower. "Then you must have your hands full," he quipped, moving closer to the bathroom. "You okay, baby?"
"Fine! Just fine!" Shay yelled sarcastically through the door.
Nick laughed good-naturedly. "Yes, and loving every minute of it." Moving over toward the bed, he asked, "Mind if I use the phone?"
"Go right ahead."
Nick called down to the desk to check for messages and the clerk informed him he had one from Tom Roback. He listened while the clerk read off the message and then cradled the phone. "Would you mind joining a couple of my associates for breakfast? They left an invitation for me at the desk and are waiting for me as we speak."
"Sounds good to me," Shay agreed, stepping out from the bathroom wearing a pair of white slacks and an emerald green blouse. Her hair was dried and pulled smartly into a reverse ponytail.
"Then let's go," Frank urged, ushering them out the door.
****
Frank chuckled at the astonished looks on the faces of the couple sitting at the breakfast table when he, Nick, and Shay joined them. He extended his right hand in greeting first to the attractive African-American woman and then to the man beside her. "Frank Donovan...distant cousin of Nick Kokoris."
"Of course you are," Letty responded, gripping his hand firmly. She glanced at her husband, Tom, who looked just as confounded as she felt. "You could have warned us," she admonished Nick playfully.
Nick smiled mischievously. "Sorry, it's just too much fun watching the reactions."
"Besides," Shay interjected, "I knew and still couldn't believe the resemblance. And I'm married to one of them. By the way, I'm Shay Donovan."
Letty smiled at the blonde while everyone seated themselves. "Letty Jordan. Pleased to meet you, and this is my husband, Dr. Thomas Roback." Letty then lifted a brow and directed her question to Nick. "Has Rae seen the two of you together?" When her question was met with grins from each of the newcomers to the table, she was not sure what to think.
"She...ah...hasn't seen us together," Nick finally replied. He almost laughed. Letty was never one to pull punches; she just said what was on her mind. It was one of the things he liked most about her. She was genuine and honest. You always knew where you stood with her.
"She hasn't?" Letty asked, intrigued. Something in the manner of Nick's expression led her to believe something had happened. "Well, what are the grins for then?"
Frank, Nick, and Shay looked at each other before Nick replied, "Oh...it's just that she thinks I'm having an affair with Michelle and that I'm married to Shay. Or something to that effect." He suddenly felt like someone in the hospital gossip crowd and mentally kicked himself. How many times had he been the object of discussion for that group?
"Oh, dear Lord," Letty responded in disbelief. "She told you that?"
"Unfortunately, she did," a voice proclaimed from behind Letty.
"Hello, Dr. Keating," Nick acknowledged her. "Would you like to join us?"
"I'd love to," she accepted gratefully and pulled up a chair. Jules was not sure she would be accepted so easily. Although she had always been cordial with both Nick and Michelle, she had never become too friendly with them. Perhaps that was due to her longtime friendship with Rae. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her friend.
"So, let's talk about dinner before I have to take off for the conference," Nick spoke up.
"Are we all invited?" Jules asked expectantly. Again, her friendship with Rae caused her to want to back away from the group, but she also wanted to join in, have fun, and get to know everyone better.
Nick glanced around the table. "Of course. The more the merrier."
Tom shook his head in amazement. "This ought to be a lot of fun."
***
To be continued...