Nora caught his hand and planted a soft kiss in the middle of his palm. “In that case, I’ll go back to bed. Wanna come?”
Jed replied with a kiss.
Later, well after the coffeepot had signaled the end of its brew cycle, Nora and Jed lay in bed, arms wrapped around each other, watching dust motes dance on a sunbeam.
Nora was always eager to hear about Jed’s work, so she asked how his shifts had gone.
He told her that he’d lost an elderly patient on the way to the hospital Friday night. The man had suffered a massive heart attack and Jed hadn’t been able to revive him.
“I never get used to it,” he said quietly. “That feeling of failing the patient and his family. It doesn’t matter if a hundred people tell me that I couldn’t have done anything more. If I’m the last person treating him—touching him—then I’m going to feel responsible.”
“That is why you’re so good at your job,” Nora said, stroking Jed’s dark hair. It had gotten longer over the summer, forming soft waves for her to comb through with her fingers.
Jed grunted.
“I’m serious. Even after treating hundreds of patients, you’re not jaded. You treat every patient with respect. You don’t give them nicknames or joke about their tattoos or birthmarks. I really admire that.” Propping herself up on an elbow, she asked, “How do you do it? Care about all of them so much?”
Jed looked at her, and his blue eyes sparkled like sunlight on the ocean. “I think about the team that took care of my mom. Whenever I’m tired, or feeling impatient, I picture those guys giving her oxygen, talking to her. Comforting her. I need to be as good as they were that night for the rest of my days and nights.”
Guilt dimmed the spark in Jed’s eyes and Nora wondered how long he would work double shifts to atone for causing the fire that had injured both his mother and his dog, Henry Higgins. His mother had forgiven him years ago. Would he ever forgive himself?
Running her fingertips down his unshaved cheek, Nora decided that Jed needed a break from his responsibilities, no matter how brief.
“I’m going to make you breakfast,” she said. “And how about we go on a hike later? We could pack a lunch, grab Henry Higgins, and leave the world behind for a little while. How does that sound?”
Jed let out a weary sigh. “More exercise? I just did my cardio for the day. What happened to lazy Sundays?”
Nora rubbed his flat stomach. “See this? I don’t have one of these. I don’t lift weights with firefighters in my downtime. I sit on my ever-expanding ass and read. So I need to climb some hills today. But for now, you should stay in bed. I’ll bring you a cup of coffee and the paper, and while you’re recovering from your cardio, I’ll make you a big omelet.”
“With bacon?”
“Don’t have any,” she said, getting out of bed. “How about sausage?”
Jed pulled a face. “Not if it’s that organic chicken stuff. It tastes too healthy.”
“And you call yourself a medical professional. I can’t even look at you.” Nora picked up a pillow and dropped it over his handsome face.
He sat up and tried to grab her, but she dodged his hand.
Jed flopped onto his back and stretched his arms out wide. “If I hadn’t missed just then, you wouldn’t be going anywhere. My strength is already coming back.”
“Oh, good. We’ll take the extra steep trail.”
Laughing, Nora went into the kitchen to cook breakfast.
*
They didn’t go hiking right away. Jed had errands to run, and Nora needed to hit the flea market and a few garage sales. She’d perused the classified ads and made a list of promising garage sales over breakfast, but had to set aside the rest of the paper to read later.
Unfortunately, Nora’s late start cost her the first pick of the garage sale treasures. The shoppers who’d arrived within thirty minutes of the advertised start time were already bargaining with the homeowner, and after three sales, Nora’s only finds were an old bank shaped like a mailbox and sixteen books in the Cherry Ames nursing series. Though the vintage books were in good condition and would make a charming endcap display, they also filled up Nora’s backpack. She’d have to drop them at Miracle Books before heading to the flea market.
Because Nora didn’t own a car, she was used to making multiple stops. She didn’t mind this at all. In fact, she looked for excuses to drive her moped around town. Not because she loved driving, but because her mode of transportation was just plain spectacular.