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I see a cart in front of me loaded with napkins and I grab them, letting them fly behind me, leaving a mess behind to slow down the staff hot on my tail. I hear laughter and exasperation from some of them as I laugh louder, hearing Gina and Monica doing the same.
I think the staff is having just as much fun as we are in this game of cat and mouse. I see the room up ahead just as Gina emerges from the opposite hallway. Our eyes meet and she beams at me as she puts all she has into wheeling her chair faster. I see the room in sight just as Monica comes out of her hallway. It’s a showdown we’ll never forget.
The hallway is filled with laughter and chaos as other patients peek from their doorways, and begin cheering us on. The staff is demanding we stop . . . but it’s not going to happen. We’re close to the finish line, and one of us will be crowned the victor.
Despite the chaos we’re causing, there’s unity in the air. In this moment we’re not patients, but caregivers, a collective of colleagues determined to celebrate life and all the blessings we only get by truly being alive. We can sit in sadness about losses, or we can live. We’re choosing to embrace all we’ve been given.
I see Gramps leaning against the wall as I draw so close to the finish I can taste it. I get distracted for a moment by the twinkle in his eyes and his encouraging words, telling me I can do it. He doesn’t know the game, but knows it’s a race to the finish. That’s all he needs to encourage me. I’m so damn blessed in this life to have the people I have with me through the good and the bad.
I’m only distracted by him for a brief second, but it’s enough for Gina to swing in front of me and slip inside our final destination one second before me. I slide in behind her, and Monica crashes into me from behind. We all bend over with laughter as a dozen hospital staff stumble into the room behind us.
“What in the world are you three thinking?” a head nurse demands. She doesn’t look as amused as the rest of the staff does.
“We’re getting our physical therapy,” I tell her with way too much innocence dripping in my voice.
“I’m not amused,” she says.
I grin at her, then yawn. This was exactly what I needed, but man has it worn me out. I shrug, trying to maintain my innocent look as long as possible.
“We’re sorry if we caused any stress. It’s just that we’re constantly being told to push ourselves.”
“Back to your rooms, all of you,” she says. She then turns and marches from the room. I hear Gramps laughing from the hallway.
“Totally worth it,” Gina says. “I’m going to miss you when you leave us tomorrow.”
“I’m going to miss you both too,” I tell my friends as we stand from our wheelchairs, our legs a bit wobbly. That was a lot of PT for fifteen minutes. The three of us hug, and then the staff each take one of our arms as they lead us from the room. We’re done with our wheelchairs now.
As I’m led back to my room with Gramps right behind me, I’m still smiling. I don’t fight Billy as he helps me into the bed, then lifts his coffee and takes a sip. I didn’t spill a single drop of it.
“You realize all of us are going to get reamed by the boss about your little race,” he says.
“You can take it,” I assure him. He shakes his head and laughs before leaving.
“Jasmine, you make my world brighter,” Gramps says as he takes a chair next to my bed.
“You taught me how to fly, Gramps,” I tell him. “I’m just doing what you’d expect of me.”
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but you continue to surprise me young lady. I sure love you.”
He leans over and kisses my forehead. I settle back into my bed, my heart dancing with joy. This is my last day here, and instead of the day being another countdown on the calendar, it’s become a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It’s become a celebration of life, a reminder that laughter truly is the best medicine. I’m grateful to be alive, and I’m ready to keep living my life to the fullest.
ChapterFive
Hunter
I settle into the plush leather seat on the private Anderson jet, and a mixture of excitement and nervousness courses through me. I’ve known from the moment I met Jasmine that her family is wealthy, but stepping into this world is much different than knowing it exists and watching it from the outside.
This temporary move to Seattle feels like stepping into a world that’s far beyond my normal comfort zone. I shouldn’t look at it like this. I need to think of this as a mission like any other mission. I have work to do, and my job is to blend in. We won’t be here forever, and when I’m with Jasmine outside of this world of wealth, we’re normal, everyday people... well, as normal as a man like me can be with a woman like Jasmine Anderson.
I stare at the woman I’m in love with as she sits beside her grandfather, a smile on her pink lips, her body relaxed. She’s tired and still beaten up pretty badly, but nothing can cover her elegance and beauty. Though she might not remember our romance, she feels it. I see it in her eyes as we gaze at one another.
She’s been my partner at the FBI, my friend as she’s settled into Miami, and my lover as our romance has grown. We’ve shared many adventures together already, and if I get my way, we’ll share many more. For now, though, it’s my job to make her fall in love with me all over again.
“Hunter, are you comfortable?” Jasmine asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I reply.
She laughs, the sound the most beautiful thing in the world. “How about we worry about each other. I might not remember this great romance everyone is telling me about, but I do remember a great partner, and the first thing we learn at the academy is to take care of each other.”
