Dearly Loved (26 page)

He wore a charcoal suit styled in the latest lines. His topaz silk shirt was open slightly at the neck, exposing the strong column of his throat. The outfit, while not flashy, had an extravagant feel, which somehow suited David’s coloring and personality. She smiled at his bemused expression. “You look great, David.”
As always
.

David took her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist. “You’re beautiful, Merrie. I’ll be fighting the men off tonight.”

“Thanks,” she said, convinced he was just flirting again.

“Ready?”

She nodded, said goodbye to Bitsy, and locked her door behind her. David looped her arm through his and led her to his Jeep. He chatted while he made the drive to a hotel downtown where the party was being held. After parking, they walked into the lobby of the hotel. It was decorated with fir boughs and tiny white lights festooned the potted topiary.

They rode in the elevator to one of the many banquet rooms with several other couples dressed in formal attire. Meredith heard pulsating music as they approached the banquet room. A sign on an easel just outside the door indicated the event within was for the employees of KVL News.

When they entered, Meredith’s eyes roamed around the dim room lit with soft lights at the tables. A live band played swing music on a platform at one side of the room. Long tables along the opposite side of the room were laden with an abundance of foods. Round tables filled the area between the food and dance floor. Many people were seated at the tables, others lined up with plates for food, and a hosted bar seemed to be the most crowded spot in the room. A few couples spun about on the dance floor.

Meredith caught David’s arm as he began to thread his way through the tables. She swallowed, feeling silly for what she was about to say but the alternative terrified her. “David,” she said in a low voice, close to his ear. “I can’t dance!”

David stopped and looked down at her for a moment. She was reminded of the doting way Gino had looked at Rosa.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. He slipped his arm around her, low on her back, and led her to a table with two empty seats.

Meredith saw tiny nameplates with their names written in calligraphy placed near the napkins. David pulled out her chair and when she was seated, he sat down next to her. The people at the table greeted David, casting speculative looks in her direction.

“Everyone, this is Merrie Ambrose. Merrie, you’ve met Rita, my producer and this is her husband Rick Anderson.”

She smiled at the handsome couple, feeling foolish for thinking the worst of David.

“Over here is Tracey Bates who you’ve probably seen on TV.” Meredith recognized her as the main news anchor. She was even prettier in person. Tracey in turn introduced her husband, a slightly balding man with kind eyes.

“And you might remember Cam Stuart,” continued David. “He’s the guy who always follows me around for some reason.” Everyone chuckled. “And this is his girlfriend, Sabrina.”

Meredith smiled all around, straining to hear their voices, a task made difficult by the loud music. She was asked all manner of question about being an R.N, working at Cedar Hill Hospital—and about knowing David a teenager.

When Tracey asked for some juicy details about David’s past, he laughed and got up, helping Meredith up with him. “Sorry to disappoint you, but we’re going to get something to eat.”

He winked at her as they made their way to the food tables. “You wouldn’t say anything that might embarrass me, would you, Merrie?”

“That depends on what you consider embarrassing.”

David smiled and pulled her close. He brushed his lips against her cheek, driving all other thoughts out of her head. She filled a plate with hors d’ouevres, hardly knowing what she chose, wishing she could be alone with him, away from the music and interruption of people stopping to chat with him.

She saw a huge punch bowl brimming with bright pink punch and orange slices, and picked up a glass cup. Just as she filled the ladle, David reached around her and took it and glass from her hands.

“I wouldn’t drink that. I just saw a couple of station interns spiking the punch from bottles hidden inside their coats. Let’s go see if the bar has anything better to drink.”

David ordered two bottled waters and they made their way back to their table. Once seated, Meredith picked at her food, politely answering all the questions directed at her. She asked a few of her own, striving to be good company, while her heart just wasn’t in it. She never was very good in formal social settings—and tonight she felt thwarted from her desire to spend time with David. While they sat and talked, she was comforted by the fact that he held her hand under the table.

A short time later, the executive producer of KVL News jogged up onto the platform. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” After a short introduction, he continued, “And now it’s time for the KVL Newsie Awards, not to be confused with awards of any merit.”

A ripple of laughter went through the crowd. “Each recipient will receive a certificate to line the bottom of their birdcage with and an appropriate prize for each category.” More applause. “The first award goes to Angela Bennet, for the most creative ‘noddies’.”

A brunette woman in a disgracefully tight dress swaggered up to the platform to accept her award. Meredith recognized her as a beat reporter for the station. After being handed a certificate and a small marionette, she began to bob her head around like a puppet on a string to the delighted roar of the audience.

Meredith leaned over to David. “What’s a noddy?”

“You know in an interview when the camera cuts to the person asking the questions? During the interview, we keep the camera trained on the person being asked the questions. Afterwards, usually back at the studio, the interviewer does different nods and expressions of interest that will be edited in later to give the piece a more interactive feel.”

Meredith realized he must do noddies also from time to time. What a weird part of his job. Several more gag awards were presented. Most were funny. Some were definitely off-color.

“And the next award is for the most eligible bachelor at the station. The ladies have kept a tally on how many times each bachelor has been asked out.” The drummer in the band did a drum roll. “And the winner, with twenty-four propositions, is…David Steller!”

Everybody cheered. Their tablemates made teasing comments as David rose. He threw Meredith a rueful smile when he went up to accept his award. His prize was a frilly, pink garter which he shoved into his jacket pocket. From where she sat, Meredith could see that his face was bright red. She knew her face must be close to the same color.

He smiled and spoke to his fellow employees through the microphone. “There’s a definite trend in my answers as you may have noticed.” He looked over at Meredith. “For good reason.”

A few of the women in the audience expressed their vociferous disappointment while David thanked them and returned to the table. He had a chagrined look on his face when he sat down. Meredith could see the sheen of sweat on his brow. She felt a stab of pity for him. Poor beleaguered guy with women after him. The thought made her frown. It felt too much like the old days. David took her hand, gently wrapping his fingers around her own.

“I didn’t know anything about that, Merrie. The award, the whole keeping score thing, I swear I had no idea about it. And when I was asked out, I always said no.”

“Aww, shucks, David. How sweet,” crooned Rita.

He gripped her hand, not looking Rita’s way. His beseeching expression tugged at her heart.

She realized he spoke the truth. “I know it was just a joke, David.” His grip on her hand relaxed. He turned and made a funny comment to his producer, while Meredith kept a social smile plastered to her face.

They spent the next two hours visiting with various KVL employees. Soon, the effects of the fortified punch and busy bar began to take effect. Dancers became more daring in their attempts to Swing dance like professionals. Several people limped away from the floor, while a few had to be dragged off. One woman ripped open the back of her tight pants while attempting to do the splits.

Another of the KVL employees jumped onto the platform and grabbed the microphone from the singer. He began to sing off-key, seeming to think he was Frank Sinatra. Meredith watched in amazement when a woman drunkenly climbed on top of her table and proceeded to move in the style of a go-go dancer.

Sending her an embarrassed smile, David grabbed Meredith’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

His words were music to her ears. They made hurried good-byes to their tablemates, and wended their way through the crowd. Once they exited the hotel, she took a breath of the cool, night air, glad to be out in the open.

David drove back to her house, keeping up a stream of droll observations from the party until Meredith clutched her sides from laughing. There was no question of not inviting him into her house when they arrived. She wasn’t ready to let him go.

Inside her living room, she tried to get Bitsy to calm down. David refused her offer of refreshments. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him switch on one of the lamps and go to her CD collection. In a few minutes, smooth jazz filled the room.

David grinned and held his hand out to her. Forgetting about Bitsy, Meredith moved into his arms—feeling both confident and nervous.

“Now this is more like it,” he murmured, holding her close. “We should’ve stayed here and had our own little party.”

Meredith laughed softly and looked up at him. All night, she’d been dreaming of his kiss, and so far it hadn’t materialized. Why wait for him to initiate? Before she could think twice, she stretched up on tiptoe and brushed a feathery kiss across his lips. David’s response was immediate. His arms became like steel bands around her and she was lost in a haze of dizzying sweetness where the only sane thing in a mad world was the pressure of his lips moving against her own.

David ran his hands up her back to tangle them in her hair. He raised his lips. “All night I’ve wanted to kiss the little blue vein at your temple.” He suited action to words. “And the pulse at your throat.” He pressed a lingering kiss at the base of her throat before continuing upward to capture her lips with his once again.

The phone in the kitchen rang. Meredith groaned against David’s mouth. “I’m ignoring it,” she whispered. As the phone continued to ring shrilly, he sighed and rested his chin on her head. He looked over her shoulder at his watch.

“You’re not concerned who might be calling you at nearly midnight?”

Meredith snuggled up against him. “No,” she mumbled. “And I have a bad feeling it has something to do with work.”

The answering machine came on and after the greeting, a female voice. “This is Pat Lane from Cedar Hill Hospital calling for Meredith Ambrose. Our records indicate you’ve worked in the ER before and tonight we need your help. There’s been a major freeway accident and all the area hospitals are on alert to begin accepting casualties. Two of our ER staff are on maternity leave and three others are out sick. If you get this message, please call me back as soon as possible and let us know if you can come in.”

Meredith gave David a tired smile. “See?” She stepped out of his arms and went to the kitchen. Calling the woman back, she told her she’d be in immediately.

David came into the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb. Meredith took consolation that he looked as disappointed as she felt. “I need to change.” She edged past him and went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Stripping off all her finery, she changed into a soft velour sweat suit, knowing she’d be putting on scrubs when she got to the hospital. When she returned to the living room, she found David sitting on the edge of the couch with his hands linked between his knees.

He stood at her entrance, and walked with her out the door onto the front porch. After locking the door, Meredith placed a hand on his chest. “Thank you for tonight. I had a nice time.”

“A nice time, huh?” David covered her hand with his own. He leaned down and kissed her lingeringly one last time before stepping aside to allow her to go to her car.

David walked over to his Jeep and watched while Meredith drove away, more disappointed than she knew. Somehow, in the delight of having her in his arms, he’d neglected to tell her how much he loved her.

***

In the hospital locker room, Meredith yanked on a pair of scrubs and pulled her hair in a ponytail. From there, she walked into chaos. Two ambulances, their flashing lights casting surreal shadows in the night, were parked in the ER bay. A Life Flight helicopter lifted off from the evacuated parking lot, taking a victim to another hospital, its blades a deafening roar.

Meredith learned a five-car pile-up on Highway Eighty had reportedly killed one man and injured at least twelve people, including children. Cedar Hill Hospital was the closest to the site of the accident, but their size meant they could handle only so many patients. Of those, the most critical were stabilized and sent on to the larger facility. The most serious had been transported by helicopter and the others sent to a hospital in Cedar Hill by ambulance.

ER nurses had highly specialized training differing somewhat from the Med-Surg nurses, so Meredith acted in the role of helping hand. She took patients to imaging, made phone calls, and jumped in wherever help was most needed, especially with Pediatric concerns. The night passed in a kaleidoscope of strident voices, frenetic movement, and a constant stream of interruption as the tyranny of the urgent reigned. When the most critically injured patients had been stabilized, they moved on to the less-critical cases. By the time the last patient had been seen, the sun was beginning to lighten the sky.