I'll Be Seeing You (28 page)

I lay my cheek against hers to feel her warmth. "Here, let me help you. Laura’s bringing us some dinner. You need to get something in your stomach." She just lays there motionless for a little bit, not wanting to move.

After Laura arrives with a tray containing a tureen of soup and bowls, she sees that Joy’s awake.

"Hey, sweetie," she says, running her hand over Joy's brow. "How are you feeling?” Laura and I grin upon hearing Joy’s low growl of annoyance.

"Come on, let's have some of Rebecca's chicken soup."

After we get her propped up against some over-stuffed pillows, Laura shares a bowl of soup with her. I leave the two of them and sit in my recliner across the room with a bowl of my own while I log in to the clinic's website to review a few critical patient files.

Laura escorts Joy to the bathroom after dinner, and then takes her back to the bed where she brushes her hair before plaiting it. Laura then takes a warm washcloth and washes Joy’s face, being careful around the eye shield and tape. It’s then that I realize what a truly incredible friend Laura is. She takes care of Joy in every sense of the word and my heart swells as I watch her look at all the medicines, educating herself on dosing schedules.

"She can have one of the codeine now," I say, startling her. She looks over at me, smiles and opens the bottle before dropping a pill into her hand.

"Here, take this, sweetie."

Laura places the pill on Joy's tongue and raises the water bottle to her lips. Afterward, she takes off her shoes and climbs in the bed, lowering herself next to Joy. They both drift off to sleep, and I place a lap blanket over both of them. After making sure Joy is comfortable, I go back to my recliner and take a nap of my own, and when I wake up, the process of taking care of Joy will start over again.

~.~

"Hey, Joy, look what I made you," Maddie says, bounding into the room, plopping herself down on the bed. She places a box in her hand, and Joy slowly opens it. Once she lifts the lid of the small box, she pulls out a disk and begins to examine it, feeling every detail of what’s in her hand.

"What the …" I watch as Joy runs her fingers over it, turning it over and then flips it back again. "What the heck is this, Maddie?"

"I … I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of decorating a new eye shield for you. You know, for the ball," Maddie answers.

"Whoa! You should see it, Joy. It's really beautiful. It matches your dress perfectly," Laura explains. "As you can feel, all the stones are the same shape and size. There are smaller ones along the rim, which are intermittently spaced with deep blue and light green and then blue-green stones cover the rest of the shield. It has the exact same shades of blue and green that's in your dress. It's very well done, Maddie."

Maddie takes the shield, holding it up to Joy’s eye, and looks back at me. "It's perfect, Maddie. Thank you." Bending down, I place an affectionate kiss on top of my sister’s head.

"I was a little worried about how I was going to cover my eye. I didn't want to wear a black one that would make me look like a pirate." Joy bends forward to give Maddie a hug. "Thank you so much, Maddie."

"Well, with only one week to the ball, Matthew said you couldn't remove your shield yet, so I thought we could replace it for the night. Matthew also said the hospital has special glue that we can use to hold the shield in place, so you won't have tape covering the stones," Maddie explains.

"Wow, you've thought of everything, haven't you?" Joy asks, running her fingers over the small stones.

"Your dress arrived, yesterday, as well," Laura chimes in. "I have it here, so we need to get it fitted. Do you feel up to it today? I can get Felix over here to get it done, if you do."

"Yeah, sure. Let me clean up first. Matthew, can we take a shower?" I smile when she says "we" because we've been showering together so that I can help her protect her eye. It's been difficult for me, though, since we've had to abstain while she's recovering. I hope that after I examine her eye tomorrow, she will be all right for some of the more strenuous physical activities, but the slightest pressure to the blood vessels in her eyes could be harmful.

"Absolutely," I answer.

"Laura, I'll be ready in about an hour," Joy says excitedly, getting up from the bed.

After we shower, I carry her downstairs, which probably wasn't necessary, but I'm not taking any chances. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, Felix is there waiting for her. I take this opportunity to go to the clinic to check on my patients since Joy has an entourage in the house right now. After kissing her goodbye, I let her know that I'll be back in a few hours.

"Take care of my girl, Laura," I call from the door, shutting it behind me.

“Always,” she replies.

~,~

"Why don't you change in Matthew's office, Joy? Come, I'll help you," Maddie suggests, taking my hand. I can hear the rustling of the garment bag in her other hand. I’m actually excited to try it on.

"Okay, here we are. Let me help you, so that you don't pull your shield off your eye." When I raise my T-shirt over my face, Maddie guides my shirt, so it doesn't catch on the tape, and I’m ready for the dress.

Once she zips it, I can feel its weight. It feels sleek and comfortable. I don't know what material it is, but it's heavy and flowing. It lies nicely against me.

"Oh, Joy. I don't think you need to do anything other than hem it a little bit. It fits you perfectly," Maddie squeals, smoothing down the draped collar. "Let's go show Laura."

When we get to the living room, everyone agrees with Maddie and I'm glad, because that means I won't have to worry about it being ready by next Saturday. After a few adjustments and suggestions here and there, I remove the dress, hand it over to Felix, and he leaves to begin his alterations. The girls and I sit and gossip for the rest of the afternoon.

We are all excited for the ball, and in preparation, Maddie is going to make us appointments for a day at the spa to get scrubbed and buffed. I suggest to Maddie that her mother joins us too. Judging by Maddie’s squeal, I think she’ll like that.

~.~

Arriving at the airport to pick up my parents, Maddie squeals upon seeing them.

“Matthew, it's so good to see you," my mother says, hugging me tightly.

“Dad,” I say, embracing him next. I let go of him so that Maddie can get her hugs as well.

After we arrive home, Conrad gets over-excited at all the people in the house and I call him over to my side.

"Dad, Mom, I want you to finally meet Brian. This is my mother, Lillian,” my sister says before moving on to our father. Brian shakes my dad's hand, thanking him for the books he sends him on a regular basis. He then turns toward Mom and gives her a hug.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Brian," Mom says while hugging him. "Maddie talks about you incessantly."

I can’t help but notice my mother sneaking peeks at Joy while Maddie does her introduction. But true to decorum, my mother is always on point and waits until Maddie is done.

"Yeah, well, you know Maddie — she's rarely quiet," he says fondly of my sister. "It's one of the things I love about her." I smile when I see the love in his eyes as he looks into hers.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Joy. Joy, these are my parents, Lillian and Leland." I pull her out from her hiding spot behind me and guide her forward toward my parents.

"Joy, dear, I'm so happy to meet you," Mom says, taking Joy's hand, gently pulling her in for a hug.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Davis."

"Dad?" I say, taking Joy to him.

"Joy, you are more beautiful than Matthew said you were. It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady." My father takes her by the shoulders and places a kiss on each cheek. Her blush couldn't be more radiant.

"Very European, Dad," I say with a chuckle. Taking Joy by the hand, I escort her into the living room. Everyone takes a seat, and I play bartender while Brian hands out the drinks.

"So, how’s your eye doing, Joy? Matthew says you're ahead of your recovery schedule and you look like you’re doing well," Mom asks while holding Joy's hand in hers. I can see my mother has already formed an attachment to her.

"I'm doing very well, thank you, Mrs. Davis," Joy answers politely.

My mother leans in and quietly tells Joy to call them Leland and Lillian, forcing another pink blush from her.

"Yes, ma'am."

I give her shoulder a light squeeze when I see her blush.

"So, how long are you in town?" I ask, taking a sip of my Chivas. I glance at Joy as she takes a drink of her soda and lime, which makes her cringe.

"Sorry, baby, you're on meds, and I didn't think you would want to be drinking right now," I whisper in her ear.

"You don't miss a beat, do you?" she giggles, taking another sip.

"I try not to where your health and safety are concerned. Anyway, Mom? Sorry … how long are you here?" I ask again.

"Well, through the ball, of course, and I was thinking, if you didn’t mind, we could stay at your Bainbridge house until after the holidays seeing as we're already here. With Christmas coming up, we could stick around and do Christmas dinner. Everyone could come to the Island for the festivities."

"Dad, what have you done with my mother? Mother wouldn't take off over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Where is she? Tell me now," I tease, eliciting a giggle from my mom.

"Well, Mattie," she says, knowing I hate that name, "I'll have you know that I've decided to start slowing down. With you and Maddie having someone in your lives now, I want to be around to enjoy that. I want to spend more time getting to know them, especially if there are plans for anyone becoming my son or daughter." I think my mother actually blushed just then. I know Joy did, but it doesn't take much for her. I quickly glance at Brian, recalling the conversation we had during our jog and his mentioning of marrying my sister. He lowers his head and takes a drink of his beer.

"Joy, Matthew says you work for Radiant Audio, and that you transcribe books to audio?" my father asks, making an effort to get to know Joy.

"Yes, sir. Um, I work out of my home. It's not too far from Matthew's clinic actually," she explains.

"I met her at the café that's across the street from her apartment and a few blocks from the clinic." I jump in and complete the story of how we met.

"That's so sweet, Matthew," Mom says exuberantly. “They met over coffee.” Her excitement for her children’s love lives is blatantly obvious.

"Mom, stop. You're embarrassing Joy," I chuckle and get up for another drink. "Anyone need a refill?"

After another round of drinks, we head out for dinner, where the girls talk non-stop about the ball, and Joy invites my mother to their spa day festivities. I make a mental note to call the spa to have the bill sent to me and include a few extra treats for my girl. I want Joy totally relaxed and feeling every bit as beautiful as she is.

After dinner, Brian and Maddie leave to go home, and Joy insists that I take her back to her place. She keeps saying she doesn't want to impose on my time with my parents.

"No, I want you here with me, all right?" I sound like I'm whining, and I chuckle at myself.

"Oh, no, Joy. You shouldn't be alone, dear. I would really prefer if you stay with Matthew while we're here. I really want to get to know you, and it would please me to have your company. Besides, while Matthew is at the office, I can stay and take care of you. I would really love that. Did Matthew tell you I'm a doctor, too?"

“Geez, Mom, how can anyone say no to that?”

"Um … well, if you want me to, but I really don't want to intrude on your visit." I take her hand and pull her close to me.

"Joy, don't you know? Don't you know how much I love you and want you with me? I hate it when you aren't here," I whisper in her ear, before raising her chin so her mouth meets mine. Giving her a warm, chaste kiss, is innocent enough in case my parents are watching, but with enough meaning so that she understands.

"I love you too, Matthew."

"Okay, good. No more talk about going home then, okay?"

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

After Matthew and his parents convince me to stay rather than going home to my own place, Leland and Lillian call it a night and head toward their bedroom. Matthew lets Conrad out, and once I put the cocktail glasses in the kitchen sink, we head for bed. Slipping under the covers, I exhale when Matthew wraps his body around mine in a warm and safe cocoon.

"I miss you, baby," he whispers quietly in my ear.

"I miss you too," I return, nuzzling my hips into his feeling his full erection press against me. I can’t help but sigh at the feel of it. It's been so long since we've made love, and I miss the closeness.

"Please, Matthew?" I plead. "We can go slow and easy. I just need to feel you." I bury my face into his neck, raising my body up so that his hardness slips between my thighs, very close to my throbbing entrance. Closing my legs tight, I trap him and begin to move along his thick length.

His breath shudders, and then he rolls me onto my back, lowering his lips to mine. "I need you," he groans into my mouth.

When I part my lips, he wastes no time in showing me through that single kiss just how much he wants me. I feel the tingling begin when his legs part mine, spreading me, and when I feel his hand graze down my torso, finally landing where I need him to touch me the most, I smile knowing what’s to come. His long, gentle fingers slip inside me, and I instinctively constrict around them, throwing my arms around his neck, using his shoulders for support as well as comfort.

"Aw baby, so wet and ready," he purrs next to my ear, and then he finds my mouth again in one of our most passionate kisses yet.

Because of our powerful need for one another, we both find our release in record time, laughing at the world record we may have set.

Afterward, we lie in each other's arms and then he tilts his head to kiss my forehead.

"Thank you, baby. God, I needed that. Do you know hard it's been for me to keep my hands off of you?"

"Me too, Matthew." I say, folding myself into his arms, draping my leg over his hip and snuggling in, ready to drift off to sleep. That is until Conrad whines and barks outside the door.

"There's something wrong. He's trying to telling me something." Jumping up, I slip into my sleep pants that I left on the floor near the bed. I can hear that Matthew's already in his jeans when he opens the bedroom door. As I make my way to the doorway, I hear him open the door downstairs and Conrad runs out, barking intently and ferociously. That's when I hear the screeching of tires and a car's engine as it zooms away.

"What is it, Matthew?" Leland shouts from down the hall.

"I'm not sure, but Conrad took care of it. Scared them away, didn't you, boy?” Matthew rewards Conrad, thanking him for being a good guard dog.

After everything settles down and we all go back to bed, I ask Matthew who he thought it might be. I have my own suspicions, but I want to hear it confirmed.

Just as I suspected, he says, "I can't be positive, but I have a strong feeling it was Emma." After we settle back in bed, he takes me into his arms, bringing the blanket up over us. Snuggling close to me, he reassures me, "Don't worry, she won't be back tonight. I just can't, for the life of me, figure out what it is she wants." I lie and think about it for a short while until I can't stay awake any longer and drift off to sleep.

My sensitivity to smell has me waking to the aroma of coffee. Slipping into my bathrobe, I tie it making my way downstairs. It doesn’t take long before Matthew follows behind me.

"Well, there she is," Lillian says happily. "Come over here, Joy. I've made breakfast. Do you like waffles? Matthew loves them, so I had to please my boy this morning. Besides, the men are cooking us brunch tomorrow before we go to the spa. We can't spend the day getting beautiful for the ball on an empty stomach, especially when they serve us mimosas."

I take a seat at the breakfast bar and enjoy the coffee Matthew sets in front of me before kissing the top of my head.

~.~

"Dad, I still don’t know what you did with my mom," Matthew says.

"I assure you, son, this is your mother. She just realizes that she needs to slow down, and stop missing out on both yours and Maddie's lives any longer. Now that both of you have fallen in love, she doesn't want to miss any more family gatherings. Thanksgiving was special because we took a second honeymoon to Paris," Dad explains as he walks up to Mom, giving her an affectionate hug.

"I didn't know that was a honeymoon trip, Mom." I look at her, and she nods her head as Dad slips behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Joy, dear, I was thinking that you and I could go for a little drive today, maybe stop at Pike Place for lunch or something?" Lillian suggests.

"That sounds good. How about we do lunch first then go for the drive? I was going to have Matthew drop me off at my place this morning, so I can get a few hours of work in."

Joy has been away from home and likely needs some downtime and a few hours won't hurt.

"Sure, I'll drop you off, and Mom can pick you up for lunch."

"I can get in about four hours of work and check in with Mr. White and I'm sure I have bills that need to be paid. My mailbox is probably running over, too." Joy says, running down her mental list.

"Do I have time to shower, Matthew?" she asks, shoving the last of her waffle in her mouth, moving to take her plate to the sink.

"Sure. I don't have to be at the office for another hour."

"I'll be ready in thirty minutes. I'll just leave my clothes and stuff here. Oh, wait, what about Conrad? I need him."

"We'll take the SUV. You go out with Mom today, and I'll swing by the apartment to pick him up and bring him home with me."

"You're the best." Joy kisses me before she turns to go upstairs. Her lips have the flavor of maple syrup, and if my parents weren't in the room, I'd lick the very last bit of flavor off them. I look at my mother and smirk at her grinning at us.

I watch Joy masterfully climb the stairs, and again I'm amazed at how well-adjusted she is in her blindness. I can't wait for the day she runs up those stairs while I chase her to our bed where she jumps, landing in the middle of it. I want to see her face at the wonderment of the world around her. I want to see her look into my eyes while I make love to her, telling her how much I love her. I want to see the love in her eyes when she tells me she loves me.

"What's the matter, son?" my dad asks, bringing me out of my reverie.

I glance at both my parents, then up the stairs to check if Joy closed the bedroom door before I talk to them. I look between my mom and dad before I speak.

"I’m undeniably certain that I can repair Joy's eyesight. There's one small minor problem — she doesn't want any more surgeries. She has emphatically stated that after this one, there will be no more. I know she will see if she would allow me to perform my procedure, but she won't."

"Oh, Matthew, that's wonderful, darling," my mother coos. "What are you going to do?"

"I have a plan. I'm taking her away for New Year's, and I'm going to tell her then. I plan to educate her on the procedure, if I can get past her initial denial. I'm expecting an argument and even expect her to want to leave me. That's how against another surgery she is." I look into her eyes and see sadness and apprehension. "But she'll see, Mom. I'll be able to look into those beautiful golden eyes of hers, and they will be responsive."

"Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, you let me know, all right?" I nod and sigh at the long road I have ahead of me. I don't want to fight with Joy. I just want her to know that she can trust me when I tell her that she will see again, and that she has nothing to fear.

Hearing a door open to one of the upstairs bedrooms, I look up and see her coming down, but what my father says next surprises me. He wants to come down to the clinic and make rounds with me today. Although it was a strange request, I would enjoy having him there.

"Would you like to ride to the office with me, or do you want to drive yourself? Since Mom and Joy are taking your rental, you can use the Jag if you want," I say, not believing what has just come out of my mouth.

"A Jaguar? Sure!” If he wasn't a grown man, and my father, I would say he was about to wet his pants. His reaction reminds me more of a teenager than the man he is. Smirking at him, I wonder if I should rethink the idea, but by the look on his face, I think he will enjoy driving it, so I toss him the keys.

"Wow," my dad says, his eyes wide with excitement. I watch him as he holds the keys up and looks at the Jaguar on the key ring. It's not even a key actually. It looks more like a small metric screwdriver.

"You ready?" I ask, bending down, kissing the top of Joy’s head inhaling her sexy scent. "Mm, you smell good."

"Thanks. Maddie brought me some shampoo the other day." She runs her fingers through her wet hair, bringing it to her nose. Examining the bandage covering her eye, I decide to change it before we leave.

"Hey, let’s change the shield dressing before we go. It's been a few days, all right?"

"Okay, but can I leave it off for a few hours? It sure would feel good getting some air to it, and that can't hurt, right? I'll wear sunglasses to cover it," she promises.

Standing there, I stare at her thinking about the consequences of leaving the patch off her eye for a few hours.

"Let me see how the eye looks first. If it looks free of infection and seepage, then sure, a few hours can't hurt. We can have Mom put it back on for you when she picks you up. Is that all right?" I’m talking into a very happy face right now. She nods in understanding while I clean her eye.

"Mom, when you pick her up, you need to put this clean shield over her eye, all right? But first, put three drops of this into it, and then tape this gauze over her eye and then the shield."

"Yes, son, I do believe I know how to do this," she says smugly.

"I don't know, mom. I mean, you only know how to open a small chest and make the heart beat again. Do you think you can handle bandaging an eye?" I tease. I wouldn't know the first thing about the workings of the human heart, but give me a brain or an eye to operate on … absolutely.

"Okay, go get your son, baby," I say to Joy before placing a kiss on her sick eye. "Dad, I'll see you in a little while. Krista will know where I am if I’m not in my office when you arrive." I say, guiding Joy and Conrad to the garage. 

On the drive to her apartment, I take hold of her hand, rubbing my thumb over the back of it. Raising her hand to my lips, I kiss her knuckles and run my tongue along them.

"What's going on, Matthew?" she asks, looking in my direction with a quizzical brow.

"Oh, not much. I was reminiscing about making love to you last night. How wonderful you make me feel." I squeeze her hand tightly to emphasize my feeling. "I love you very much, you know that, right?"

"Yes, and I love you as well. You make me very happy."

I kiss her hand again and pull the car up to the curb in front of her apartment building. "We're here, baby. Stay there … I’ll get the door for you." After assisting her out of the car, I open Conrad's kennel. When he jumps out, he joyfully runs in circles, pushing his nose into Joy's hand. She instinctively bends down to hug him.

"Hey, there, Conrad. How's my big boy?" I watch as she nuzzles his neck, and he actually puts his paws over her shoulders and nuzzles his head into her neck, hugging her.

After Joy stops at her mailbox to pick up her mail, I escort her and Conrad upstairs. "Don't overdo it today, all right? Just a few hours and please try not to walk too much."

"I won't. If I feel myself getting tired, I'll tell your mom to bring me home, okay?"

"To my house, right?" I ask, needing reassurance.

"Yes, Matthew, to your house," she says with a giggle. Lifting onto her tiptoes, she kisses me, slipping her arms around my back and onto my shoulders.

"You are a mighty fine kisser there, Miss Johnson," I say into her mouth giving her a few more lust-filled kisses before I leave her.

"I need to go before you make me even more late," I say, giving her a peck on her nose. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Now go, will you?" She turns me around and forces me toward the door.

It’s only a short drive to the clinic and after I pull into my parking space, I reach in the backseat for the medical bag that my mother gave me as a graduation gift.

Hearing the chirp the key fob makes when locking the doors, I pull my phone out of my pocket to check for texts or missed calls. Happy there aren't any, I slip it back into the breast pocket inside my suit coat. As soon as I look up, my heart stops and my blood runs cold.

"Well, you’re looking mighty handsome this morning," she coos as she pushes herself off her car, sauntering toward me. "I forgot how sexy you look in a suit."

Physically, she hasn't changed. Her five-inch black heels click on the concrete with each slow, meticulous step. She's allowing me the time to watch her.

“What are you doing here, Emma?"

"Oh, baby, you know exactly what I'm doing here. You've heard my voicemails. You know I want you back and in my bed again. I miss how you feel buried inside me," she says in a breathy voice. When she runs the palms of her hands up my chest to grasp my lapels, I jerk them off me.