I pulled into the JFK Medical Center parking lot around two. This time, I parked the car in the visitor’s lot and entered the building through the front doors. In the gift shop, I purchased a large bouquet of yellow roses, some fashion magazines, and a few candy bars. Then I asked the receptionist for information on a room number and headed to the third floor.
I found room 312 just off the elevator, around the corner from the nurses’ station. The door hung slightly ajar, and I gave it a soft tap with my knuckle.
“Knock, knock,” I said softly as I walked across the threshold. “Anyone here?”
“Davis?”
Samantha rose from the armchair in the corner of the room as she saw me enter. She held her index finger to her lips and dashed across the room. “Shh. She’s still sleeping,” she whispered. “The doctor says that’s the best thing for her at this point.”
“Okay,” I said, and backed out of the room. Samantha followed me into the busy hallway and pulled the door partially closed. “I know you didn’t invite me to come, but I couldn’t resist.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“What can I say? Sometimes, being stubborn is one of my better qualities.”
She hesitated then pointed at the gifts I held. “What’s all this?”
“Oh, nothing.” I presented her the flowers, candies, and magazines. “Just a little something. I thought you all would be bored and…well…I didn’t really know what do to.”
She took the items from me. “No, it’s great. It’s—it’s so nice of you.”
“I wanted to do it. I’ve been thinking about you a lot. And your mom.”
“She’s still very weak.” Samantha looked back at the room then at me. “It’s not only the emphysema. The doctor says she has a severe case of pneumonia, and they are worried because with her reduced immune system, it can be fatal.” She sighed. “And I feel like we are in this big waiting room with no end. Just sitting here, staring at each other. It’s…it’s awful. I was supposed to work today and”—she shrugged—“they said they’d understand. They always do.”
“It’s okay to take a day off occasionally.”
“You don’t understand, Davis. I can’t afford to. I keep waiting for the day when they tell me they can’t accommodate my requests anymore. It’s excruciating.”
She was right. I didn’t understand what that was like, and I likely never would. Not with the kind of access and unlimited benefits that came with being an Armstrong. We’d always had whatever we needed, and most of what we wanted.
“It’s not like you’re at home sleeping in and drinking champagne,” I offered, trying to lighten the mood.
She gave me a weak smile. “You don’t know how much I wish I was. It would be heaven.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I lowered my voice as I focused only on her. “Listen, I have an idea. Why don’t we go somewhere and talk?” I gestured toward the door. “Your mom’s asleep, and you said you haven’t had a chance to relax. I saw on the hospital map in the elevator there’s a central courtyard on the first floor. Why don’t we go there for a little while?”
“Well, I—”
“You can’t stay cooped up in a hospital room all the time. You need fresh air too, Sam.”
She regarded me for a breath. “Okay, that will work. You’re right, I need to get out of here.”
Fatigue and anxiety pulsated through my body. I needed sleep and relief from the worry. I also needed fresh air. And, as we walked through the hospital toward the central garden, the thought occurred to me that I might need Davis Armstrong too.
The fact was, Davis represented what had been some of the happiest times of my life. Many of my best childhood memories included him, like the time we went to Disney World for the day as a surprise for his birthday, or the summer after third grade, when he helped me learn how to swim in the lap pool on his grandfather’s property. Davis and I had been friends—and I didn’t have many of those anymore. My life hadn’t left much time for them.
And of course, Davis and I had also been more than friends. When we walked into the small garden in the center of the property, I felt marginally better already.
“Thanks for checking in on me and my mom,” I said as we took a seat on a metal bench in the middle of the space. Around us were carefully landscaped boxwoods, tropical plants, and bougainvillea centered around a fountain and a few bistro tables. For hospital grounds, it was very refreshing.
“You’re welcome. I had just enough time to stop in before my tee time at Everglades.” He tried to hide a mischievous smile, and I heard the sarcasm in his voice.
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to miss that.”
“Never. That would be a disaster.”
“Worse than that, right? Apocalyptic.”
He shrugged. “Probably a better description for my game. It’s pretty rusty.”
“Not a lot of time to practice in Cambridge, right? You’ve gotta hit the books if you’re going to pass law school.”
“Can’t say I really did that, either. You might remember I hated studying. Still do. And in law school, that’s pretty much all you do.”
I turned my bottom lip downward in a mock pout. “Poor baby.”
“Don’t worry, I know you don’t pity me. I don’t pity myself.”
We fell silent for a few moments, and I listened to the light chirping of the tropical birds that lived in the leafy palms and vines planted in the courtyard. They sounded so carefree and content. It was intoxicating, and I envied them.
“I could stay here forever,” I said underneath my breath. “This is really nice.”
“It is,” he replied, and for the first time, Davis’s arm wound its way around my shoulders as we sat on the bench.
The action heightened all my senses and pushed me to a level I hadn’t known in a long time with any man. That wasn’t the kind of thing someone did with a friend. It was a step across an invisible line, and we hadn’t been there since we were teenagers.
But I didn’t pull away. Instead, I angled my body toward him. In that moment, it was as if the years between us had never happened. As if we were just there, and I felt like I was home again.
I’ve missed this man so much. I’ve missed my best friend. And he’s here. Now.
“I thought you’d forgotten me,” he whispered. “I thought you’d shut me out forever. But here you are, Samantha. You’re back in my life, and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Me too,” I replied, my gaze locked onto his. “I didn’t realize I needed this, but I do.”
“It’s why I pursued you, Sam. Seeing you again showed me how much I’d missed you. I want a future with you,” he breathed.
He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger then drew my mouth to his. His lips found mine, and we melded together on the bench. The kiss was deep and needy, the solidification of what I’d suspected in the back of my mind for the last few days. We still had fire between us, and while it might have lain dormant, the embers still had a heat that couldn’t be matched.
“Sam,” he murmured against my lips. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
He crushed his lips against mine again, and this time the fire grew. He wrapped me in his arms, and it felt like heaven. There had never been anyone else. Nothing else. The attraction between us shut out the rest of the world.
“Whatever you need,” he said against my lips. “Whatever you want. You can have it. Just tell me. I’ll make it happen for you.”
I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Kindness, reassurance, and confidence radiated back at me. “I need—”
“Paging Miss Samantha Green, paging Miss Samantha Green,” barked a hospital intercom system. It sounded like it came from a hiding place in the trees, and it yanked me out of the moment. “Miss Green, if you are in the building, please come to room 312 immediately.”
“Oh God.” I stood from the bench. “Mom.”