Two Days Later

 

 

The two days at Charity's were healing in some ways and harmful in others. Watching their tight family unit left Julie wishing there were another answer for her and Simon. The thought of starting over with someone new left her feeling far too old and tired to deal with all that drama.

Charity dropped her off at the house and pulled her into a tight hug in the front seat before sitting back and giving her a sad smile. "This isn't going to be over anytime soon, but you're strong, Jules. Elijah and I stand behind you one hundred percent. If you need anything, anything at all..."

"I know. I appreciate you both. Love you." Julie forced a smile and got out of the car, toting her bags to the front door and steeling her resolve. Simon's stuff would be gone, which was a good and bad thing.

It would be the beginning of the healing process for her, but the idea of having to go at it alone – without him – was terrifying in some ways. Ten years of marriage down the drain. She paused at the front door and took a shaky breath. "You can do this. You were something special before Simon and you'll be something special after him." She pushed the door open and walked into the house as the smell of his cologne rushed in and wrapped around her.

She groaned and dropped her bags before pressing her back to the nearest wall and breathing in deeply again, greedy to coat her insides with the memory of him. The vision of him pleading a few days before rolled over her and she let out a soft cry. Seeing him in pain was almost too much, and whether he deserved it or not, she still hated it with a passion.

Opening her eyes slowly, she scanned the dining room and found his trophies from college still up on the piano, his degrees still on the wall. She walked through the house and realized quickly that nothing had changed. He hadn't taken anything with him.

"Why? It's your shit. You were supposed to take it. I don't want these reminders everywhere." She choked on the burning press of anger that rose up her chest and lodged itself in her throat. "What the hell?"

After walking through the bedrooms, the living room and the kitchen, she found the small white note he left stuck to the fridge.

 

Jules,

I'm sorry I didn't move my stuff out. I couldn't. I'm sorry.

I love you,

Simon

 

"What? It wasn't a request, but a demand." Her sadness burned into fiery hot anger. After all he had done to her and now he thought he had the right to deny her the one request that would help her move on?

She walked to the front door and dropped down, pulling out her cell phone and texting him to meet her at the small coffee shop down from the hospital in an hour. He responded with nothing more than 'K'.

"Okay? Okay? Oh hell no!" She dropped the phone and walked to her room and fury tore at her insides. "Did he spray his cologne all over the house?"

She breathed in deeply, loving the smell, and hating herself for it.

Trying to catch her breath, she sunk down on the edge of their bed and pressed her fingers to her face. There was no way she was crying another tear for him. He was the one that took their relationship and destroyed it in a moment of stupidity. She was done suffering for the loss of what could have been. He made his bed and he could lay in it.

Julie got up and took a quick shower before transforming herself from the sad, depressed wife to a strong, capable doctor. She pulled her favorite scrubs from her drawer and dressed quickly, applied a little bit of makeup and pulled her hair into the type of messy bun she knew he adored.

If he wanted to jack with her emotions, she was going to return the favor. The mourning was over.

 

 

"How can I help you, Doc?" The handsome young guy at the coffee shop smiled shyly as he watched her.

"Double shot of espresso with a touch of coconut milk." She reached in her purse to pull out a card as Simon's voice lifted beside her.

"Make it two and I'm buying." He extended the card to the guy, who looked at her as if to make sure she was good with it.

"I'll get a muffin too. Make it two actually." She shrugged and turned to look at her soon-to-be ex. "Is there some reason my house smells like you dumped vats of your cologne in the living room and kitchen?"

He signed the form the barista handed him and stood back up. "I know you're pissed. I can explain."

She smiled at the cashier and walked toward a small table, taking a seat and watching Simon intently. His scrubs stretched across the swell of his chest, accentuating the sexy muscles beneath his clothing. "Julie, it's not as easy as you think. I can't just walk through the fucking home we've been building for ten years and take stuff out. It doesn't work like that for me." He reached for her hands and she pulled them back, tucking them under the table.

"Yes, it’s that easy. You fucked a plastic receptionist at the hospital where we work. We're done and you have two more days to get your stuff out of the house. If it's not gone by Sunday when I have another day off... I'm throwing it in the yard and starting a bonfire. Do you hear me?" Her voice had risen, but he didn't seem to care.

"Then burn it. I'm not taking my stuff out of the house. I'm not giving up on us and I'm not letting you move on. I made a huge mistake. I realize that, but I'm willing to do anything to get you back." He leaned forward, the challenge in his eyes causing her stomach to tighten. She had seen that look only a few times, but each one left her wanting to encounter it again.

He was so far beyond sexy, his masculine features contorted in a grimace of dominance, his shoulders stiff as the muscles bunched up in his shirt.

"Two double shots with coconut milk?" a female barista called and Simon got up, letting out a soft growl of displeasure as he walked to the bar and picked them up. He thanked the girl and returned to the table, popping the top on hers and taking a sip before handing it to her.

"You need a sugar. You're not going to like that." He sat down and licked at his perfect mouth.

"Don't tell me what I like. You don't know anything about me anymore," Julie barked at him and got up, walking to get a sugar and ignoring the satisfied look on his face. "I'm not kidding about your stuff, Simon. Come get it and take it to your whore's house."

He popped the top on his drink and picked it up, shaking his head. "I'm not with anyone, Jules."

"It's Julie. Don't call me Jules. That part of our lives is over."

"Pam isn't the woman I want. I made a huge ballistic mistake because you and I hadn't touched in two months." He leaned forward. "I'm not validating my actions, but you cannot begin to tell me you didn't realize we were growing apart."

"We're surgeons at a crazy-busy hospital." She slapped the table between them and glared at him. "Of course we're growing apart. When’s the last time you took me to dinner? Got me flowers? Ran a hot bath for us to share? I'm the one that should have found someone to treat me like a woman deserves to be treated." The vision of the two of them in the bath warmed her in a way she didn’t want to be heated. Tears filled her eyes and she put the top back on her drink and stood. "I'm done with this conversation. We both made mistakes that led to this point, but you... you put the nails in the coffin. You've taken everything I planned for us and burned it in front of me."

"Julie." He stood too and moved around the table, pulling her close as everyone seemed to look their way. "I love you so fucking much. Please just hear my apology and give me a chance to win you back. Please. I'm not going to give up. I can't."

"Have a good day, Dr. Paulk. Thanks for breakfast." She pulled from him and forced her emotions back down inside of her. The buzz of her phone caused her to pause as she pulled it from her purse.

Simon's phone buzzed too and sickness rolled through her stomach. She was needed at the hospital, Stat. Brain trauma from a three-car pileup and a ten-year-old boy was slipping fast. "Shit. I have to go."

"Me too. Let me drive us so we get there fast. Wilson boy?"

"Yes." She grabbed her stuff and ignored her desire to slap him and tell him to back the hell up. A child's life was at stake and nothing mattered besides getting to the hospital and helping him.

They half jogged out the front door and made their way to Simon's Lexus. Julie got in the front seat and buckled up before tearing her muffin in half and offering one of the chunks to the good-looking asshole in the seat next to her.

"Thanks," he mumbled and shoved the whole thing in his mouth before pulling out into the early morning traffic. They were a couple of blocks from the hospital, but traffic was heinous as per usual.

Simon started to choke and reached for his drink, taking a long swig as Julie's words left her before she could stop them.

"You shouldn't put so much in your mouth. You were liable to choke." She ignored the desire to hear his usual reply, praying like hell he wouldn't say it.

I know something I’d love to choke on... you.

"Thanks," he mumbled and adverted his gaze from her.

Sadness flooded her at the loss of all they had created, but she forced herself not to go there. She worked on quietly eating her muffin and praying they wouldn't be too late to help the kid. Going into surgery would be good for her, and working next to Simon wouldn't be a big deal at all. They had learned a long time ago how to separate themselves from being anything other than life-savers in the midst of tragedy.

They wouldn't be going into the OR broken or on the brink of divorce, but as two independent, strong and capable surgeons on a mission.

He parked the car at the front of the ER and jumped out, tossing his keys to Julie.

"Get someone to park it for us and I'll meet you up there. I'll work the saw today."

She nodded and stopped by the front desk, giving the keys to one of the attendants and nodding toward the car. "Park it for us. We've been called in for an emergency."

"Of course, Dr. Paulk. Good to see you back."

"Thanks." Julie jogged toward the OR and walked in as Simon was leaving the wash room and walking into the large operating room. The kid on the bed was jerking back and forth, which broke her heart. She washed up quickly and released all concern or thought for anything but the baby on the table.

"Time to work a miracle." She said a small prayer and walked in, taking her place across from Simon and moving to the commands he barked out.