The Noel Bridge

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

A fter her busy day with Leo and Evelyn’s family, Alicia had gone back to Evelyn’s apartment and fallen asleep early. The next morning, she awoke feeling refreshed and ready to go back to the hospital to finish the project she’d started for the Fergusons.

When she arrived at St. Francis West, she checked in at the front desk, then went upstairs to their floor.

“Good morning! Thank you for coming back,” Dr. Rose said with a big smile, greeting Alicia as she walked into the office. “I’m off to see patients, but don’t leave today until Mitchell and I get to say goodbye.”

“Okay.” Alicia dropped her handbag on the floor and took a seat at Dr. Rose’s desk.

She got straight to work and input data all morning. She set up the pages in the system to permit hospital staff to pull information on patients with the push of a button. She implemented dual functionality to allow the data to be pulled and updated from multiple locations to build patient portfolios. As long as the patient was seen at that hospital, their charts could be opened by any department. She input all the staff data, assigning them each a log-in, and set them up with message options so they could converse through VeraPro.

She finished with the system a little faster than expected, so she began to build and save various reports for the Fergusons.

By early afternoon, she needed to stretch her legs, so she went out to find the Fergusons to show them how the system worked. She walked the hallways until she reached Dr. Mitchell in a patient’s room. She stopped outside the open doorway out of view and waited for him to finish.

“I’ll be back in just a second with a warm blanket, Mrs. Capowski,” he said.

A nurse was sitting nearby at the counter, filling out yet another paper form on a clipboard.

When the doctor entered the hallway, Alicia fell in line with him. “Shouldn’t your nurse get the blanket for the patient?” She knew they were shorthanded, but certainly there was someone else who could do it.

“Of course,” he said. “But they’re my patients too. I don’t want them to see me only when it’s time for their medical procedure. I’d rather they know me as a man first, so I spend a little longer doing things for them, having conversations.” He stopped at a cabinet and took two folded blankets from it. “I’ll be right back.” He left her in the hallway and took the blankets to his patient.

Once he returned, she asked him to come back to the office. “I’d like to show you and Dr. Rose the system. It’s all up and ready to go.”

Dr. Mitchell paged his wife, and once the three of them were in the office, Alicia started showing them how VeraPro worked.

Dr. Mitchell watched with a skeptical look on his face. “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks,” he said.

“It’s easier than you think. See that button?” She pointed to a spot on the screen. “Click that.”

Dr. Mitchell tapped the mouse to select the button. The patient data loaded and both the doctors’ eyes widened.

“It can sort this information any way you like.” She moved the cursor over the various options. “And since I had extra time, I went ahead and built your individual employee portal.” She pressed another button. “All the nurses are loaded in. Now if you want to send them a message, you just type it here and it will push through on their screen for them to see when they log in.”

Dr. Rose leaned toward the screen and began moving the mouse around, selecting different options, gasping with giddy excitement. “Mitchell, this is incredible.”

“It does look rather easy,” Dr. Mitchell said.

“I could train someone in data entry before I leave, and they could take the manual home and study it—that’s what I did. Do you have a staff member who’s pretty tech savvy?”

Dr. Mitchell scanned the room as if he were looking for an answer.

“Toby Simmons might be good,” Dr. Rose said.

“Yes, he’d catch on pretty quickly, I’m sure of it,” Dr. Mitchell agreed.

“All right. I’m going to text Tabitha and see if her break lines up with mine. When I get back, I’ll show Toby what to do.”

“Perfect,” Dr. Mitchell said. “And tell Tabitha to take her break now. You two deserve some time to catch up. It’s the least I can do.”

“I’ll tell her.” Alicia grabbed her coat and went to find her old friend .

At the other end of the hallway, she found Tabitha and told her Dr. Mitchell had given her a break.

“Whoa, he must like you,” she said, grabbing her coat from the rack in the break room. “He’s as sweet as he can be, but he’s all business when it comes to spending time with patients or taking extra time off.”

“Well, I got his VeraPro system up and running.”

Tabitha’s eyes widened. “You got him on a computer?” She laughed. “I figured he’d end up retiring before he ever used one.”

“I showed him a few of the things it can do, and he was hooked.”

They stepped into the elevator and went down to the ground floor to get coffee. Then they walked outside to take a lap around the hospital.

“How long are you staying?” Tabitha asked.

Alicia wrapped both hands around the cup to keep warm. “I’m going home tomorrow.”

“I wish you worked here. No one else would bust me out of my job and walk the snowy grounds with me.”

Alicia did too… She enjoyed working for the Fergusons so much. Could she live on a lower salary? It would be impossible with her debt. She tried to imagine what would it be like to step back into her old life after this experience in Noel. Would she slip back into her memories of Bo, the walls caving in on her again?

Toby caught on to VeraPro quickly, and Alicia felt accomplished as she drove back to Evelyn’s apartment to get ready for her date with Leo. He’d texted that he’d be done working at the diner and picking her up early, by four. She hurried into the apartment, chatted with Evelyn briefly, and then started getting ready.

“Where’s he taking you?” Evelyn asked from the doorway as Alicia fastened her earring.

“He said it was a surprise.”

Evelyn let out a swooning sigh. “That’s so romantic.”

Alicia’s heart quickened at her comment. Was she ready for romantic?

“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Evelyn continued.

Alicia turned to her friend, thankful that she’d run into her at the coffee shop that day. “I promise, I’ll tell you everything.”

A few minutes later, she was standing on the corner waiting for Leo. He pulled up beside her, and she climbed in.

“How was your day?” he asked after she’d gotten settled.

“It was great. I was very productive.” The time she’d spent talking to the Fergusons and Tabitha had been one of the highlights of the trip. “I really love working there.”

“I hear they’re short-staffed,” he said, looking over at her quickly and then back to the road. “I’m sure they’d offer you a job.”

“They did, actually, but I have a director of nursing position back home, and I need to take it. It’s a promotion, and I could really use the higher salary.”

He nodded and continued driving.

“How was your day?” Alicia asked.

“Busy,” he said with a smile. “But that’s a good thing. It was Dad’s dream to open the diner, and I’m glad he gets to see it while he still remembers.”

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s happy to be home. And his caregiver is only a little younger than him, and he keeps flirting with her.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “He told her he liked her hair this morning.”

Alicia laughed.

“She humors him.” He stopped at the red light. “I left them playing checkers when I came to get you.”

“Your dad is such a sweet man. I’d love to see him one more time before I go.”

The light turned green, and he continued down the main road. Then he turned into a lot encircled by red-and-white candy-cane flags.

“We’re ice skating?”

“Have you ever been?” he asked, putting the vehicle in park and cutting the engine.

“I haven’t.”

“I haven’t either, so we’ll be a good pair.”

They got out of the SUV and walked up to the skate rental booth. Leo paid, and they gave the woman their shoe sizes. After she handed them their skates, they went over to a nearby bench to put them on.

Alicia slid a foot into the skate and laced it up, taking in the moment with Leo, sad this was their final evening together.

When he’d gotten his skates on, Leo stood. “Be right back.”

Alicia put on her other skate and lined her shoes up next to his under the bench. She peered out at the ice in front of her. Only a few couples were on the rink today, which was different from when she’d first arrived in Noel. A lot of the Christmas visitors had gone home, and the next mass of weekend bridge tourists hadn’t come into town yet. The lull gave her a chance to focus on the few people who were there. An elderly couple sat on a bench across the platform, chuckling and pointing at a young girl as she twirled in front of them. A couple in the center held hands as they steadied each other. At the far end, a group roasted marshmallows around a massive firepit. The sights calmed her busy mind.

“Here you go,” Leo said, returning with two cups. “It’s peppermint cream cocoa and, apparently, it’s to die for.” He handed her one. “It’ll keep us warm.”

She took a sip of the smooth, chocolatey goodness, the sweet peppermint tingling against her tongue. “This is delicious.”

He squinted as he swallowed his sip. “I taste vanilla, sweet cream, and dark chocolate… I’ll bet it’s a simple recipe.” He took another drink. “Dad loves peppermint. Maybe we could try to reverse engineer it for him later. I could put my old culinary skills to work.”

“That would be fun.”

He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

Alicia took his hand and they hobbled to the ice. She relished his warm grip. His touch didn’t feel foreign but comfortable, familiar. No one had held her hand this long since Bo, and the action should have felt strange. Maybe it was just being back in Noel and the holiday season making her feel relaxed.

Leo stepped off the platform first. He stabilized himself and then she joined him. She struggled to get a foothold on the slick surface, gripping her drink in one hand and his arm with the other. After she got her bearings, she began to move slowly with him along the edge of the rink. Soon they were skating with the other visitors while holiday music played above them.

She tried to hold the moment—along with the smell of burning embers from the fire mixed with the sweet peppermint and chocolate from her beverage and the unique scent of winter—so it would keep her warm on the cold nights in Savannah.

To anyone watching, Alicia and Leo probably appeared to be just another happy couple who had known each other for years—holding hands and ice skating with their warm beverages. They definitely didn’t look as if they’d met less than two weeks ago. But the thing was, she felt as if they’d known each other longer. Of all the people she knew in Savannah, she didn’t know half of them as well as she knew Leo, and she definitely didn’t feel relaxed with them. Some people must come into our lives meant to reach us on another level, and Leo was one of those people.

A tug at her arm pulled her from her thoughts. Leo was unsteady. His wobble caused her to sway to the side to try to keep him from falling, but with both of them trying to hold on to their hot cocoas, they were struggling to keep each other upright. Reaching for him, she dropped her cup, and the hot liquid oozed onto the ice as she pawed for him on their way down. His cup flew out of his hand, and she fell on top of him in a lump, both of them erupting in laughter.

His hands gripped her sides as she lay on his belly, looking down at him. “If I had to make you fall, at least I was able to cushion it,” he said, his eyes sparkling with humor and affection.

She giggled. “Thank you.”

A couple skated around them, but their presence barely registered. She didn’t pay attention either to their spilled drinks, the cold, or the Christmas music. In her view, it was just the two of them. And in that moment, she knew how hard it would be to leave him.

“How are we going to get up?” she asked.

Leo stretched his legs straight underneath her, gripped her waist, and sat up. As he did, he moved her to the side of him. She scooted her legs under her until she was sitting on her knees. Bending his legs, he hoisted himself to a standing position and then reached for her hands. Gently, and still slightly unsteady, he helped her get up.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, her stomach flipping.

He let her go and skated over to the cups, scooped them up, and stacked them. He tossed them over the side of the rink into a nearby bin, then returned to her, taking her hand once more.

“How cold are you after lying on the ice?”

“I’m fine,” she lied. She wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.

He gestured to the firepit in the back corner that was now vacant. “Want to go warm up?”

“That does look very inviting.”

He led her to the back area and offered her one of the chairs around the fire.

She sat down, the heat a welcome relief. The wood cracked and popped in the golden flames in front of her as she took off her gloves and held her icy-cold hands out to warm them.

While she thawed, Leo went to a nearby table and loaded a tray with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. He brought it over to her and then wobbled back on his skates to grab two skewers.

He sat down next to her and leaned their skewers against the firepit. Alicia broke the chocolate bar into squares and placed them on the tray while Leo threaded marshmallows onto their skewers. Setting the tray on the table next to her, she recalled her observation about this rink when she’d first arrived. Now here she was, one of the happy ones. She wondered again if visiting the bridge had anything to do with the incredible change in her life and the lives of those around her.

After they’d eaten more s’mores than they probably should’ve and they’d skated around the rink a few more times, she could hardly feel her fingers. Even the firepit wasn’t keeping them warm, so they had to go somewhere to warm up.

“Want to get dinner?” he asked, as they stood at his SUV. “My treat.”

With every minute she spent with Leo, her heart ached at the thought of going home. She’d finally stopped feeling awful, and she didn’t want to go back home feeling low about leaving Leo. She’d come so far. But she also needed time to think everything over.

“I think I should probably get back and pack. My flight’s pretty early in the morning, and I have to drive to Knoxville to catch it.”

She could see the deliberation in his eyes: he didn’t want to take her back yet. She didn’t want him to take her back either, but staying with him any longer would only make it harder to say goodbye.

He opened the passenger door and she got in. Quiet, he drove her home. The unsaid words were heavy between them, but she didn’t know what else to do. When they arrived at Evelyn’s apartment, she turned to him.

“Thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome.”

As she took in the intensity of his gaze, she’d never met anyone she felt more herself with. Even being with Bo hadn’t felt like this. What should she say? See you around? That wasn’t true. Should she ask him to keep in touch with her? It just didn’t seem to fit.

“I’m so glad I met you,” she finally said, the sting of sadness rising in her chest.

Don’t cry , she scolded herself.

“Likewise.” His jaw clenched, a lot clearly on his mind. “You know where to find me.”

“Tell your dad I said goodbye.” She swallowed, the word “goodbye” tearing through her.

He nodded.

She opened the door and stepped out onto the curb. With a wave, she shut the door and Leo drove off down the street.

She couldn’t help herself, so she stood there and watched him go, wishing she’d said something better, something to let him know how much he’d changed her, but at the same time, not having any idea what she could’ve said differently.

Then his break lights flashed and he pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Leo got out and started jogging toward her.

“Did I forget something?” she asked when he reached her.

“No. I did.” He put his hands on her face and drew her close, looking into her eyes for permission.

As if he needed it.

Her breath left her. She knew she shouldn’t let this moment happen because things were moving quickly, and she had to go back to Savannah. But her heart overpowered her mind, and she leaned in just enough to give him the go-ahead. Leo pressed his lips to hers, more purposeful than last time, and every thought left her mind. All she could think about was the perfection of his lips moving on hers, their mouths working in flawless unison. She hadn’t really had any question before, but now she was certain Leo was someone she could easily spend every day with and never tire of him.

He finally pulled back and offered her a soft smile.

“I just figured you could take that memory with you when you go,” he said. “And, like I said, you know where to find me.”

“Yes,” she said, still trying to catch her breath and make her brain work again.

He gave her one more light kiss and then hovered over her lips. “Bye, Alicia.”

“Bye,” she whispered.

He turned around and walked back to his SUV, got in, and drove away.