“She’s going to be just fine. She just had a little bump, then felt disoriented but we think it was more from the anxiety of the medics and ambulance than the injury. Her vitals all look great and she’s doing well. No concerns on the CT scan. We are going to have her rest a bit, then send her home.”
“May we see her?” I just need to lay eyes on her, see for myself that she’s alright, then these knots, this sick feeling will leave my stomach.
“Of course. Let me show you the way.”
We find her room. She’s sitting up in the bed, happily drinking from a straw. “Hey guys!”
She’s fine. I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “You gave us a scare!”
“I’m sorry. I’m more upset that the surprise is ruined than the fact that I fell. Oh man, I had the cutest decorations I was going to set up for you. What a waste!” She brings her palm to her face.
I have to give a laugh at that. “You’re lying in a hospital bed and you’re worried about decorations for me?”
“You’ve just worked so hard. Tomorrow is going to be a special day and I just wanted you to know how proud we are of you.”
Rawley wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. “We really are, baby.” He kisses the top of my head.
Pride and joy well in my chest. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, and it feels damn good to have them cheering me on. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Miranda and Shane arrive and we help them get Lexi to the car to take her home.
She gives me a wave from Shane’s arm. “See you tomorrow, Doctor Emmeline.”
I wake the next morning, checking in on Lexi first thing. She answers the phone, her voice sounding bright and healthy. “Hey there, Miss Emmeline, MD. Ready for your big day?”
“As soon as I know you’re okay, I am.”
She gives a giggle. “Shane’s kissing my boo boos right now. Lower…lower.”
“Ugh. Gross. You bumped your head, not your vagina.”
She gives a laugh. “I’m just teasing you. I feel great!”
Same old Lexi. She’s just fine.
Now, to take care of some other business. I wake Rawley, gently tugging at his shoulder. “Wake up, daddy.”
He turns towards me, offering a sexy smile. “Hey there, grad.”
And he kisses the words right off my lips.
His hands go to my waist, tugging at my pj pants. “Mmm, let’s celebrate.”
“Yes, let’s.” I go to take off his shirt, but we’re interrupted by a knock on the door. It’s Ms. Robbins bringing me flowers and wishing me luck today. Almost as soon as I close the door, there’s another knock on and it's a dozen buttercream cupcakes with little plastic graduation caps on their tops, delivered from the local bakery, courtesy of Lexi. Then another delivery from Miranda, a bouquet of gorgeous yellow roses with a sweet note.
We rush to dress, meeting Katie and Darius for a pre-graduation brunch at Hardware Diner.
My tummy is a bundle of nerves, we drive to the ceremony. Rawley takes me to my seat, leaving me with a kiss.
I wait my turn, wringing my hands.
Emmeline Arlington.
I walk across that stage, my head held high, knowing the sacrifices I’ve made, that my grandmother made, to get me to this moment. When they hand me my certificate, I hold it up to the sky for a moment.
This one's for you, Grandma.
When the ceremony ends, I’m surrounded by people showering me with their congratulations. I can’t find a quiet moment to make my confession.
The celebration that follows takes my breath away, making the lease I’ve signed fall from my mind. It’s more than I ever would have hoped for, and almost I have to pinch myself to know that it’s real, that he’s real.
Rawley rented out his brother’s restaurant, Opulence, and invited all our friends and family. We eat and drink and dance the night away, all the while a sense of pride filling my belly for my accomplishment, and a deep love filling my heart for my doting boyfriend daddy.
He’s everything I could have ever hoped for in a man.
And he’s all mine.
He’s taken off two weeks this summer so we can spend time together before I start my grueling first year of residency, working long shifts at the hospital here in Vegas. After four long years of med school, it will be a welcome staycation, watching movies and sleeping in, tangled up together, our hands constantly on one another.
As we say goodbye to everyone and leave the graduation celebration, I know the time has come to tell him about my new place.
We get in the back of his car, a little tipsy and grinning ear to the ear from the killer party he’s just thrown me. The driver pulls from the curb of Vegas, Baby, ready to take us back to his apartment, but instead of taking the left we need to, the driver keeps going.