Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Eventually, I brought her back to the hotel. While I’d had every intention of going into the casino and teaching her a little more about gambling, I had reached the end of my rope. So, I dragged her to the elevator murmuring, “I need you naked. Now.”
We spent the rest of the night fucking, making love, and talking. As the sun rose in the sky, my chest began to tighten and it became harder to take deep breaths.
I wanted to take her to my suite and chain her to the bed. To keep her close and never let go. But, joining Doctors Without Borders showed her deep dedication to being a doctor and her love and compassion for others. If I kept her from going, it would be like asking her to be someone other than the woman I loved.
Well fuck. That thought came out of nowhere. It probably should have shocked me, but it only felt right. I opened my mouth to tell her at least a dozen times while she was getting ready and finishing up her packing. Each time, I held it back knowing it wasn’t the right time.
“Will you call down to the front desk and have them order me a cab, please?” Autumn requested as she zipped up her small suitcase.
“I already have a car waiting for you, sunshine,” I replied as I walked over to her and lifted the bag off of the bed. I took her into my arms and simply held her, memorizing the way she felt pressed against me, deeply inhaling her sweet scent so I wouldn’t forget the smell.
“You really are connected here,” she mused with a small smile. Then her brow furrowed minutely. “What do you do again?”
In all the time we’d spent together, I’d managed to avoid this conversation, always telling myself there would be a better time. Now, my time had run out and there was no fucking way I was going to take the chance of making her angry right before she left me for a year.
“I have my hand in a lot of things and it comes with perks,” I hedged, then kissed her passionately in an attempt to distract her. Her hazy eyes and sweet smile indicated that I’d succeeded.
“Come on, baby,” I urged as I grabbed her suitcase with one hand and she laced our fingers together with the other. “Before I give in to temptation and lock you up so you can’t leave.”
Autumn chuckled and shook her head. “I’m sure you’d get sick of me sooner or later.”
I stopped abruptly and gave her a hard stare. “That will never happen. Autumn, you are the most beautiful, incredible woman I have ever met and don’t think, not for one second, that I won’t be counting the days until you return.”
Her brown eyes widened, filling with wonder and delight. “You want to see me when I get home?” she asked, her tone breathless.
I shook my head in exasperation. “Haven’t you heard me at all, sunshine? When you get home, you’re mine.” I began leading her to the door, finished with this conversation and she didn’t protest. As we rode the elevator down, I held her hand tightly in mine, constantly lifting it to brush my lips across her knuckles.
In much too fast a time, I was helping her into the black town car with my personal driver at the wheel. I kissed her one last time, putting every bit of my need, possession, and determination into it. Then I forced myself to let her go. As the car disappeared into traffic, I realized I hadn’t given her my phone number. She didn’t even know my last name. But she’d told me when she was due back from her year with Doctors Without Borders.
When the time came, I would find her.
8
Autumn
Working for Doctors Without Borders was everything I had ever hoped and dreamed it would be, but the next two months were brutally hard. They were also deeply rewarding. The conditions the villagers lived in were abysmal by most American’s standards, with extreme poverty. But I rarely heard any complaints from the people we were helping.
Seeing their struggles and listening to the stories they shared with me was both eye opening and awe inspiring. It taught me the value of living for each moment of happiness we found—like the time I spent with Drew in Vegas. Memories of him fueled my dreams each and every night.
I also learned skills that would serve me well when I got back to the United States. We had such limited resources and had to rely on physical exams instead of the technology I’d been trained to use back home. I didn’t have access to a twenty-four-hour MRI or ultrasound machines. There was no neurosurgeon to call in for a consult. Chest X-rays and CAT scans were diagnostically better tools, but it was just me and my stethoscope in many cases. It was super challenging but also so very gratifying and taught me to rely on my eyes and what I’d learned during medical school and my residency. Working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo made me a better clinician because it forced me to be creative, and gave me more balance.