Cason was watching the surgical tech prep the area while she waited for Warren to come out. “All set doctor.” The tech said.
“What are you thinking?” Warren said when he stepped up to the table.
“Could be liver laceration, but there was so much blood in the ultrasound I couldn’t tell.” She answered as she began the surgery.
***
Adler hated the summer, well most of it anyway. She loved going to Cali and surfing for a month or two and just letting go, but she missed the snow. She lived for the powder and halfpipe. She wasn’t leaving for three more days, but she was already packed. She planned to stop and see her mom in Boulder for a couple of days on her way to Denver. She planned to fly to California from there with Cason for their weeklong vacation trip.
She smiled when her cell phone lit up on the table in front of her. “Hey stranger,”
“I’m sorry I missed your call. I was in surgery.” Cason said. She was sitting in the doctor’s lounge with her feet propped up on the table across from her. She squeezed the bridge of her nose trying to ward off the ache that was easing into her head. She was tired and hungry, and still had another ten hours on her shift.
“How did it go?” Adler stretched out on her couch and started to pet Clyde when he jumped up on the back to sit in his favorite spot.
“Fairly routine, the guy was in a car accident and the severe tightening of his seatbelt and impact from the crash caused a tear in his spleen and his liver. They were both bleeding so bad I could hardly see to sew them closed. He’s fine now though and recovering in ICU.”
“That’s good. You sound tired.”
“I am. I’m fourteen hours into my shift and I’ve had two surgeries and various other patients. I probably won’t get to sleep tonight if it stays this busy.” She said with a yawn at the end. “What did you do today?”
“Packed,”
Cason laughed. “Already,”
“Yeah, I’m leaving in the morning. I’m going to go see my mom in Boulder for a couple of days and then we are off to paradise for a whole week.”
“I’m sorry I can’t go for two. It’s just crazy around here. Ted Harris buried his father last week and took this week off to grieve and help his mom. The chief is hoping he returns next week.”
“That’s so sad. Cancer just plain sucks. Amy was talking to a few of the free skiers about doing an exhibition event this coming season to raise money for cancer. I’m not sure where it will be yet, probably somewhere we can draw a huge crowd.”
“That would be really cool. It’s nice to see athletes or famous people in general that give back.”
“Dating a doctor will do that to you. All of a sudden you want to help the world.” She teased.
“Uh huh,” Cason laughed. “I guess that’s called positive corruption.”
“Something like that.” Adler said. “I miss you.”
“I miss…” Cason was cut off when a nurse rushed into the lounge.
“Dr. Macauley we have two victims coming in with multiple gunshot wounds.”
“Looks like I gotta go.” Cason said into the phone.
“Go save lives. I’ll see you soon.” Adler said before she hung up.
Cason put her phone in her pocket and stretched out her back when she stood up. She was probably heading into another surgery or possibly two. She was definitely not getting any sleep tonight. Denver Medical Center was the largest hospital within three hundred miles and the only level one trauma center in the same distance. They saw numerous patients everyday from all over. Most arrived by ambulance, but a large number of patients arrived by helicopter daily. This adrenaline rush of not knowing what to expect and being ready to tackle anything was the reason she became a doctor in the first place and there was only one area of study that she was interested in, trauma.
Twenty Seven
Cason was jolted awake when the plane landed with a thud and taxied back towards the gates at LAX. She rubbed the knot in her neck from sleeping all kinked up. It didn’t matter that they were in first class, it was still just plain uncomfortable sleeping on an airplane.
“I should have woken you, I’m sorry.” Adler said. “I know you barely slept last night and you looked so peaceful.”
“It’s okay. You can just give me a massage later.” Cason grinned.
“That can definitely be arranged.” Adler grabbed her carry-on bag and followed the line to the exit. She was glad they both traveled light and wouldn’t need to wait in the hoards of people at baggage claim.
When they finally got off the plane Cason led them to the rental car counter where she had a convertible BMW rented for the week. She quickly signed the papers and grabbed the keys. The white car was waiting for them with the top down and a full tank of gas. They had a short drive out to Huntington Beach, where they were actually staying in a rented one bedroom bungalow a block from the ocean.
“Very nice ride,” Adler said when she set her suitcase in the backseat and sat down in the front seat.
Cason smiled. “If you like this I should show you what I keep in my garage at my condo.”
“A motorcycle?” Adler asked curiously.
“No.” Cason shook her head. “About five years ago I paid my condo off so I decided to splurge on something else. I have a convertible Porsche Boxster S that sits in my garage collecting dust.”
“No shit.” Adler turned in her seat. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Cason laughed. “I drive it all summer and put it away every winter to keep it off the salted streets.”
“Why haven’t I seen it?” Adler asked as Cason pulled out of the airport into the afternoon Los Angeles traffic.
“You’ve only been to my condo in Denver once, and that was yesterday. We didn’t exactly leave my bedroom until this morning and I put the car away a few days ago.”
“Well hell. Now, I have something to look forward to when we fly back. Can I drive it?”
“No.”
“What! Why not?” She laughed.
“Do you have any idea what it costs to insure that car? I have it stated on my policy that no other person will drive it, that made my premium go down like twenty percent.”
“You’re something else.” Alder smiled. “What other secrets are you hiding?”
Cason paused and made a face that looked like she was in serious thought. “Nothing that I can think of, except, I’m thinking of selling the car next summer.”
“Why do you want to do that?”
“I barely drive it and it was kind of a crazy impulse buy when you live in a place that gets snow six or seven months out of the year.”
“What color is it?”
“Midnight blue with black leather interior.”
Adler bit her lower lip to hide a grin. “You can’t sell it. Your sexy meter is off the chart now. No wonder the nurses all chase you around. You’re hot and you drive a sweet ass sports car.”
“So, if you knew about the car you would’ve hooked up with me in the village when you knocked me on my ass, is that what you’re saying?”
“No. But, I might have seriously considered it.” She laughed.
Cason rolled her eyes and pulled into the gravel driveway of the little bungalow. “Women.” She said under her breath.
“I heard that.” Adler said as she got out.
***
Cason awoke two days later to a note on the pillow next to her scribed in perfect loopy feminine handwriting, nothing like her chicken scratch doctor scribble. She read it and got out of bed. Adler had gone surfing at sun up which was about two hours ago. She quickly dressed in a t-shirt, board shorts and flip flops and walked down to the brown sandy beach a block away.
Adler peeled the top of her wetsuit down revealing a baby blue string bikini top. Her long curly blond hair was wet and pasted to her shoulders. She bent over and shook her hair out and flipped it back over her shoulders. Droplets of saltwater ran down her slender torso and pooled at her waist at the top of
the wetsuit. Cason watched her from about twenty yards away. Two guys stopped and talked to her for a second, she must have said something to make them keep walking.
“There you are!” Adler said when she finally noticed Cason watching her. “Good morning.”
“You’re beautiful.”
Adler smiled. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know which look I like better, hot snowboarder chic or hot surfer girl. You’re like the epitome of most men’s fantasies.”
“Is that so? What about you and your fantasies?” Adler raised an eyebrow over her bluish-green eyes.
“You’re mine, so there are no fantasies anymore, it’s a reality.” Cason said.
Adler stepped closer and kissed her softly before backing away. She hated being closeted, but with everything she had just gone through she wasn’t quite ready to flaunt her newfound lesbianism. “What did I ever do to get you?” She said mostly to herself. Cason treated her like there was no else on Earth that compared to her and it was flattering. It made her actually feel loved. Something she had never felt before by anyone she ever dated. That thought both excited and scared her to death. She knew she had strong feelings for Cason, but she just wasn’t ready to fall in love. She kept her heart close and under strict lock and key after she gave it away only to have it broken.
“I guess you never thought you’d be stuck with me when you ran me down that day.” Cason laughed.
“No, definitely not. Hell, I never thought I’d see you again. Maybe you were stalking me.” Adler said as she sat in the sand. Cason sat down next to her.
“If I was stalking you, then why did you come into my hospital needing treatment from me? Maybe you were stalking me.” She said as she bumped shoulders with her.
“Oh please.” Adler laughed. Cason loved to see her happy. When she smiled or laughed it was like a rain of sunshine on a cloudy day lighting up everything around it.
“So, we’ve been here a couple of days and walking this beach numerous times and supposedly you’ve been coming down here every morning to surf when the sun comes up, but you always seem to be finished when I show up. What gives? I’m starting to think you’re not really surfing.” Cason raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
Adler shrugged. “If I’m not surfing then what am I doing? Picking up guys?”
“I hope not.” Cason laughed.
Adler looked her in the eyes and bit her bottom lip. A gesture Cason was becoming very familiar with. “I’m not like that. I don’t hook up with strangers.” She paused. “Honestly, I guess I’m a little nervous. You’ve only seen me snowboard, so you’ve only seen me at my best. I’m only an intermediate surfer, it’s not the same.”
Cason stared at her for a second. “Are you afraid I will make fun of you or something?”
“No. I know you wouldn’t do that. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
Cason reached over and brushed a strand of curly hair from her check. She wanted to kiss that cheek and taste her salty skin, but she refrained. “Adler I would never be disappointed in you for anything. I’m not sure where all of this insecurity is coming from and I hope I’m not the cause of it. You do so much more than I ever thought of doing. I’ve never surfed a day in my life and I’m too chicken shit to ride a snowboard on anything but a flat surface. You’re amazing at everything you do. I love watching you no matter what sport it is. You could be playing chess and I’d be on the edge of my seat in awe.”
“You’re so incredible.” Adler laid her head on Cason’s shoulder and watched the surf rise and fall.
“Besides, haven’t other people seen you surf? Didn’t you come here with your ex-husband?”
Adler lifted her head and looked at Cason. “Kevin and I met here, well not this very spot we were at another beach, but he sort of taught me to surf so it wasn’t a big deal.” She looked into Cason’s blue eyes. “I didn’t care what he thought to be honest. Guys are all the same, it only matters if you look good. With you everything is so different, I’m still getting use to that.”
“Maybe you can teach me one day. You were pretty good at teaching me how to snowboard.”
“Why do you want to be with me?” Adler said out of the blue. “You just said it yourself we have nothing in common.”
Cason watched the surf rise and fall. “I’ve asked myself that same question numerous times.” She paused. “That day in the village I had no idea who you were. I mean obviously working up here I had heard the name Adler Troy quite often and I had been to the Winter X Games every year so I had seen you compete, but I really had never seen you without your gear on. I had no idea what you looked like, I just knew that girl that knocked me on my ass had a little hard body, beautiful eyes, and she smelled like citrus and flowers. She was like a ball of sunshine. When I treated you in the hospital I was floored that I saw you again and you were this famous athlete.” She shrugged. “You were and still are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Just looking at you makes me crazy sometimes, but there is so much more to you than looks. When I saw you ride your snowboard in the pipe I was literally in awe. That day you taught me to snowboard was the day I stopped pretending it was crush. I got home that night and knew I was in trouble. You made me so nervous I could barely string words together to form sentences.” She smiled. “I like the fact that you’re not into medicine, talk about boring conversations. I’m also glad I’m not a pro snowboarder, we would never work out if I was.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Are you worried I’m going to be like Kevin?” Cason asked bluntly.
“No, I…”
“I’m my own person Adler. You have to trust me and I know that’s difficult when you’re newly divorced from someone who was never there and who broke your heart. I’d be a little weary too, but I love being with you no matter what we are doing. I love watching you snowboard, and I’d also love to watch you surf. I know we live in different cities and if there was a way to live closer together I’d move in a heartbeat. The only thing I can say is I want to be with you, all of you, every single part, whether you’re lazing on the couch, snowboarding, surfing, or traveling from competition to competition. Kevin was an extremely stupid person. How he ever let you go I will never know.”
Adler wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m so scared Cason. I wasted so much time thinking things were great when in reality it was spiraling downhill from day one. Then, I meet you and my whole world is turned upside down all over again.”
“What made you want to be with me?” Cason asked.
Adler grinned. “That day in the village I cruised you when I got off of you. I thought you were sexy as hell, then I realized you were a woman and I was surprised, but somehow I think I knew. I thought about that day a few times before I saw you at the hospital. I guess it sort of happened slowly for me. We got to be friends and I knew you were gay, but it never bothered me. When you kissed me my strong exterior shattered. I fell apart and left the country to grieve over my failed marriage and deal with the fact that kissing you, a woman, was the most incredible feeling I have ever felt in my life. My mind drove me crazy thinking about you and dreaming about you. Then, I started wondering what it would be like to make love with you and my mind sure painted a vivid picture for me. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to see you, touch you. I didn’t know what would happen the next day or worry about the repercussions, I just wanted you so damn bad.”
“Why.” Cason grinned. “What made you stay?”
“I can’t explain how you make me feel, I just know being with you, even like this just sitting here, it is the best feeling in the world. It’s not an adrenaline rush or thrill ride like snowboarding, it’s more like ecstasy, pure happiness, and I guess I’m scared that bliss will disappear or fizzle out eventually.”
“You make me happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I know we haven’t been together that long, but I’ve been falling for a long time. I love you Adler.” Cason watched her face go from surprise to shock
to sadness. She stood up and pulled her wetsuit back on. She was in the water with her board before Cason could say anything else. She knew it was way too soon, but she did love her and she wanted to reassure her that this wasn’t a fluke or anything else that she might think it was.
Adler caught the second wave that rolled under her and cut back inside the small wave riding her board low with her hand dragging the water next to her. She sliced back to the right before running out of wave. No, she wasn’t a pro, but she looked like she knew what she was doing and she was enjoying it, that was all that mattered.
Twenty Eight
In September Adler was getting ready for the season to start when the first snow fell in October. She’d been to Chile for two weeks for the end of the international tour where she finished second and Amy finished third. She was working on some new tricks and doing a lot more riding for herself versus riding the way people expected her to ride. She was riding a lot freer and fell more times than she liked during the last leg of the international tour, but she was picking up new tricks and going to new heights. If she could pull everything together perfectly she would be virtually unbeatable. As soon as she got home she dumped her gear and packed for a weeklong trip to Denver before her loaded schedule of photo shoots, training, interviews, and everything else that came with the start of a new season.
She felt bad for leaving Clyde again, but the lady next door spoiled him so much she wondered if the cat preferred it when she was out of town. She told him bye and grabbed her suitcase. She was excited to get on the road. It had been about a month since she’d seen Cason. She missed her more than she ever imagined. She was nervous about seeing her after their little vacation in California. It scared her when Cason said she loved her. She felt strongly towards her, she just couldn’t say it back. Everything was still too new and her old wounds were still too fresh. She wasn’t ready to love someone again.
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