Everlasting

by S. E. Lund

  I smiled to myself. I had thought he'd do a full scene, since we would be alone for the entire evening and had the time and ability to focus, but fast and hard had been just as good.

  I knew that it would be the first of many.

  A week after our glorious night at the Ritz-Carleton, life was back to normal.

  I awakened just as the sun was rising and the first rays of sunlight beamed through the crack between the curtains. Dawn was my favorite time of the morning. The house was quiet and Drake and Sophie were sleeping. This morning, she lay between us on her back, her little arms spread wide, her pacifier in her mouth. Although she fell asleep in her crib hours earlier, she started babbling and the sound from the monitor woke me, so I went into her room and brought her into our bed where she quickly settled down. Now, I lay beside her and just watched her sleep. Her hair was starting to grow in and was soft light brown wisps, curling over her ears and down the back of her neck. She was such a beautiful happy baby that I felt I couldn't deny her the comfort of sleeping with us. We'd moved our bed into the corner so that she couldn't fall out if she woke up and crawled around. A safety bedrail had been attached to the foot of the bed so she couldn’t crawl out without waking Drake up.

  Beside us, Drake slept on his stomach, naked except for his boxer briefs, a pillow over his head. He worked late last night, kept busy by the surfers and motorcyclists, skateboarders and highway speeders whose antics ended up in trips to the ER and a call to Drake to consult when a brain injury was suspected.

  When we arrived, we thought Drake's workload would be lighter than in Manhattan since he wouldn't be taking on any patients outside of those who came in through the ER, but that hadn’t turned out to be the case. The brain injuries were constant, and Drake had been busy.

  That was good – he needed to be busy to take his mind off what has been going on back in Manhattan.

  The trial made news almost daily with salacious bits of gossip about Lisa Monroe's sex life, Derek Richardson's sex life and Drake's sex life before I met him. Drake had been portrayed as Manhattan's Mr. Grey, even though nothing could be further from the truth. He hadn't faced the daily onslaught he did while he was still in Manhattan, so that had been a relief.

  I slipped out of bed, crawling around my two sleeping beauties, and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. When I was dried off and dressed in my sundress, I tiptoed to the great room to make my cup of coffee and start the day. While Drake and Sophie slept, I squeezed some oranges for fresh orange juice. After making toast and peanut butter, I sat on the patio and watched the ocean. Even from our house, I could hear the surf roar in the distance. A few seagulls flew up and down the coastline, looking for their next meal.

  I loved it here.

  I pulled out my bullet journal and wrote for a few moments, listing all the things I was grateful for in my life – first, Drake. The love of my life. My soulmate and the man who made me realize how loved I was. Second was Sophia and her sunny disposition. Every day I thanked the universe for sending me a baby who was so easy, despite her difficult beginning. Finally, I was thankful that I had been raised by parents who loved me and now I truly appreciated that I was part of an affluent family where I never lacked for anything. I realized that everything was still open for me. I could go back to college and finish my MA when I felt ready. I could paint. I could become a freelance journalist and write about whatever I wanted. I could devote myself to charity, given Drake's money inherited from his father and from the business.

  I closed my bullet journal after writing down some goals for the day: enjoy Sophia, show my love to Drake, and check out the studio space in downtown San Francisco.

  Life was good.

  I heard Sophie making noise on the monitor and went back to the bedroom to retrieve her so Drake could continue to sleep. When she saw me she smiled, her pacifier falling out of her mouth.

  "There you are," I whispered as I picked her up where she sat up in bed, playing with her pacifier. "Time to get up."

  I carried her to her bedroom and quickly changed her diaper before taking her to the kitchen island for her breakfast. She sat happily in her high chair and played with the toys I placed before her while I fixed her cereal. I dropped a few Cheerios on the high chair tabletop and Sophie was happy to pick each one up and pop it in her mouth.

  I heard sounds from the back of the house and realized that Drake was up. I checked my watch – it was still far too early for him to get up, but he was a light sleeper and liked to spend the mornings with us when he could. Later, I'd take Sophie out for a walk and he'd go back to sleep, but for now, we'd have our breakfasts together.

  Drake emerged down the hallway, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and nothing else, his hair still mussed from sleep. Seeing him half naked still did it for me. He was such a gorgeous man, tan and fit, his dark hair and blue eyes still making my knees weak.

  "Good morning, Mrs. Morgan," he said when he came to my side at the stove. He kissed me and I could taste toothpaste on his tongue. He stroked my hair, smiling down at me. His eyes were still a bit bleary, but he looked somewhat refreshed after his sleep.

  "Good morning, Dr. Morgan," I replied and kissed him again, a quick peck on the mouth because my bacon needed flipping. "Would you like bacon and eggs?"

  "Sounds fabulous," he said and went over to Sophie, leaning down to kiss her and stroke her head. "My two girls."

  Then he sat beside Sophie at the island and fed her a spoonful of cereal. He turned to me after he finished the second spoonful.

  "What's on your agenda for today? Are you going to check out that studio space?"

  I nodded, eager to look at the space in an old warehouse near the waterfront in San Francisco.

  "Elaine's coming over this afternoon to watch Sophie for me so I can go and see it. I saw pictures online, but it's always nice to see the space in person."

  "It's exciting," Drake said with a smile. "You'll get to meet a few other artists and make friends."

  "I'll be happy just to have a space for myself," I said, feeling a little guilty still that I'd be leaving the house, but Elaine insisted that it would be good for me to create my own life outside of family. "Time to focus on my collection."

  "You need it," Drake said and I was so glad he was so understanding. "Being a new mother is a lot of work. You need to be Kate, the artist or writer as well as Kate the mother and wife."

  I removed the bacon from the pan and then went over to where he sat reading the morning paper.

  "I'm happy to be a wife and mother, but I feel like moving here has opened up so many possibilities for me and for us."

  "It has, strangely enough. I never thought I'd want to move away from Manhattan, but after the whole business with Lisa, I honestly couldn't wait to get away."

  I leaned into his arms for a moment and stroked my fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry all this happened to you. You've sacrificed so much because of her."

  "I sacrificed nothing," he said and kissed me. "I have everything I could ever need or want right here."

  We kissed again and smiled at each other.

  "Do you want your eggs scrambled or fried?" I asked when I left his embrace and went back to the stove.

  "Scrambled," Drake replied and returned to reading his paper. Beside him, Sophie fingered her Cheerios and munched away happily. I nodded and quickly scrambled his eggs, before fixing him a plate. I placed it in front of him and sat beside him with my own and together, the three of us ate our breakfasts and watched the view through the picture window as the sun played on the ocean.

  My cell rang and I grabbed it from the counter and checked the caller ID. It was my dad.

  "Hey, Dad," I said, smiling at the thought of him.

  "Hey, sweetheart, how are you today? How's the little family?"

  I glanced at Drake and Sophie side by side. "We're great. What's up?"

  "Elaine said we'd come by and sit with Sophie whenever you're ready and you can go into the city and do yo
ur business. We'll be happy to have her at our place for a few hours if you and Drake can come over for dinner tonight."

  "Drake's working evenings so he won't be able to, but Sophie and I would love to have you stay at our place for dinner."

  My father called out to Elaine. "Katie wants to know if we can stay for dinner. Drake's working so he can't come down. We could stay if you don't mind driving back later."

  I heard Elaine respond and then my dad spoke.

  "She says yes. Just tell us what time to come by and we'll be there whenever you're ready."

  "Okay, thanks Dad. I appreciate you and Elaine sitting for me while I go out and check on the studio. I was planning on going sometime after three when Drake goes for his shift."

  "No problem. I'll let Elaine know. We love to do it and you know it."

  I said goodbye and ended the call.

  "Too bad you can't join us," I said with a sigh. "You've worked so hard since we came to California."

  "Gotta pull my weight," Drake said and held up his cup of coffee. "If I do, I might get a better shift next time. I hate sleeping during the mornings."

  I nodded in sympathy. "You're far too successful to be putting in time, but I understand it was the only position open that fit."

  We tidied up once we were finished eating. Drake kissed us both and went back to bed for a couple more hours of sleep before heading to the hospital to check on his patients.

  On my part, I got us ready, packing up everything I'd need for a walk along the beach. When I was ready, I took the stroller out of the garage then packed Sophie in, her tiny pink sunhat fastened around her chubby cheeks. We stopped on the beach a mile down from our house and Sophie played in the sand. I sat beside her and got in some sun, enjoying the morning. There were only a few people walking the beach that morning, collecting shells and walking their dogs. I saw the same older couple out for their morning walk and we smiled at each other. People were generally friendly and often stopped to say hello to Sophia.

  When I'd had enough sun and Sophie had crawled around, getting sand in her hands and her playsuit wet, we made our way back along the beach to the house. All in all, we were out for about an hour and a half. I wanted the house to be quiet so Drake could sleep longer. Because she was wet, I changed Sophie quietly and then we took a drive to the store to pick up a few items we needed. The local Whole Foods had great organic vegetables that I used to make Sophie baby food and so I did some shopping while Sophie sat in the cart and sucked on her pacifier. I picked up a cup of coffee from the local Starbucks, and then sat in the window seat with Sophie beside me in a high chair, and we watched people on the street while I planned my afternoon.

  I looked at the calendar on my cell and thought about what I'd do if I liked the studio space. I'd get the keys and pay the deposit and the year's rent, then I'd start to move in my supplies. I was so excited that I had butterflies in my stomach. I was planning to finish the rest of the series of paintings from Africa and hoped to get the collection shown at a local gallery. I didn't care about selling my work, but I would be happy to feel like a real artist.

  When I was done with my coffee, we drove back to the house and I hauled in the groceries and Sophie. She sat happily in her chair while I put the groceries away.

  For the next couple of hours, I amused myself with Sophie, watching television and eating a light lunch. Finally, around two o'clock, I heard water running in the back of the house. Drake was up and was having a shower before he went to work. He emerged from the bathroom, wearing only boxer briefs, his hair still damp, and came right over to where I stood by the island reading my emails.

  "I hate to leave you," he said, his arms slipping around me. "I wish we could go and lie down for a while."

  "Me, too," I said and turned around in his arms, sliding my arms around his neck.

  We kissed and it was a tender kiss that could have become passionate if we let it, but Drake would be leaving in a few moments and so we didn't go there.

  The kiss ended and we stood together for a while, our foreheads pressed together, our arms around each other.

  Drake sighed heavily. "Two more days," he said softly. "Two more shifts and then I'm all yours."

  "I can't wait."

  We kissed again and then he pulled away reluctantly and went to the bedroom to finish changing for his shift. When he emerged from the bedroom, he was wearing a pair of blue scrubs that made him look devastatingly handsome, highlighting his deep blue eyes.

  "Gotta go," he said and kissed Sophie on the top of her head, running his hands over her hair before kissing me once more. I followed him to the door and watched him go to the SUV and get inside. He slipped on a pair of sunglasses and then backed out of the driveway, waving at me as he did.

  Then he was gone.

  I busied myself getting my art supplies in order in the office. Sophie played in her chair, grabbing at the toys I placed strategically around her.

  The doorbell rang and I picked up Sophie and went to the door. Elaine and my father came in, he in his wheelchair. Luckily, the house was easily accessible for him. Once inside, we all hugged and kissed hello.

  "Come in," I said and led them to the living room. I kissed Sophie and went to the door, watching as Elaine took Sophie and placed her into my dad's arms.

  "Sophie was just having some playtime. She could have a bottle in about thirty minutes and then you can put her down for a nap if you want. I probably won't be too long."

  "Don't rush on our account," Elaine said. "Your father's looking forward to playing with her," she said and I watched as he kissed Sophie's cheek. "We haven't seen our little angel for almost a week."

  "I'm on my cell if you need me," I said and went to the door. "I'll see you when I get back."

  "You have fun. Don’t rush because of us. Take your time and meet the other artists who work there if you can."

  "I will," I said. "I hope the space is as nice as it looked on the website. I can't wait to get started back painting."

  She smiled and I waved at her as I drove off, making my way up the coast to San Francisco, through the winding streets to the city and the Dogpatch area to Minnesota Street, renowned for its warehouses used as galleries and artist studios.

  The warehouse was directly across the street from a converted building that functioned as a gallery for local artists. I was excited as I met with the building manager and went inside to check out the space that was open. I was lucky that the person who originally wanted the space pulled out at the last minute and so it was available and I was next in line, otherwise I might not have been offered a space. It was so in demand.

  We walked through the halls to a studio facing the bay and the manager opened the door to admit me. I walked inside and glanced around. It was basic – a long narrow room with windows at one end and a small area with a sink, cupboard and countertop. We would share washroom facilities with the rest of the building tenants.

  "I love it," I said, turning around in a circle and taking it in. The walls were a bit battered and there were marks on the wall where paintings had been hung but I didn't care.

  "We can paint it white before you move in," he said. "That way you can start with a clean slate."

  "No, that's fine. I like the way it looks. Makes it feel like a real studio."

  "Okay, but if you change your mind, the offer stands. Just give me a day to arrange a painter to come in and it's done. We don't usually get people willing to pay for a full year up front, in addition to the security deposit, so we're happy to do it if you want."

  "I'll be happy to be here looking out at that view of the bay, especially with the natural light."

  We talked about the building facilities and then he handed me the magnetic card that I could use to get into the building and a key to my space. I left, and on my way out, decided to go to the gallery across the street and see what they had on display. I entered and walked around, looking at the paintings and collages and sculptures as well as installations
. It inspired me and I felt giddy as I walked through the building, imagining that one day, I could have my work displayed there as well.

  I had to finish my Africa collection and that was first on my agenda when I finally took possession of the studio.

  As I was on my way out of the gallery, I passed a wall of notices of upcoming exhibitions, as well as requests for studio space. I saw one flyer, glossy, with a photo of something that looked familiar. At first, I couldn't remember where I'd seen the painting before but then I realized it was Sefton deVilliers.

  Sefton was holding a traveling exhibition in the next month, that went across the country from Manhattan to LA and then up to San Francisco and Seattle before going to Canada. The poster featured him standing beside a large easel. On the canvas, a scene from the savannah. I could almost imagine it was from our time on the art safari. I checked the dates – in two weeks, he'd be in San Francisco after a week in New Orleans and then a week in Los Angeles. He'd already spent a week in Charlotte, North Carolina and another in DC. Before that, he'd been in Manhattan.

  I got in the SUV and drove back to the house for supper. On the way, I thought to myself that I certainly didn't want to run into Sefton.

  It wasn't that I felt anything for him. I never did, but he brought back painful memories of Drake's and my time in Africa and the whole business with Sefton and Sam.

  I was glad that was behind me and would make sure that I didn't go to the exhibition he was holding while he was in town. He was the last person I wanted to see.

  Chapter 2

  DRAKE

  I arrived at the hospital just before my shift and spent a few moments in the staff lounge, getting a last cup of coffee before I went to the ward to check on patients I'd seen the previous night. After that, I'd go to the ER to see how my new patients were doing. I was lucky that I got to follow patients from the ER to the wards and knew their outcomes. Many ER docs saw a patient in the ER and then didn't hear about them again.