Page 32 of Healing Her

Overhead, there was a crackle, and a loud, impatient voice. “Will Delta passenger Jennifer Coltonpleasereport to the gate for their flight?”

“Oh.” Jen’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, no.”

“Don’t go.” Ashley reached out and gently pulled her hands back down. “Don’t.”

“But…” Jen looked over her shoulder, then back at Ashley, then her gaze fell on the suitcase next to Ashley. “Wait, were you going to come with me?”

“Not to Minnesota.” Ashley pulled out her phone and held it up to show a pair of boarding passes, one with each of their names on it. “Come with me. We’ll have Christmas in New York. Together. A fresh beginning, then we come home and start building our real life.”

“Together,” Jen breathed. “Yes, oh, Lord have mercy,yes.”

A joyous little whoop burst out of Ashley’s mouth, and before Jen knew what was happening, she found herself snatched up and spun around in a bone-cracking embrace. “Thank you, thank you,” Ashley whispered into her ear in a voice positively alight with joy. “Oh, Merry Christmas, Jen. I have a lot of making up to do.”

Jen rested her head in the smooth curve of Ashley’s neck and felt like she was home. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

EPILOGUE

FIVE YEARS LATER

City lifted a glass of champagne off of the tray of a passing waiter. “Have I told you lately that I just love it when you invite me to one of these hospital shindigs?”

“Only every time.” Ashley rolled her eyes and planted an affectionate kiss on the top of her friend’s head. “Thank you for coming.”

“Well, I also just love celebrating my friends.” City reached over to give Ashley’s hand a squeeze. “I’m so proud of you. Happy for you.”

“Thank you, City.” Glancing around the ballroom of the Claiburne felt, always, like déjà vu. She flashed back to the gala five years ago, where she’d been standing with City, dressed to the nines, watching Jen across the room.

It was once again a few weeks before Christmas. She was again in deep red silk, though this time it was a smartly tailored Dior suit rather than a gown. It had been a real splurge to celebrate the occasion, and she had never felt so sexy and powerful all at once.

Jen was talking to Maria, who had brought a very handsome silver fox with her as her escort to this gala. Jen, too, was clad inan echo of that very first gala, but this time in a rich, deep navy sheath dress that fit her like a glove and that Ashley couldn’t wait to get off of her at home.

With a last fond kiss to City’s cheek, Ashley began to move through the crowd to get to Jen. She managed to slip up behind her and wrap an arm around her waist, leaning down to kiss the perfect, slender column of Jen’s neck. “You just look so sexy tonight.”

Jen tilted her head up and back to get in a full, proper kiss. “Don’t get me started. We can’t sneak off this time. You’ve got a speech to give.”

Ashley sighed. “I know.”

Maria was smirking. “So the two of you have sneaked off from one of these parties before? To do what?”

“Never mind,” Jen replied firmly, sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry.

Behind them, there was a tap on the microphone. “Hello?” Chief Sundstrom said, sounding as nervous as Ashley felt in this moment. Neither of them were great public speakers in front of crowds this size. She looked around the room at all the curious faces and felt her face flush hot.

Jen twisted in her arms and reached up to hold Ashley’s face steady in her strong surgeon’s hands. “Hey. This is going to be great. You’re going to be great. This isyournight.”

“Right. Right.” She fidgeted, rubbing a pinch of the velvety material of Jen’s dress between nervous fingers. “My night.”

The Chief began to speak. “I’d like to welcome all of you to Oakridge Hospital’s Annual Surgical Autumn Gala,” he said, with a quick littleharrumphto clear his throat. “We’ve been hosting these galas for twenty years, and I’m always grateful for those of you who attend and show your support for the valuable, lifesaving work that we do.”

A polite smattering of applause went around the room, and the Chief let out another littleharrumph. “Tonight isn’t only about celebrating the work our surgical teams have accomplished, though, nor about thanking you all for the help you provide to make that work happen.” He looked around the room. “Tonight, we’re also celebrating a special member of our team, one of our bright and brilliant minds who has herself saved countless lives with her careful, thorough work. This surgeon has been with us since her residency days, before I became Chief of Surgery, and I have had the profound pleasure and privilege of watching her grow throughout her career.”

Ashley’s cheeks grew ever hotter at the praise.

“I have worked alongside her in an operating room and know firsthand just how much she cares about her work and her patients. How much work she puts into planning her procedures. In recent years, I have seen her take on extra work to learn new, groundbreaking techniques and grow even further as an incredible surgeon.” He smiled into the crowd. “Tonight, we are celebrating Doctor Ashley Proctor, our brand-new Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Oakridge Hospital!”

The room erupted into applause, and Ashley knew that was her cue to head for the stage, however little she wanted to. Forcing herself to smile and look pleasant, she released Jen and stood up straight, pulling her shoulders back.

“Wait.” Jen grabbed her and reached up to pull her down into a sweet little kiss. “I love you. Knock ‘em dead.”

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