Page 36 of I Still Do

The flight felt like an eternity. Even on acetaminophen, Grey’s leg was killing him by the time they landed. Trying to get down that narrow aisle without hitting it on anything wasn’t easy. Cora waited for him in her row and then disembarked with him. Mom and Grey checked the connections board on the outside of the gate.

Dare glanced at his watch. “It looks like we have about forty minutes before our next flight to San Antonio. That’s not much time.”

Mom’s eyes widened. “We’re going to need to find the restrooms and then get something to eat. I’m starving.”

“We can wait with you all,” Grey told them. He was reluctant to just walk out and leave them there. But the moment the words were out of his mouth, both objected.

“Not with that leg,” Mom said firmly. “You go home and get some rest.” She hugged him tight with tears in her eyes. Then she turned to Cora. “You, too, honey. Thanks for coming. We’ve missed you.”

Seeing Mom sad was hard enough but watching Cora as she hugged his family and tried to hold back tears was even more difficult. His chest felt tight, and he had to keep himself from reaching for her hand.

They weaved their way through the airport, retrieved their checked luggage, and then took a seat on one of the benches.

Cora regarded his leg. “Are you going to be able to drive home?” Concern knit her brows together.

“I’ll be fine since my right leg isn’t bothering me,” he assured her. Though he had to admit driving all the way home was less than appealing. “All I have to do is get into my car, and the rest will be easy.”

She didn’t look at all convinced. “Is it okay to ask that you text me when you get home? Just so I know you made it okay?” There were tears in her eyes again, and the fact that they were for him made him both feel bad and hopeful.

“Yes, it’s okay. If you promise to do the same for me when you get home.”

Cora nodded, then bit her lower lip. She gave a shaky laugh. “We’d better get outside. What lot did you park in?” They had perfect timing and didn’t have to wait long for a shuttle.

Mom and Dare were probably boarding the plane by the time they reached the lot where Cora had parked. The shuttle stopped, and the doors opened. The driver wrestled her suitcase from the storage area and waited for her on the pavement.

Cora stood and turned to Grey, her eyes swimming with mixed emotions. “I guess this is it. Don’t forget to text me, okay?”

“I won’t.” He got to his feet and stood with little weight on his left leg. “Come here.” He pulled her to him in a hug that didn’t last nearly as long as he needed it to. “We’re friends again, remember? Which means this isn’t goodbye.”

She nodded and offered him one more watery smile before stepping off the shuttle.

~*~

It’d been two days since Cora got home from Colorado, and she was still having a difficult time adjusting to her normal work schedule. It didn’t seem having three days off would make that much of a difference, but the twelve-hour shifts were brutal.

She did have something else to look forward to. After exchanging texts to let each other know they’d gotten home safely, Cora and Grey had continued to text a couple times a day since. Every time Cora heard her phone chime, the sound never failed to bring a smile to her face.

While texting was great, it was weird not hearing his voice or seeing his smile. She knew the decision to remain friends made a lot of sense, and that only seeing each other occasionally was part of the deal. The problem? She missed him. She was the one who insisted on keeping any relationship they had firmly in the friend zone, which meant she couldn’t blur that line, no matter how much she missed him.

Cora yawned as the ER clock struck two in the morning. Hopefully she’d get used to the weird hours again in another day or two.

Jen passed her a cup of coffee. “Don’t worry, I made it this time.”

“Thank you.” Cora took a long drink and willed the caffeine to kick in.

“You still not sleeping?”

“Well, not when I’m supposed to.” Cora groaned. “That trip seriously messed me up.”

“In more ways than one.” Jen raised an eyebrow at her in a knowing way.

She’d somehow managed to wrangle most of the events out of Cora. The only thing Cora didn’t reveal was how she and Grey had shared an amazing kiss that still had Cora weak in the knees when she thought about it.

It was enough, though. Jen insisted Cora was still in love with her ex, and while Cora verbally denied that, she knew Jen was right. All the more reason to keep their friendship limited to texts and the occasional passing-by in person.

One of their coworkers tapped the desk on the way by. “Patient coming in. Room three.”

Cora set her coffee cup down. “That’s me. Alright, I’ll see you in a bit. Don’t have too much fun, now.”

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