Chapter 3 3

Eileen POV

PRESENT

My phone keeps beeping continuously, without even looking at the electric device, I can tell, it's my two besties who are texting restlessly. I ignored the phone to attend to my customer who was roaming in my flower shop for half an hour.

A boy in her early twenties is walking all over the place, this is his fourth round of wandering like a lost person.

"Can I help you?" I ask gently.

He looks at me with a little shock, I think I caught him off guard. "I was looking at the flowers for gifts." He says shyly.

"From your girlfriend?" I ask him. He frowns in confusion, he gives me a look that says 'why do you ask'.

"If you tell me I could help you with choosing the flowers." I offer him a smile.

"Oh." He lowers his hand "My mum. It's her birthday."

"Okay."

That's new, most of the time man come to my shop to buy flowers for their wife or girlfriend, this is the first time someone is buying for his mother. My heart fills with automatic happiness.

"Does she have favorite flowers?" I ask him as I look around my shop.

"Tulips."

"Do you want a bouquet?" I ask him.

He nods, "How many flowers do you want?"

"50." I guess that is his mother's age.

I nod and start working, I pick up all the six colors of tulips I have in my shop which are maroon, pink, yellow, white, purple, apricot, and wrap them in a white paper sheet, a red ribbon to tie them all together.

"Do you want a card to write birthday wishes?" he nods and I give him a small golden glitter card to write.

It takes him quite a time to express his feelings on the card, I think this is the first time he is sending flowers to his mom or saying something personal like 'I love you mom', as a matter of fact, I never read these cards.

These cards are personal containing my customer's feelings for their loved ones, they aspect some privacy and I am happy to offer that.

I put the card in the middle of the large bouquet, and give him his gift as he pays me.

After he leaves I check my phone.

Aleah: When are you coming?

Aleah: Eileen I will kill you if don't come on time.

Aleah: I am in labor.

Aleah: I am dying.

Marissa: stop drama queen. You are just fine. Eileen take your time and come carefully.

Aleah: it's Marissa, you don't know anything about my health. I am in pain.

Marissa: I am sitting right next to you and You are assaulting my chocolate cake. Aren't you the FBI agent's wife? Does your husband know you steal other people's food?

Aleah: Eileen some fast. I am waiting for you.

I love you

Marissa: I love you too.

I smile as I read the messages between my friends, these two women are grown up, married but they behave like five years old.

Eileen: my flight is tomorrow morning. So I will meet you guys very soon. From Nashville to New York, it is only 764 miles distance with two and fifteen-minute flight, it will be fun meeting my friends again, after two years. I will be going back to New York again after two years.

*********

Devan POV

I finished my last surgery of the day, it was a 4-hour long surgery, now my neck is killing me. I massage my neck as my residence informs me about the patient who had surgery yesterday. He was a rare case, it took a lot of consultation before taking a 3 years old boy under the knives.

The boy had a tumor on the left side of his brain, it was already dangerous for my patient Leo, his tumor was growing rapidly, if I didn't take him to the surgery bed then death will me shaking hands with him.

As a parent of a girl, I understand the pain that the parents went through while their son was in such pain at an early age.

I lean on my seat, close my eyes to take some rest. My head is throbbing in pain, at the age of 35 I am experiencing migraine pain, at last, it's not that bad, I can handle this, but having this right after a tiring surgery is annoying.

My phone starts ringing, I pick up the phone with my closed eyes.

"Hello."

"Aleah is in the labor." My brother, Williams's nervous voice comes through the phone.

"I will be there shortly."

I cut the call, get ready for a round to my patients before going to my family. I know, by now, the whole sixth floor which our gynecology department is full of our family members.

Aleah is under Dr. Charles, she is the most skilled doctor in that department, she is in the safe hands, there's nothing to worry about but you can't say that to new parents. They are always nervous, been there, feel that.

I go to the sixth floor after finishing my all work for the day, I open the cabin door and find a few people, I thought this place would be too crowded to even take a breath.

But my breath gets caught when I see her, I see her again after two years, smiling at the baby on her. She is still the same, nothing changed, my beautiful Eileen is still shining brightly even in a white maxi dress and messy top bun.

She is here, in front of me. The woman I love Eileen Cooper.