Winning the Lottery

Ch. 40 Funeral, Murder, and Trial--Oh My!

A couple days later, I woke early and went downstairs. Why, on my day off, did I wake up so early? I groaned and got a cup of coffee.

Vanessa walked in, wearing her usual all black attire. "Dr. Malone, you're up early. Would you like breakfast?"

"Not quite yet," I spoke, taking a drink of coffee.

She left the room.

I sighed and took another drink.

The house was quiet. I enjoyed the quiet. It's one of the reasons I liked the hospital. It allowed time for rest, time for reflection. It was a beautiful thing, but it rarely ever happened.

I sat there for a long time, doing nothing and enjoying every single second of it.

Jake walked in. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I spoke.

He walked over and gave me a kiss. Then, he got a cup of coffee. He sat with me. "How long have you been up?"

I shrugged.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

I shrugged, again.

"Britt, you can wake me up, you know."

"I know, but it was early."

"So?"

"So I thought you'd want to sleep in," I explained.

"With you, yeah. I reached over and you weren't there."

"Do you want to go back to bed? We can just lay down and cuddle," I suggested.

"Well, in not going to turn that down," he smiled and stood. He pulled my chair back and lifted me into his arms.

I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, holding me to his chest. He rubbed my hip.

"Are you working tomorrow?" Jake asked.

I nodded.

"Me, too. I'll probably have to work late," Jake quietly informed me.

"Okay. I'll be sure to be pulled into a surgery," I spoke, running my hand over his chest.

He kissed my head.

We laid there quietly for a few minutes.

A knock on the door interrupted our serenity.

Diane looked in. "Dr. Malone, Dr. Hamilton is on the phone."

"Okay."

She walked in and handed me my cell phone.

"Hello?" I spoke.

"Britt, hi. I'm scheduling a surgery for later this afternoon and-"

"This afternoon? But the funeral-"

"After the funeral," she confirmed.

"Can you do that? I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, you'll be emotional and-"

"It's fine. The surgery is a basic colectomy. I could do it in my sleep," she assured me. "Anyway, do you want to scrub in with me?"

"Okay. What time is the surgery?"

"Four."

"I'll be there."

"Great. Okay, um, I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay. Bye." I hung up and sighed.

"She wants to do a surgery today?" Jake asked.

I nodded.