Page 11 of Drake Eternal

“We have to get caught up on surgeries that were canceled, then interview candidates to replace the two surgeons who died in the flood. We’ll cover until they arrive, which hopefully, based on Michael’s early contacts with surgeons he knows who can step in temporarily until more permanent replacements are found, will be only a couple of weeks.”

“We can Skype as often as you feel able,” I said and leaned over to kiss him. “I know Sophie will miss seeing you each night before she goes to bed. If Sophie goes to bed at eight, it would be three in the morning your time. We’ll have to find some other time when you’re free.”

“Maybe it would be better to Skype in the morning. Sophie gets up at seven. I could take a break around 2 or 3 depending on how surgeries are going and say good morning to her. Or at lunch. Three o’clock your time would be ten o’clock in Nairobi.” Drake smiled. “She could say good night to me.”

“That’s what we’ll do. We’ll say goodnight to you.”

Drake checked his watch. “Well, I better get going. Time to check in.”

He stood and then went to where Sophie was standing, looking out over the airport. “Time to go, sweetheart. You and Mommy can walk with me to the checkout.”

We made our way through the terminal to the check in area for first class passengers, and then, with a choke in my throat, I kissed Drake goodbye. We hugged for a long moment and when I pulled back, I had tears in my eyes.

“Oh, my love,” Drake said, and shook his head. “I’m sorry I’m leaving when I promised to never be apart again.”

“No, no,” I said and smiled, laughing. “I just get emotional when saying goodbye. I want you to go. It’s the right thing to do. We’ll be fine, won’t we Sophie?”

“Bye, Daddy,” Sophie said and jumped into Drake’s arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. He kissed her back on both cheeks and then her forehead.

“You be a good girl for Mommy, okay? We’ll Skype each night when it’s time for me to go to bed.”

Sophie laughed. “That’s funny,” she said and that was that. She took my hand and we waved at Drake as he walked off towards the gate.

“Bye, Daddy!” She smiled as he waved back.

“Can we watch his plane take off?” she asked, glancing up at me.

“It won’t be leaving for an hour and a half, but if you want, we can get some food and go home, watch a movie. How does that sound?”

She nodded and together, we left the terminal. Once outside, we were greeted by John at the limo, the back passenger door opened when he saw us come out of the doors.

I sighed and helped Sophie into the rear passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt and getting all set for the drive home myself.

“Where too, Mrs. Morgan?”

“We want some street food. Can you take us to the park near the boardwalk so we can get some corn dogs?”

“I’m on it,” he said with a smile.

I sat back in my seat as the limo drove off, my arm around Sophie’s shoulder in the seat beside me.

After a dinner of hot dogs, soda and ice cream we bought from a vendor, we walked along the boardwalk for a while and then went back to the apartment for our first night alone. Just me and Sophie to spend the next week — maybe ten days — alone in Manhattan while Drake was in Nairobi.

I tucked Sophie into bed and kissed her goodnight, switching on the night light that lit up the ceiling in a million tiny blue, green and red stars.

Then I went to my office and sat down at my laptop to try to get some work done on my latest article. Of course, I couldn’t get Sam out of my mind, despite Drake’s assurances, and despite my promise not to worry or think about it again, I did. I opened a browser and searched for her by name: Dr. Samantha Cuttington.

There was a LinkedIn page for her, of course, but I didn’t dare search it because she’d be notified of people viewing her profile. The last thing I wanted was for her to know I was curious. Instead, I clicked on a link that showed her working at — none other than Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi.

In the Neurosurgery department.

I exhaled. Stop, I said to myself, but I couldn’t resist.

I searched on Facebook and found her page. I was glad I did, because under her profile was the word, Married.

I sighed with relief. If she was married, she might mention her husband, so I read through a few of her posts and sure enough, there was one with her husband and her on their anniversary.

He was young, handsome and a doctor of internal medicine, working at a different hospital in Nairobi.

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