Page 80 of Doctor One Night

“I just finished my game,” I tell her, already in the parking lot. “I can be there in ten.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Her voice is quiet, fragile, and it tugs at something deep inside me. I don’t waste any time and jog the rest of the way to my car. My mind is racing with possibilities. I know she’s been dealing with a lot, between her father and the pressure of the trial, and now I’m worried it’s all catching up with her.

If it had been something with the trial, she would have told me, right?

As I drive, a sense of urgency quickly replaced the adrenaline from our game. Whatever’s going on, she reached out to me, and that means she trusts me enough to let me in. I won’t let her down.

That’s not something I take lightly.

Frankie’s House

5:22 pm

When I pull up to her place, I see her standing in the doorway, waiting for me. Her face is pale, her eyes red-rimmed, and it’s clear she’s been crying. I’m out of the car and up the steps in seconds, not even bothering to shut the door behind me.

“Frankie, what happened?” I ask, my voice low, trying to keep the panic out of it.

She steps aside, letting me in, and then closes the door behind us. “It’s my dad… he… he passed away last night.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I immediately pull her into my arms, holding her tight. She trembles against me, her tears soaking into my shirt. I don’t say anything right away. What can I say? I let her cry, let her release the pain that’s clearly been building up inside her.

When she finally pulls back, I keep my hands on her shoulders, searching her face. “I’m so sorry, Frankie. This is unbelievable.”

She shakes her head, wiping at her eyes. “He didn’t tell me how sick he was. He didn’t want me to worry. And now he’s gone.”

The helplessness in her voice cuts through me, and I have an overwhelming desire to take her pain away, to make it better somehow, even though I know I can’t. “I’m here, okay? Whatever you need, I’m here.”

She nods, and for a moment, we just stand there, taking comfort in each other’s presence.

Finally, she speaks again, her voice steadier this time. “Thank you for coming. I didn't want to call anyone else. I'm kind of blown away that we both lost a parent to the same disease on the same day.”

“I can't even wrap my head around it. All I know right now is you're not alone. I’m here and I”m not going anywhere.”

I gently guide her to the couch, sitting beside her, close enough that our knees touch. She leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder, and I wrap an arm around her, holding her close. We don’t need to say anything else. Just being here, together, is enough for now.

Frankie shifts slightly, pulling back just enough to look up at me. Her eyes are still wet, but there’s something else in them too—something that makes my heart skip a beat. I can’t quite place it, but it’s there, and it’s powerful.

“Thank you for being here,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. “I feel better already.”

I nod, my throat tight. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

For a moment, we hold each other’s gaze, the air between us heavy with unspoken things. Her hand is still resting on my chest, and without thinking, I cover it with mine. Her skin is soft and warm, even with the slight tremble in her fingers.

“I don’t know what I’d do in this moment without you,” she says, her voice trembling slightly.

Something in me shifts at her words, a deep, primal need to protect her, to be there for her in every way I can. Without really thinking about it, I lean down, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, my fingers lingering on her cheek.

Her eyes flutter closed at my touch, and when she opens them again, there’s no mistaking what’s there. It’s a look I’ve seen before, but never like this. It’s a look that says she needs me, not just for comfort, but for something more.

I lean in slowly, giving her a chance to pull away if she wants to. But she doesn’t. Instead, she closes the gap between us, her lips meeting mine in a kiss that’s soft and tentative at first, but quickly deepens. It’s a kiss that’s full of emotion, of need, of everything we’ve both been holding back.

And in that kiss, I lose myself. I completely surrender to her lips against mine as she melts into me. It’s like nothing else matters in this moment, just the two of us, finding solace in each other.

When we finally pull away from each other, both of us are breathing hard, our foreheads resting against each other. There’s a moment of silence, where everything hangs in the balance, and then I pull her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead, her temple, her cheek.

“Frankie…” I start, but she shakes her head, silencing me with another kiss, this one softer, more tender.

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