Page 28 of A Doctor's Promise
Waiting for Finn’s reply at the door, Edie thought back to earlier, the way he had looked at her as though wanting to escape as fast as possible. She had thrown any romantic chance she might possibly have had with Finn the moment she ran away from him, she knew this, yet it was still hard for her to comprehend. There had been a moment when Edie had forgotten about her past, about the betrayal of her ex-husband and her old best friend, and that was down to how she had felt around Finn. And even that she had ruined. Hopefully the friendship wasn’t beyond repair.
“Come in,” Finn shouted from inside his office. She stepped in quietly and shut the door behind her.
He sounds like a teacher about to tell me off,she thought as she took the visitors seat at the desk opposite him.
He didn’t acknowledge her arrival, his computer screen far more interesting than she was. So, Edie took a moment to look around the office. The room was as stark as it had been last week when she had snuck in and left the note for Finn. Nothing gave away who the real Finn really was. Last week seemed to Edie like a lifetime ago. But, really, what had changed between them? Finn’s wall dropped temporarily, but it shot straight back up again when things turned more serious.
And who’s fault was that, Edie?
“Are you okay talking here?” Finn asked at last, turning from his computer to face Edie, his eyes darkened as he looked at her.
Edie wasn’t sure if shedidwant to talk in his office, now he had asked. It was so bare and felt like the walls would fall away at any moment to reveal nothingness.
“Maybe we could take a walk?” she offered, thinking of the clifftops just outside the hospital walls.
“Good idea,” Finn said, shooting out of his seat quicker than lightening. “I’ll grab my coat, the wind can still whip around out there, even at this time of year.”
Edie was already quite well wrapped up; her ever increasing baby bump had needed more attention this week, almost as though it was colluding against her, not wanting to be secret anymore. She had a draped cardigan over her work dress to protect the bump from prying eyes, and ignored the niggling feeling that she should just come clean. They left the hospital together in silence, and Edie couldn’t work out if it was a good silence, or one that preceded disaster. All she knew was that Finn seemed to be doing all he could to avoid catching her eyes.
Finn hadn’t been wrong about the wind, it seemed to blow Edie from all directions once they were outside and walking towards the cliff edge. She had looked out at the cliffs on numerous occasions since starting work at Norfolk Coastal General, but this was the first time she had been out here atop them. Work and life had gotten in the way, plus, she had to remind herself, she’d only been at Norfolk Coastal General a few weeks.
It felt like she’d always been here.
Edie grabbed at her hair which was trying to make an escape and tucked it away into one of the spare bands she kept around her wrist. They headed on further out towards the edge of the cliffs, then started walking towards Little Water. It was a good few miles away, but they had no destination, only a journey to go on together. Edie hoped it would be a positive journey.
“Thank you.” Finn started off the difficult conversation. “For finally agreeing to talk to me.”
Edie raised an eyebrow at him.
“Sorry, that came out more facetious than I meant it to,” he continued, curling his lips down in jest towards Edie. “Iamgrateful that we are here together talking though.”
“Me too,” she shouted over the winds. “And, again, I am sorry for everything that has gone on. It’s been such a whirlwind few weeks, that I don’t really know where to start.”
“Me neither,” Finn agreed.
“But I think we should stick with talking about Mary and Anna,” Edie said, wanting to keep the conversation about work for now, if they could still call this work.
She was still wracking her brains how they could have a conversation about protecting and looking after a young child, when Edie wasn’t being honest about her own situation.
“Okay,” Finn said, and Edie thought she heard him sigh softly, but it could have been the sea dragging the stones over each other as it lapped at the shore. “Do you want to go first?”
Edie stopped walking and turned to look at Finn. His dark eyes looked sad, darker than normal, yet Edie still felt her breath being whipped away by their intensity. She studied his face with a longing to hold it in her hands and kiss his gorgeous lips.
“Oh, Finn,” she said, her whole body exhaling at the sight of him. “I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry about how I made you feel after you opened up to me and told me your history. I don’t know why I can’t seem to do the same. I wish I could. I want more than anything to let you in to my life and tell you exactly what’s going on.”
Finn’s hand rose to stroke Edie’s cheek and she felt sharp heat radiating through her body from his touch.
“Edie,” he said. “It’s okay, I understand.”
He took her hands in his and guided her to a bench over-looking the North Sea. They sat down, and Edie felt her knees touch Finn’s, the heat of his body emanating through her thin dress. She was glad to be able to sit down, for her legs felt like jelly.
“Edie,” Finn continued. “I have had over ten years to come to terms with what happened in my life. I thinkthat, along with how you were the catalyst for my honesty, made me able to talk about what had happened. You? You’ve only just come out of what I imagine to be a very bad situation. Of course I understand that you’re not ready to talk about it. But I am so grateful that you may be ready to talk to me about it one day.”
He stopped talking for a moment, and they both stared at each other, almost afraid that any sudden movements would cause the other to flee. Edie felt Finn stroking her hands gently with his thumbs. The touch of another person was sublime enough to send goose-bumps all over her skin.
He leant towards her, and she felt herself following his lead. His hand came up and cupped her cheek again, pulling her in towards him. And she let him, wanting him to never let her go. Then he kissed her softly on the lips, and she felt the rest of the world melt away around her.
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