Page 48 of Moonlight Feels Right
"I already had breakfast. I'll just cover the batter and put it away."
He felt so domesticated as he watched her moving around his kitchen. With Olivia sitting at the table, he had the strangest thought that this could be his actual life if he wanted it. Not with Olivia, who needed to be with her mother. And probably not with Emmalyn…although, she was a big part of his interest in the picture in his head.
The closing of the refrigerator snapped him out of his reverie. This wasn't his life. He wasn't a family man. He was a pilot, someone who was always taking off and going somewhere else, and he didn't want to worry about who he was leaving behind.
"I've got this," Emmalyn said, "if you want to get going."
He really should get going before he forgot why he was going.
"Thanks." He turned to Olivia. "I'll see you after school."
"Okay," she said with her mouth full.
He exchanged a smile with Emmalyn, his gut twisting once more as he found it far too difficult to drag his gaze away from her.
"Is there something else?" she asked, a question in her eyes. "Do you need me to bring Olivia home from school?"
"I'm not sure when I'll be done."
"I'll plan on bringing her back unless you text me otherwise."
"Thanks, Em."
"You're more than welcome. I hope the tests are all good."
"Me, too." But he wasn't thinking about the tests when he left the apartment; he was still thinking about her.
Hunter got his focus back as soon as he entered the bustling medical center, which had become his second home the last seven months. While it was a great facility, he really couldn't wait to be done. He checked in at the lab first and did his blood work and other tests. Then he headed upstairs to see his physician. It was after nine when he was ushered into an exam room with Dr. Marquez. He'd seen him a few times during his recovery period, but not for the past three months.
"Captain," Dr. Marquez said, shaking his hand. "You look better than the last time I saw you."
"I'm back to normal," he said confidently.
"How's the leg? Any pain, weakness, issues with your lower back or hip?"
"No pain, no weakness, no problems at all."
"Glad to hear it. I'm going to run you through a variety of tests to see if your body is as strong as your confidence," Marquez said with a smile.
"It is. I've been working hard for a long time. I'm ready."
"I can see that, Captain." He paused. "I know you have a lot to prove and feel your entire career is on the line."
"It is on the line. That's not a feeling; that's a fact," he pointed out.
"I understand the stakes, and I want you to succeed as much as you want to succeed. So don't look at anything we're doing as adversarial. We're on the same team."
"I understand."
"Then let's get started."
The next three hours were challenging. He ran on a treadmill with electrodes attached to his chest, monitoring his heart rate and oxygen levels for both sprints and long-distance running. He did flexibility tests that pushed the limits of his recovered muscles, reaction time assessments that measured his responses down to the millisecond, and a battery of vision and hearing checks that were more comprehensive than any standard physical.
By the end, he was sweating and tired but still confident. His body had responded well to every challenge. The months of physical therapy had paid off; he was in peak condition, perhaps even better than before the crash in some areas.
He was told to grab lunch and report back to Dr. Marquez at three, where he would go over his results. He'd hoped to move straight through to that meeting, but apparently, the blood work wouldn't be back before then. Knowing he wouldn't be able to pick up Olivia, he texted Emmalyn and confirmed that he needed her to bring Olivia home. Then he headed to the cafeteria and grabbed a chicken Caesar salad and a bottle of sparkling water.
A few minutes later, he got a text from Emmalyn. No problem. How's the day going?
