Page 48 of New River Gorge(ous)
Paige bites her lip and looks unsure for a beat, but it passes quickly.
“Hiking sounds amazing.” She leans into Connor. “As long as there are no cougars.” She shivers and Connor tightens his arm around her protectively.
“No cougars that I’m aware of,” I assure. “The trails can get pretty busy. I think there are bobcats and black bears though.”
“That sounds good enough for me. When can we hike?” Connor asks.
“Uh … well, I actually don’t really know the trails, but I can ask my neighbor if he’ll take us on a hike.”
“Oh, theneighbor?” Paige asks before letting out a huge yawn. “Sorry, I am absolutely exhausted. We haven’t even been to the rental house yet, and we’ve been on the road since four a.m.”
“You guys came right here instead of stopping off and putting your things away?” I ask, shocked.
“Part of adventure week is surprises.” Connor shrugs. He knows full well that I do not operate well without planning. My penchant for planning might have been why he hired me to be a counselor at the camp he oversaw. “We wanted to surprise you.”
“You definitely did!” I say before giving each of them a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” I take in the circles under Paige’s eyes. She really is exhausted. “I think you should head to your house and rest up. I’ll ask Beck about hiking tomorrow. It’s his day off, so that should be good.”
“That sounds great.” Connor says, his eyes affectionately fixed on his wife.
“I’ll text you once I hear from Beck,” I say to the happy couple as we walk toward their car.
Connor holds the door open for Paige, just as he always does.
Paige gives me a quick hug and whispers, “I want to know more about the neighbor next time I see you!”
She climbs into the car. She has to move a well-worn book off the seat before she can sit down, and as she places it on the dashboard, I have to laugh. The woman who claimed she didn’t have faith when she started working at Camp CGO just moved a Bible off her seat.
Reflecting on how Paige has changed makes me think two things: One, that I should read my Bible again. And two, that Paige was right. It was worth the struggle and the wait for her. It will be for me too.
With that happy thought, I compose a text to Beck asking if he’ll stop by when he’s done with work for lemonade on the porch swing.
25
Dr. Beckett Whistler
I don’t know how Brooke convinced me to lead a group hike with strangers, but they are her friends. Actually, I know exactly how she convinced me. She looked at me with big blue eyes as we sat on June’s porch swing and tensed up and started to run her fingers through her hair. When she stopped and clasped both her hands in her lap, she asked me with apleasethat was quiet, not wheedling. A strand of pink hair lifted off her neck in the breeze, and I knew I’d do anything she asked.
Connor is chatty, which might annoy me, but seems to be fun for Brooke, who returns his banter good-naturedly. From what I’ve gathered, the three of them all worked at a summer camp, and that’s where Connor fell for Paige. I’m used to being a silent observer, and that’s exactly the role I’ve fallen into with this group.
“I need a minute,” Paige calls out. We all stop and turn back to look at Paige. She’s got one hand over her stomach like she has a cramp, and she looks pale. “You guys go up ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Brooke and Connor start walking again, but some internal doctor sense tells me to check on Paige. When I look back at where Paige was standing, I see that she’s disappeared into the brush alongside the trail. I wait for a moment in case she’s using the bathroom, but then I hear the unmistakable sound of someone retching.
“Paige?” I call quietly. The shuffling of feet on brambles tells me which direction she went. “Paige, I’m a doctor. Are you ok?” I push some growth aside and find her kneeling on the ground, clutching her stomach.
“Yeah, I just…”
Maybe it’s not the first thing everyone thinks of when they see a woman who’s vomiting on the side of a trail, but I’ve been a doctor for years. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you always rule out pregnancy.
“Paige.” I crouch next to her and look her in the eyes. “Are you pregnant?”
Paige’s eyes meet mine with a soft light as she nods her head in a yes.
“Does Connor know?”
“Not yet. I’m not very far along, but I’ve been sick the past few days. I wanted to make it to my first appointment next week to tell him.”
I tip my head to the side, confused. “Why would you wait to tell him?”
