Page 31 of Code Love
“It’s a check up, something this hospital won’t let me forget,” Elizabeth said with a lift of her eyebrows. “It’s been six months since my surgery.”
“You’re who I was paged for?” Lillian said, though it was more of a statement than a question.
“You think I’m going to let you pawn me off on the interns? If I have to be inconvenienced by this appointment, then so do you,” Elizabeth said and lifted her chin. Her hair was starting to grow out around where Lillian had performed the surgery, and honestly, the short cut looked pretty good on her.
“Of course,” Lillian said with a saccharine sweet smile. It was more than worth it to come to the hospital to see Elizabeth.
“How are things with Jade?” Elizabeth asked as Lillian took her vitals.
“Really good, we bought a loft,” Lillian answered as she noted each statistic.
“Wow,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “I knew you two were perfect for each other.”
Lillian lifted a brow at the woman. “I don’t see how you could think that; all we do is fight.”
“No, you don’t,” Elizabeth said. “You challenge each other, there’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
“Of course there is,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “People win fights.”
Lillian laughed out loud. Elizabeth was not wrong, her “fights” with Jade were rarely actual arguments, more so that they are both highly passionate about what they do.
“How did the board take the announcement?” Elizabeth asked.
“The same way the rest of the hospital did,” Jade answered from the doorway with a smile as both women looked toward her. She sauntered into the room and planted a kiss on Lillian’slips. A hint of color rose to Lillian’s cheeks. “They acted like it was about time.”
“Well…” Elizabeth chuckled with a shrug.
“Are you almost done? The adoption office called; we are going to be late if we don’t get a move on.”
“Adoption?” Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide. “That I didn’t see coming.” She shook her head. “It’s a little quick, don’t you think?”
Jade smirked, and Lillian knew that if she let her, Jade would go on letting Elizabeth believe they were getting ready to adopt a child.
“Not that kind of adoption,” Lillian said before the conversation could go any further, and she could visibly see Jade deflating.
“We’ve talked about it,” Jade said with a shrug. “Especially after hanging out with Jasmine for so long while her mothers recovered, but between our jobs and who we are, we didn’t think adopting a child was right for us.”
“Oh! How are they doing? I met them while I was here, they were a beautiful couple, and Jasmine was such a strong child,” Elizabeth said, her eyes lighting up with the memory.
“They’re doing well, especially considering the severity of their operations,” Jade said. “Hannah is still taking things slowly, but is back on her feet, and Stephanie has managed to start walking on her own again. Another six months and it will be like it never happened,” Jade continued with a smile.
“That’s wonderful,” Elizabeth said. “So, then what appointment are you talking about?”
“Oh!” Lillian said checking her watch. “We do need to get a move on.”
“We’re getting a cat,” Jade said with a wink.
Elizabeth laughed heartily and embraced both of them. “Well, you better scoot, then, wouldn’t want to miss something that important.”
“It’s good to see you, Elizabeth,” Jade said, and Lillian nodded along with her then they both hurried out the door.
They crossed the street back at their apartment and hopped into the sedan that they shared. They had decided to purchase a car even before they decided to buy the loft. Lillian didn’t have a car, and though she loved riding on the back of Jade’s motorcycle, there were many times she would much rather have had a car. Now that they were together, they actually looked forward to their occasional time off where they could travel and do things together. They had already visited several of California’s state parks and were planning a trip to the Grand Canyon soon, though they would have to find a pet sitter, now.
They drove downtown to the shelter, and the woman behind the counter greeted them warmly.
“Here she is,” she said as she pulled a small pet carrier from behind the counter. “We just have a few more signatures we need from you.”
