| A Second Chance |
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| As I pattered around the kitchen making breakfast, I debated which color scheme I would go with this year. Last year I had gone with blue and silver, my favorite color scheme of all. This year though, I decided I was going to go with red and gold in honor of my alma mater, Pittsburg State University. As I let Rip in and sat down to my breakfast I began to make a mental list of all that I would need to pull out of storage and buy at the store. Today was going to be one fun filled day of shopping.
The mall was crowded, warm, and filled with the sweet scent of pine, cinnamon, and nutmeg, some of the most popular holiday scents. Normally, such large crowds at the stores would have irritated me to no ends, but I was so full of the Christmas spirit that not even the slightest frown could break my good mood. Bing Crosby�s White Christmas played over the mall speakers, mingling with the voices of the other shoppers as I weaved my way in and out of crowds to get where I needed to go. The stores were just as packed as the walkways outside of them, but I had been to them many times and knew exactly what I wanted to buy. This gave me the advantage over other customers and so in only an hour I was already halfway done with my shopping. It was nearing three in the afternoon when my stomach gave an angry rumble and my arms increased the volume of their protest due to the weight of my purchases. I was near enough to being completely done with my shopping that I figured it wouldn�t hurt to take a break. I would load my packages in my car, drive over to my favorite deli and grab a bite to eat before finishing the last little bit of my shopping and heading home. I would have to be getting home soon anyway as my babies would be hungry and Rip would need to go outside again. With my purchases in tow, I headed out to the parking lot where I had left my car. I wasn�t really paying attention to things around me, seeming as how I was too busy thinking about how beautiful the house would look once decorated. It was because of this that I didn�t hear the man call to me to look out, nor did I hear the horn of the car that was trying to warn me to get out of the way. The driver of the car had lost control when hitting an icy patch of pavement and was swerving all over the place. The next thing I knew, I was on the cold, wet pavement with my right leg bent at an odd angle and pain shooting up my leg like it was being stabbed over and over again. Dazed and confused, I tried to push myself to a sitting position, but was restrained by a firm grasp of my shoulder. I looked at the black-gloved hand on my shoulder and my gaze traveled up the arm to the face of a kind looking man. He smiled at me, his blue eyes twinkling like stars on a clear night in the country. �It�s best if you stay still until help arrives. You got hit pretty hard and its best if we wait for the paramedics. Can you tell me your name miss?� His hair was the color of chestnuts, straight, but with a slight wave to it, and his voice and face were that of an angel. He was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen and I found that my mouth had gone dry in response to these sudden strange feelings of attraction that I felt stirring within. �J�Jasmine,� I said in reply to his question. �My name is Jasmine.� �Well Jasmine, I�m Brad and its� a pleasure to meet you. Though I must admit, it would be more of a pleasure if the situation different than what it is,� he said. I started to chuckle at his words as an ambulance pulled up, but another stab of pain went coursing through my leg and brought a grimace to my face. The paramedics hopped out and hurried over to us, and the questions soon began, bringing with them the medical jargon that I didn�t understand. Absently, I answered the questions the paramedics fired at me, but my focus was on Brad and his heavenly blue eyes. That, and my attempts to ignore the sharp, shooting pains in my right leg. �Do you have anyone to help you out Jasmine,� Brad asked. I shook my head. �No. Not really. I�ll just call one of my co-workers though.� �Well I need to be going to the hospital anyway. I have some patients I need to see,� he said. �You�re a doctor?� He nodded, �Yes, I�m a pediatrician. But since you don�t have anyone to help you out, I�d like to help you if you�d let me.� �Thanks, but no thanks. I�ll just call one of my co-workers.� I replied. |