| A Second Chance |
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| �Are you certain? It could take awhile for someone to get here. And I�m already here,� he told me, the concern evident in his voice and his eyes.
I wasn�t one much for accepting the help of others. I liked to do things on my own and be independent. Being the owner of Families Forever meant that you had to be independent and self-sufficient. It was impossible to help others when you couldn�t very well help yourself. I hesitated and gnawed on my bottom lip. He noticed my hesitation and spoke up, �I insist you let me help you Jasmine. It makes sense seeming as how I�m already here and all.� �Really you don�t�� �I insist. I�ll just get your things,� he said and hurried off before I could get another word in edgewise. Luckily for him, my packages had flown a good distance and so unless I shouted, he was far enough away that it would be hard to refuse his help. I watched him move about and had, for a time, been successful at ignoring the paramedics. That was until they lifted me onto the stretcher. I had been so intent on Brad that I had forgotten about the pain in my leg, and when they moved me, the pain made itself the center of my attention. I whimpered, trying to force the pain away and shot the paramedics an annoyed, angry look. They muttered unfelt apologies and wheeled me to the ambulance and loaded me in. About two hours later with a cast covering the length of my right leg I was ready to go home. I had already called a friend of mine to pick me up and she was supposed to be on her way. I was in the process of filling out the paperwork that would release me from the hospital when Brad arrived. He knocked on the doorframe, causing me to look up from what I was doing. At probably around six three to maybe six five, he was one of the tallest men I had ever seen aside from my father and my younger brother. �May I come in,� he asked. �Sure,� I replied absently and wondered why he had one hand behind his back. �Sorry I�m late. My patients can be pretty demanding at times,� he said with a smile so big, and teeth so white, he could have been a model. �These are for you,� he said as he brought his hand from behind his back. In his hand was a bouquet of blue and pink carnations interspersed with bits of baby�s breath and some other greenery that I couldn�t recall the name of. �Thanks. You didn�t need to do this though,� �Nonsense,� he interrupted. �I wanted to.� �Well thank you. They�re very beautiful.� �Not half as beautiful as you are Jasmine,� he said. I arched a brow in surprise. He certainly was bold, or else just very sure of himself. Either way I found that my cheeks warmed slightly as a blush crept into them. Compliments always did that to me regardless of who they came from. �You flatter me,� I replied. He cleared his throat and raked his fingers through his hair. �Ah, I have your things in the back of my car. Nothing looks damaged but I also didn�t take the time to go through it. Do you live around here? I can take you home if you like,� he said. He was fidgeting a little, like a nervous young man asking a girl to dance with him. Totally opposite from the way he had acted just a few moments ago. �Actually, I live out in the country,� I admitted. �It�d be too far out of your way to take me home. I really couldn�t impose and a friend of mine is already on�� �It�s no problem, really,� he interrupted. �I�d be happy to take you home. Or you could stay at my place. I have an extra room.� �Oh I really couldn�t. My babies are at home and I need to get back and take care of them,� I said. His expression fell just a little, as if he was disappointed. �You have kids then. Is your husband with them,� he asked. |