THE RIGHT DECISION
Part III
In Chicago a phone rang.
Instinctively Carol snatched it up. Even though the twins were with her mother and not asleep, it was second nature by now to silence any noise as quickly as possible.
“Hello”
“Carol is that you? It’s me…..Doug ”
“Carol are you there?”
Carol squeezed the handset so tightly she thought it would break. A part of her had hoped that Doug would not phone back, at least not so quickly. Even though she had made the decision to call him she still hadn’t decided what she was going to say to him when or if he phoned back.
Her first instinct was to hang up, but she knew he would try again.
“Hello Doug”
“Carol…..I was worried when you phoned. Are the girls alright?”
“They’re fine. They’re with my mother.”
There was a silence while they both tried to think of what to say next. Doug wanted to ask why Carol had phoned, but felt it was up to her to lead the way. Carol was still trying to figure out what to tell Doug. Doug finally broke the silence.
“I heard what happened on Valentines Day. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t even there when it happened. At least, I was there but I had left before they….before they found Lucy and Carter”
“Poor kids. Lucy would have made a great doctor. How’s Carter doing?”
“He’s just started back to work. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Did you hear that Jeanie left? She got married and adopted a little boy and then left to spend more time with her family”
Carol was suddenly aware that the topic of families was not one she wanted to get involved with, not just yet. She tried to change the subject.
“Oh and we have a really obnoxious resident called Malucci. He thinks he knows it all and acts like he’s Gods gift to women.”
“Sounds familiar. He isn’t a paediatrician by any chance?”
“Oh come on you were never that bad”
“I was probably worse. Carol you didn’t call me to talk about Carter or Jeanie or Malatucci or whatever his name is. Why did you call?”
Carol took a deep breath. It was no use delaying it any longer.
“I’ve been thinking about Tess and Kate, and their future. And what their future would be if I’m not around to take care of them.”
“Carol is something wrong? Are you sick? Is that why you’re calling?”
Dougs mouth was dry. The thought that Carol could be sick or dying filled him with dread. Even though they were apart he had taken comfort in the knowledge that she was safe and well. Surely even this comfort wasn’t going to be taken from him.
“No Doug it’s not that.
It’s just that it could easily have been me who got stabbed that night. I can’t get it out of my mind. I know the odds of it happening again are slim, but anything could happen to me and that would leave Tess and Kate alone and helpless.”
“You know I’d take care of them if anything happened to you.”
“I know that. But I don’t want them to be suddenly taken away from everything they know, if something were to happen to me.”
“So what are you saying Carol”
“I’m saying that if you still want me in your life, I want us to be a family. I don’t care whether its Chicago, Seattle or the middle of nowhere, I just want the four of us to be together.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
“Doug, are you there?”
“Carol I love you. And I promise you we will make this work.”
“I know you will. And I love you too.”
Carol heard her mother at the door. “Doug the girls are here. I’ll call you when I get them settled, and then we can make plans.”
Doug agreed and they both hung up.
Carol sat at her kitchen table. Doug sat on his bed. Although they were a few thousand miles apart, for the first time in over a year they were both together and they knew that this time it was going to work.
THE END