Always A Bride Read Free Page A

yet—Alex. Nothing else mattered.
    He checked his phone to see if he had missed her call. He tried to think about something else, quickly moved his mouse back and forth to bring his computer out of sleep mode. He glanced through the charts absentmindedly, trying to get Alex off his mind. Every thought of her was accompanied by a pang of guilt. He was engaged to Molly and she deserved his loyalty. Alex deserved something from him too, though. She was his first love. They had never really broken up. It was to Alex that he had truly been disloyal. Now he was overcome with conflicting emotions. His sense of duty to Molly versus the love and desire he still held for Alex.
    H e was wasting time trying to review charts, so he picked up the phone and buzzed his physician’s assistant. “Allison, could you come in, please?”
    “ Sure, Harvey…I mean…Dr. Mitchell. I’ll be right there.”
    Moments later , Allison tapped on the office door and entered. Her long blonde hair was neatly pinned in a bun at the nape of her neck and the crisp white lab coat gave her an air of professionalism. “Morning, doc. What’s up?”
    “ Have you heard from Alex this morning?”
    “ Alex?"
    "Yes. Alex Dodson. Your best friend from high school."
    "Heard from her at the office? What’s up with that? Is she in town? Why would she be calling here?”
    “ One question at a time, Allie. Yes, Alex Dodson. Yes, she’s in town. She fainted at the bridal expo where she was modeling yesterday and I asked that she come in for some lab work.”
    “ Is she okay? Do you want me to call her? Is she staying at her mom’s?”
    “ She was probably just overheated. I guess she’s at her mom’s. I was with Molly, so you can imagine how much Alex and I got to talk. Maybe I’ll go by and check on her. When’s my next appointment?”
    Allison checked her iPod. “You don’t have any appointments until after lunch. Go. Tell her I said hello.”
    “ I don’t know. It would really make Molly mad if she found out.” Harvey rose out of his chair, shed his lab coat and searched his desk for his keys. He moved folders, patted papers, and then found the keys in his pocket. “We are engaged. I shouldn’t intentionally make her mad. But if I am going as a doctor to make sure Alex is okay…that’s different, right?”
    “ Go, boss. I’ll cover for you. I've seen Molly's hissy fits. We don't want her telling her daddy on you. Stop by the nursing home on the way back. If Molly asks, no one is going to know when you got there, just that they saw you.”
    “ Thanks, Allison. This is why I keep you around.”
    “ No problem, boss. Anytime.”
    Harvey was halfway out the door before Allison finished her sentence.
    In the car, he turned on the radio and knew he was in trouble when the first song was the theme from his and Alex’s senior prom. It wasn’t long after he was in college and Alex was off working as a model. They had written and called and emailed for the first year or so. Then they had just drifted farther apart. Instead of talking or texting every day, they only spoke once or twice a week. Soon weeks went by without them contacting each other. He wasn’t dating anyone else and didn’t want to. He was just busy and focused on school. He thought Alex must be going through the same thing. Alex's mother often told him of the exotic locations Alex visited on photo shots and while filming commercials.
    The song ended and he thought about the last time he and Alex had seen each other. He was home for a short break during his residency and she was enjoying a brief visit with her mom before flying out to a photo shoot for some magazine. They had one evening together for dinner and a movie. Things were comfortable, like always. They kissed good night, said, “I love you”, and promised to get together again soon. That had been eighteen months ago.
    He was trying to figure out what had gone wrong between them when his phone rang. He looked at the caller