Just a Matter of Time

Amara

Sorting through the gift basket, I made sure everything was in place. The vibrant array of snacks and treats looked perfect, and I hoped Elisha would appreciate it.

I glanced at the clock and sighed. Knowing Elisha had an early shift today made my guilt even more acute. I had practically dragged him all night and then insisted he stay over, despite his clear exhaustion. It wasn't just that he'd stayed up late—it was the way he had so willingly put my needs before his own. Elisha was always like that, so selfless even when I knew he wanted to do other things.

The guilt gnawed at me, making it hard to concentrate on anything else. I should have let him go home and rest.

I called my Uber and headed downstairs. The ride to the hospital was uneventful, and I spent most of it checking my phone for any updates from Eric. We had dinner tonight with my parents as they wanted to see him but as usual, there was no response, which only added to my frustration.

Arriving at the hospital, I took a deep breath and headed inside. The lobby was buzzing with activity, and I approached the front desk where a busy receptionist looked up from her computer.

"Hi there," I said, trying to sound composed. "I'm here to see Dr. Franck. Could you point me in his direction?"

The receptionist glanced at her screen and nodded. "Dr. Franck is with a patient right now, but if you'd like, I can have Dr.Mason assist you."

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, that would be great. Thank you."

The receptionist picked up the phone and made a quick call. A few minutes later, Dr.Mason appeared at the desk, looking both professional and approachable. He extended a hand with a friendly smile.

"Hi, I'm Dr.Mason but you can call me Leo. You must be here to see Dr. Franck?"

"Yes, that's right," I replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Amara."

Dr. Mason nodded, curiosity evident on his face. "Sorry to ask, but are you one of his patients?"

I laughed lightly. "No, we're childhood friends. I've known Elisha since we were five years old. He was a shy kid who needed a lot of help socially. I think I've been a bit of a social coach for him over the years," I said with a chuckle, gesturing to the gift basket I was carrying.

Dr. Mason's eyes widened with interest. "Really? That's fascinating! Elisha doesn't talk much about his life outside of work. It's nice to hear more about his personal background."

I nodded. "Yeah, he's usually pretty reserved about that side of his life."

Dr. Mason's face brightened with enthusiasm. "He's usually so focused on work that it's rare to get a glimpse into his personal life. Let's head to his office; he should be finishing up with some work."

As we walked through the hospital corridors, Dr. Mason chatted excitedly, clearly eager to learn more about the friend he'd only heard about in passing. When we reached Elisha's office, Dr. Mason knocked before opening the door.

"Elisha, you have a visitor!" Dr. Mason called out with a grin.

Elisha looked up from his desk, his surprise evident. "Amara? What are you doing here?"

I smiled warmly and held up the gift basket. "I came to drop this off. I wanted to thank you for staying over last night."

Elisha's expression softened as he walked over to greet me. "You didn't have to do this, but thank you."

Dr. Mason stepped aside, letting us have a moment. "Elisha, how come you never talked about having a childhood friend?"

I turned to Dr. Mason with a playful grin. "Right? How come you don't talk about me?" I egged on, noticing Elisha's face fall into a flat expression of mild annoyance.

"This is a hospital... not a social bar," Elisha retorted, sounding more exasperated than usual.

Both Leo and I looked at him, mildly offended. I waved it off with a chuckle. "Ignore him, Leo. As a kid, he was always a bit cold. I remember the first time I met him, he was so shy he wouldn't even look me in the eye. I had to practically drag him out of his shell."

Elisha shot me a warning look, but I continued with my story. "Like this one time we had a school play, and he was supposed to be a tree. He ended up standing still, so petrified he could barely move. I had to nudge him to give a little wave. It was hilarious!"

Elisha shook his head with a smirk. "Amara's version of events are always a bit exaggerated.  None of that happened and she was the one with stage fright."

I felt my cheeks heat up as I shot him a playful glare.. "Oh, please! Leo he used to hide behind me whenever we played tag. He was convinced that if he stayed close enough to me, he wouldn't get tagged."

Leo laughed, clearly enjoying the stories. "I'm glad to hear more about Elisha outside of work. Man you seem way more fun now."

Elisha sighed, but his eyes were warm. "Well, let's end it. Thanks for dropping by, Amara. I appreciate the gesture."

Dr. Mason gave Elisha a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for the stories, Amara. It's nice to see a different side of him. I'll let you two catch up."

As Dr. Mason left the office, I looked at Elisha with a mix of affection and teasing. "You know, you really should talk about your life outside of work more. It's not like you have to keep it a secret."

Elisha shook his head. "Again this is a workspace not a bar."

I grinned as I handed Elisha the gift basket. "Well, at least you can't hide from me. I'll make sure to keep you in check."

Elisha rolled his eyes and took the basket from me. "That's not necessary."

I pointed to the basket with a flourish. "Did you look at the basket? I added all of your favorite things." Elisha peered into the basket and pulled out a jar of pickles.

"Favorite things, huh? This is just a jar of pickles."

"Well, you said you liked them," I said with a shrug. "I thought it might come in handy."

He kept digging through the basket and pulled out a tin of cheese spread. "And this cheese spread—did you grab this from the back of your pantry? It's practically expired."

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my tone light. "Hey, it's still good! Besides, I wanted to make sure you had everything you need. It's the thought that counts."

Elisha's eyes fell on a rubber ducky. "What's with this rubber ducky? Is it some kind of joke?" I laughed, feeling a bit defensive. "It's for stress relief! Or maybe just to make you smile. My house is full of quirky things, okay?"

He held up a mini flashlight and a bottle of lavender oil. "And what about this mini flashlight and lavender oil? Did you just clean out a drawer?"

"Yes, and yes!" I said, my tone more playful now. "I thought you might need a flashlight for emergencies and the lavender oil to relax. You never know!"

He pulled out a vintage postcard from Paris and raised an eyebrow. "And this? Did you raid your travel souvenirs too?" I smirked. "

Well, I thought it'd be a nice touch. A little reminder of the finer things in life." Elisha gave me a skeptical look. "So, let me get this straight. I'm supposed to believe that a basket full of random junk from your apartment is a thoughtful gift?"

I laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed but amused. "Hey, that 'junk' is actually full of character."

"Sure..." he said, his voice dragging slightly as I looked around his office. It was organized and spacious, showed his type A personality.

"Are you hungry? I get off call around 5 PM," he asked, his tone casual.

"I've got dinner with Eric and my family tonight, so I'll be heading over early," I replied, noticing the way he paused, his gaze locking onto mine.

"Dinner with Eric?" he repeated, a hint of something in his voice that I couldn't quite place.

"Yeah," I answered, trying to keep my tone light. "My mom has been pressing me for days. I should head out now to get ready. I'll see you later."