Chasing Anne

Are You to Stay, or Leave?

  Andrew sighed stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping his gaze glued to the floor. His shoes tapped softly against the floor, forming a rhythmic pattern of footfalls that soon became the only sound he heard other than his breathing. Where was Brianna? He was disappointed that he wasn't able to spend the evening with her, but even more so, he was worried about her. Why had she all of a sudden decided not to attend the dance? She'd seemed fine at the boutique, and even this morning she'd seemed okay, but then all of a sudden she'd changed her mind about actually attending the dance? He sighed again and scratched the back of his head, looking up at the hallway in front of him. Perhaps Tracy would know where Brie was. She seemed to know everything about Ryan's daughter, so she probably knew where Brianna was now. That and why she hadn't shown herself at the party. He sighed a third time and changed direction, moving to the left towards another hallway that led to the main floor's massive kitchen. As he approached it, he caught the wonderful smells of the dinner Tracy had been tasked to prepare. As he drew closer, he spotted the short, black haired woman near the back of the kitchen area, speaking with Ronald. Another one of the chefs. There were four of them altogether. Tracy was head chef, a young man named Ronald was second to her, and then two others, Bren and Susan, were under them. Andrew knocked on the kitchens massive steel double doors successfully getting the attention of both Tracy and Ronald. Tracy smiled at him, said something to Ronald, and then made her way over to him.
"Can I help you, Andrew?" she asked, smiling, though he saw a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
"Tracy, have you seen Brianna? I was supposed to meet her at the dance tonight."
"She wasn't feeling well. After the ladies returned from the boutique she said she was feeling nauseous and dizzy. I felt her forehead and it was burning with fever. I don't know how long she's been sick, or what it even is that's ailing her, but I sent her to bed. She wasn't happy with the idea, but I insisted. I've already told Dr. McCourtney about it like she asked though, so you don't need to worry."
Andrew's brow furrowed. "You told Dr. McCourtney?" he asked.
"Yes, just like she asked. I told Dr. Mitchel McCourtney about her condition."
Andrew tried not to smile. "Tracy, I'm Dr. Andrew McCourtney. Mitch is Dr. Mitchel James. I think you may have confused the two of us."
Tracy's eyes widened. "You're Dr. McCourtney?" she asked.
Andrew nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I had no idea. I just presumed that Mitch was because I knew he was a doctor! I'm so sorry!"
Andrew smiled and shook his head, leaning against the wall to his left. "Don't worry about it, Tracy. I just need to know where she is. I'm worried about her."
"She's in her room with Mitch now, I presume. Do you know where that is?"
Andrew half nodded his head. "Sort of. I know it's on the third floor."
"Yes, you have that right. Her room number is 322. It's the last on that hallway."
"Yeah, I think I remember that. Thanks."
"For sure, Andrew. And I really am sorry about the mix-up."
Andrew shrugged and smiled. "It happens. Don't worry about it."
Then he shoved off the wall with his shoulder and turned to head for the elevator.
"And, Andrew!" Tracy called after him.
"Yes?" Andrew asked, pausing and turning his head back to her.
"Could you take her her dinner? I don't know if she'll eat it, but I'd like to send it up to her anyway."
"Sure, where is it?"
"It'll be in the dumbwaiter, right next to the stairs on the third floor. Just hit the green button when you reach it and I'll send the food up to you."
Andrew nodded. "Will do."
"Thank you."
Andrew nodded final time, and then turned his back to her, jogging toward the staircase. He made it up the two flights of stairs, wheezing as he reached the top. Grabbing the handrail to support himself, he leaned against it a moment, catching his breath. The stairs hadn't seemed so tall until now. He sighed. Next time, he needed to use the elevator. He'd just been in such a hurry the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. First the dumbwaiter, then Brianna. He guessed her room was to the left, but he couldn't be sure. The night he'd walked her back to her room, he wasn't exactly sure where he'd carried her to. Somehow he'd just known where to go. It made no sense, but then again, life wasn't really making a lot of sense lately. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, beginning his search for the dumbwaiter. He located it on the wall directly across from him and strode over to it, pushing the green button beside it. He could hear a faint beeping noise below him and then a gentle whirring noise as the machine came to life. Only a few minutes later, the mechanical door opened and a delicious smell drifted to Andrew's nose. He smiled and looked down at the wonderful meal. But it only confused him when he saw what was laid out on the platter. Baked Macaroni and Cheese and Peach Pie. He scratched his head, confused. Brianna had organized the meal with Tracy, but since when did Peach Pie and Macaroni go together? He shook his head and then reached for the handles of the tray. Who was he to question the food choice? He was too hungry to care what he would be eating. Food was food. Once the tray was in his hands, he began walking to the left toward the hallway where he thought Brianna's room was. To his great relief and joy, her room was tucked away at the end of the hall directly across from the room Aleron had opened for him that night. He balanced the tray on one forearm and then gently knocked on 322's door, waiting patiently for an answer.
The door creaked, gaining his attention and a concerned Mitchel peeked out, his eyes nervous.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Yeah, I'm looking for Brianna."
"Oh, I see," Mitch muttered. "Come in. She's nearly asleep, so I don't think she'll be very hungry."
"Well, I ought to ask anyway. She hasn't had anything since this morning. I doubt she's not hungry."
Mitch shrugged and nodded, letting him into the room. Andrew obligingly entered, and hurried over to the counter where he set the hot food tray down. But as soon as it was set to cool on the counter, Andrew's mind turned to Brianna and his eyes began his search for her face.
"Brie?" he asked, softly, turning around.
She lay in her canopy bed, a large pile of blankets stretched on top of her. Her eyes were closed and as Mitchel had said, she was quickly falling asleep. Her hair lay in a disheveled mess under her head and her complexion was extremely pale. But Andrew could care less what she looked like in that moment. His voice roused her from her near-slumber, her eyelids slowly rising to find the source of the noise.
"Andrew?" she croaked, squinting at him.
Andrew slowly walked over to her, smiling and sitting down in a chair near her bedside. "You don't look very good," he said softly.
Brianna groaned and closed her eyes, laying a hand on her head. "I don't feel very good either," she replied.
"Yeah, those two things seem to go together. Mitchel, how is she?"
"She has a high fever of 102.7 Fahrenheit and felt a little nauseous about an hour ago. Those two put together have sapped her energy out of her."
"Has the fever broken?"
Mitch half nodded. "It isn't rising, but I can't say it's broken either."
Andrew laid his hand against Brie's forehead and grimaced in dismay. "She's still pretty hot. How long has she been like this?"
Mitch shrugged. "Since Tracy found me, I guess."
"Since I got back from the boutique," Brianna mumbled. "I didn't feel very great since this morning, but I thought it would wear off as the day went on. Turns out, it only got worse."
"You should have told someone," Andrew said, worry etched in his voice.
Brianna smiled and shrugged weakly. "I didn't want to ruin the party."
Andrew sighed and moved his hand from her forehead to her cheek, letting it linger there a moment before pulling away. "Brie, that scares me," he said softly, shaking his head. "What if this was something worse and you didn't tell anybody?"
Brianna shrugged. "I guess it would have caught up to me sooner. You would have found out eventually."
"And what if I didn't? What if neither I nor Mitch knew that you were sick? What would happen then?"
Brianna looked down at her hands, defeated. "Okay, I get it. I'll tell you when I'm not feeling great next time."
Andrew sighed deeply and leaned forward, laying his hand over hers. "I'm sorry, Brianna. It just worries me when you're like this. I don't want you hurt."
Brianna smiled and blushed scarlet. "That makes two of us. I don't want to be hurt either," she quipped, closing her eyes. "But thanks."
Andrew shrugged. "Hey, it's what friends are for. By the way, I brought you dinner."
Brie smiled wide, her eyes lighting up. "You did?"
Andrew nodded, standing up. "I did. Tracy sent it up to me in the dumbwaiter. It's probably still hot."
"Good, because I'm famished!"
Mitchel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you feel well enough to eat, Brianna?" he asked, glancing at Andrew who was headed for the meal tray.
Brianna nodded. "I probably won't eat that much, but I need to eat something."
"Just be sure to take it easy," Mitch continued. "If you feel nauseous at all, tell us. Don't overstuff yourself and make yourself sick."
Brianna laughed and the sound of it brought a light ray through the dismal gray of the room. At least, to Andrew it did. He smiled. "What's that for?"
"Having the two of you on hand has really gotten interesting, you know."
"Hey, it's always nice to have a doctor or two on hand," Mitch replied, grinning.
"It's nice to hear you laugh, Brie," Andrew whispered, mostly to himself.
Brianna blushed. "Yeah, it feels good to laugh again."
Andrew chuckled. "Then don't stop." He turned, walking back over to the kitchenette's counter and lifted the meal tray off of the countertop. It wasn't as hot as it had been when he'd first received it, but he was certain that it was hot enough for Brianna to eat. He carried it over to her and then set it down on the nightstand beside her bedside. Brianna closed her eyes and took a whiff of the smell, a giggle escaping her throat. Andrew tried not to smile. Why did her laugh sound so wonderful all of a sudden?
She ate slowly, careful to take it easy on her stomach, but with every bite, she grew more and more tired. Her eyelids began to droop, and then she started to slump sideways toward the dinner platter. But Andrew was instantly at her side, catching her fall and helping her lie down under the covers. She smiled, her thanks, but was too weak to say anything to go with it. Her eyelids gradually closed and then with a final sigh, she fell asleep. Andrew couldn't help but smile. He reached out, brushing her golden-brown hair out of her eyes. When had she gotten so beautiful?


Mark couldn't quite get over the fact that Anne had really just become his fiancée that night. He sighed and took a final 360 of her room before satisfying himself with the fact that she was safe. She lay peacefully in her bed, the blanket lain over her slowly rising and falling as she took breath after breath. He sighed and lowered his hand to the door handle, gripping the cool metal and turning it gently. He tried not to make any noise, but a tiny creak reverberated from the door hinge, making him grimace. He rolled his eyes and stepped out of his fiancée's room. Why did he have to be so terrible at being quiet? Taking another step back, he pulled the door closed, the gentle click of the latch bolt confirming that the door had sealed. Then he let go of the doorknob started laughing.
Anne was now his bride. He shivered and a dopey smile crossed his face. God was simply too good to him. He laughed harder and shook his head, leaning back against the wall behind him. Anne was his. He could hardly believe it, but he knew he had to believe it. He himself had slid the ring onto her finger! She'd said yes! She'd accepted him as her future husband! Mark laughed even harder, tears of joy welling up in his eyes. Okay, now he was being absolutely ridiculous! Why did he have to be so emotional? Trying to quell his laughter, he wiped the tears out of his eyes and slid down to the floor, his heart pounding.
"Thank you, Father," he whispered. But his laughter and tears made it impossible to say anymore.
"You okay?" Andrew's voice called down the hallway, breaking Mark out of his happy daze.
"Yeah," Mark called back, taking a deep breath. "I'm okay."
"You sure?" Andrew pressed, reaching out a hand to him to help him stand. Mark took it and pushed himself upward as Andrew pulled him forward, helping to his feet.
"Yeah," Mark said again. "I'm just happy."
"How come?"
"Anne's going to marry me," Mark said softly, tears starting to form in his eyes again. "That's why I'm happy."
"Congratulations!" Andrew exclaimed, clapping Mark on the back. "That's the best news I've heard all day!"
Mark nodded, wiping his face for what felt like the millionth time. "Yeah, I can hardly believe it."
"Well, I certainly can!" Andrew exclaimed. "After all you two have been through, it's only right for the two of you to be together."
Mark shrugged, "I suppose. I'm just glad I made it through the proposal honestly."
"How soon will you wed?"
Mark laughed. "Easy, Andrew! It's been less than an hour since I asked! It'll be soon, I know that. I just don't know how soon. We haven't really talked about it."
"Did you enjoy tonight?"
Mark smiled. "Brie put it together, didn't she?"
Andrew hesitated, then nodded, reasoning that Brianna wouldn't care if her brother knew after the fact who'd planned it.
"Well, I'm going to have to thank her then," Mark replied, smiling. "Because tonight was a dream come true. Where is she anyway? Why didn't she come?"
"She was going to," Andrew explained. "But see, while she was getting ready, she didn't feel very well. So Tracy sent her to bed."
Mark's face filled with worry as his eyes shot to Andrew's. He stopped with him with an arm, forcing him to face him. "How is she?"
"She's doing all right," Andrew said, trying to keep his wits about him, though internally he was more than intimidated by Brie's older brother. Any day, the young man could easily take him on . . . and the results would not be very pretty.
"What do you mean all right?" Mark pressed. "What is her condition?"
The concern in Mark's eyes was evident. Andrew forced a smile and touched his friend's shoulder. "She has a fever and is a little nauseous, but Mitch and I are confident that it's nothing more than a cold. She'll be much better tomorrow."
"And where is she now?"
"Sleeping in her room."
Mark sighed in relief, turning his browbeating gaze away from him. "I hope you're right, Andrew," he muttered. "I don't want to-." He stopped, swallowing hard.
"Mark, it's not as bad as you think it is. She'll be okay."
Mark nodded. "I know, I'm just . . . afraid . . . of losing . . . someone else."
Andrew nodded. "I know how you feel. Losing things we love is tough."
Mark hesitated, letting silence fall between them a moment. "Thank you, by the way, for all you did for Blaze," he finally said.
Andrew nodded. "You're welcome. I just wish I could have saved him."
"Sometimes there's just nothing we can do," Mark whispered. "I miss him."
"I do too. Brie says you two could play together all day."
Mark laughed, though tears were streaming down his face. "Yeah, we could. If it hadn't been for him, I never would have met up with Anne again. And who knew what that could have merited."
"Blaze brought you and Anne back together?"
Mark nodded. "I took him to the park the day of Mr. McCourtney's funeral. Anne happened to take Dawn there that same day and well, that's when I found out what a mess her life had become. And now look where I am!" He smiled. "She's to be my bride."
"I guess God can use dogs too," Andrew said with a smile.
Mark laughed and nodded. "I guess so."
They walked on in silence a few moments, but after a while, Andrew's head began to turn back to Brianna. Since leaving her room, there had been a single question that pricked at his mind. A question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to. If the answer proved to be in his favor, well then he would have one less thing to worry about. But he knew that the answer wasn't going to be something that he'd like. Brie becoming sick confirmed that. He sighed deeply looking at the floor. There would be no harm in asking, would there? "Mark, when will Brianna return to Minnesota?" he asked at last, relieved to finally let the inquiry tumble out.
Mark raised an eyebrow and then thought a moment. "Well, Anne and I are leaving in about two months, so I guess she'd come with us."
Andrew nodded, though he looked disappointed, replying, "Makes sense. How do you plan on getting back home?"
"Driving my car. I need to get it back to Minnesota, so I might as well drive it there. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, I was just wondering."
Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "No reason, huh? This wouldn't have anything to do with you wanting to spend the evening with my sister, would it?"
Andrew bit his lip. "Mark, I'm worried about her."
"How come?"
"Well, she's . . . I don't know. I just don't want to be too far from her."
"Well, how soon do you go back to Minnesota?"
"Three days. I need to be back at the hospital. My absence isn't a very good thing right now."
"I see. Well, I'm certain that my father won't let her go up to Minnesota alone and Jadon won't let her go now, so there's not much I can do. Why is it that you want to be close to her?"
"Look, I care about your sister . . . more than I completely understand right now, and I just want to be sure that she'll be safe."
"She's safe here, Andrew. I assure you. My father, Jackson, Mitch, Anne, Cindy, me, and even Tracy are here. She'll be fine."
Andrew nodded slowly. "It'll be weird not having you guys around."
Mark laughed. "Don't get used to it, McCourtney. We may have need of you in the future."
Andrew laughed. "Absolutely, Mark. I'm just a phone call away. When you need me, I'll be there."
Mark smiled. "I appreciate that, Andrew. Thanks."
Andrew nodded. "Goodnight, Normand. I guess I'll see you in the morning."
Mark nodded. "Yep. I'll be here."
Andrew smiled and laughed. "And so will your fiancée."
Mark dopily smiled wide and looked at the floor. "Yeah, she will be."
"Congratulations again. It means a lot to all of us that you two are finally together."
"I know. That's why it's so good to have the whole asking thing over with. Nobody has to hold their breath anymore. It's said and done."
Andrew laughed. "But don't get me wrong, Normand. I'll still be watching you."
Mark smile faded. "I'll be sure to keep myself in check. You do the same."
Andrew rolled his eyes. "When have I not?"
"You really don't want to ask that question."
"Probably not. See you tomorrow."
"You too, Andrew. Sleep well."