Chloe’s day with Justin was nothing short of AMAZING.  In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that relaxed around a man who wasn’t her brother or her father.  After leaving the castle they continued to walk through the park for a bit, then visited the Zoo before grabbing a late lunch at a diner just outside the park. 

“So, “On Call” what does that actually entail?  I know what it looks like on Grey’s Anatomy but what’s it like, really?” Justin asked as they were finishing up lunch.

Chloe smiled.  “Truthfully, it varies.  Occasionally, but not often, it’s slow and I actually get to sleep.  However, as I said, that doesn’t happen very often.  Typically, I get there shortly before 7, go over things with the surgeon who was on before me then hang out in the “On Call” room until I’m needed.  Which normally happens within about twenty minutes of me getting there.  It’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so more than likely I’ll get a burn patient or two, someone who decided to try out their deep fryer ahead of time.  I’ll probably get a car accident or three.  People racing around doing last minute shopping.  It gets crazy starting at about Halloween and keeps getting crazier all the way into the New Year.”

Justin nodded.  “I can imagine.  I mean, I can’t, but I can.  I know I could never do it.”

Chloe giggled.  “Well, I could never do what you do so I think we’re even.”

“Touche” Justin chuckled.

Chloe smiled more.  His laugh was adorable and the way his eyes lit up when he smiled.  It was making her a bit giddy.

As predicted that night “On Call” was busy.  In fact, they were slammed the entire evening.  Within ten minutes of arriving at the hospital a patient came in with multiple gunshot wounds.  Chloe spent the next 4 hours in Surgery.  After that it was a car accident with multiple victims. 

Just before 2 a.m. after changing into a fresh pair of scrubs in the Doctor’s locker rooms Chloe got a text on her phone.

Justin: Hey there

Chloe smiled a bit and bit her lip.

Chloe: Hi.  What are you doing up this late?

Justin: thinking about you

Chloe blushed.

Chloe: Oh?!

Justin grinned as he sat up in the bed.  He could picture her face and the look of surprise.  It gave him a thrill.

Justin: I dream about you.

Chloe’s eyes went wide.  It was not what she’d expected him to say.

Chloe: You dream about me?

Justin bit his lip and nodded even though he knew she couldn’t see.

Justin:  Ever since the night of the accident.  At first it was just your voice, now I have a beautiful face to go with the voice

Chloe: I don’t know what to say

Justin: You don’t have to say anything.  I just wanted you to know.  I think about you a lot.  I can’t help it.  Is that bad?

Chloe: No. Not bad. Just surprising.

Even through the phone he could sense her unease.  It was time to take a different approach.  He didn’t want to come on too strong too soon.  He was going to take his time and do this right.

Justin: How is it going?

Chloe smiled.  She knew what he was doing.  He’d changed the subject for her benefit.  It was sweet.

Chloe: It’s been BUSY.  I’ve already done two surgeries

Justin: Wow! That bad, huh?

Chloe laughed a bit. 

Chloe: It’s been worse before

Justin: Have you gotten any rest?

Chloe: Not really.  Maybe ten minutes between surgeries

Justin: Well, I hope it slows down for you

Chloe: Thanks. 

It was then that her cell phone dinged again.  It was the E.R.  She was being paged for another consult.

Chloe: I gotta go.  I have another trauma coming in.

Justin: Go do your thing.  I will talk to you soon. 

Wednesday Chloe spent most of the day sleeping but managed to get up in time to pick Gabby up from school. 

“Mommy!” Gabby squealed as she tackled her mom in a tight hug.

“Hey, Sweet girl! How was school?” Chloe said grinning.

“Great! We learned about the First Thanksgiving.  Did you know they didn’t eat Turkey at the First Thanksgiving? They had fish.” Gabby exclaimed.

Chloe smiled.  “I did know that.”

“Can we have fish for Thanksgiving?” Gabby continued.

Chloe laughed.  Gabby was the only five-year-old she knew that would actually eat fish.

“Umm…I think Grandma is already working on a turkey for Thanksgiving but maybe we can pick up some fish sticks for you to have with your turkey.” Chloe replied.

“I missed you.” Gabby gushed as they walked.

Chloe smiled wistfully.  “I missed you too.  Did you have fun with Uncle Adam last night?”

Gabby nodded.  “We got Sushi for dinner.  Uncle Adam even let me order Edamame and Dumplings.”

Chloe laughed a little.  “Sushi, Edamame and Dumplings?! You were hungry.”

Gabby grinned.  “I’m a growing girl.”

Chloe smiled.  “You are.”

“Uncle Adam said you were meeting a friend yesterday.  Was it your new guy friend? Did you have fun?” Gabby blurted out.

Chloe stopped and looked down at her daughter.  It was an innocent question but also one filled with meaning.  She knew Gabby was trying to determine her place in this new relationship.  Chloe didn’t have many friends to speak of, aside from Adam.  There were a couple of doctors from the hospital she hung out with on occasion, but none of them were male.  It made perfect sense that Gabby was curious.

“We did.  We just walked through the park and talked.” Chloe replied.

“What did you talk about?” Gabby asked curiously.

Chloe bit her lip and tried not to blush as she remembered their discussions. 

“We talked about a lot of things.  We talked about music, and our jobs.” Chloe answered.

“Did you talk about me?” Gabby asked, her eyes wide.

Chloe smiled.  “A little bit.  He wants to know about you.”

“What did you say?”

Chloe smiled more and took her daughter’s hand.  “I told him you were smart, and funny and that you love Sushi.”

“Does he like Sushi?” Gabby replied.

Chloe scrunched her face up in thought.  “Umm…you know, I don’t know.  I think he does.”

“You should ask him.  You should ask if he likes sushi and if he does you should invite him to come have sushi and steak with us sometime.” Gabby said very seriously.

Chloe had to fight not to giggle.  “Sushi AND Steak.  Are you going to pay for that?”

“No.  Your friend and Uncle Adam can pay because a real gentleman NEVER makes the lady pay.” Gabby replied, her hands now on her hips.

Now, it was all Chloe could do to not bust up laughing. 

“Oh, so now Uncle Adam is coming out for sushi and steak too?” Chloe asked as she tried to smother her grin.

“Yeah, sure.  It will be like a double date.  Uncle Adam will be my date and your friend…what’s his name again…” Gabby started.

“Justin.” Chloe answered.

“Right. Justin.  Uncle Adam will be my date and Justin can be yours.  We will go out for steak and sushi and then afterward we can go get Hot fudge Sundaes.”

Chloe couldn’t help but smile and shake her head.  She could only imagine what Justin would say once she shared Gabby’s plan.  She was definitely going have to tell him about it. 

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“Really?!  So, you’ll tell him the next time you see him? When are you going to see him again?” Gabby asked beaming.

“Yes. I will tell him.  I promise.  I think I am going to see him on Friday but I have to talk to Grandma and Grandpa and your Uncle Adam about it first.”

“Do you like spending time with him more than me?” Gabby blurted out.

Chloe’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat momentarily.  Ever since Eddy had moved out Gabby had been struggling with attachment and abandonment issues.  It made sense she would ask a question like this, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting any less.

“No way! You are the most important person to me. I will ALWAYS have time for you.  Always!” Chloe replied.

“You promise?” Gabby replied.

“Pinkie promise.” Chloe answered holding out her pinkie finger.

“A pinkie promise?  Are you sure?” Gabby asked grinning.

“Absolutely! 100%!” Chloe grinned back.

“Ok Mommy!” Gabby said before locking fingers with her mother.

Everyone was in bed early Wednesday night, even Chloe.  Thanksgiving was the next day.  Adam and Gabby would be headed over to Chloe and Adam’s parents’ house in the Bronx at around 9.  Chloe would join them as soon as she was off work.

At about 5:00 a.m. Chloe’s alarm went off, signaling the start of another work day.  She was not looking forward to working on a holiday.  It was always crazy at the hospital on a Holiday.  By 6 she was on a train to work.  By 6:45 she was walking into the Doctor’s locker rooms.

Rounds started promptly at 7 and she was a stickler for punctuality.  Chloe hated to be late.  At 6:55, just as she was walking out of the locker room her phone alerted her that she had a message.

It was from Justin and she couldn’t help but smile.

Justin: Happy Thanksgiving. 

Chloe:  Happy Thanksgiving to you too. 

Justin: I have a lot to be thankful for this year

Chloe blushed.  Chloe: Me too

Justin: Oh yeah?

He was grinning and biting his lip.  If she only knew.

Chloe:  Yeah.  I never could have imagined THIS is where I would be a year ago

Justin: Is that a bad thing?

Chloe smiled.  Chloe: No. Not at all.  I’m just still trying to process

Justin: Well, I’m not going anywhere so take all the time you need

Chloe smiled more, if possible. 

Chloe: You’re too sweet

Justin: Not possible

Chloe: See you soon?

Justin: Definitely

That evening, after work Chloe headed to her parent’s home in the Bronx.  Adam and Gabby were already there and just as she knew it would happen, her mother had Thanksgiving dinner ready and waiting when she arrived.  It was delicious as always, and spending the time with her family was good for her soul.

After dinner, the family played board games for a bit before Gabby crashed.  After Chloe tucked her in to bed in her childhood bedroom for the night, she rejoined the rest of the adults in the living room.  Everyone had a glass of wine and there was one for her waiting on the coffee table.

They chatted a bit about normal things; work, the weather, Gabby, and then the conversation got a bit more personal.

“So…Adam mentioned you’re seeing someone.” Chloe’s mother blurted out.

Chloe nearly choked on her wine then shot her brother a withering look.

Adam chuckled then held up his hands in defense.  “They asked why you were working so much lately!  Did you want me to lie to our parents?”

Chloe made a face at him then turned her attention back towards her parents.

“We’ve been on two dates.  It’s new and we are still getting to know each other.  I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.” Chloe replied shrugging.

Truthfully, she hadn’t said anything because she didn’t want to jinx it.  She liked him too much.

“What’s his name?” Her father asked.

Her father had always been protective of her, and given her history with Eddy she really couldn’t blame him for that.  It was natural that her parents had questions. 

“Justin.” Chloe answered calmly.

She could only imagine what they would say when they learned the whole truth.

“Justin?! No last name?” Her mother replied.

Chloe blushed. 

“It’s Timberlake.  Justin Timberlake.” Adam chimed in.

Chloe immediately gave her brother a look but he chose to ignore it. 

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Her father asked.

Chloe blushed more.

“Umm…well, “Trouble with the Curve”, “Edison”, “Runner Runner.” Chloe replied.

“Those are movies.” Her father continued.

Chloe giggled.  “I know Dad.  He’s in them.”

“He’s in “In Time” too.” Adam added.

Chloe watched as her parents’ eyes both widened.  She had been dreading this moment to some degree, but in the end what she was glad they knew.  She just wanted them to be happy for her.  For the first time in a while, she was starting to feel happy.  Justin was the reason for that.

“He’s quite handsome.” Her mother gushed smiling.

“He is.” Chloe said as she nodded.

“How did you meet?” Her father mused.

Chloe swallowed hard then opened her mouth to speak.  Her parents knew about the accident but not all the details.  Truthfully, no one but her and Justin knew everything.

“The accident.  He was the driver of the Motorcycle. He came looking for me after I helped him.” Chloe replied truthfully.

“He’s a patient?!” Her father asked, his eyebrows high.

Chloe shook her head. “No. No. I mean, he was, but he didn’t ask me out until after he was no longer in my care.”

Her father was a retired Cardiothoracic surgeon so his scrutiny made sense.  Chloe knew he was just looking out for her, as his daughter and as a fellow surgeon.

“Is he nice?” her mother asked, sensing the tension.

Chloe blushed.  “Very.”

“Does he know about Gabby?” Her father asked.

It was a fair question and one she’d expected.  Her mother had always been the “romantic” while her father the more logical one.  She and Gabby had that in common, they were all the best and worst parts of both their parents.

Chloe nodded and cracked a smile.  “He does.  He says he wants to meet her, but when I am ready.”

“I am liking this guy more and more.” Her father teased, finally smiling.

Chloe giggled and breathed a sigh of relief.

“When is the third date?” Her mother added, her smile wide.

“Well…that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.  He wants to get together tomorrow, after I get off, but I would need someone to watch Gabby and I feel bad that I keep having to ask Adam.”

Adam smiled reassuringly.  “I’m not complaining.”

Her mother grinned and nodded.  “We can watch Gabby.  She can spend the night.  It’s been a while since we’ve had “Gabby time.” We are overdue.  We can bake cookies and she can help put up the Christmas tree.”

“Really?!” Chloe asked trying to hide her excitement.

“Of course.” Her father replied nodding.

“Oh, she will love that!  Thank you!”

“Just know…if things continue between the two of you, I’m going to want to meet this young man.” Her father replied with a smirk.

“Well, obviously.” Chloe giggled.

“Me too.” Adam chimed in.

Chloe laughed this time.  “Yeah, we’ll see about that.  I’m not sure he’s ready for you.”

“He’s not JC…he’s safe.” Adam smirked.