Marrying Mallory (18 page)

After she told Fran good-bye, her heart felt heavy. Toby had
lied to her about Samantha. Had he ended the affair with Lacey to have one with
Samantha? Was she the reason Toby had asked for a divorce? How many times had
Toby lied to her during their marriage? And how many women had he slept with?
What a fool she’d been. Had he used her to get through law school and never
really loved her? She felt like crying but wanted to keep her emotions under check.
If she cried about her ex being a cheat and a liar, she might damage Seth’s
work on her nose. She must stay upbeat. What did it matter about Toby anyhow?
She no longer loved him and hadn’t for a long time. He was a louse, but Seth
wasn’t.

She needed something to do, but it couldn’t be strenuous.
She was supposed to be resting and she felt dizzy.
Pictures. That’s what I
can do—take shots of my nose
. She’d thought of writing a story about her
experience for a magazine to help recoup some of the money spent on her nose,
and the editor might want photos included. After she picked up her digital
camera from her shelf in the bedroom, she went back to the living room because
of better lighting.

She snapped a few close-ups of her face. After transferring
to the computer, she stared at the photos. Geez, she definitely wouldn’t send
these to her mom and Alan. Seeing how she looked after surgery might give them
nightmares on their honeymoon.
I don’t want to do anything to put a damper
on their romantic time together
. Her mother deserved having a fantastic
trip with her new husband.

***

Mallory went to the door when she heard Seth’s car in the
driveway at six o’clock. Seth had called earlier to check on her, so she’d told
him about Heather leaving to take her sister to the hospital. Before she even
mentioned Elizabeth’s conflict with her schedule, Seth told her that he’d be
there soon. In a way, she was glad that Elizabeth had phoned her about not
being able to come because she felt a rush of excitement about Seth’s visit. It
was reassuring to know if something weird should happen from the surgery, he’d
be here to take care of her.

He was dressed in jeans with his broad shoulders filling out
his gray polo. Watching Seth shut his car door made her feel light-headed.
Well, her dizziness might not be just from staring at her extremely
good-looking surgeon but from the surgery itself. Or not eating much.
I
should have changed my clothes
. She still wore her sweat pants and an
oxford pale blue blouse that she’d put on in the morning. She’d been told to
wear loose pants and nothing that had to go over her head when arriving for
surgery.  

“How’s my favorite patient?” Seth asked, carrying flowers
and a small grocery bag.

I can’t believe he brought me a bouquet of flowers
.
She hadn’t received flowers from a man for a long time. No, that wasn’t true.
Seth had given her a pot of hyacinths on the evening of their barbecue. “I’m
doing okay. Do you like my new look?”

“I’d like it better if you were resting.”

“I’ve been a good girl. I even took a nap. And I’ve been
putting the cold compress on my face.”

“That reminds me I brought you a couple bags of frozen peas.
You can alternate using them in place of the ice. The peas maintain their cold
temperature and will help make the whole icing thing easier.” Seth handed her
the bouquet of mixed flowers. “I’ll put them in water in a minute. First, I
want you to get off your feet.”

She stared at the brightly colored arrangement. “They’re
beautiful. Thank you.”

He followed her into the living room, sitting by her on the
couch. “What about eating?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been drinking liquids and ate some
Jell-O. Did you eat yet?”

“I had a sub a couple of hours ago. Did you tolerate the
Jell-O okay?”

“Yes.”

“If your stomach’s settled, I’ll make macaroni and cheese
for you to eat. I brought the ingredients to make it.”

How sweet of him to take time to buy what was needed to make
her dinner. “My stomach feels fine and macaroni and cheese sounds yummy. The
perfect comfort food for a lady after nose surgery.”

He stood, grinning at her. “It’s a good thing I helped you
clean up after the barbecue so I know where you keep stuff. Before I get
started, I’ll fill a compress with ice for you. You can use the vegetable bags
during the night to make it easier. You need to keep changing the ice
compresses every fifteen minutes, so you’ll minimize your bruising and
swelling.” 

After Seth put the flowers in a vase, he brought her the
compress. “Here, I’ll put it on.”

Even with her puffy face, she loved the touch of his gentle
fingers and murmured, “Thank you. For everything.”

His closeness made her wish she didn’t have a stupid splint
and a sore face because she wouldn’t mind a kiss from him. Or maybe she was
hallucinating from the anesthesia. He wasn’t about to kiss her now. Or would
he?

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I hope you’ve been avoiding long
conversations. Don’t feel like you have to talk to me while I cook. I want you
to rest and stay quiet.” 

“Yes, Doctor, except I did talk to Josh and my ex-mother-in-law
but I kept it short.”

“That’s good.”

She had a good view of Seth preparing dinner and thought how
at home he looked in her kitchen. Sometimes it was hard to imagine how much he
meant to her in such a short time. After the macaroni was cooked and drained,
he stirred the cheeses in the sauce. He turned and said, “I hope you like
pepper cheese. I’m using both Pepper Jack and Colby Jack.”

“I do.”

Once he had the casserole in the oven, Seth walked into the
living room. “It’ll take thirty minutes. After we eat I need to make phone
calls to patients.” He smiled at her. “Usually, I don’t make house calls after
surgery but call instead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” His blue eyes filled with amusement. “Your mom
leaves on her honeymoon, Heather’s sister goes into labor early, and Elizabeth
has to stay at work. I think you wanted me here.”

“Hey, don’t make me laugh. You told me to avoid smiling,
grinning and any excessive facial movements for one week. I’m sure that
includes laughing.”

“I didn’t mean to make you laugh. Just thought I’d tease you
a little.”

“Well, you’re right. I planned it all, knowing you’d make
the long trip.”

“I enjoy taking care of you but I think you know that.” Seth
gave her a thoughtful look. “I also enjoyed kissing you the few times we’ve
been together. I’m hoping you’ll miss me when I go out of the country and want
me in your life.”

She leaned forward, tossing her compress. Why was Seth
leaving? And what if she had complications and he wasn’t around to take care of
her? “How long are you going to be away?”

“Just for a week. I’m flying to Vietnam on the thirteenth so
I’ll be here to remove your splint. I do this a couple of times a year with the
organization, Operation Smile. Have you ever heard of them?”

“I’ve heard a little about them.”

“I’m on a volunteer medical team and we repair deformities.
I’ve performed surgery usually on children with cleft lips and cleft palates.
In Vietnam, families think children are cursed when they have deformities.
After surgery’s done, the children are finally accepted in their villages and
have friends to play with. Their lives are completely transformed.”

“You never mentioned leaving.”

“I meant to tell you but always forgot when I was talking to
you.”

“It’s kind and generous of you to do surgery for these poor
children.” Mallory tried to keep her voice normal, but she wished Seth wasn’t
going away. “But I’ll miss you.”

“I won’t be gone long.” He gave her a tender look. “I’ll
miss you too.”

Chapter Eighteen

“I’m so glad the week’s up.” Mallory squirmed on the seat
while waiting for Seth to remove her nose splint.

“Before I take the cast and tape off, remember there will be
swelling. It won’t already look like the computer imaging I did for you.”

“I know. I bet even with swelling, my nose will still be
smaller.” 

After he finished gently pulling the splint off, Seth
squeezed her shoulder. “It looks great.”

Dena leaned a bit closer to Mallory and handed her a mirror.
“You’re going to love Dr. Whitman’s work.”

Even with her nose looking bruised and swollen, she realized
her goal had been accomplished. Her nose looked awesome. “My face looks so
balanced now. When I look I don’t just see my nose. This is definitely a better
version of me. Thank you so much.”

Seth smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re happy with the result.
And in a few weeks, it’ll be even better.”

Turning her head, she looked at her nose from all sides.
“It’s going to be so wonderful to be able to walk into a classroom or any room
and not wonder if people are looking at my nose.”

Dena tossed the cast into the trash can and said, “I’ll
check to see if your next appointment is here.”

Seth nodded at Dena. “I’ll be along in a few minutes. I want
to go over some directions with Mallory. I need to take the pictures of her
nose too.”

She looked curiously at Seth. She bet he just wanted an
excuse to spend more time with her. “Do you actually have directions for me?”

“Sure, I do.” He crossed his arms. “For another week, I
don’t want you to take part in any physical activity, especially bending or
lifting. And don’t bump your nose for a few months. Any trauma to your nose
could have an adverse effect on the healing process. Stay out of the sun, which
I know will be hard during this time of the year. Any exposure to the sun can
cause scarring because the new layer of skin is sensitive. Wear a hat or cab
with a visor when you do go out and also wear sunscreen on your nose.”

“I’ll be careful.”
I won’t mention that he’s already told
me all this stuff. In such a short time, Seth’s become an important part of my
life. I’ll miss him when he goes to Vietnam.

“I’ve been thinking of opening a satellite office in
Findlay. I’ll still do all my surgery here, but I’ve hired a professional to
see if there’s enough interest for patients wanting to see a plastic surgeon in
Findlay. I’d have the consultation and follow-up visits in the branch office,
so that the Findlay residents won’t have to drive all the time to Toledo. What
do you think?”

He’d surprised her with his idea of opening an office in her
hometown. She’d never thought of that happening. “That sounds like a good plan.
If you do I might just apply for a part-time job.”

“What are your qualifications?”

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you have to ask. You
know that I’d be the perfect person since I can tell people about the excellent
care and surgery I received from you. I mean, you even spent the night after my
operation.” He’d slept in Josh’s room but still it’d been great having him stay
overnight.

“Other patients don’t receive the same type of care that I
gave you.” He reached for her hand. “Mallory, you know how I feel about you.
When I return from Vietnam, we need to have a serious talk. ”

She needed to keep the mood light because she was feeling
way too much for Seth. How far could a relationship with Seth go? Could she
marry him? She was pretty sure that’s what he wanted to talk about when he
returned. She laughed. “I’m happy to know that you’re interested in me and
weren’t just after my money.”

“I have something for you,” he said, pulling her to her
feet. His warm lips gently touched hers in a long and sweet kiss.

Oh no, why did she have to enjoy kissing Seth? This man
complicated her life. She hated to admit it but she liked his manly smell.
Heck, she liked everything about him. 

He pulled away slightly to stare at her. “I didn’t hurt you,
did I? I know your face’s sore but I just couldn’t resist kissing you.”

“I shouldn’t give you any encouragement but I liked it.” She
sighed. “Hurry back. It’s going to be lonely without you around.”

“Maybe we’ll have something to celebrate when I come back
from my trip.”

***

“Thanks for driving me to my appointment.” Mallory glanced
at Elizabeth behind the steering wheel. How did Elizabeth always manage to look
so perfect? Her friend never had a bad hair day.  

“Hey, you did me a favor. I got to see your new nose first.”
Elizabeth slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

“What do you think?”

“I hate to admit it but I guess you did the right thing. It
looks great even though you’re all bruised and swollen.” While at a red traffic
light, Elizabeth looked at her. “How long are you going to wait before you take
Josh to see Toby in Vegas?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure but probably will go in a couple
of weeks.”

“What does your hot surgeon say about traveling?”

“I haven’t asked him about flying but it should be fine.”
She smiled at Elizabeth. “I just have to make sure I don’t bump my nose while
lifting our luggage.”

“Just don’t carry anything on the plane to be on the safe
side.” Elizabeth exhaled a deep breath. “I need to talk to you about Derek.”

“What’s wrong?”

“He wants to leave sales and return to college.”

“But he’s so good at his job. What career does he have in
mind?”

Elizabeth left the ramp and got on interstate 75. “He wants
to enroll at Ohio Northern University for engineering. That was his original
major before he switched to the business college so that should help.”

“It sounds like he’s thought this out pretty well.”

“The only problem is I wanted to get pregnant soon after our
wedding, but we’ll probably have to wait until he gets his engineering degree.”

“I’m sorry. Whenever you start your family, you’ll be a
great mother.”