Page 26 of Healing Her (Pulse Medical #1)
FIVE YEARS LATER
C ity lifted a glass of champagne off of the tray of a passing waiter. “Have I told you lately that I just love it when you invite me to one of these hospital shindigs?”
“Only every time.” Ashley rolled her eyes and planted an affectionate kiss on the top of her friend’s head. “Thank you for coming.”
“Well, I also just love celebrating my friends.” City reached over to give Ashley’s hand a squeeze. “I’m so proud of you. Happy for you.”
“Thank you, City.” Glancing around the ballroom of the Claiburne felt, always, like déjà vu. She flashed back to the gala five years ago, where she’d been standing with City, dressed to the nines, watching Jen across the room.
It was once again a few weeks before Christmas. She was again in deep red silk, though this time it was a smartly tailored Dior suit rather than a gown. It had been a real splurge to celebrate the occasion, and she had never felt so sexy and powerful all at once.
Jen was talking to Maria, who had brought a very handsome silver fox with her as her escort to this gala. Jen, too, was clad in an echo of that very first gala, but this time in a rich, deep navy sheath dress that fit her like a glove and that Ashley couldn’t wait to get off of her at home.
With a last fond kiss to City’s cheek, Ashley began to move through the crowd to get to Jen. She managed to slip up behind her and wrap an arm around her waist, leaning down to kiss the perfect, slender column of Jen’s neck. “You just look so sexy tonight.”
Jen tilted her head up and back to get in a full, proper kiss. “Don’t get me started. We can’t sneak off this time. You’ve got a speech to give.”
Ashley sighed. “I know.”
Maria was smirking. “So the two of you have sneaked off from one of these parties before? To do what?”
“Never mind,” Jen replied firmly, sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry.
Behind them, there was a tap on the microphone. “Hello?” Chief Sundstrom said, sounding as nervous as Ashley felt in this moment. Neither of them were great public speakers in front of crowds this size. She looked around the room at all the curious faces and felt her face flush hot.
Jen twisted in her arms and reached up to hold Ashley’s face steady in her strong surgeon’s hands. “Hey. This is going to be great. You’re going to be great. This is your night.”
“Right. Right.” She fidgeted, rubbing a pinch of the velvety material of Jen’s dress between nervous fingers. “My night.”
The Chief began to speak. “I’d like to welcome all of you to Oakridge Hospital’s Annual Surgical Autumn Gala,” he said, with a quick little harrumph to clear his throat.
“We’ve been hosting these galas for twenty years, and I’m always grateful for those of you who attend and show your support for the valuable, lifesaving work that we do. ”
A polite smattering of applause went around the room, and the Chief let out another little harrumph .
“Tonight isn’t only about celebrating the work our surgical teams have accomplished, though, nor about thanking you all for the help you provide to make that work happen.
” He looked around the room. “Tonight, we’re also celebrating a special member of our team, one of our bright and brilliant minds who has herself saved countless lives with her careful, thorough work.
This surgeon has been with us since her residency days, before I became Chief of Surgery, and I have had the profound pleasure and privilege of watching her grow throughout her career. ”
Ashley’s cheeks grew ever hotter at the praise.
“I have worked alongside her in an operating room and know firsthand just how much she cares about her work and her patients. How much work she puts into planning her procedures. In recent years, I have seen her take on extra work to learn new, groundbreaking techniques and grow even further as an incredible surgeon.” He smiled into the crowd.
“Tonight, we are celebrating Doctor Ashley Proctor, our brand-new Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Oakridge Hospital!”
The room erupted into applause, and Ashley knew that was her cue to head for the stage, however little she wanted to. Forcing herself to smile and look pleasant, she released Jen and stood up straight, pulling her shoulders back.
“Wait.” Jen grabbed her and reached up to pull her down into a sweet little kiss. “I love you. Knock ‘em dead.”
“I love you, too.” She kissed Jen back and began to walk towards the stage.
The Chief was beaming as she mounted the dais. He strode forward to take both her hands in his and guide her towards the podium. They stood there as the applause died down and then, with an encouraging grin, he nudged her forward.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes, most of which she didn’t know, stared at her like a curious sea. She wanted to flee.
But in that crowd was one pair of important, shining blue eyes. Jen had pushed through the crowd to stand in the front, nodding reassurance. Ashley smiled down at her and cleared her throat.
“Thank you, everyone, for your generosity and this wonderful warm welcome.” She wished she’d written something down but hadn’t wanted to come across as too rehearsed.
Still, she had planned some things. What had she wanted to say?
Oh, yes. “I want to thank Chief Sundstrom and Oakridge Hospital for the support they have given me throughout my career. I feel so immensely privileged to have been here from the beginning, to have this prestigious institution behind me every step of the way.”
Elaine had moved to stand next to Jen, and she, too was smiling up at Ashley.
Ashley took renewed strength from her presence.
“I could not have done any of the amazing things I have been allowed to do in my career, I would not be standing before you right now, had it not been for my wonderful mentor and friend, Doctor Elaine Martin. Elaine has taught me so much, and her presence in my life in all capacities has been a true gift.”
The words seemed to flow more easily now. “I have had friends in and out of the medical field who supported me, at both my worst and my best, and for them, too, I am so grateful.” Near the back of the room, City lifted her champagne flute and beamed.
And down in front, Jen was still there, so beautiful and amazing, with pride and love gleaming in her eyes.
Ashley took a moment to smile down at her beloved, the greatest gift of all.
“But five years ago, someone new came into my life. And they’re the last piece of the puzzle, the final key in the lock that got me here today.
And would you believe, I hated her at first?
” The room rippled with laughter and Jen blew a raspberry up at her.
“She represented everything I was terrified of. Growth, flexibility, a generous interest in other people. Before I met her, I was a surgical robot—Chief Sundstrom has praised me to the skies and was kind enough to leave out the part where I may have been a technically excellent surgeon, but as a doctor, I did lack personhood. Humanity, even.”
Ashley swallowed. “Doctor Jennifer Colton came to Oakridge to overhaul our Organ Transplant and Procurement Department, and she did an incredible job. Even with me trying to roadblock her at every turn.” She chuckled as Jen shook a chiding finger at her.
“Every innovation and advancement she brought to the team, I opposed, thinking I knew best with my trust in proven methods. And despite that, she succeeded. We have the most cutting-edge transplant team and equipment in the state of California, and if Jen has her way, we’ll be number one in the country within the next five years. ”
More applause, but at this point, Ashley only had eyes for Jen. “Doctor Colton, would you join me here?”
Now a murmur was going around the room, but Ashley just watched Jen as she made her way to the dais, where Chief Sundstrom helped her up the steps.
Beaming like a star, Jen crossed the dais over to Ashley and they stood together, arms wrapped around each other and looking out over the crowd.
Ashley cleared her throat one last time.
“I have been so lucky to work with and learn from Jen Colton these last years. And I am so incredibly happy to say tonight that she is not only my esteemed colleague, but as of three days ago, she is also Doctor Jennifer Colton-Proctor, my wife.” As the room erupted in applause and cheers, Ashley looked at her wife, then out at Chief Sundstrom, at Elaine, at City and Maria.
They’d all been present when Jen and Ashley had eloped in San Francisco, the most core critical people in the development and rescue of their relationship.
Everything really felt full circle and complete tonight, in this room.
Ashley took a deep breath and smiled at the audience.
“I, Doctor Ashley Colton-Proctor, am once again so grateful for your support, and I am looking forward to the next years of my life hand in hand with my wife and with California’s best hospital. ”
With Jen in her arms, her friends in the audience, and a beautiful life around and ahead of her, Ashley had never felt more complete and content.
And now, her speech done, she could think of only one thing that would really round the night out.
Ashley backed away from the microphone and leaned down to whisper in her wife’s ear.
“Want to go visit the rooftop garden before we head home?”