Chapter 189 The Question

Chapter 189 The Question
Simone POV

The hospital was already busy when Simone arrived. Nurses moved through the main entrance with coffee cups and patient files. A transporter pushed a wheelchair toward the elevators while two doctors stood near the reception desk, talking over a chart.

Simone walked through the noise with her badge clipped to her coat and her bag over one shoulder. A nurse from the morning shift smiled when she passed.

"Morning, Dr. Carter."

"Morning."

Another familiar face greeted her near the rehabilitation wing. Small things had changed. A few weeks ago, Simone had walked these halls feeling like a visitor. Now people knew her name. Staff stopped her to ask questions.

Patients recognized her. Her office had papers stacked across the desk and a mug she had brought from home sitting beside her computer.

The place was starting to feel like hers.
Rachel waited outside her office with a folder pressed against her chest."Good morning, Dr. Carter."

"Good morning. What's that?"

"The plans for the new program. I looked through them last night." Rachel handed over the folder."And congratulations. Everyone heard you got the position."

Simone smiled. "Thank you."

Rachel followed her into the office."I was wondering if I could help with some of the training."

"Of course. That's part of what I want to build. The younger therapists need room to learn, not just instructions to follow."

Rachel's face brightened. "I'd like that."

"Then I'll put your name down."

Once Rachel left, Simone opened the folder and began reading through the department's plans. Staffing. Patient schedules. Training sessions. Equipment.

The more she read, the more she noticed a problem. The proposed schedule pushed several rehabilitation sessions into the evening. That might work for some patients, but others relied on family members or public transportation.

A late appointment could mean missing treatment altogether. Simone carried the folder to the department head's office.
"Can we change the schedule?"

The woman looked up from her computer.
"What would you change?"

"Morning and afternoon sessions should carry most of the workload. We can keep a smaller evening block for patients who need it, but the whole program shouldn't depend on late appointments."

The department head studied the schedule."That would mean adjusting staff rotations."

"I know."

"And more planning."

"I can handle that."

A small smile appeared."Then change it."

Simone returned to her office with the folder tucked against her side. For the first time, nobody had handed her a finished plan and asked her to follow it. She was building the plan.

Her phone buzzed during lunch.

Jenny: Did you tell Marcus?

Simone smiled. Her fingers hovered over the screen: Tell him what?

The reply came almost at once: Don't do that. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

Simone laughed under her breath. The ring. She still had the picture saved on her phone. She had looked at it more than once since visiting the store, though she hadn't told Marcus about that part.

Jenny sent another message: Talk to him.

Simone locked her phone. That was easier said than done. Not because the idea of marrying Marcus scared her. That part surprised her. It didn't.

What scared her was how much she wanted it. The thought had stopped feeling like something that belonged to another version of her life. She could picture it now.

A home they chose together. Their names on the same documents. Waking up beside him years from now and knowing they had built something that belonged to both of them.

She wanted that. She just didn't know when. Marcus came home later than usual. The front door opened, followed by the sound of his bag dropping near the wall.

"Long day?"

Simone looked up from the kitchen. "Longer than I expected."

He walked over and kissed her forehead.
"How was yours?"

"Good. The program is already changing."

Marcus pulled out a chair."Already?"

"The original schedule wasn't practical. I suggested some changes."

"And they listened?"

"They did."

His smile widened."That's good."

"You sound proud."

"I am."

Simone sat across from him."Practice was rough?"

"Long. Everyone expects more now."

The answer carried more weight than the words. She reached across the table and touched his hand."You'll get used to it."

Marcus squeezed her fingers."I think I'm getting there."

Dinner passed with easy conversation. They talked about work, teammates, patients, and small things that had nothing to do with either of their careers.

Later, they settled onto the couch. Marcus leaned back while Simone rested against his shoulder. The television played quietly in the background, but neither of them paid much attention.

Simone looked at their hands."Can I ask you something?"

Marcus turned toward her."Anything."

"What do you want our life to look like?"

His expression softened."I thought we were already building it."

"We are." She paused."What comes after this?"

Marcus didn't answer right away. The silence wasn't uncomfortable. It gave both of them room to think."Marriage?" he asked.

Simone nodded. His hand closed around hers. "I've thought about it."

She looked at him."You have?"

"More than once."

A small laugh escaped her."You never mentioned that."

"I didn't want to bring it up when everything was still unstable."

"Because of everything that happened?"

"Because I didn't want marriage to feel like proof that we survived it."

The words settled between them. Simone understood. Marcus looked down at their joined hands."I want to marry you because I want a life with you. Not because I think getting married means everything is finally okay."

Her chest tightened."I want that too."

Marcus lifted his eyes."I don't want to rush you."

"You aren't."

"And I don't want to keep putting it off."

Simone smiled."Neither do I."

He pulled her closer. Their kiss started softly and lingered. When they separated, Simone rested her forehead against his.

"So we're thinking about it?"

Marcus smiled."We're thinking about it."

She laughed.

"That's still not a proposal."

"I know."

"Good."

He kissed her again.

The next morning, Simone stood in front of the mirror while getting ready for work.
Before leaving, she opened the drawer beside the bed.

The photograph of the ring lay where she had left it. She picked up her phone and looked at the picture. No purchase. No plans. Just a possibility.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Marcus: Dinner tonight? Just us.

A smile pulled at her mouth: I'd like that.

She slipped the phone into her bag and closed the drawer. The hospital was waiting. So was the program she had started building.

Somewhere between the two, there was a future she had finally stopped being afraid to imagine. Simone walked through the hospital doors without looking back.