Since We Fell: A Second Chance Romance Novel by Ann Gimpel

Author:Ann Gimpel [Gimpel, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christmas, medical, second chance love, Doctor
Publisher: Ann Gimpel Books, LLC
Published: 2018-02-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Brice was sitting on one of the buff-colored leather sofas arranged in conversation pits around his ridiculously oversized living room, nursing a tumbler of port and watching lights twinkle on the tree. He’d had a magical afternoon playing with Timmy. What had begun as an altruistic offer to provide care for the boy had ended up so much more.

Who would have guessed small people had so much wisdom? Or that they were such fun? Timmy’s unabashed glee had drawn Brice out of himself and into the enchanted world kids lived in. Somewhere between the swings and the slide, the boy had confided how hard he worked taking care of Momma. A domestic, she cleaned houses, picking locations that allowed her to bring Timmy along.

Timmy told Brice all about how he prayed every night for a daddy, so Momma wouldn’t have to worry so much. Or work every day like she did. He didn’t trust new places after a man scared his momma by hugging her. Millicent had slapped him, and he’d yelled at her to take her brat and get out.

Brice took a deep swallow of liquor, holding it in his mouth to appreciate its age and flavor. The world could be a harsh place, but if Father John hadn’t stepped forward and offered financial assistance, Brice would have found a way to do something for Millie and her boy.

Someone had made certain he was where he needed to be when the accident happened. Now that he knew Timmy and his mom, he couldn’t let them flounder. It was irrational. The world was full of unfortunates, and he didn’t have the means to help them all, but he’d do what he could.

He thought about Doctors Without Borders. He’d gone on several assignments with them during the latter part of his residency—afterward too—and really enjoyed the sense of accomplishment and purpose. The group traveled where need was greatest, providing medical care under desperately primitive conditions. They emailed regularly. Never pushy, just making certain he didn’t forget about them.

Brice got to his feet, glass in hand, and wandered through the lower level of his mansion. What had he been thinking to buy a house with ten bedrooms, a dozen baths, two kitchens, and impeccably manicured grounds? Gardeners cared for the outdoors. A pool service maintained the pool he rarely swam in and the spa he used from time to time. Lupe managed the house.

He returned to the sofa where he’d begun. The house was paid for. He’d long since dispatched his med school loans. He’d bought the house as an outward symbol of his success, but he didn’t need it. Success was a mindset, not an extravagant house to prove anything to anyone. Feeling shallow and somewhat embarrassed it had taken years for him to realize he didn’t need the trappings surrounding him, he flirted with walking away.

From everything.

And spending the next few years doctoring folk who truly needed him, instead of the patients at Overlake who had access to first-world medical interventions.

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