The Gift Ch. 11-15

"I wonder if you have such self-control about everything in life," she smiled at him. Chris raised his eyebrows.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't go unnoticed that you remain distracted all the time these days," she pulled a chair and sat next to him. "Does it have something to do with Luciana going back home?"

He had tried to avoid that conversation for the longest time. As if having an omniscient mother at home wasn't enough, he also had to deal with the all-knowing director of operation at work. Yes, it had been three weeks since Luciana went back home. No, they hadn't talked since then because she hadn't given him her number and if he called her, it would be clear he'd dug out her number from the hospital files. He was too old for that kind of desperation.

"You miss her, don't you?" she asked, without waiting for his reply to her previous question. Chris shut his lunchbox and reached for the water.

"I'm alright," he tried to sound nonchalant as he took a few long gulps from the bottle. "Yeah, I do think about Poppy sometimes. She's adorable."

"She is," Elaine agreed. "I could totally imagine someone like Luciana adopting her. She's a calm, docile cat who needed someone gentle and compassionate."

"They are happy with each other," he smiled. "I'm glad I had taken her to the shelter that one day."

"You did more than that. You helped her recover."

"Didn't all of you want me to help her?"

"Yes, but..." She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, lacing her fingers on her lap. "You do know that the young ladies here are attracted to you, right?" she asked.

Chris laughed, rising from his chair. "That's what happens when you're a male veterinarian working with a mostly female staff," he said, looking over a file. "Regina had even asked me out on Valentine's Day, not too long after I got divorced. It was awkward, to say the least."

Elaine chuckled, shaking her head. "I've known you for a long time, Chris," she said in a low voice. "You've always had your priorities in place, never letting any of those young hormonal girls get in the way. Even after the divorce, your commitment to work didn't dwindle one bit."

"Is there a point to this, Elaine?" he finally asked, feeling drained. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It seems like Luciana and Poppy have been able to do what no one else could," she observed, staring at his face. "No, don't try to fool me, because you can't," she smiled when he opened his mouth to respond. "I know that look on your face. The look of a man in love."

Chris wanted to deny it but knew he could not. It was hard enough to not see her every day or get to know if she was doing alright. She had mostly recovered when she left but part of her still grieved over Cleo. Each night when he went to bed, he worried if the old, haunting memories of Cleo would prevent her from being a good parent to Poppy. And in the moments before sleep, when he'd think of her smile and the passionate kiss they had shared on Halloween night, the strange yearning to see her again would only grow stronger.

He just didn't know what to do about it. He didn't want to end up looking like a fool or someone desperate. But if that kiss was anything to go by, followed by the invitation to visit her, then she felt the same way.

"Why don't you go and see her?" Elaine asked, shattering his thoughts. "The holiday season is upon us, plus the weekend is here. You know your schedule is not going to be as hectic anymore."

"I am an emergency vet, Elaine," he pointed out. "Besides being the medical director."

"You're not the only vet here. And if we need you, we will give you a call. It's not like you're going to Australia."

She rose from the chair, patting his back. "Don't dwell on your feelings so much," she gave him a wink. "Act on them."

The rest of the day was slow. The iguana and the gecko didn't have any serious ailment, so they sent them off with a few medications. Besides attending a meeting and visiting the outpatient department, Chris didn't have much to do that day. He was surprised when he found time to sit in his office and work on the article he'd been thinking about. At six in the evening, he decided to call it a day.

As he approached his house, he saw Elijah checking the mailbox, his car in the driveway. He was in a black suit, with his badges above the pocket of the jacket. When he saw Chris, he looked up from the mail, his eyes smiling.

"You're early today," he said to him when he got out of his car. Chris laughed, walking up to him.

"I could say the same to you," he answered. Elijah chuckled, closing the mailbox.

"How have you been?" he asked. Chris nodded.

"How is your sister?"

Elijah raised his eyebrows. "She's alright...but why do you ask me? I thought you guys were in touch."

"No," he cleared his throat. "We didn't exchange numbers."

"Are you serious?" Elijah looked genuinely surprised. When Chris gave a small nod, he started to laugh.

"That sounds like something two idiots would do," he said, giving a loud thump on his back. "Come inside, I'll give you her card."

"I don't want it."

"I know you don't." He was unlocking the door by then, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he looked amused. "But I want you to have it. Come in."

Chris awkwardly followed him inside, shutting the door behind him. He hung his coat on the rack, trying to avoid Elijah as he fished out Luciana's card from his wallet. That was more uncomfortable than meeting the parents.

"Here you go," he held the card out in front of him. Chris nervously accepted it, skimming through the information. Elijah was walking towards the kitchen while taking off the suit jacket.

"Would you like some coffee?" he asked, his voice interspersed with the heavy thud of his footsteps.

"If you want to keep me up all night, most certainly," he replied, finally sitting on the couch. He heard Elijah laugh.

"Who said you weren't already staying up at night?" he teased, his back towards him as he gathered the supplies for the coffee. Chris wanted to reply but could only manage to laugh.

"I've never seen you like this," he said, glancing at him as he turned on the coffee maker. Elijah looked at him with a smile.

"How much of me have you seen anyway?" he asked, sitting next to him and splaying one arm on the backrest. "Most people are too afraid of me to know me better."

"You're the police. No one wants to know you better."

Elijah chuckled at those words and Chris joined in. When his laugh faded and a somberness took over, Chris stared at his face.

"I never got to thank you for helping Luciana get better," he said quietly. "I thought she could never go back home. She was so afraid and heartbroken."

"I didn't do anything," he shook his head. "It was only a depressive episode. She was going to get better eventually."

"Are you always that modest?" Elijah wondered, giving him an exasperated look. "She would never find Poppy if it wasn't for you. And if it wasn't for you, she would still be in bed, moping around in her pajamas and crying herself to sleep."

He rose from the couch and went to the kitchen, where he turned off the coffee maker. "She's all I have, Chris," he said as he fished out two mugs and proceeded to pour the coffee. "I can't explain how scared I was to see her like that and not be able to help. Being a police officer doesn't exactly make me emotionally in tune with others."

"She worries about you too," Chris said, gratefully accepting the coffee when Elijah returned to the couch. "She wants you to get a wife."

Elijah snorted, lifting the mug to his lips. For the next few seconds, he seemed to zone out, saying nothing.

"Of course she does," he smiled wryly to himself. "She's been very vocal about it for the last ten years."

"And?"

He sighed, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm still single, so her words have obviously fallen on deaf ears."

"You don't happen to have anyone in sight, do you?" Chris tilted his head to one side. He saw Elijah lower his gaze, exuding a sadness he had never seen on his face before. Or perhaps, he had never noticed until Luciana pointed it out. The next moment, a hand came on his knee.

"I used to, but that was a long time ago," he said. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Go get her. Don't let her slip away." He looked at his face, nodding like an understanding parent. "Don't make the mistake I made."

Being a highly intuitive person with an almost eerie ability to connect random dots, Elijah knew his sister had told him all about his past, and he found no further reason to explain his 'mistake'. Chris simply stared at him, not sure how to respond.

Later, when he returned home and laid on the couch, he found his hand involuntarily reaching for his phone. It was late, but the hospital front desk would still be open.

"Regina?" he said when the call connected. "It's Dr. Benson. Do you mind quickly checking my roster for tomorrow?

The girl obliged, and a minute later told him about his schedule. Chris took a deep breath, deciding that it was now or never.

"I'd like you to cancel all my appointments tomorrow and Sunday," he said. "Of course I'm available for emergencies. But I won't be at work." He waited while the girl noted it down. "Yes, that's it. Thanks so much, Regina. Have a good night."

He let the phone fall to the carpet as he turned over and let sleep wash over him.

---

"Poppy, are you sitting on my notepad?" Luciana wondered aloud, drawing the attention of the cat that was hogging most of the square footage of her desk. Poppy sleepily looked up, stared for a few seconds, before flopping back down again.

Luciana came forward and picked her up. "Of course you are," she laughed, pulling the notepad away and setting her back down. Sleep gone, the cat now focused her attention on the pen holder. With one swift slap, she had toppled the holder and scattered pens and markers all over the desk and the floor. Luciana looked at her and laughed again.

"I've cleared out your schedule for today," Pam announced as she walked into her drafting room. "You're starting the new project on Monday, right?"

"Right." Luciana quickly made a few notes, before tearing off the page. In the meanwhile, Pam had started to rearrange the contents of the pen holder. "I also have a meeting with the surveyor on Monday, and the contractor on Tuesday. But I need to finish this design first."

"The emails have been answered and Tony said he'd be available by the end of the week," Pam added. "Are you collaborating with him?"

"Uh...no." She picked up her pencil and resumed work on the blueprint she had been designing. "I just need some suggestions on the throne commode that the client wants-- with shiny gold mosaic on black, and lion head armrests. Oh, and there's the mirror that's actually a touchscreen computer."

When Pam laughed, she looked over her shoulder. "I know," Luciana shook her head. "The weird things that people want."

"You have a busy week ahead," Pam pointed out. "You've been busy since you returned."

"Yes, I cannot go without work." She put the pencil down and turned around. "Why are you still here? It's Saturday."

"It's only noon," she said, surprised. Luciana sighed, her shoulders drooping.

"Didn't you say your son was getting married next week?" she asked. "You should be out shopping."

"But—"

"No buts." She came closer and put her hands on her shoulders. "Just go home, alright? I won't need you until Monday."

Pam nodded with a smile. "Don't forget you have an appointment tomorrow morning," she said, before reaching for her bag. "I've written it down and put it here on your desk."

"I'll remember," Luciana replied, stroking the cat's tail. "Unless Poppy eats it."

"She should be here by ten," Pam added with a laugh. When the doorbell rang, she went to answer it. Luciana returned to her drafting table, casting a side-eye to Poppy. She was usually calm and mellow and loved to hang around her office without causing much destruction, but that day, it seemed like she was in the mood for mischief. She had already dipped her paw in Luciana's coffee, napped on the keyboard and toppled the cat tree. It wasn't bad for a cat with a limp.

"Someone's here to see you," Pam announced from the front door. Luciana rolled her eyes and put the pencil down again, and as she walked out to the front of the building, her heart nearly stopped.

"Hi," Chris awkwardly held up a hand, a nervous smile on his face. Luciana couldn't help but notice that the black trench coat made him look taller, almost too tall to enter the doorway without bumping his head into the arch.

"Hi," she smiled when she found her voice back. "Please...come in."

Pam stepped aside to let him enter. Without asking any question, her assistant wished her good day and left the building, but Luciana waited until her car was out the gate to hug Chris. When she did, it was like a drowning person clinging on to a log of wood.

"I can't believe you're here," she giggled nervously, enjoying the snug fit of his strong arms despite the icy cold trenchcoat. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he breathed, eyes closed as his arms wrapped tight around her body. She had gained a little weight but not enough to conceal the bones from his touch. "I'm sorry... I didn't know which way to enter. It took me some time to figure out how many entrances this building has."

"Three," she said, pulling away. "This is my office."

She held his hand and took him to her drafting room, where Poppy hopped down from the desk and walked up to him. Chris kneeled on the floor, tickling the sides of her face when she purred. When he fished out a kibble from his pocket, Luciana laughed.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, watching Poppy devour it in an instant. "That's unfair."

"All's fair when you have a cat," he chuckled. "Isn't it, Poppy?"

The cat went in circles for a moment, before pawing him and meowing loudly. He laughed, looking at Luciana.

"That's the way to a cat's heart," he announced, picking her up as he rose to his feet. His eyes surveyed the neat and elegant room, with the drafting table on one end, the desk on the other, and a wood burner positioned right in the middle. It was quiet, professional, and feminine, the kind of place he could imagine Luciana working in. His eyes returned to her only when Poppy scrambled down from his arms.

"Did you design this?" he asked, unable to hide his awe. Luciana wondered if his voice could get any deeper.

"Of course I did. I designed this whole building." She smoothed her hands over her black jumpsuit and looked into his eyes. "Would you like to come upstairs and see my apartment?"

Chris nodded, and the very next moment, she held his hand and led him to the next level of the building, Poppy leading the way. As they walked up the stairs, pretty chandeliers, pink and gold polka-dotted wallpapers, and decorative doorknobs caught his eye. When she opened the door, Poppy was the first to enter. The living room was spacious but cozy, a clever mix of pink, white and gold, long pink drapes that reached the floor, built-in shelves and cupboards all around and a floral sectional right across the fireplace. The large windows let in a good amount of sun, which trickled all the way to the middle of the room.

"It's stylish," he finally said as he walked in, taking off his shoes and his coat and hanging it in the foyer. "It looks like the type of house you'd choose to live in."

Poppy walked to her dish and ate some of her food, and then licked some water off the fountain. Luciana had to keep the bathroom doors closed because, like Cleo, Poppy was also an explorer and the toilet never ceased to amaze her. Afterward, she flopped into the pool of sunshine and snuggled with her yellow blanket, which she had dragged out of her bed.

Chris laughed a little, before looking at her. "How have you been?" he asked.

"Better," she nodded with a smile, hands firmly lodged into the pockets of her jumpsuit. "Much better. Poppy has been getting along fine with everyone, including the dogs."

"Speaking of dogs, where are they?"

"Matt's brother came and took them with him," she replied. "Would you like something to eat? I was about to make lunch."

"Luciana." Without giving her a chance, Chris had pulled her towards him, his face so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her skin. Before she could react, he locked lips with her, kissing her with insistence. He wanted to love her, more than he'd ever wanted to do it with anyone.

"Chris..." When they broke apart, her voice was raspy, hooded eyes sparkling. "Kiss me again," she whispered, pulling him closer than he already was.

He obliged, pressing his body against hers, mouth moving insistently. It felt natural to have him like that, exploring her mouth, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbling on it. She felt the vibrations of his moan against her teeth and his noisy exhale through his nose. She matched his tongue stroke for stroke, her fingers in his hair and his in hers.

When they sank into the couch, she threw a leg across his hips, locking him in a passionate embrace. She balled his shirt in her fist, her other hand trying to keep some balance as he pinned her down with his masculine weight. She started to get wet, her body thrumming with arousal as she felt him pressed into her belly. Their kisses were turning sloppy, all teeth and tongue. Her hand traveled over the strong, rippling muscles of his back, mapping his shoulder blades, the dip where his spine turned into the rise of his butt.

He slid his hands down her thighs, abruptly stopping between her legs. He pulled back and looked down, then back up at her face.

"Really?" he spilled out a laugh. "How do you use the bathroom in this...thing?"

"I don't," Luciana chuckled as she pushed him away and rose to her feet. He watched her as she undid her outfit, letting the garment slip off her body and gather in a bunch at her hips. "I just have to get naked every time."

Chris watched her stepping out of the romper that was now on the floor, wearing nothing but a lace bra and panties. He towered over her, his hands slipping around her small waist.

It baffled him how breathtaking she was with her long, dark hair, enigmatic green eyes, and perfect lips. He had seen many women in life -- had even been married -- but no one had affected him the way she did. It was as if a door had been thrown open and a breath of fresh air had blown in.

If the gods were real, he told himself, then Luciana was their masterpiece.

"What?" she questioned. "Is there something on my face? You've been staring for two minutes."

Chris shook his head, smiling quietly. Luciana lowered her gaze, suddenly aware that she was only in her underwear. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom, the heat in her belly only getting stronger in anticipation. Even Poppy walking in on them wasn't enough to break the moment. She picked up the cat, put her in her basket and turned on the TV to keep her occupied. She did love watching birds.

When she returned to the bedroom, he was still clothed, and she took the opportunity to stand in front of him and tug at his long-sleeve Henley shirt, prompting him to pull it over his head and throw it aside. She then started to undo the fly of his jeans, thankful he wasn't wearing a belt. Before Chris could react, she kneeled in front of him, her fingers exploring carefully. She pulled down his underwear to free his hard length, tracing the sinuous curves of the thick veins. He let out a deep sigh, trying to grab anything in sight for support. They hadn't even begun, but he was ragingly aroused already.

As if reading her mind, he gave out a gruff laugh. "That's what you do to me," he said, the serrated edge of his voice filling her with thrill and excitement. He stood still, hands roaming in her long tresses. His smooth, chiseled chest heaved with labored breathing when Luciana's lips parted, and her mouth watered as she took him in.