"I've done research online, Dr. Fowkes. I think I have it all covered."
We discussed what we'd read online and the doctor confirmed we had our facts straight. She asked Grey a few questions about his willingness to donate and he told her what he had told Dr. Tressenbaum.
Dr. Fowkes looked at Grey and seemed to be assessing him.
"I admire your courage and selflessness, Mr. Sterling."
"Oh please, call me Grey. You're the second person to call me selfless today. I don't feel that way, I just want to help."
"Well, Grey, you will help, immensely."
"When can we get on with the procedure?" he asked, seeming eager to get it over as soon as possible.
"Well, Dr. Tressenbaum has a theater slot booked for later this morning in preparation. He didn't think you'd need my session, and being honest, you didn't. But I had to see you because of hospital protocol."
"That's great, Dr. Fowkes. Thank you."
"Well, Grey, you can go now. I hope everything goes well for you."
The doctor stood and shook hands with us both before showing us out.
We walked back into the reception and Dr. Tressenbaum was there waiting.
"I take it all went well?" he asked as we approached.
"Yes, Doctor."
"Well, I just need a quick word with Dr. Fowkes. Would you mind waiting here for me?"
"No problem, Doctor."
We sat down and Grey smiled at me. I leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"What was that for?"
"Because I love you!" I smiled at my fiancé and knew that what the doctors had said was right, he was such a selfless person-so much so he couldn't even see it. What I saw only made me love him more.
After the procedure, I sat by Grey's bedside waiting for the anaesthesia to wear off. He looked so peaceful. His face was relaxed in sleep and he looked handsome with his clean shaven chin. He'd obviously had a shower and shave before I had even got out of bed.
Grey started to stir after about half an hour. I took his hand in mine and looked up at him.
He looked at me and I saw the love in his eyes. He was devoted to me and this procedure had proved what a genuinely good man I was engaged to.
"Hey, sleepyhead!"
"Hey!"
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired but good."
"Are you sore?"
"A little."
"Can I get you anything? Do you want some water?" I asked, getting to my feet and looking for the jug the nurse had brought in.
"Please."
I got up and found the jug and a glass. I placed the glass on the table by Grey and went in search of a sink.
I returned with a jug of cold water and poured Grey a glass.
I sat with him as he was drifting in and out of sleep. The anaesthesia was slowly working its way out of his system.
"Are you sure you're well enough to go home, Greyston?" Dr. Tressenbaum asked.
"Sure, Doctor."
"Okay then, as long as you take care of yourself and rest for a day or two, you should be fine. Just take things easy, you hear me?"
"Yes, Doctor. My fiancée here will kick my butt if I try to overdo it."
"Okay. I'll get the discharge papers."
Once the paperwork was signed, Grey got dressed and I drove us home.
I got Grey settled on the sofa with the throw blanket over him, then I put a pot of coffee on.
That night we had takeaway from our favorite Chinese restaurant and got an early night.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, I snuck out of bed, wrapped my robe around me, and went to the kitchen. I got everything out to make Grey breakfast in bed. Scrambled eggs and toast was on the menu.
A short while later, I returned to the bedroom with a tray in my hands.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," I whispered as I put the tray down and kissed Grey on the cheek.
"Good morning. What smells so good?" he said sleepily as he rubbed his eyes and stretched his lean body.
"That would be breakfast," I said as I pointed to the tray.
"Wow, breakfast in bed. What's the special occasion?" He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck.
"I thought about setting the date."
"Have we even decided on a venue?"
"Not as such, no."
"What date did you have in mind?" he asked as I slipped from his embrace and passed him the tray.
He began to eat and I thought how good it was to see him fit and well after the bone marrow donation.
"I thought we could book Valentine's Day."
He choked on his mouthful and had to drink some orange juice to wash it down.
"You know that will be fully booked everywhere a year or more in advance, right? I mean, do you really want to wait that long to get married."
"No, we had ten years apart, I'm not waiting any longer, and that's why I mean this Valentine's Day."
"But Carls, that's only six weeks away."
"I know."
"So you'll know we have no chance of the caterer, florist and everything being free on that date."
I had a confession to make. I'd kind of done some ringing around.
"Well … umm … actually, the florist is free, so are the caterers and your photographer friend. The wedding outfits were sorted weeks ago and the cake has been penciled in for that date, too."
"What do you mean? How do you know all that?"
"I've been ringing around everywhere to make sure. Now all we have to do is sort the venue for the ceremony."
"What about the reception at Mother's house?"
"Well, she said she can pull it off, and if anyone can, it's Katrina."
"My mother knew you were looking at Valentine's Day? How long have you been planning this?"
"Before you went into the hospital. I would have discussed it with you sooner but I didn't want to burden you. You had so much going on."
"So what about venues? Have you any in mind?"
"Umm … okay, confession number two. Yes! I've researched some places and they all have us slotted in to go for a look round. The first one is today, if you're up for it."
I admit, I'd looked at several places online and asked if they had Valentine's Day free. Three of the five I researched had cancellations on that date so I had scheduled dates to go for a look round.
"I better get showered and dressed then. Where are we going?"
"Pendleton Country Club."
"Mother's friend Dania owns Pendleton, you know?"
"Yeah, that's one of the reasons I looked it up. Your mother made the suggestion."
"It's a gorgeous place. Remember when I had a weekend job there?"
"Oh my, I'd forgotten all about that!"
"Well, it could be the perfect venue, Carls. Let's see. Where are the others?"
"Blakelands and Farnham Castle. Both look gorgeous on the websites."
"Mother knows someone at Farnham Castle, too."
"I know. Go grab that shower. We're going to have to get a move on."
Admittedly Pendleton Country Club was gorgeous. But both Grey and I agreed very quickly that it wasn't ‘the one.' It had a lot of the right elements, we just didn't feel like it was the right fit.
We went home and made lunch.
"It just didn't have that special element that stood out. Does that make sense?" Grey asked as we stood in the kitchen making pasta salad.
"It was beautiful, but it was kind of … I don't know … ordinary," I admitted.
"Too ordinary for us. I remember loving it when I worked there but I never saw it through the eyes of a man about to be married."
"So it's a definite no, then?"
"Definitely. Let's hope that the other two are a little less ordinary."
"I think the other two are gorgeous, but I don't want my opinion to bias yours."
"I'd look on the net but I don't want to see until we get there. Websites always show the best bits in the best light but you need to see the place in person to really get a feel for it."
"I have to admit, I've been to Blakelands before for a job interview and it's nice. But I'll let you decide on Thursday."
"Okay."
We ate our lunch and talked about the cake design I had chosen. Grey had been clear that I was the one with the eye for design for cakes. He said he trusted my choice as a baker myself. I told him I'd only done it as a hobby but he said I was a natural. I had eventually given in and agreed I would choose it.
I'd chosen a four-tier cake in cream. There was going to be some beautiful piping icing in black and hints of purple, a border of purple icing around the bottom edge of each cake and then some purple calla lilies as decoration. The words heart, mind, body and soul would be piped on in purple, with heart on the top tier, mind on the next, body on the next, and soul on the last. There would be a traditional bride and groom on the top, but I had opted for someone to make them from fimo clay for us. I had already placed the order and it had been shipped. The photo I had seen of it was amazing and I couldn't have asked for better-I just hadn't been able to find one I liked so I had commissioned someone to make a one of a kind.