Special Delivery Read online

  Special Delivery

  Brooke and Tess: Episode One

  J.A. Armstrong

  Text © Copyright 2015 J.A. Armstrong Books

  All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter One

  “I have a headache the size of Mount Everest,” Brooke Campbell groaned.

  “It might help if you actually slept more than three hours a night,” a woman’s voice responded.

  Brooke sighed and looked across her office at her best friend. She had met Rachel Cantrell during her first year of residency at Boston Medical Center. Rachel had been in her final year of the program. She and Brooke connected immediately. They had similar backgrounds and shared interests that went beyond the hospital walls. Ten years later the two friends found themselves at the helm of what had been Rachel’s father’s practice. Brooke was grateful for Rachel as both a friend and as a colleague. At times, Rachel drove her insane with her personal brand of big sisterly advice.

  “That would be nice. Too bad babies don’t follow a nine to five schedule,” Brooke responded.

  “True. Being on call can seriously suck,” Rachel confessed. “But, you don’t sleep when you are home, Brooke.”

  Brook grumbled and swiveled nervously in her office chair. “I sleep.”

  “Closing your eyes on the couch, in a chair, with the television blaring for a few hours does not constitute sleep. You’re a doctor for God’s sake. What would you advise a patient?”

  “That depends,” Brooke replied.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. If they are nine months pregnant and pending the pop, I might just advise that exact remedy.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “You are impossible.”

  “And, you are a nag.”

  “Brooke, you seriously cannot keep up this pace. When was the last time you took a real vacation? And, before you say anything, I mean to relax, not to climb some mountain or dive some barrier reef,” Rachel inquired knowingly.

  “Barrier Reef? Exaggerate much?” Brooke asked. “I took a vacation in February.”

  “To go zip lining in the rainforest!”

  “What?” Brooke threw her hands up. “It was relaxing.”

  “Come on, you could go visit your mom,” Rachel suggested. “Take a week off.”

  Brooke shook her head and laughed. “You are relentless. I'm okay, Rach. I have the weekend off.”

  “Good, so don’t agree to cover anyone…”

  “I got it,” Brooke held up her hands in surrender.

  Rachel nodded at her best friend. Brooke was the definition of a workaholic. It had always been that way. Even after many years of friendship, she couldn’t pinpoint what drove Brooke to work herself to exhaustion. Some of it she suspected, had to do with Brooke’s upbringing. They had grown up in households where their parents were constantly on the go. Rachel’s father was an OB/GYN. Brooke’s parents were both surgeons, although her mother had moved to teaching after her parents divorced when she was twelve. The two women shared a fascination with medicine, much of it as a result of their fathers’ passions.

  Rachel had always been able to maintain balance in her life. Brooke seemed to struggle in that endeavor. For years, Rachel assumed that Brooke’s frantic pace would slow once she had managed to enter a stable private practice. That still had not come to pass. In fact, after Rachel married, Brooke’s life seemed to become even more harried. She dated from time to time, but she never settled in with any one person for long. She went on outings with friends, but those were nearly always adventure based, kayaking, hiking, diving, or some insane endeavor like skydiving. The only time Rachel ever saw Brooke take a breath was when Brooke spent a day at Rachel’s. Even then, she insisted on taking over the grill or cleaning up after a meal. And, Brooke always stepped in for active Auntie duty, as she called it. Rachel and her husband, Mike were assured that Brooke would have their two-year-old son, Eli wrapped around her legs, her hips, or her head for the duration of her visit. Brooke insisted that she was happy with her life the way it was. Rachel wanted to throttle her and drive home the point that being used to your life a certain way did not equate to happiness.

  “You’re off this weekend. Why don’t you come over for a cookout on Sunday?” Rachel suggested.

  Brooke smiled. She had not had much of an opportunity to spend time with her best friend outside of the office in weeks. They had been keeping almost entirely opposite schedules to accommodate the vacation time of the other three doctors who shared their practice. “What are you cooking?” Brooke teased. “Should I prescribe the anti-nausea medicine now?”

  “Cute, Dr. Campbell. Just be there by noon. If you’re lucky, I will let Mike do the grilling,” Rachel responded as she made her way out of Brooke’s office.

  “All right. I’ll be there by one,” Brooke said.

  “Noon, Doc. Noon.”

  Brooke laughed as she watched Rachel exit. She loathed to admit it, but the thought of spending a day with Rachel’s family gave her something to look forward to. She returned her focus to the computer screen in front of her. “Maybe I should bring something nice and noisy for Eli,” she chuckled. “Paybacks, Dr. Cantrell. Paybacks.”

  ***

  “Good God, will this day never end?” Tess Sinclair mumbled. She hopped out of the driver’s seat of her truck and finagled her way into the back to grab the packages for her next delivery. A small smile touched her lips when she saw the box marked for Dr. Brooke Campbell. “I wonder if the good doctor will make an appearance today,” she giggled. “Good Lord! She must be keeping Amazon in business,” Tess laughed. She shook her head and made her way to the back of the truck for a hand cart. She rolled up the back door, loaded the six boxes on the cart and started for the building a few yards away.

  Salem Women’s Health and Wellness was one of the last stops on Tess’s daily route. Tess enjoyed the banter and the casual conversation that the staff always engaged in with her. It amazed her that even after seeing people repeatedly, day after day after day, more often than not, she was fortunate if she managed to get a meaningful “hello” out of people. This stop was one of three that was unique in that regard. And, there was an added benefit. Occasionally, Tess managed to catch a glimpse of a certain doctor who had captured her imagination. It had taken her nearly a month to discern who the attractive brunette was. Brooke Campbell could have been a model, or perhaps even a movie star, at least that was Tess’s opinion. She noticed that the staff seemed to brighten when the doctor entered the front office.

  Brooke Campbell was tall and athletic. Tess estimated she had to be close to six feet tall. She sometimes wondered if the doctor had ever considered a life in basketball. Brooke always wore her jet black hair pulled back in a ponytail. When she drew closer, Tess had noticed the streaks of natural red highlights that ran through her locks. But, it was Brooke’s eyes that Tess found particularly alluring. They were crystalline blue. It gave the doctor’s appearance an appealing contrast. A little crush on a beautiful woman was harmless. After all, Dr. Brooke Campbell was likely straight and more likely attached. That was perfectly fine with Tess. Romantic attachments were not a part of any appointment calendar she was keeping these days. She stopped in front of the door to the small brick building and smiled. “Well, a little diversion wouldn’t hurt,” she chuckled.

  ***

  Brooke walked her patient to the front desk. “Soon, Maddie.”

  “Soon?” the
woman asked. She looked down at her belly and chuckled. “Did he tell you that or are you just trying to make me feel better?” she asked Brooke.

  Brooke offered her patient a lopsided grin. She had delivered the first two of Maddie Stedman’s children. Kyle, was her third and officially due in a week and a half. Maddie was miserable. Brooke had learned early on never to share her predictions about when a baby would make his or her appearance. She had a sixth sense about those things at times. She and Rachel often placed friendly bets on who would be in the delivery room and when. Brooke’s estimations were almost always accurate. Rachel had accused her best friend more than once of practicing voodoo on the side.

  “I never betray a confidence,” Brooke answered. “Doctor/patient confidentiality and all.”

  Maddie shook her head. “Well, I hope you are right. I would like to sleep for more than an hour at a time.”

  Brooke nodded. “I will see you next Tuesday unless I see you before that,” she said with a wink. She turned her attention to the woman behind the reception desk. “Janine? Did Tess come yet?” she asked as she leaned over the counter to look for any evidence of the delivery driver’s presence.

  “Not yet,” Janine giggled. “What are you expecting that is so dire? You’ve asked four times in the last two hours. Tess never comes before three.”

  Brooke huffed just as the front door opened and Tess walked through dragging the hand truck behind her. Brooke sprinted across the small office and held the door open for her. Tess jumped slightly at the closeness of the beautiful doctor. “Thanks,” Tess said in surprise.

  “Quite the load,” Janine commented from the desk. “Is that all for her?” she pointed to Brooke. “What is it now? Scuba gear?” Brooke always had her personal purchases delivered to the office. Last year, she had discovered rock climbing. The year before that Brooke had taken up snorkeling. She was an avid hiker, camper, and cyclist. Brooke loved adventure. Janine could only imagine what the precocious doctor had taken an interest in now.

  Brooke snarled playfully at the receptionist. Janine laughed at the doctor’s expression. “Don’t you have patients to call? Appointments to book?” Brooke asked.

  “No,” Janine said. “I block three to four for personal torture of my boss.”

  “Good. Go find Rachel and torment her while I help Tess with these,” Brooke suggested.

  “What are you up to?” Janine asked suspiciously.

  Brooke shrugged and turned back to Tess. “Would you mind dropping them in my office?”

  “Not at all,” Tess replied, trying to swallow the slight lump in her throat. Dr. Campbell was always friendly, but she was normally on the run. A quick hello or a wave was the extent of most interactions Tess had with the doctor.

  “Thanks,” Brooke said. She led Tess through a door into a small hallway and stopped. “Hold on,” she whispered. Brooke looked both ways and then beckoned Tess to follow her across the hall into her office. As soon as Tess walked through the door, Brooke closed and locked it.

  Tess looked across the room at the approaching doctor curiously. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” she admitted.

  Brooke smiled and lifted the boxes off of the hand truck and into a small closet behind her desk. “I don’t want Rachel to see,” she explained. “It’s a surprise.” Tess nodded and handed Brooke a pad to sign for her packages. “Thanks again, Tess. I hope this little diversion doesn’t put you behind,” Brooke said sincerely.

  “No worries,” Tess assured her. “You are my last stop.” Brooke opened the office door and led Tess back to the front desk. “Good luck with your surprise,” Tess said. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow, Janine.”

  “Oh, I would count on it,” Janine laughed with a wave to Tess. “So?” She turned back to Brooke.

  “What?”

  “Don’t you what me, Dr. Campbell. What are you up to?” Janine asked.

  “Curiosity killed the cat, Janine.”

  “I have a dog,” Janine deadpanned.

  “We can fix that,” Brooke responded before walking away.

  “Oh boy,” Janine mumbled. “She is definitely up to no good.”

  ***

  “Davey! Stop harassing your sister,” Tess scolded her son.

  “She started it!” Davey argued.

  Tess rolled her eyes. She adored her children, but they could drive her insane at times. Twins. After eight years, Tess could still not fathom how she ended up with twins. David and Danielle were the light of Tess Sinclair’s life. The unexpected light. Tess was just finishing her junior year of college when she discovered that she was pregnant. To her surprise, her Catholic parents had gently suggested that she terminate the pregnancy and finish school. Tess would not hear of it. She had hoped that her boyfriend would share her view. He did not. Daniel Medina had been Tess’s boyfriend since junior high school. Tess never imagined that her longtime sweetheart would skip out on her and their children. He did. He had agreed with her parents’ assessment. Tess was heartbroken. It had not occurred to her once to terminate her pregnancy. Regardless of struggles, upheavals, and the occasional mind-numbing frustration and chaos her children could create, Tess had never regretted her decision.

  “Mom,” Dani complained. “He’s doing it again!”

  “Would you two just be quiet for a few minutes? Go sit down while I get the pizza. Please,” Tess implored the pair.

  Dani pushed her brother toward a table in the corner. Davey twirled back to push his sister and was abruptly stopped by an immovable object. “Uh…sorry,” he said sheepishly.

  Tess spun on her heels and found herself staring at a familiar figure. She followed Brooke’s eyes to the ground where a large pizza box had fallen open decorating the floor with pepperoni slices. “Oh, no,” Tess covered her mouth with her hands.

  Brooke looked up at that moment and met Tess’s gaze. She pointed to Davey. “Yours?” she asked.

  Tess nodded and pointed to the pizza on the floor. “Yours?” she cringed. Brooke raised her eyebrow and nodded. Tess groaned and then scolded Davey with an unappreciative gaze.

  “Sorry, Mom,” he said.

  Brooke noted the tension in Tess’s face and laughed. “It’s not the worst casualty I have ever seen,” she said lightly.

  Tess shook her head. “I am sorry, Dr. Campbell.” Tess reached over and grabbed a handful of napkins off the counter and set about the task of cleaning up the pizza on the floor.

  “Brooke.”

  “What?” Tess looked back at the doctor who was now squatting beside her, scooping a sloppy mass of cheese into her open pizza box.

  “Well, after such an intimate collision with my dinner, I think we could graduate to first names, don’t you?” Brooke joked.

  “Let me buy you another pizza,” Tess offered.

  Brooke looked at the two children who had taken up residence behind their mother and smiled. “Tell me that is not double trouble,” Brooke chuckled.

  Tess sighed but smiled genuinely. “Triple trouble,” she said with the raise of her brow. “They don’t tell you that trouble is the triplet with twins.”

  “That was a mouthful,” Brooke commented in amusement.

  “Come on, let me buy you a pizza,” Tess repeated.

  “Not necessary,” Brooke said.

  “You cannot eat that,” Tess scrunched her face is disapproval.

  “What do you mean? I am a doctor, you know. I am sure I can repair the damage.”

  Tess folded her arms across her chest. “Aren’t you an OB? That would take a trauma surgeon and an excellent one at that,” Tess replied seriously.

  Brooke frowned. “I know a good one,” she said. “But, he is in California.”

  Tess shook her head. “Well, if you won’t let me replace that mess, can I at least convince you to share ours?” The words were out before Tess could stop them. Oh, God. She’s going to think I am asking her out. Oh, God. Could this get any worse? Just kill me. Please? Strike me down where I stand. Brooke contem
plated the nervous expression on Tess’s face silently. She was surprised when the young boy spoke.

  “We got pepperoni too,” he said innocently.

  Brooke looked at him thoughtfully. “Well, in that case, how can I say no?” Tess grinned uncomfortably. “You sure that you have enough?” Brooke asked. She looked back at the twins. “Triple trouble here are willing to donate a piece of their pie to my cause?” Both kids nodded.

  “We were going to head home, but we can get a table here,” Tess said.

  “I don’t want you to change your plans on my account.”

  “You can come over,” Dani piped up. “Mom never has friends over. Not really. Not since Jackie.”

  Tess blushed. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Don’t put Dr. Campbell on the spot,” she said.

  Brooke couldn’t help but smile. She had always liked Tess. Tess was upbeat and engaging. Brooke often heard Janine laughing when Tess made her deliveries. She had never engaged in any meaningful conversation with the courier. And, she was surprised to see that Tess had two children. She placed the pair of brunettes at about eight or nine years old. Tess didn’t appear to be much over thirty if that. Brooke was curious. “I am hungry. I don’t need to charter a plane or anything to get there, do I?” she asked the kids.

  “No!” Davey laughed. “We walked.”

  Brooke looked back at Tess for her approval. “It’s just around the block,” Tess explained. “You are welcome to join us, but if…”

  “Lead on,” Brooke said. Tess stared at her blankly in disbelief.

  “Dr. Campbell,” a man’s voice broke through their awkward silence. “Let me get you something else. Jeremy!” he called. “Clean this up!”

  “Relax, Sal,” Brooke put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I should look down when I walk,” she winked at Davey.

  “We will get you a new one right away,” Sal promised.

  Tess felt disappointment sweep over her. Brooke smiled at the restaurant owner. “No need, I already have an offer for dinner.”

  “I am happy to replace it,” Sal said again. Brooke frequented the small restaurant. She and Rachel often had lunch there and Brooke stopped at least twice a week to pick up dinner on her way home. Sal had become a friend over the years.