The Turning (25 page)

Nicole had perfect timing, and just then she came running up. “Hey, Mr. Murphy! Matto, you made it. Hey, Brian, good to see you again.” She gave them all quick hugs, and joined my mom and me for photos. We were posing as she whispered, “He seems to be doing okay with your dad.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he’ll make Brian cry like the last one,” I snickered. I had been dating a guy in college that was a wimp, to put it nicely. My dad had scared him so bad that after we left my parents’ house he had cried.

No, that relationship didn’t last long, and that incident was one of the main reasons. We called the guys over to take some more pictures and finished up in time for them to get their seats and for Nicole and me to get in line. The ceremony was a little lengthy with the guest speaker, and the dean, and the valedictorian speech before we finally got to the good part—getting our diplomas.

Nicole and I caught each other’s look, and did our goofy little happy dance like immature, un-doctor-like idiots. I didn’t really care, nor did she. I was just so excited! It seemed like forever until they got to my row, but it was all worth it when the dean said, “Dr. Kelly Murphy.”

I saw my parents, Matt, and Brian all clapping and cheering, then I heard a huge cheer and whistle and looked at Nicole. I tried to hold it together because I was shaking the dean’s hand and was having my picture taken, but as soon as I got past him and they called the next name, I burst out laughing while still on stage. I waved like an idiot at my family and went back to my seat.

It seemed to fly after that and the next thing I knew, they were calling Dr. Nicole Thomas, and my family and Brian were cheering again. I let out a huge holler. I didn’t know how to do the loud whistle thing, but I started tearing when she got her diploma. Almost out into a full cry, and like normal I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

Shit, I forgot about the blood tears.

Grateful my gown was black I hurried and wiped my eyes to get rid of the evidence. I was going to have to start carrying a handkerchief or something. When it got to the end where everyone throws their caps in the air, Nicole and I ran to each other and launched into a hug. Fortunately both of us thought throwing your cap in the air was stupid. It looked cool on TV and movies, but then you had to try and find your cap.

We got up to my parents who both had been crying. Even Matt had a few tears. I teased him a bit, but it really did touch me. There were hugs all around and Brian gave me a quick peck on my cheek. He really knew how to act around the family for a vamp who never dates.

“I requested a limo in case everyone would like to ride in together, or we could just follow you?” Brian asked politely.

In the end we decided that Nicole and I would ride with my parents and Matt went with Brian. It wasn’t a far drive, but Matt would get a kick out of the limo. I knew what was in store for me. As soon as we got in the car my dad started. “So how was Miami, Kelly?”

“It was great. Nicole and I had fun at the party. Brian has a condo down there, so we took one room and Brian and Trent took the other one.” I prayed Nicole backed me up. I hated lying, but there were some things my parents just did not need to know, even though I was twenty-six.

“Yeah,” Nicole piped in. “It was like a fairy tale. Brian got us gowns from one of his stores. It was a true ball, and it was wicked cool. He’s a great guy, a very old school gentleman. It was his idea that Kelly and I use the guest room.” I couldn’t love her more than I did right then, I ignored the wave. “He treats Kelly like a queen, never says anything bad, and only had two drinks that I saw. Part of me wishes I met him first.” She laughed to try and get her point across, and I play hit her.

“Thanks, Nicole,” I crabbed. “Glad you are so happy for me that you want to steal him.”

“Nicole, did you meet him that night at the bar when Kelly was taken?” Shit, Nicole and I never talked about this. She didn’t know I told my parents he had been there.

“Not really met him,” Nicole answered smoothly. “I saw him that night, because he was the one that made me realize Kelly was missing. I had seen them talking, but then Kelly went off towards the bathroom, and the next thing I knew he was asking me where she was. He seemed really scared and helped me look for her.”

Okay, I was wrong. I could love her more than before, as much as I loved her then. My dad nodded, accepting the story.

We chitchatted about our internships, what was new with my parents, and all the normal stuff the rest of the way to dinner. We parked and went inside the restaurant. Matt and Brian were already inside so we went to our table. I ordered something small, knowing I wasn’t going to eat much and I didn’t want my dad paying for something wasted.

Nicole sat to my right, then Matt, my mom, my dad, and Brian was to my left, next to my dad. Yikes! Dinner was great, we had fun, then my dad leaned over. “Kelly, you didn’t eat much, honey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, dad, I’m all better from being sick, just wound up with excitement and not really hungry,” I swore, smiling.

Then it happened. Brian turned to my dad, and talking softly, asked, “I know you invited me, Mr. Murphy, but I would love to pay for dinner if that is all right with you?”

I waited to see my dad’s reaction. “I appreciate the offer, Brian, but you are my guest, I’ll take care of the bill.” I blinked at my dad. He was smiling at Brian, genuinely.

Holy crap my dad liked him. I looked across the table at my mom, who had the same smile, knowing what I knew. She gave me a very quick, little thumbs up, which made me laugh, but not out loud. Nicole saw it too, and elbowed me.

“Now it’s present time,” my mom sang as she wiggled her brows at us.

“You guys didn’t have to do that. Dinner was my present,” I protested. But I knew my family, and they wouldn’t have listened. Mom handed me and Nicole our presents, and Matt handed me one as well. Then to my surprise, Brian handed me a present and Nicole one too. I couldn’t even hide the shock on my face.

“Brian, you didn’t have to get me another present,” Nicole argued. “You’ve done enough already.” She tried giving back the little box, but Brian just shook his head.

“Another present?” my dad hedged. “What did you get already, Nicole?” I could hear the wariness in his tone.

“We got our list of what we needed to start our internships,” she admitted. “And Kelly knew I didn’t have the money to buy everything. So she offered to help me, and when we went shopping, Brian came with. When Kelly went to the register, Brian had already paid for everything.” She looked at her plate then, not liking she just told everyone that.

“Well I already have one doctor in my good graces,” Brian boasted, swooping in, nodding towards me. “But who knows if I may need another one? You could go into a different specialty than Kelly. Plus, I was so grateful that you could help fill our table at the last minute for the fundraiser. It was my way of saying thank you for coming and keeping Kelly company as I had to say hi to people in the room.”

“That’s very nice of you, Brian,” my mom praised, smiling. “Okay, open your presents.”

I opened Matt’s first while Nicole waited so we could open our other ones together. It was cute, he got me a graduation bear saying class of 2012, but it had on a doctor’s coat and a little stethoscope. I thanked him and leaned over Nicole to give him a kiss on the cheek. He was the best kid brother anyone could ever ask for. I had to stop referring to him as kid though, because he was twenty-one after all.

It was really nice how close we were, I loved my little—I mean younger—brother dearly. When I was his age, I didn’t know a single guy my age who had their head on as straight as he did. We always got along well. My mom had to go back to work when he started kindergarten and it was just us kids after school. My older sister, Marie, was a book worm and spent a lot of time by herself in our room. Matt and I normally watched cartoons together, learned all the lines of
Animaniacs
together.

I was always overprotective of him, even though I knew he was quite the little trouble maker. He used to go annoy the biggest kid on the playground during lunch and then come run behind me to protect him. Of course, I always did, which started a lot of trouble for me, but he was my little brother. I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt him.

I started thinking about the time I went to pick him up from grammar school. I had been in high school at the time, right down the road. I was looking for him, and Matt was walking with some girl just talking to him, and out of the blue, this eighth grader approached them and decked him in the face. I was there in a flash and got in the eighth grader’s face, it seemed he didn’t like my brother talking to his sister.

I threw the kid in the fence and made it very clear if he ever touched my brother again, I would permanently make him a part of that fence. Leaving the rest up to his imagination, if he would be in once piece or not, I knew I was being pretty rough with the kid. I started to lighten my grip, turned to my brother and saw that he was still bleeding all over the place. I threw the kid again into the fence, he cried out and just then a woman I assumed to be his mother grabbed my arm.

She started screaming at me and I screamed right back what he did to my brother, showing her his face. I reminded the kid what I would do to him if he ever touched my brother again and his mother and I exchanged a few more profanities, then I got my brother out of there.

I knew I had a temper, but I had never lost it like that before. As soon as I saw him bleeding and someone hurting him, I just couldn’t control myself. Remembering all that right then, I gave him another kiss and thanked him for being the best younger brother ever. He gave me a little look like I might be on something and whispered, “We’ll talk later, sis, but I love you too.”

Nicole and I took the cards off the present from my parents, we read them and smiled. I took a quick glance, and they had signed hers, mom and dad as well. My parents really were the best. We opened our boxes and inside were some papers. Nicole and I looked at each other then read the papers. I understood what it was first and gasped. They had found us an apartment right across the street from the hospital. Even more than that, they had paid for the first year’s rent.

“Dad, Mom, oh my god! Do you have the money for this?” They both nodded with big smiles on their faces. Just then Nicole shrieked, comprehending what the papers meant: our lease.

“We know you will both do very well during your internships. But you won’t be making that much money, and with your student loans, we wanted to make sure you were taken care of.” My dad explained, smiling, “Plus you’ll be at the hospital too often to live far. And I would feel better if I knew my girls weren’t living alone.”

Nicole and I both jumped up at the same time. I attacked my dad, while she went to my mom. We gave them hugs and tons of kisses and then switched, I also gave Matt another hug while I was up.

“How did you find this place, Mr. Murphy? We’ve been looking on our own and have had no luck,” Nicole asked.

“Couple of weeks ago, a sergeant who works for me was bitching about the tenants he had in the apartment building his family owned. I asked the address and realized it was right across the street from the hospital you both had accepted your internships at. So, I called Jen up and we decided that’s what we wanted to give you girls.”

My mom held up two sets of keys and jingled them. “You can move in as soon as you want. Your dad already called your current landlords and got you out of your leases. Are you girls happy?” With our excited nods, she smiled. “I just wish Marie was here to celebrate with us!”

Marie, my older sister, lived in New York. She had a prestigious job there and was working on her second masters. I’d have to call Andre and tell him to have someone keep an eye out for her and that she wasn’t to be turned—ever.

“We all cleared our schedules to help you guys pack and move, if you want our help that is?” my dad prompted.

“Of course we do, Dad!”

“Brian, I know it’s short notice, but you are more than welcome to come if you would like,” my dad offered.

“Thank you, Mr. Murphy, I would. If I might, I also have some trucks if you have not arranged anything yet. I do not want to step on your toes or invade on your generous gift,” he reasoned humbly, and it hit me that he really respected my dad.

This was awesome.

“That would be great. I don’t want you to put yourself out or anything, but if you already have the truck and it’s not booked, that would be a big help,” my dad agreed, giving him an appreciative nod. Brian returned the gesture, and we all talked about the new apartment and how we were going to see it first thing tomorrow morning.

“Oh, you guys still have Brian’s presents,” my mom said excitedly. “Go ahead and open them.”

We both opened our cards, and Brian had written a very nice message to me. I leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then I noticed that something was up with Nicole and she was trying not to cry. I elbowed her and without a sound she handed me the card. I read the message and at the bottom there was a
PS
that Brian had taken care of her student loans too. I didn’t know how much that was, but I knew they were a hell of a lot more than mine.

Nicole didn’t have her parents helping her, like mine did. Hell she didn’t even have any family show up for her graduation. I smiled, nodded, and pinched her leg to snap her out of if while I handed her back the card. Brian had also put in the note to not tell my parents or anyone he had paid them off, and I was desperate for her to act normal.

She did snap out of it and thanked Brian, while I squeezed his hand under the table. We opened our little boxes and there were the most gorgeous Omega watches in them. Mine was diamonds and sapphires. I looked at Nicole and hers was diamond and rubies, both were in platinum settings.

I looked mine over intently, speechless, but then I saw the engraving on the underside of the watch.
Congratulations on your success. The world is a better place now that you are a doctor in it.

“Oh, Brian,” I gushed, trying my hardest not to tear up. “It’s beautiful, thank you so much.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and a hug. Then Nicole and I switched watches, and each one had the same inscription. We hugged each other, and then Nicole got up to hug Brian. We passed them around, and everyone
oohed
and
aaahed
at them.