Chapter 23

“What’s the matter?” Paul asked. He had been up in the twin’s room and had just wrestled the twins into day clothes and brought them downstairs to get on their snow pants, boots, mittens and caps on for the ride in the country. They came into the kitchen to find Andi at the kitchen table, apparently in shock, slowly putting her cell phone down.

“I just got off the phone with Dr. Armond, head of the Pulmonary unit at University Hospital. He just told me that HR was going to take all my unused vacation days, it’s what they do if you don’t use them up in the prescribed time. But he spoke with them and they will let me keep them if I use them all up right now.”

“How many do you have accrued?”

“Not counting the ten I’ve scheduled for after this seminar? Ninety-three.”

“So, you’re on vacation until April?” Paul dressed a squirming Madeline in a mis-matched snowsuit. “That’s awesome, did he say anything else?”

“He said that for a wedding present ... if I find a practice in New York he would write a glowing reference and personally help transfer my license to practice from Colorado to New York ... if I want.”

“And you said...?”

Andi looked at the mis-matched twins. Both had one green boot, one red boot, Sandy had green snow pants, and Madeline had red snow pants. Sandy had a red jacket on, Madeline had a green jacket on. Both were wearing one green mitten, one red mitten, Sandy had a green snow cap, Madeline had a red snow cap. They both had a white scarf with holly leaves at the ends. It was so bizarre, so jumbled, but so perfect. It was so Paul. Andi took a deep, shuddering breath, full of peace and contentment. “I said yes.”