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The banquet hall of the hotel was enormous and decorated elaborately. Harvey couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to such an extravagant medical conference. Small presenter exhibitions stood on tables around the sides of the room, advertising everything from new, experimental pharmaceuticals to long-standing research surrounding surgery practices. All around, fellow doctors and surgeons alike sat at tables, munched on the appetizers provided, and greeted colleagues with warmth and excitement. He knew several of the attendees and had worked with many of them over his significant career. People flashed smiles in his direction, their eyes lingering in jealousy.
He might just be a family doctor now, but his influence was well-established in the medical community.
Despite the general ease of the atmosphere, Harvey still felt anxiety pool in his gut. He hadn’t been to a conference in a long time, and was only attending because he’d been specifically requested to be one of the keynote speakers. Gen had convinced him to attend, her own pride in his work making his chest puff with a new sense of self-esteem. Her arm was twisted in his and her warmth at his side was a balm, dissipating his anxiety with the strength and surety of her touch. He’d planned on begging her to come with him and was merely met with confusion as she’d said, “Of course I’m coming with you” and showed him that she’d already started packing her bag.
There was no question – she’d be by his side the whole time.
And there they were.
Gen had also convinced him to wear something nicer than his usual attire. He shared tight smiles with a few colleagues he remembered from his past, the tie at his neck making him feel a bit claustrophobic. His suit was comfortable but he still wasn’t used to the way the fabric clung to him, highlighting his broad shoulders and long legs. His suit was a navy blue that complimented his coloring, or so Gen said, and his tie was black. His shoes were a handsome brown leather that matched the color of his hair – again, Gen’s words, but if the looks he was receiving from a few people in the crowd were any indication…
“Do you want to grab some wine, Harv? It looks like they opened some of the mini-bars.” Gen tugged on his arm to grab his attention.
Of course, they all could be looking at her.
His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at her. She was a vision in green – the same emerald dress she’d once worn for their second anniversary clung to her curves in a way that made his pants feel just a little too tight. Her perfect, auburn curls shone stunningly in the low light of the hall and she’d styled them to neatly hang over one smooth, freckled shoulder. He’d never tire of her beauty and swore up and down that every miserable day of his life had been worth this moment – to gaze into her amber-studded eyes and feel the everlasting love and warmth radiating from her entire being.
The necklace dangling over her throat was his one claim to her; the pearlescent shine of the mermaid pendant he’d given to her, just two months ago, clung to the color of her dress and sparkled alongside the smile she wore. It filled him with rich satisfaction and joy to know they finally belonged to each other.
“Harv?” Her fingers brushed his and she squeezed, pulling him out of his daze.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, what did you say?” He murmured his apology, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.
She smiled, then stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I asked if you wanted any wine.”
He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek and nodded. “That would probably be a good idea. Take the edge off.”
Her brows furrowed in concern. “Are you feeling anxious?”
“A little,” he shrugged, then smirked. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me too.” She grinned up at him and pressed her lips gently to his.
As she looked back into the crowd, guiding him towards the mini-bar, he couldn’t help but notice the way she held onto her pendant. She had it clasped in her hand, holding it close to her chest, running her calloused fingers over its smooth, opalescent shell. It tugged at his heart in a way he couldn’t articulate.
The line for drinks was quite long, and getting longer by the second, so they stood in place, hands clasped together, and waited patiently. Gen commented on how nice everything looked, how excited she was to see this part of his world, and squeezed his hand a little tighter when she noticed he wasn’t giving very long responses.
When they approached the bar, Gen gasped, hands tight on Harvey’s bicep. “Harv, look! They have my wine!” She pointed to the bottles behind the bartender and sure enough, the swift, looping cursive of Elliot’s handwriting alongside Leah’s elegant design of the farm stood out: ‘Idunn Farms’, cabernet sauvignon, barrel-aged, family-owned, made with heart – it was a dream come true to see Gen’s labor of love have the recognition it deserved.
He remembered her first bottle, and all of the bottles since, that had gotten her to this point. Pride overwhelmed him and he placed an emotional kiss to her temple, grinning in satisfaction as the bartender poured him his favorite drink – Gen’s wine.
A few minutes later, drinks in hand and shining smiles on their faces, they headed towards their table. They were seated towards the front so Harvey would have easy access to the stage when it came time for his speech, making it easy to find their spots.
Gen set her wine glass down on the table and brushed his shoulder to catch his attention. “Harv, I’m going to use the restroom. Be right back.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and smiled when he turned his lips into hers.
The kiss was chaste but the smile didn’t leave his face even as she turned to walk back the way they came, his eyes focused on the fullness of her figure in that mouthwatering dress.
His focus distracted, he didn’t even see that a few of his colleagues were approaching him.
“Harvey? Harvey Wittfeld! Oh my gosh!” A voice echoed behind him.
As he turned to face the sound, a tall, slim woman threw herself at him, embracing him in a tight hug.
His eyes widened in surprise and he stiffened in the woman’s embrace. When the woman let go and stood back to look at him, his face flushed as he immediately recognized her.
“Faith, hi.” He said, still a little shell-shocked.
She looked older than he remembered – it had been ten years after all – but her eyes sparkled with fondness. She was wearing a fairly slinky, black dress, but had a blazer covering her shoulders with her nametag proudly pinned to it. Her straight, brunette hair cascaded in waves down her back and her height was enhanced by the fearsome set of heels she was wearing.
He recognized the people behind her as well – Mark Liebowitz and Graham Knowles – all fellow surgeons that he’d worked with for a few years prior to moving.
“Harv-o, good to see you.” Graham stepped forward and yanked Harvey into a brief hug, his teeth bright as he flashed a smile towards his old friend.
“We heard you’d be speaking, but I, for one, didn’t think you’d show.” Mark chuckled, snagging Harvey’s hand in a tight handshake.
Harvey blushed and Faith swatted at Mark, a stern look contorting her pretty features.
“Don’t mind Mark. He’s still an asshole.” She rolled her eyes, turning her lips back up as she looked Harvey over. “Gosh, it’s been years, hasn’t it?” She commented. “When I saw you were going to be a keynote speaker, I just knew I had to come to town for this. The great Harvey Wittfeld, back and ready for action.”
“Well, I don’t know about the action part.” He cleared his throat nervously, not enjoying the attention. “Are you still in peds?” He attempted to steer the conversation away from himself.
“I am, though I was promoted to Pediatrician-in-Chief at Saint Thomas’ just over a year ago. They’re still looking for a Chief of Surgery, V. You’d be a shoe-in – especially after tonight.” She coaxed, leaning closer to him and letting her eyes flick down his body in a not-so-subtle manner.
He shifted uncomfortably. “Congratulations. That’s quite a promotion. And I appreciate you thinking of me, but I’m quite happy with where I am.”
He and Faith had once had a history and it was becoming increasingly obvious it was a history she very much wouldn’t mind repeating.
“Thank you,” Faith smiled genuinely. “Are you still running that small clinic in Pelican Town? I can’t imagine that small town is… stimulating enough for you.”
Harvey’s throat felt tight and he scanned the room, wishing Gen would come back and save him from this interaction.
“Jesus, Faith,” Graham groaned. “It’s been ten years. Let the poor man breathe.”
Mark chuckled, earning another angry look from Faith, and Harvey’s cheeks flushed bright red.
“Yes, the Pelican Town clinic is small. But I’ve enjoyed my time there very much.”
The other woman was not impressed, and in some vain attempt to steer the conversation back under her thumb, she said the one thing he’d desperately hoped nobody would dare to bring up. “I heard about your injury, V. I was so sorry to hear – well, we all were, back home. We were all so worried when we found out. I’m really glad you seem to have recovered.”
A muscle pulsed in Harvey’s jaw as he listened to her words. They’d all been worried, sure, but none of them had ever reached out. Instead, they’d left him isolated, marooned on his own little island. At least the good folks of Pelican Town had cared for him, taken him in as one of their own. It was more than he could say of his colleagues.
“Thanks.” He said, stiffly.
He glanced at his other colleagues, catching that even Mark looked uncomfortable that Faith had brought up such a deep trauma.
“You know, Graham actually had a hand in stitching you up?” She continued, missing the way Harvey’s verdant eyes kept flashing warnings.
“Faith–” Graham attempted to cut her off.
“We were all there – he really did an excellent job.”
Graham caught Harvey’s eyes and he mouthed a desperate apology. Harvey shook his head and cleared his throat.
“I know. I’m grateful to him.” And he was.
Graham had been the only person he’d stayed in touch with after his ordeal.
“I couldn’t believe you insisted on returning to that po-dunk little town even after all of that.” Faith snorted derisively, still very much not catching onto the noticeable shift in the atmosphere. “I mean, one of the country’s most renowned surgeons, wasting his talents in a community nobody’s ever even heard–”
“Harvey?” Gen’s eyes widened as she saw she was surrounded by a few people. “Hi,” she murmured shyly as she stepped back into his space. “Who are your friends?”
Harvey’s shoulders sagged in relief. He turned to face her, hoping she hadn’t heard any of Faith’s misguided spiel. But as her amber eyes flashed and she stared the other woman down, he knew she’d heard what mattered.
“Um, Genny, this is Faith Humboldt, Mark Liebowitz, and Graham Knowles. They were colleagues of mine at Zuzu General.”
Imogen dutifully stuck her hand out and greeted each of them politely.
“This is my fiancee, Imogen Idunn.”
“Fiancee?” Faith asked, her eyes wide as she looked between them.
Imogen melted into Harvey’s side and stared up at him, her eyes warm with affection.
Harvey grinned easily in response. “Yes.” He said softly, not taking his eyes off of the vision in front of him.
“What do you do, Imogen?” Graham asked, a kind smile on his face.
She smiled back. “I’m a third-generation farmer. I moved to Pelican Town several years back to take over my grandfather’s farm. That’s actually how Harvey and I met.”
“That’s really hard work! How great you could take on your family business.” Graham nodded, impressed.
“Yes. It’s really been an honor to continue his legacy–”
“Oh,” Faith laughed humorlessly. “I get it.
Harvey immediately frowned. “Get what, exactly?”
Faith shook her head and rolled her eyes. “V, I could get you an interview, tomorrow, at Saint Thomas. You’d be an excellent Chief of Surgery. You were the best; you can still be the best. This little farm girl, no offense,” she said with a barely disguised sneer. “Seems sweet, sure, but shouldn’t be the reason you throw the rest of your career away.”
Harvey’s face was bright red and his jaw was tight with barely contained fury. Graham looked equally angry, and Mark, while he’d always been an asshole, at least had the wherewithal to look at Faith like she was batshit crazy. If Imogen hadn’t been by Harvey’s side, tangling her fingers in his to calm him down, he was sure he would’ve erupted.
“I don’t need a reason to throw my career away, Faith. According to you, I’ve already done that.” He bit back. “It doesn’t seem to matter to you that I’m happy or fulfilled in owning my own clinic, that I’ve come to love the townspeople like family, or that it brings me great honor and sense of self to care for a community that has shown me nothing but kindness and respect. Something you’ve failed to do in either regard.”
“V,” she chuckled nervously, glancing around the little group for support. When she didn’t get any, she attempted to take her slight back. “I didn’t mean–”
“What? You didn’t mean to insult my fiancee directly to her face? You didn’t mean to disrespect me or the choices I’ve made so blatantly that you’ve made everyone around you uncomfortable?”
“Of course not! I–”
“We had fun a few times during our residency, Faith. A man does insane things when he’s under that much stress.”
“Oh shit…” Mark chuckled under his breath.
“But a little bit of fun over a decade ago does not translate into the love or commitment I sought in a life partner.” He squeezed Imogen’s hand tightly in his. “Imogen has been a rock through the worst and best times of my life. Instead of being happy for an old friend, you heard the word ‘farmer’ and automatically labelled her as ‘lesser than’. What you don’t know is that she is one of the largest growers of organic produce, makes and distributes artisan food products, and even has her own brand of wine. Wine that you’re currently drinking.”
Faith looked at the glass of wine in her hands, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. Both Graham and Mark had averted their eyes, smiling behind their hands as their pride in their friend took precedence.
“She singlehandedly has forged her way beyond obstacles that no regular person ever could. So,” he took a sip of his own wine. “You think I couldn’t possibly have a reason to say ‘no’, but the answer is, I’ve got more than enough.”
Faith’s eyes were red and glassy with the start of tears. She’d been thoroughly humiliated, but Harvey didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. She’d come into the conversation, trying to win him like a prize without realizing she had insulted everything he stood for. It was the exact shit Kate used to pull and there was not an ounce of care in him that he might have been too harsh.
“I– I’m sorry, Harvey. I got carried away. It’s good…you’re happy. I wish you all the best.” She looked at him for another moment but when he didn’t say anything, she swiped an escaped tear from her cheek and pushed past them.
“Holy shit, Harv-o. Old Harvey would’ve just let her steamroll right over him but you…” Mark whistled and bumped his fist against Harvey’s. “I’m impressed. Seems like that little town gave you the room to grow a pair.”
Harvey chuckled, the tension rolling out of his muscles in waves. “And it seems like you’re almost exactly the same, Mark. There’s something comforting about that.”
“I’ve never seen you that angry, Harv. Even when you were coming out of surgery, pissed at the world.” Graham grinned at the two of them. “And Imogen, is all of that true? That’s beyond impressive. How do you find the time to do all of that?”
Harvey tugged her proudly into his side and smiled into her hair.
“We make it work. I’ve got a really solid team of people by my side.” She beamed.
“She’s being modest,” Harvey grinned. “She singlehandedly does the work of five people. I’m constantly amazed.”
“Harvey,” she murmured, setting a hand on his chest and smiling shyly. “Down, boy. You’re already getting lucky tonight.” She whispered coyly into his ear.
He felt his face heat with blush and both of his friends chuckled knowingly.
“You two staying in town?” Graham asked.
“For the night, yes. We’ll head back home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Well, I don’t know about Mark, but I’d love to grab lunch with you before you leave. Catch up a little bit more?”
“That sounds fun.” Mark smirked.
Harvey glanced down at Gen, silently asking for permission.
When she nodded, he grinned. “That sounds great!”
“Perfect! I’ll give you a call. Good luck on your speech – seems like you’ll kill it up there.”
“Thanks, man.” Harvey shook both of their hands. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
They nodded and walked off in the direction of one of their other colleagues. Memories flooded back to Harvey of all the times they’d spent working long hours, goofing off when they were too sleep-deprived to do anything else, and the solid friendships he’d forged long ago. Part of him missed that life, but certainly not enough to abandon the one he’d found along the way.
He looked down at Gen, who was still smiling up at him, her eyes shining, and leaned forward. His lips pressed to hers without fanfare and she wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into him.
“Mmm,” she sighed against him. “What was that for?”
He pressed another swift peck to her lips and let his hands travel down her exposed spine. “I love you, more than anything.”
“More than anything, hmm?” She gasped playfully. “More than coffee?”
He chuckled and kissed her again.
“Mmph, more than pickles?”
“Yes,” he murmured against her soft lips. “Forget this speech, forget this whole thing. Let’s just go back to the room.”
She laughed, a beautiful, light thing, and wound her fingers in his hair, tugging him away from his relentless, gentle assault. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Very much.” He growled, pressing a sipping kiss to her collarbone.
“Harv, people are going to get ideas about you…”
“Let them. I’ve got the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world on my arm tonight. How can they possibly blame me?”
She giggled as his mustache tickled her neck and lightly shoved him off. “Come on, now. You’re going to do this speech, for me, because you know I can’t resist your voice. Then we’ll have crazy, nasty sex in our beautiful hotel room, and you’ll tell me how much you love me again.”
He grinned down at her. “Can’t wait, honey. Can’t wait.”