I considered not going to the party. I considered simply returning the gorgeous dress I’d rented and staying in my apartment eating chocolate ice cream and watching lame Christmas movie specials where everyone ended up happy and celebrating the magic of Christmas.
But Jane told me no. And Lydia told me no. They both told me that I had to get over myself and go to the party. Lydia even made sure I had the right shoes laid out this morning. She had left the house early, so I didn’t have time to thank her.
I asked Jane to come with me, but she said she was partied out. She was going to a drawing class. I was on my own, but I was going to the party whether I liked it or not.
So, now I was just hoping that either Mr. Darcy wasn’t here this week, or if he was, he would decide to just stay up in his room.
As long as he did that, I could enjoy this night out with my co-workers. Tonight was for anyone and everyone who worked at the hospital to get dressed up and enjoy a party. There was supposed to be live music, free food, and a cash bar. If it was terrible, I could easily leave early.
The taxi pulled up to the building, and I took a deep breath.
“He won’t be here, he won’t be here,” I told myself, putting on a confident face. With more courage showing than I felt, I walked inside.
I found the ballroom hosting our party easily enough. The hospital decorated everything with silver tinsel, and I felt like I’d stepped into a giant, shiny snow-globe. The band on stage was playing classic rock songs that felt odd at a holiday party until I noticed that the lead drummer was the head of cardiac surgery. The front singer was my favorite anesthesiologist. It was the perfect band for the party, even if they weren’t the traditional holiday songs.
I grinned and walked around. Coworkers waved, and I caught up with nurses from other floors. Even if Mr. Darcy did come down from his penthouse, he wouldn’t come to this party. I was safe here. I began to relax and enjoy myself.
I let myself wander and enjoy the decorations. One of the walls was covered in news articles from the year that had something to do with the hospital or medicine. Many of the stories were about f
amilies and finding diagnoses or cures, but one caught my eye.
It was a picture of children meeting Santa. It would have been a normal Santa picture, except every child had an IV pole or wore a PICC line. Medical equipment dominated the background. These were not healthy children, but their smiles were so big and bright at meeting Santa that I couldn’t help but look.
That’s when I saw him. It was just a small picture, but Mr. Darcy was there, sitting on the floor playing a game with a child in a hospital gown. I nearly didn’t recognize him with the smile on his face. It was strange to see the man who never smiled look so happy.
The caption underneath the picture read: All Toys Donated by Oceanic Airlines to the Georgiana Cancer Wing.
I stared at the smiling man in the background of the picture. Could I go anywhere without being reminded of him? Was it possible for me to go two days without seeing the good in him that I had so obviously missed?
It was as if Fate were taunting me. He was a good man if I had just opened my eyes and given him a real chance.
I sighed and walked away. I didn’t need to be reminded that I’d been wrong. I didn’t need yet another reminder that I had misjudged him so badly. He was still a pompous jerk. He was just a kind and charitable pompous jerk.
The sound of piano music in another room caught my attention. The classic rock doctor band was taking a break, so the soft clarity of the piano tugged at me. It was definitely a live performance rather than the canned music playing over the speakers.
I followed the sound to the next ballroom to find a young woman sitting at a giant piano. She had the most radiant smile on her face as her fingers made music, and I couldn’t help but stand at the edge of the room and listen.
The young woman suddenly stopped and looked up, noticing she had an audience.
“Please, don’t stop,” I begged, stepping into the empty room. “You play wonderfully.”
The young woman smiled and blushed. “Thank you.”
“You should be playing in there,” I said, motioning to the party room. “I think they’d all appreciate your playing.”
The woman smiled again. She was thin and delicate with big green eyes that looked tired. Her dark hair was trimmed to a short pixie cut that accentuated her petite frame and thin features. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen or so, but there was something in her eyes that made me think she was older than her years.
“Thanks,” the young woman replied. She sat at the piano and gave me a conspiratorial grin. “I’m actually supposed to be at that party, but I don’t know anyone there.”
“So you’re hiding in here?” I asked, taking another step closer. She seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place from where. She had a soft British accent that fit well with her playing piano. It all seemed very smart.
“Yup. I am totally hiding,” she admitted. “Don’t tell my brother.”
“Not a word,” I promised, crossing the small room. “Will you keep playing?”
“Sure,” she said with an easy shrug. “Do you play? I know a couple of duets.”
She scooted over on the bench to give me room to sit. I paused as she smiled at me.