Page 157 of The Scientist
“Really?” my mom said, sounding absolutely giddy.
“Really?” Lex repeated, a hopeful gleam in his eye.
I nodded. “You have to go back,” I said. “You have to finish this.”
He turned his body completely to face me. “But you’re coming with me?” he asked, a hint of unease in his tone.
I smiled. “I can’t let my fiancé go to Europe without me.”
He took me by surprise by leaning over suddenly and pressing his lips to mine. “If I hadn’t done it already, I’d drop to my knees right here and beg you to marry me.”
I kissed him once more before turning to look at my mom who was beaming with happiness.
“But I can’t leave without knowing you’ll be okay,” I said to her.
She opened her mouth to answer but it was Carl who spoke. “She will be,” he said, more like a promise than a statement, as he placed his hand over the one she had resting on the table. “You don’t have to worry, Hadley. I’ll care for her life as if it were my own.” The sincerity in his voice left no room for doubt.
I nodded, my shoulders relaxing a bit. “It’s settled then,” I said, looking to my mom. I was ashamed to admit that I had been so absorbed in my own world over the past few weeks that I hadn’t realized until now just how much her face had changed. Her cheeks were rounder, and the color was completely restored to its natural, vibrant glow. Her face was now the picture of resilience, each line a testament to what she had endured. I smiled at her, and she gave me a nod in return.
“I guess I better get packing,” I said, turning to Lex, who appeared flushed with happiness. He leaned over, pressing a kiss to my temple.
“Wait!” my mom cried out suddenly. “There’s something I want to give you before you go.”
She practically tripped running over to her bedroom, and I heard her start pulling open drawers and rustling through them. She finally came back with a small black pouch and handed it to Lex before sitting back in her chair wearing the biggest smile on her face. My curiosity was piqued as I watched Lex pull open the pouch.
His eyes shot to my mom. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
“What is it?” I asked, barely able to contain my curiosity.
Lex turned to me with a serious look on his face. “I know you’ve already answered this question, but I wouldn’t mind hearing the answer just once more,” he said, taking my left hand in his and dropping to one knee in front of me. “Hadley Marie Olivier, the day I met you was the day my life started to make sense. You are my best friend, my greatest love, and my soul’scompletion. Will you—for a second time—say that you’ll marry me?”
I was too stunned to speak as my eyes landed on the mystery object he held between his thumb and index finger. My heart began to race as my mind registered what I was seeing.
“Well?” he asked with a playful smile. It was only now that I realized I had never actually given an answer, though I’m certain he already knew what it would be.
“I’ll say it as many times as you want,” I said, choked with emotion. “Yes. Always yes.”
His answering smile became blurred beneath the steady stream of tears rolling down my face as he slid the ring my father gave to my mother on their wedding day onto my fourth finger.
A perfect fit.
We had been running in circles, chasing our tails, only to come back as we are.
Epilogue
Iwas sitting next to Stuart in the front row of the Stockholm Concert Hall. The chairman of the Nobel Committee was on stage giving a summation of the work Lex and his team had accomplished over the years. They had successfully created a device that was now being used to treat Alzheimer’s and a vast array of other conditions in which neuronal death occurs. The speaker was commenting on the innovative and revolutionary methods the team had used in the creation of the device.
Stuart held my hand as they called Lex’s name as the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. I watched as my husband took the stage, barely able to see through the tears that were pouring down my face. Not much had changed in that department. If anything, it was actually much worse now that I was pregnant with our second child.
“Your Royal Highnesses, Esteemed Nobel Prize Laureates, Ladies and Gentlemen… good evening,” Lex said, casting his gaze across the assembled crowd. The velvety timbre of his voice still managed to send shivers down my spine even after all these years.
“I have the deepest gratitude for this honored distinction that the Academy of Science has bestowed on myself and my team. Any man of science will attest that the true reward lies in having the opportunity to work amongst the brilliant fellowship of men and women who seek to discover scientific truths. It is impossible for one individual alone to render any meaningful progress in the advancement of science, and I have had the great fortune over the past two decades to be at the helm of this joint pursuit. I wish that I could pay tribute to each of my team members individually for this prodigious achievement becauseI am undeserving of this recognition as the sole recipient for a project that was entirely a group endeavor.”
Lex’s eyes moved to Stuart first and then over to the rest of his team who were seated behind us. I held Stuart’s hand even tighter. This moment was just as meaningful for him even though he wasn’t the one on stage accepting an award for their work.
“I must confess to you all that the first time I set foot in this great city, I was not the happy, gratified man you see before you today,” Lex continued as his gaze settled on me.