A Family to Heal His Heart Read online

  “I’m going to go see your mom and dad and let them know you’re awake, okay? They’ll be able to see you once we get you into your room.”

  He motioned for Lindy to follow him out. “You said you wanted to talk to me?” She’d mentioned wanting to meet with him after the procedure.

  “It can wait.”

  He frowned at her. Maybe it could, but with the way his day had been he might not have many opportunities to come find her later on. “Follow me down to the waiting room. We can discuss whatever it is afterward.”

  “Seriously, it’s nothing important. Not like...” Her voice trailed away, but he knew what she meant.

  “Maybe not, but I think I need something else to think about once this is over.”

  “It’s a hard case.”

  “Yes, it is.” She had no idea how hard. And he hadn’t been joking when he’d said he needed something else to think about. Cases like Tessa’s brought back memories that were still raw and painful, even after five years. He remembered all too well the pain of that diagnosis, of the symptoms he felt he should have seen. Of the fear that had followed him all the way down to the bitter end.

  Did Lindy ever wonder about Daisy when she went into that operating room? Did she think about what it would be like to...lose her? He swallowed hard to control his emotions, forcing himself back to the here and now.

  Heading toward the waiting room, Lindy took out her phone and trailed behind a few steps. Texting to see how her daughter was? If it had been him, that’s exactly what he would have been doing. Instead, he was pushing through the door to the waiting room to address two people who still had their daughter.

  For now, at least.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Williams?” He turned his thoughts to his patient’s care. The family deserved that.

  Tessa’s mom and dad separated themselves from a group of people who had been huddled in the back. Zeke was glad he’d stripped his surgical gown and cap off, although he wasn’t sure why. He normally left them on, choosing to notify the family as soon as possible. But he’d wanted to face them as a human being first and a doctor second.

  Mr. Williams clasped his wife’s hands in his. “How is she?”

  “The procedure went very well. Tessa is already awake and will be anxious to see you, although her throat will be sore, and she may still be a little bit groggy.” He paused. “Can we sit for a minute?”

  He motioned to a bank of chairs that were a little removed from the group, sensing they would rather hear the details in private. He glanced at Lindy and gave a slight nod to indicate that she was welcome to join them. He hoped she did, in fact. “This is Lindy Franklin, she’s a surgical nurse who assisted me.”

  “Tessa is a very sweet girl,” Lindy said.

  Mrs. Williams already had tears streaming down her face, maybe sensing what was to come. “Do either of you have children?”

  Zeke froze, the way he did every time he was asked that question. What did he say? Yes, he had a child? Because saying he’d had a daughter who had died of an insidious disease would do nothing to help reassure the two people in front of him.

  Lindy saved him from having to say anything. “I have a little girl. She’s three. Her name is Daisy.”

  Tessa’s mom nodded and then turned her gaze to him. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “We did find a mass in her stomach. We biopsied it but won’t know exactly what we’re dealing with until the pathology results come back.”

  Mr. Williams put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “What do you think it is?”

  “I don’t really want to speculate. It could be benign.” He leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees. “Let’s just take this one step at a time, shall we?”

  Tessa’s father dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes closing for a second. Then he looked at Zeke with a steady gaze. Steadier than Zeke’s had been when he’d heard a piece of devastating news. “How long before the results are back?”

  “I’m thinking they should be in by Monday. I’ll call you as soon as we hear anything.”

  Mr. Williams drew his wife closer as tears silently tracked down her face. “Thank you for everything.” He glanced at Lindy. “And you as well.”

  “I was happy to be there.” The sincerity in her voice was unmistakable. A zip of pride went through him at the great team they had at Mid Savannah. And that included Lindy. Two weeks ago he hadn’t even been sure he was going to like her, and now he was sitting here glad she’d come with him to notify the parents. Glad that she’d worked beside him in that operating room. There was something about her that...

  Maybe it was the fact that she had a child almost the same age as his would have been. His eyes skimmed down her profile as she quietly talked to Mrs. Williams about the joys of having a daughter.

  He’d once known that same joy.

  But there were joys in the memories, weren’t there?

  Yes, but not enough to want to go on that particular journey again. He’d seen enough in his days as a doctor to make him realize how very tenuous life was and all the things that could go wrong. He saw it day in and day out. Even sitting here talking to Tessa’s parents. He had no idea what they were facing.

  And Zeke wasn’t sure he could face those kinds of odds again in his own life.

  As glad as he was to have Lindy here for moral support, he’d better make sure it stayed on a professional footing. Having lunch with her mom and daughter last week had been harder than he’d thought it would be. He dealt with kids every day, but for the most part he was able to compartmentalize that. But interacting on a social level was something else entirely. By the end of the meal, he’d found himself avoiding the child’s glance in order to make it through until the end. Hopefully he’d hidden it well enough that they hadn’t guessed.

  They finished up their conversation and the parents looked at him as if waiting for him to make another statement. “You’re welcome to go see her now. And as soon as the discharge papers are ready, you can take her home.” He forced a smile. “I’m sure she’s more than ready. You’ll be hearing from us early next week.”

  They thanked him again and headed over to be with their family. Tessa’s mom was immediately caught up in the embrace of an older woman. Her mother, maybe? He was glad this family could support each other through the good times and the not so good—something he hadn’t had.

  Lindy met him outside the doors. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Fine.” He leaned against the wall and faced her. Had she seen something in his expression back there? Hell, he hoped not. “Now, what was it you wanted to say to me?”

  He hadn’t meant it to sound brusque, but when her eyes flickered and glanced away he realized the rough edge hadn’t gone unnoticed. Dammit, why did he always do this? He’d done it with Janice too, pushing her away when they should have been clinging to each other.

  Turning toward her, he let his fingers trail over hers in apology. The warmth of her skin, even with that brief contact, awoke an answering warmth within him that quickly spread. Big mistake. Big honking mistake.

  “Sorry, Lindy. It’s been a long, hard day.”

  “I know, and I don’t mean to add to it. Like I said, it can wait.”

  The warmth evaporated, a sudden chill sending prickles over his scalp. A thought hit him, and his gut lurched sideways. “Are you quitting?”

  “What? No.” She wore scrubs adorned in balloons today, the multicolored bunches that danced across her red top looking almost obscenely cheerful after the procedure they’d just taken part in. Worse was the fact that his touch hadn’t seemed to hijack her senses the way it had his. Except, when he looked closer, her pupils were large and bottomless, handing back his reflection in a way that made him wonder.

  She bit her lip. And, dammit, that act sent his thoughts careening in a completely different direction. />
  “You don’t want me to quit, do you?” she asked.

  He forced his eyes back up. No. He didn’t. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  “No, of course not. You handled things with Tessa’s parents admirably. Better than I did, actually.”

  She grinned, looking relieved. “Doctors don’t always have the best reputation as far as that goes.”

  Thankful for the lighter tone, he feigned offense. “We don’t?”

  This time she laughed. “You know you don’t.”

  “Well, on that note, let’s change the subject to something a bit more positive.”

  “Okay, so I did something.” She reached into the pocket of her scrubs and pulled out a sheet of printer paper with something typed on it. “I took your advice and went to see the hospital administrator.”

  He focused on her words, not quite sure what they meant for a second. Then his gaze shifted to the sheet, more notably the hand holding it. It was shaking.

  So much for a lighter tone. He started to ask about it, but a group of residents walked by, laughing about something one of them had done earlier today.

  “Let’s go back to my office. We can talk there.”

  They arrived, and Lindy dropped into one of the leather chairs.

  He rounded the desk and sat as well. “You talked to the hospital administrator about...” Their earlier conversation came flooding back. “About the women’s crisis center?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Well, I remembered what you said about a wheel needing a push to get it turning—”

  “I said that?”

  She leaned forward in her chair, seeming more at ease now. “You did, actually. And so I went in and gave a little push. I volunteered to help with it.”

  That shocked him. He hadn’t really expected her to go in, even though he’d been the one to suggest it. Or that his words had been what had spurred her to action. He wasn’t sure whether to feel guilty or glad.

  “And?”

  “He’s planning on having an informal Q&A on Friday. And he wants me to do one of the presentations.”

  Lindy? He knew she’d volunteered for a period of time, but it almost sounded like she’d done more than that. “Wow. That’s great. What are you presenting?”

  “About why the community needs something like this so much.”

  “It does, of course.” He still wasn’t quite sure what was happening. “The hard part seems to be getting women in those situations to leave...to get away from the person or situation.”

  “I know.” She shook her head before he had a chance to say anything else. “No, Zeke. I really know.”

  The emphasis on that word made him stare. “Oh, hell, Lindy. You?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. That’s what Neil wants me to talk about. I was one of the ones who stayed. Until I realized it wasn’t just about me anymore. It was also about my daughter.”

  His jaw tightened until it sent a warning. He would never understand it. What kind of man hurt the people he was supposed to love?

  Well, he might as well point that finger back at himself. Hadn’t he hurt Janice by refusing to acknowledge her requests to talk? By not budging when she asked him to redirect his professional life to something that didn’t involve kids? But he’d never in a million years raised a hand to her or any other woman.

  It didn’t make any sense to him. And what kind of person stayed?

  Lindy had, evidently. An ache settled in his chest.

  “And if Daisy hadn’t come along?” The thought of her cowering in a corner while some piece of scum stood over her, glorying in what he’d made her do, made Zeke want to do some serious damage to the man.

  “I think I eventually would have left. At least I hope I would have.”

  The ache spread to the backs of his eyes.

  “Is he in prison?”

  “No.”

  Shock roiled through him. Had she not pressed charges?

  “He’s still out there? They didn’t prosecute?”

  “He’s not out there.”

  “But I thought you said—”

  “I did.” She shut her eyes for a second before fixing him with a look that made his blood run cold. “He’s dead. And before you ask, no, I didn’t pull the trigger. The police did.”

  He hadn’t expected that. Then again, he hadn’t expected Lindy to just admit that she’d once been one of those that Mid Savannah hoped to help.

  “God. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. The only people I’m sorry for is his family. His parents had no idea what was going on. And I said nothing. I know exactly what it’s like to cake on makeup and present a smiling face to hide the damage.”

  “How long were you with him?”

  “A year. I left him two years ago.”

  Daisy would have been, what, one at the time? Hopefully too young to remember anything.

  “I’ll say it again... I’m sorry. Not that he’s dead, but that you went through any of it.”

  “I wish I’d left sooner. But there came a point when I didn’t have a choice. When I realized that if I didn’t get out right then, I probably wasn’t going to live to see another day.”

  She’d almost died? Hell, what had the man done to her?

  He reached across and put his hand over the one holding the flyer. “I’m glad.”

  “You’re glad...?”

  “That you left.”

  “So am I. The kicker is that he died before I could get a divorce. So according to legal documents I’m a widow, not a divorcee.”

  The irony wasn’t lost on him.

  “At least he’s out of your life.”

  “Not entirely, I’m afraid. Luke had a gambling problem. Some of the debts he incurred affected my credit, even though I paid them off.”

  This was one of the things that people didn’t think of: the financial ramifications of leaving and how to navigate those waters. No wonder Neil wanted her to speak.

  “Did you see an attorney?”

  “Yep. He helped me negotiate with the credit bureaus to wipe out some of the ones Luke defaulted on. But I couldn’t prove that all of them were his.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “What?” Her eyes widened, then flashed with anger. “No. I can manage just fine on my own.”

  Realizing he’d offended her, he rephrased slightly. “I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t. Sorry if it sounded that way.”

  “It’s okay.” She smiled. “Maybe I haven’t come as far as I thought I had. I still get defensive from time to time. And having people come up behind me can still make me jumpy.”

  He’d witnessed that a couple of times. He let go of her hand and came around the front of the desk, sitting on the edge of it. “That’s why you took a few years off. It wasn’t just because of Daisy.”

  Another thing that was none of his business. But he was curious.

  “Yes. He didn’t want me to work...wanted me there when he got home. At first I convinced myself that it was sweet, and that I would be perfectly happy as a housewife and mother. Lots of women are, and I think that’s their path. But I have always enjoyed my job. I’m glad to be back in the thick of it.”

  “Well, we’re happy to have you.”

  This made her laugh. “Are you? That’s quite a turnaround from my first day on the job.”

  An extra little cleft appeared in her left cheek when she smiled. Not a dimple exactly but more of a line caused by her smile pulling more to one side than the other. Whatever it was, it was damned attractive. As was that glossy head of dark hair.

  Easy, Bruen. You don’t need to be noticing things like that. Especially not on someone who’s suffered so much hurt at the hands of another man.

  Maybe his react
ion was just a misplaced sense of needing to protect someone.

  Whatever it was, he was glad she’d landed at Mid Savannah Medical Center.

  “I guess it is a little bit of a turnaround.” And he wasn’t exactly sure what had made the difference. Maybe it was that smile. Or maybe it had nothing to do with the ridiculous way he seemed to be noticing everything about her. Much better to attribute it to the dedication he saw in her after that first wobbly start.

  And he couldn’t fault her for worrying or staring at the clock that day.

  Weren’t there days when his lungs still slammed shut in grief over a loss he might have been able to prevent had he recognized the signs? Yes, there were. More of them than he cared to admit.

  It was strange how death could be at opposite ends of the spectrum. To one person, it meant freedom from abuse. To another, it meant the loss of something irretrievable and precious. Like his daughter. And the trust of his ex-wife.

  “So this is my cue to ask you that question I mentioned.”

  “Question? I thought you wanted to tell me that you went to the hospital administrator.”

  “Yes, that, but I also wanted to see if you’d be interested in volunteering.”

  His eyes widened. “You want me to volunteer? In the program? I thought that’s what I was asking you to do?”

  “You did. And I am. But you’re the head of pediatric surgery. You can bring another side to this. There are a lot of women who were in the same position I was. Women with children. Women who stay, in spite of those children.” He watched her take a deep breath. “Remember Meredith Brewster?”

  “The pneumothorax case?”

  “Yes. There are thousands of Meredith Brewsters out there, who get hurt because women stayed in terrible relationships. You could speak about that. Tell hurting women what you’ve seen over the years. Maybe you can change someone’s mind.”

  He frowned. “I’m not sure about that. Would I have changed your mind?”

  The answer was suddenly very important to him. Especially in light of what he’d just learned about her.