After my shower, I got myself ready, and decided to set up Calum's temporary room for him quickly before I left. I put together his toddler bed so Calum didn’t have to sleep on the mattress on the floor again and put away anything that he could get into. I put both our clothes away in my old dresser. It was so weird being home after all these years. My bedroom hadn’t changed a bit, other than the items I took with me when I left. Everything, down to the bedding Mama kept on the bed was like stepping back in time.
I headed downstairs and into the kitchen where Taylor and Calum were giggling and singing about monkeys.
"Hey, J, there is pretty much nothing to eat in this joint. I was able to make him an egg and toast, but there's nothing else. I figure I’ll order pizza for us later, but we need to grab groceries at some point. You can use my truck since I won’t need it today."
"Thanks, anything you can think of just text me. I'll stop by the store on the way back from Mercy. I'm going to head out if you don't mind? I need to stop off at a couple places on the way." I walked over and hugged my little man, who squirmed out of my arms.
"No worries. We’re going swimming. Try to have a good day and don't stress too much about your mom. She's a strong woman." She smiled big, showing no emotion, just support; that was my best friend.
I smiled, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.
On my way to the medical center, I stopped off to grab some flowers for Mama's room as well as a coffee. Caffeine was going to be my savior over the next couple days with this jet lag.
I arrived at the hospital just before two and was directed to room four-twenty-five. I stopped just outside and took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself to see her. When I walked into the room, nothing could have prepared me for seeing my mother in that hospital bed.
I gasped. She looked different, and she’d lost so much weight. At first glance, I saw her hair was quite thin, and she had a rash on both her cheeks. I walked over and put the flowers down, trying not to wake her. Sitting beside the bed, I took her hand in mine, and a tear fell. She opened her eyes and smiled solemnly.
"Baby girl, don't cry."
"Mama, why didn't you tell me?" Tears stung the back of my throat, but I tried to hold them in.
"I didn't want to believe it. I haven't told hardly anyone. Saying it out loud made it real, so I tried to keep it to myself. You have your life in California and that beautiful grandson of mine to take care of. All that information would become a burden." She squeezed my hand and sat up slightly so she could take a drink of her water.
"Oh Mama, why would you want to do this alone? I would have been here for you. I'm here now, aren't I? I would have much preferred to learn about your illness from you than some stranger." More tears fell, as I tried to reel it in. I was not ready to see my mother this way, it had only been two years. How could things have changed so much?
"What did the doctors say? Last I heard, they were waiting for test results. They said that you weren't doing well."
"Don't worry, dear. Everything is fine. How's Hunter? Is he here with you?" Her face lit up as she spoke of my ex-boyfriend.
I was so confused, what was she talking about? "Mama, what do you mean? Do you mean Calum?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"No, silly. I know who my grandson is. I'm talking about your fiancé. Where is that handsome, hunk of man? I saw him just the other day but thought he would be here with you."
I literally had no clue what she was talking about. Hunter and I were never engaged, and I couldn’t imagine why he would have been here the other day. I read something about lupus fog, but I wasn’t equipped to deal with this. "No, Mama, Hunter isn't with me. You said he stopped by the other day? What did you two talk about?"
"Same as we usually do on Wednesdays. He came by with a tea, and this time he brought me flowers, too." She pointed to a beautiful bouquet of daisies, my favorite.
I walked over and read the card. Another tear escaped. He was here, that part must be true, but I think I’d know if I were engaged.
She continued, "We chatted about his company and how well he's doing. I'm so glad he's successful and will be able to take care of you and Calum. That's always been my dream, you know? For you to move back here with Calum so you and Hunter would get back together. Are you ever going to give that boy another chance? He still loves you, you know?"
What? Now she wanted me to take him back? I guess the engagement was off? A knock on the door interrupted our conversation.
My mother piped up when a handsome doctor walked in. "Dr. Naughty, I would like you to meet my daughter, Julianne. She's single. She also has a little baggage as she has a two-year-old little boy, and the baby daddy isn't around. But that's a small price to pay, seeing how beautiful she is, wouldn't you say?"
The doctor stood there with a smirk, trying to hold in a laugh. Clearly, he was used to my mother’s inappropriateness already. I was absolutely mortified. My mother was delusional. I would have to speak to the doctor about this.
"I'm very sorry, Doctor. Please call me Jules. I'm not sure what has come over my mother. She doesn't usually act like this." I was completely embarrassed.
He smirked and put out his hand. "Not to worry, Miss Davis. We’ll discuss these symptoms a little later, and I can answer any questions you may have." He turned to my mother.
"Good afternoon, Stephanie. How's my favorite patient doing? I'm going to check your vitals, top your meds, and then I’d like to steal your daughter for a brief conversation if that’s all right with you?"
My mother nodded enthusiastically. "You do whatever you need to, and you can take all the time in the world with my Jules. She's a special lady. She's engaged, you know, so be sure to keep those strong hands to yourself."
He chuckled under his breath as he began checking the machines and pressing some buttons. Clearly, I had no idea what he was doing, but I stood there quietly while he looked over my mother. I remained in the corner, silently checking him out as he did his thing. He really was attractive, like super hot if I were being honest. He bent over to check something and gave me a perfect view of his ass. As he stretched, I got a glimpse of his side which showed off a portion of a tattoo, not quite sure what it was of. He helped Mama to a seated position to listen to her breathe, and his arms flexed. Holy hell, he had the perfect pick me up and fuck me against the wall arms. I groaned audibly and cleared my throat to try and cover it up. It didn’t work as they both turned to me and asked if I was okay in unison. The doctor was oblivious, but my mother had a knowing look in her eyes and a smirk on her face. I shook it off and told them, "I'm going to find a microwave to heat up my coffee."
"I'll take you there in a second. I just gave her some medicine that’s going to make her pretty drowsy so you may want to say goodbye now unless you're sticking around for a while?"
"Oh okay, I’ll need to get back to Calum before dinner. Mama, I’ll come see you soon, and things are all taken care of at home, so don't worry."
"Thank you, baby girl. Take care of that boy of mine and tell Hunter I said hello."
"I will, Mama. Love you." I kissed her on the forehead and grabbed my bag and cold coffee.
"Love you, too." I headed out of the room because I could feel the tears coming, and didn’t want her to see them again.
Sitting outside in the waiting area I took a deep breath to try and calm myself. A large hand landed on my shoulder startling me.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. There's a Starbucks downstairs. If you’d like to join me, we can talk there, and you can get a fresh cup instead?"
"Sure, a fresh cup would be great. I do have a few questions, and I'm sure you're just the guy to answer them." I smiled and stood.
We walked down the hall in silence, and he put his hand out to hold the doors open as we entered the elevator. I swore ever since Fifty Shades all I thought about was sex in elevators like that's all they were good for. My mind was a whore; I was not. Today, I was just out of sorts with seeing
my mother in there and the doctor in all of his hotness. Speaking of, I didn't even get his name.
"I just realized I didn't get your name. I'm sure it's not Dr. Naughty." I snickered.
He laughed back and extended his hand to shake mine. "I'm Doctor Naughton, but you can call me Bradley." He leaned in and whispered, "I prefer not to be called Dr. Naughty."
We both laughed as the elevator indicated we’d arrived at our floor. He held the doors open and signaled which direction to head. We walked together to Starbucks which was conveniently just down the hall. After grabbing our coffees we realized there were no available seats.
"Should we go back upstairs to talk since there are no open tables, Bradley?" I said his name with a little humor. I felt odd calling him by his name. It was too formal for a first name but not formal enough since he was my mother’s doctor.
"No, let's head outside. I know a bench that's shaded and almost always vacant." He smiled and turned to lead the way. He steered us around the back of the building where I saw his bench overlooking a pond and covered by trees.
"Ladies first." He gestured for me to sit.
I smiled and took a seat. "Thank you.” It was so quiet and peaceful.
We sat in silence for a few minutes before he addressed the elephant in the room. "Let's talk about your mother. I know it’s hard to think about, but we really should discuss her diagnosis. Let's start with any questions you may have, and then we can go from there."
I nodded and blurted out all my questions nervously. "I honestly know nothing about lupus other than what I've researched. I don't need the details just tell me what’s going to happen from here. I'm worried about the confusion. I've never seen her this way. Just give me the CliffsNotes version, no doctor lingo."
He chuckled softly and placed his hand on mine as he turned to face me. "I can do that. From what you read, I'm sure you learned that lupus can affect different parts of the body. In your mother's case, it's her kidneys. She's currently experiencing kidney failure."
I motioned with my hands to move it along. He sounded like he was going to start rambling random facts, which I didn’t want.
"Long story short, she's not doing well. We’re discussing treatment, but as of right now she hasn’t given us the green light for anything we’ve proposed."
"And the confusion?"
"Some patients with lupus can become confused; it's very common. She has always seemed lucid until today." He raised his brow.
I laughed. "That would explain her asking me about Hunter. I haven’t seen him in years, so I thought it was odd." I snickered, thinking again about how Mama thought we were engaged.
"Hunter? Tall guy? Light brown hair?" He cocked his head to the side.
I shrugged. "Sounds right. You know him?" I was curious about this answer.
"No, I don't know him, but there's a Hunter that came to visit her this week. He brought her flowers, and they talked for quite some time. Looks like he’s stayed in touch with your mom." He smiled thoughtfully.
"Wow. I had no idea he was still speaking to her. Small town, though, so maybe he just heard through the grapevine that she was here.”
“Possibly.” Bradley looked down when his pocket started to beep. His expression screwed up tight, not a good look on him.
"I'm sorry, Miss Davis. I have to run. Let me give you my number in case you need anything." He handed me a card.
“Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. It was great to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances. I’ll be sure to take care of your mother and keep her as comfortable as possible."
“Thank you.” I stood to shake his hand before he turned to walk away.
I sat back down on the bench after he left and tried to let it all sink in. I snapped out of my daze and realized I’d been sitting here for over an hour, completely out of it. I had so much to do before I headed home to cuddle my boy. I jumped up and walked to the car, still thinking about Dr. Naughton and everything he’d said. It was a lot to take in.
I made a quick stop at the store to grab groceries and then headed back to the house.
6
Jules
I walked in the front door to my little boy wandering around sulking while Taylor tried to talk to him. Calum usually did this when he was tired, carried around any stuffed animal and looked all sullen like he just lost his best friend. Picking up my little munchkin, I kissed him on the neck multiple times, and he started to giggle uncontrollably.
“Are you hungry, little monster?”
He shook his head. He was so full of shit; he always said no.
Taylor plopped down on a stool and laid her head on the counter.
“Girl, how do you do it? After one day, I need a vacation. He never stops.”
Laughing hysterically, I patted her on the shoulder. “One day you’ll understand, and you’ll love every minute of it. It’s completely exhausting, but it’s totally worth it.”
I put Calum in his high chair next to Taylor. Seeing as I could tell Calum was about to nod off, I opted for something simple and quick.
“Taylor, do you want some eggs, cheese, and fruit? I honestly don’t feel like cooking much, and I’m pretty sure Calum here is going to fall asleep on that stool.”
“Me no sleep.”
We both laughed at him as he tried desperately to stay awake. My boy fought sleep like no other, but once he was out, hopefully, he’d be down for the count.
My non-hungry toddler devoured his food in a matter of minutes, a good thing because I was confident he fell asleep at least three times while eating. We forwent the bath tonight and got him straight to bed. He lay down and closed his eyes instantly. The poor guy was jet-lagged. I kissed his head and whispered, “Goodnight, baby boy. Mama loves you.”
I ran downstairs to find Taylor lounging on the sofa.
“Your lazy ass better not pass out on me. I’m going to take off my makeup off and get comfy. When I get back down here, you better have drinks made and waiting for me on the back patio.”
She sat up, groaning. “All right. All right. Go get ready and meet me out back. God, you’re fucking bossy.”
I blew her a kiss with my middle finger and ran back up the stairs to get changed and grab the baby monitor. Calum usually didn’t wake up, but you never know when they’re in a strange place.
I walked outside to see Taylor set up on the round daybed. She had four margaritas lined up and ready to go. I plopped down onto the mattress beside her, and she handed me a drink.
“Girl, you’re my bestie for this reason and this reason only.”
She laughed. “Really? So, if I stopped drinking tomorrow, you’d stop talking to me.”
I took a sip of my drink. “Of course not. Are you out of it? I would still keep you around. I love you because you make the best margaritas, and if you stopped drinking, you could still make them for me.”
She pushed me, and my drink sloshed over the side onto my hand.
“Are you fucking crazy? That’s alcohol abuse.”
We both laughed and sat back on the large pillows.
“So, I forgot to mention to you that I ran into Hunter at the hospital. I was heading in to check on your mama, and he was just leaving. Did you know they still talk?” She sounded a little confused.
I sat up and crossed my legs, facing her. “Um, no. I didn't know until my visit. Today, when I saw my mom, she was so confused. She kept asking me about Hunter and said he was my fiancé.” I took a sip of my drink before continuing. “It was so weird. I saw a card on one of her flower arrangements in the room, and it said something about their Wednesday visits. Apparently, they see each other weekly. Bradley, the doctor looking after my mom, even knew who he was.”
She sat up abruptly and mimicked my seated position. She raised her brow. “Bradley? You’re on a first-name basis with the doctor?” Taylor smiled from ear to ear.
“He insisted I call him Bradley. My mother called him Doctor Naughty.” I rolled m
y eyes at the thought.
Taylor burst out laughing. “No, she didn’t? Are you for real?”
I nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“That’s fucking classic. Is he hot?”
“He’s pretty hot, and he’s sweet, too. Plus, he’s a fucking doctor.”
“He can’t be that perfect. Maybe he has a small dick. Did you check out his package? Scrubs don’t really leave anything to the imagination.”
I fell back laughing, mindful of my drink. “You’re such a whore. I didn’t check out his package. Oh my God.” I was blushing profusely. “Enough talk about the hot doctor. I’m not dating him.”
“Whatever, your loss, I call dibs then when my current fuck buddy situation is over.” She clasped her hands and rubbed them together mischievously. “Anyway, let’s talk about Hunter then. When was the last time you chatted with him?”
“Seriously? You’re just going to throw in a fuck buddy comment and try to steer away from that?” I gave her the evil eye.
“Yup. Not going there. So, when was the last time?”
I decided to let it slide, we would get back there in a couple drinks. I thought back to the last time I spoke to him. “Honestly, I’m not sure. At least a few weeks if not more. We texted last week, but just your typical, hey, how are you text. I’m going to have to talk to him, though. I assume he’s known about Mama and hasn’t said anything. I can’t understand why.” I sounded annoyed, but I couldn’t help it.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but you know Hunter. He would never do anything to hurt you. That guy has loved you since we were little.”
“Tay, come on. It’s been eight years. We were just kids.” I shook my head.
“Jules, you’re so full of shit. Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t still love him?” She gave me that look, the one that said she was kickin’ ass and takin’ names.
“Listen, I haven’t laid eyes on him, well, other than Facebook stalking, in almost a decade. We’ve texted but not often, and our conversations are brief and impersonal.” She gave me more of her stink eye. “Okay. Okay. I miss him like crazy, I try not to think about it because I feel like a big, fat loser thinking about a relationship from so long ago.” I put my head in my hands. “Seriously, I’m a twenty-six-year-old single mom, pining over a guy I don’t even know anymore. What’s wrong with me?”
Wrecked by Her (Like a Hurricane Duet Book 1) Page 4
