Second Opinions: A Lizzy and Dr. Darcy Story (Meryton Medical Romances Book 2)

by Ruby Cruz

  “Don’t worry about Lydia. I’ll help her figure something out. And as for you…you know you’re always welcome here.” She checked the clock. “Oh, no. I’ve got to get moving if I’m going to get Chloe to Mom’s house and still get some rest. You know how talkative Mom can get.”

  “I could watch Chloe for you.”

  “No offense, Lizzy, but you look as exhausted as I feel, and I’m guessing you’re in no emotional shape to be watching her.”

  “At the very least, I’ll get her fed and her teeth brushed while you pack her stuff.”

  She smiled at me, and I fought tears as she gathered me into a hug. “I have every confidence things will work out between you and Will. It might take a while, but people who truly love each other tend to find their way back to the other person.”

  “I honestly don’t see how that’s possible in this case.”

  “Perhaps not now, but it’ll happen. It took months before Charlie and I worked things out between us, remember?”

  “No thanks to Will.”

  She pulled away from me to face me. “True, he was the one who broke us up in the first place, but it was for the better because it forced Charlie to mature and come out from his father’s thumb. Will was a strong influence, but his father was an even stronger one.”

  “I don’t think Will wants to be out from his aunt’s influence, though.”

  “Call me optimistic, but I think he’s less influenced by her than you think.”

  “Which makes this whole situation even worse.”

  “If that’s the way you want to see it, that’s your choice, but a defeatist attitude isn’t going to rectify your relationship.”

  “I don’t remember you fighting so hard to keep Charlie way back when.”

  “No, but then again, he didn’t fight so hard for me either. He just disappeared. Right now, you’re the one doing the disappearing. Just think about that.” She turned away from me to continue with her preparations.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Motherly Advice

  Even though Jane declined my offer to watch Chloe that morning, she did agree to let me pick her up from Mom’s house after I promised to take a nap.

  I dozed on the couch while Jane slept, though my own rest was constantly interrupted by dreams of reconciling with Darcy. I was hopeful and happy each time I woke up, only to be disappointed on realizing I was still in Meryton and sleeping on Jane’s sofa.

  I thought about her words and the truth behind them. She was right - by leaving the city, I had run away yet again, but I couldn’t stay when my mind was so jumbled. I wanted to be with Darcy, but whenever I was near him, my hormones seemed to supersede any rational thought.

  When I arrived at my mother’s house, she was baking dog treats for Misty. The kitchen smelled strange, like pungent peanut butter, and I wrinkled my nose. “Isn’t it easier to buy them at the store? Those smell nasty.”

  “Well, they aren’t for you, are they? And they’re worth it for my pumpkin.” She gave the dog a rub on the head, and Misty trotted over to me and pawed at my leg.

  “I don’t want you,” I said good-naturedly before scooping Misty up into my arms. As annoying as she was, she was kind of cute with her smooshed up Ewok face. She licked my hand as I pet her.

  “The treats were supposed to be a little project for Chloe and me, but she got tired after the first batch, so I put her down for a nap. Speaking of which, what brings you here?”

  “I ran into Jane and offered to pick Chloe up so she could sleep a little more.”

  She shook her head as she removed a batch of treats from the oven to cool and washed her hands before eyeing my face critically. “Either you’ve been crying or you’re woefully sleep-deprived. Your eyes are so puffy.”

  “I haven’t been sleeping well,” I admitted, fully knowing it was a half-truth.

  She patted my cheek sympathetically. “I don’t blame you. After living with Dr. Darcy for the past few months, I’d also have trouble sleeping without that warm, handsome body next to mine.”

  “Ugh, Mom, please don’t.”

  “Just think. Once you and he are married and settled, you won’t have to worry about sleeping apart any longer.”

  Because I didn’t want to lie to my mother any more than I already had, I went to check on Chloe. Mom had laid her down in my old bedroom.

  As I moved down the hallway and entered the room, now that I was grown, my bedroom seemed so much smaller. It had been big enough for my juvenile self and had accommodated the twin bunks Jane and I shared and two small dressers. Looking at the room, the simple furniture, the cramped space, I was reminded of how my mother must have struggled after she divorced my father. Instead of becoming bitter about men, my mother seemed to become obsessed with them. Ever since I was a child, my mother had a revolving door of relationships which included one other failed marriage and a slew of boyfriends whose names and faces I couldn’t recall. Then she’d finally met Hal.

  Mom followed me into the room, and we both gazed as Chloe slept, her angelic face tucked beneath her arm. “Doesn’t she look precious?” she whispered. “I can’t believe Jane is going to have another little angel in just a few months’ time. It’ll be wonderful. I wonder if she’s going to have a boy or a girl. Can you imagine a little brother for Chloe? I’ll bet he looks exactly like his father, though I suppose since Charlie is such a handsome man, any children they create will be beautiful. What a perfect family.”

  We left the bedroom and she closed the door behind us. “Sometimes I think about you and Dr. Darcy and what type of children you might have. While you may not have been the beauty like Jane, you’ve certainly come into your own. I’m sure any children you and Dr. Darcy have will look quite fine.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  She ignored the sarcasm to lift a hand to my cheek. “You look so much like your father, but he was a handsome man in his own way.” Her watery smile faltered slightly. “I know I’ve been hard on you and perhaps have not been the most supportive of mothers, but I want you to know how very proud of you I am.”

  “Really?”

  “Don’t think I don’t notice how much you’ve done: helping Jane, becoming a successful nurse, going back to school, all on your own, with little encouragement from me. And now you have a decent man to love. Granted, he’s not as charming and sociable as Charlie, but he suits you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, dear, you two are cut from the same cloth, in a sense. You were always independent, headstrong, always spoke your mind, much like your doctor. You never were worried about what other people thought of you, never easy or eager to please like Jane. It’s a wonder I was able to raise you, that you didn’t go wild like Lydia.”

  “Lydia isn’t wild, Mom. Just misguided.”

  “That’s neither here nor there. My point is, Lizzy, I’m glad you’re happy and you were able to find a man that makes you happy. That was my biggest fear for you, that you wouldn’t be able to find someone to grow old with, that your stubborn, independent streak would be your downfall.”

  I wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue the charade, but I wasn’t strong enough to tell her the truth about what had happened between Darcy and me less than twenty-four hours ago. Had it really been less than a day since Dr. DeBourgh showed up on my doorstep? I shook my head. “Mom, Darcy and I aren’t married yet.”

  Her eyebrow twitched and, in a rare show of restraint, she asked placidly, “You said ‘yet.’ Are you implying you may be married eventually?”

  “I’m not implying anything.”

  She squealed and grabbed me in an ecstatic hug. “Oh, Lizzy, I’m so happy for you!”

  “Mom, stop. I never said Will and I were engaged. Please remember that before you go announcing it in the Meryton Observer.”

  “But the signs are all here. Jane is happily married with a baby on the way. You’re dating a handsome doctor w
ho loves you. He has to propose to you!”

  I sighed and began to regret my visit. “Please, I don’t want you getting your hopes up if nothing happens.”

  “All I have is hope, Lizzy. I need to hope that my daughters are leading happy lives.” Her smile broke suddenly and, to my horror, she started sobbing. Oh, shit.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” I pulled her into my arms, and she cried until she started hiccupping.

  Having grown up with her histrionics and bouts of drama, comforting my mother’s tears was not a new thing. These tears, though, felt like something other than her usual bursts of emotion. “What’s wrong?” I repeated. “You just said everything is good with Jane and me.”

  “It’s not you girls,” she managed to say through her sobs. “It’s Hal.”

  “Hal?” I pulled away from her and she hiccupped, swiping the tears from her cheeks.

  “Ever since George disappeared, Hal’s been worried sick over Lydia. He won’t talk about it, but he still won’t talk to her, and it’s eating him alive. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  “Wait. I’m confused.”

  “Hal! I don’t think he loves me anymore.”

  “But I thought you said he was upset about Lydia.”

  “He is! But he’s started taking it out on me. He’s working all types of hours, always volunteering for the weekend shift, almost as if he doesn’t want to spend any time at home. And he’s short with me all the time and he never wants to just talk to me. He’d rather be watching football or tinkering around in the garage or working on some project. He does everything but talk to me and spend time with me. We might as well be complete strangers for all the time we spend together anymore.” She sniffed and wiped at her nose before continuing. “And there’s something else. I think he might be cheating on me.”

  “Hal? No way.” I could hardly picture my stoic, reticent stepfather as some cheating loser.

  “I saw his credit card bill, and he’s been paying all our bills with it. He never does that. I can’t figure out why he’s using his credit card when he’s making all that extra money working overtime. He sure isn’t spending the money on me so it has to be another woman, it’s the only explanation.”

  “Oh, Mom.” I really did feel for her and not just because I could fully sympathize with her. I liked Hal, liked him better than my own father, who had basically ditched us when Jane and I were young and had played a minimal role in our lives since then. Hal had been the most stable of all her relationships since divorcing my father; in fact, as far as I could remember, he’d also been the one who’d stuck around the longest. My mother’s relationship with him was going on more than six years, a true record for her, whose longest previous relationship had been the two years spent with my father nearly thirty years ago.

  “Why don’t you try talking to him? I mean, really talking to him about how you feel and letting him explain things?”

  “I just told you, I tried. He won’t even be in the same room as me anymore, not if we’re alone. And it’s been ages since we had sex, which is why I wonder if he’s, you know, getting it somewhere else. He even takes Misty for walks, and you know how much he could care less about her.”

  I glanced at Misty, which prompted her trying to climb my leg again. As much as I didn’t want to get involved in my mother’s love life (especially when she was talking about sex, or lack thereof), I didn’t want her giving up on yet another relationship, especially one that had been a stabilizing influence for her.

  “Do you really think he’s cheating on you?”

  Her face crumpled again but she fought back the tears. “I don’t know. All I know is he’s not the same Hal I married.”

  “Would you like for me to talk with him? Maybe he’ll listen to me. I haven’t done anything to piss him off that I know of.”

  “Really? You’d try to talk to him?”

  “Try being the operative word.”

  “Oh, Lizzy.” Mom hugged me tightly. “You are a wonderful girl.” She stepped away and regarded me with a watery smile. She cupped my cheek in her palm. “Ever since you started dating Dr. Darcy, you’ve been transformed. He’s done wonders for you.”

  I ignored the snub and fixed a smile on my face. “When does Hal get home from work?”

  Her smile faltered. “He’s working a double today. He won’t be home until late.”

  “I can come back later, or I could talk to him tomorrow, before dinner.”

  Her eyes watered again. “Thank you, Lizzy. I know you don’t think I appreciate you, but I do. Thank you.”

  ~

  The thought I was giving my mother relationship advice was disconcerting, but I pushed it aside. As much as we were like oil and water, I loved my mother and wanted her to be happy, just as she wanted me to be happy. We were at a rare point when we had similar notions on exactly how that could be achieved.

  Later that evening, after I’d brought Chloe back to her mother, I contemplated whether to return to Darcy’s house. After all, I needed a shower and didn’t have a change of clothes with me, or any of my study materials. Plus, I had to talk to Lydia about what had happened and what our options were. As much as I wanted to just crawl under a rock and die, I needed to continue with my life, regardless of whether Darcy was a part of it or not.

  I procrastinated, though, and lingered at Jane’s until after Charlie had returned from work and Chloe was in bed. I knew I couldn’t stall any longer when Charlie politely invited me to stay another night if I needed.

  “I have some things to take care of,” I admitted, then added, “I might have to come back, though.”

  “Of course. You know you’re welcome here as long as you need. I’ll leave the hall light on for you, in case you do decide to come back here,” Jane said.

  I drove as slowly as possible to the house, almost as if delaying the inevitable would prevent it from happening somehow. When Lydia’s car was the only one I saw in the driveway, I felt relief and a bit of disappointment that Darcy had been true to his word and hadn’t followed me to New Jersey.

  When I let myself into the house, Lydia ran to the door and sighed with relief when she saw me. “Jeez, Lizzy, you should’ve texted to let me know you were coming. You scared the crap out of me. Why are you home so early?”

  “Where’s Mrs. Pratchett?”

  “Visiting her son again. Where’s Darcy?”

  “Things, er, didn’t go so well when I saw him last night. In fact, I half-expected to come here and find my stuff out on the curb.”

  “Seriously? Did you guys break up?”

  “I don’t know. I guess you could say we’re on a break, but I don’t think things are officially over. At least not on my end.”

  Lydia and I settled onto the couch in my study wing, the only place in the house that wasn’t saturated with Darcy’s essence. I explained what had happened after I arrived in New York, about Darcy’s response to his aunt’s threat and my subsequent retreat back to Meryton. “Why didn’t you call me? You should’ve come back here.”

  I glanced around the room before shaking my head slightly. “I couldn’t. Not when I didn’t know what I would find. I didn’t know how angry he’d be or if he’d retaliate against you.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Really, Lizzy?” she chastised. “The guy paid off George to help me out, a virtual stranger he didn’t particularly like, just to get on your good side. You really think he would’ve kicked you out on the street because you had a fight?”

  “I don’t know what to think anymore. I’m so exhausted from all the fighting and crying I think my neurons are on permanent strike. I came to get some of my things, but I feel so guilty imposing on Jane and Charlie, and I don’t know where else to go.”

  “What about your mom’s?”

  I shook my head again. “She doesn’t know about any of this. I saw her today and she was so excited for Jane and the new baby, I just didn’t have the heart to tell her.
Plus, she’s having all these issues with Hal.”

  “Wait, what? What issues?”

  “I think she thinks your dad is keeping secrets from her, maybe even cheating on her.”

  Lydia choked on the water she’d been sipping. “What? She’s insane. Dad would never cheat. He’s not built that way.”

  “He’s working tons of overtime and he’s never home, and when he is, he’s avoiding her.”

  “There has to be another explanation because Dad loves your mom, even though he might not say it.”

  “Well, whatever it is, she’s worried he’s going to leave her.”

  “Nuh uh. No way. You know my dad. He’s not exactly the type to love ‘em and leave ‘em. When things were going south with my mom, he hung on til the very end, went to all types of couples therapy and marriage counseling. Can you imagine my dad in marriage counseling?” When I shook my head after considering the thought, Lydia gave a small laugh. “Yeah, me neither. Anyway, Mom was the one who ended things with him even though I knew he was just as miserable as she was. It’s like all that stuff he plays around with. He’ll tinker with something forever until he gets it to work.”

  “In any case, I told my mom I’d talk to him.”

  “Hah, good luck with that. Talking to my dad is like talking to a rock, and usually a rock’s more conversational.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Fixing the Fixer

  Sometimes I felt like the unofficial fixer in Meryton. Need a place to crash? Sure, I’ve got a free couch. Being held hostage by loan shark goons and need a rescue? Gotcha covered. Got knocked up by your asshole boyfriend and want to buy a townhouse? I can help with the payments.

  Yes, I was making those statements sound worse than they were because I would never begrudge Jane the help I gave her, or bailing Lydia out of a horrible situation. But my mother? I had never served as her emissary with her boyfriends. That would’ve been too creepy.

  But I really liked Hal. He was the first man I ever really had any respect for. All her other boyfriends and ex-husbands had treated Jane and me like afterthoughts, and (shiver), human pets - not in the icky way, but in the “I’ll pat you on the head and feed you occasionally, but go play in the corner while I spend time with your mom” way.