by Marie Force
She held out her arms to him, and Shane went willingly into her embrace, breathing in the clean, sweet scent of her shampoo. “So Laura gave you the third degree, huh?”
“I was hoping you’d missed that part of the story.”
“No such luck.”
“She tried to give me the third degree. I wouldn’t tell her anything.”
“Which, of course, tells her everything.”
“I suppose we were naïve to think we could get away with anything surrounded as we are by family here.”
“It’s okay. I don’t care if they know we’re seeing each other or whatever it is we’re doing. If you don’t.”
He tugged at the sheet she hugged to her breasts. “We’re definitely seeing each other,” he said when her breasts were fully revealed to him.
Her husky laughter had him forgetting all about the pizza or how hungry he was. As she drew him back into bed, he decided the pizza could wait.
Chapter 18
After the clinic closed for the day, David Lawrence spent an hour on charts and other paperwork, barely making a dent in the never-ending stack on his desk. He sent Daisy a text to let her know he’d be a little later and then locked up the clinic. Days like today made him question his choice of profession.
Having to tell Mac and Maddie that their baby was no longer viable had broken his heart—and Victoria’s. He’d found her sobbing in the break room after they left. In a small-town practice like theirs, you became personally invested in your patients and their families. Their sadness became your sadness.
Though Mac and Maddie were still young and could have other children if they chose to, that didn’t take the sting out of having to deliver such devastating news to people he’d known all his life.
Victoria had passed along Mac’s message about Lisa Chandler, which was why he was on his way to her house now, hoping she’d allow him to assess her condition and not let pride stop her from accepting his help. Their island community was a mishmash of extremely affluent families, extremely poor families and everything in between.
Lisa and her sons fell on the lower end of the scale. David had checked her chart before he left the clinic and realized she hadn’t been seen in more than three years. Her children, however, had regular checkups and their vaccinations were up-to-date. That didn’t surprise him. He often saw low-income parents go without to ensure their children had what they needed.
As he approached Lisa’s house, he saw her neighbor, Seamus O’Grady, by the side of the road, getting his mail. David slowed to say hello to Seamus.
“Evening, Doc,” Seamus said in his thick Irish brogue. “What brings you out to our neck of the island?”
“Stopping by to see Lisa and the kids,” David replied vaguely.
“The boys aren’t sick, are they? I just saw them yesterday. They’re around all the time. We sure are going to miss them out here when they move into town.”
“They’re fine.”
Seamus glanced at the driveway next to his. “I know you can’t talk about their private business, but if they need anything—anything at all—come to me. Caro and I get a kick out of those kids.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. You have a nice evening, Seamus.”
“You, too, Doc.”
David took the left-hand turn into the dirt driveway that led to a small house, thinking about what Seamus had said and how much he appreciated living on an island where neighbors looked out for each other. He wasn’t at all surprised to learn that Seamus and Carolina knew the boys and were fond of them. People reached out here. He wasn’t sure if it was the isolation or the quiet or what, but the island’s residents were far more engaged with each other than people seemed to be elsewhere these days.
Predictably, the boys were running around the yard with their dog chasing after them. As they dashed over to greet him, David noticed they were dirty from a long day of play and both their noses were red from the sun.
“Doctor David!” the older boy, Kyle, said as David emerged from his car. “What’re you doing here? Do we hafta have shots?”
David laughed at the predictable question. Everywhere he went in town, children shied away from him as if they thought he carried hypodermic needles in his back pocket. “No shots today, boys.”
“Oh, good,” Jackson said, his lips puckering adorably. “I hate shots.”
“Believe it or not, I hate giving shots. Is your mom around?”
“She’s inside,” Kyle said. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
“Hang on one second.” David retrieved his medical bag from the trunk of the car and then followed the boys to their mother. Inside the cluttered house, he was surprised to find her asleep on the sofa. David knew her well enough to know it wasn’t like her to leave her young boys unsupervised. “Has she been asleep for long?” he asked the boys, trying to keep his tone casual. At first glance, he could see that Lisa had lost a tremendous amount of weight she hadn’t had to lose.
“A little while,” Kyle said.
“Have you guys had dinner?” David asked.
“Not yet,” Jackson said. “We’re gonna make PBJs tonight.”
“We know how to do it ourselfs,” Kyle said proudly.
David’s heart sank at the realization that the boys were apparently fending for themselves quite frequently. “Will you do me a favor and see if you can wake up your mom for me? Be gentle so you don’t scare her.”
They kissed her until her eyes fluttered open. She did a double-take when she saw David.
“What’s going on?” she asked before a coughing fit overtook her.
That did not sound good.
“I heard you were feeling poorly and thought I’d stop by to check on you,” he said.
She sat up slowly, as if her entire body ached. “You didn’t have to do that.” More coughing. “Sorry.”
“How long have you had the cough?”
“I don’t know. Awhile.”
“All summer,” Kyle said. His brother nodded in agreement.
Jesus, David thought.
“Not that long,” Lisa said.
“Yes, suh,” Jackson said.
A knock on the door had the boys and the dog scurrying from the living room to see who was there.
David heard Seamus’s distinctive voice as he told them Carolina had made lasagna for dinner and did they want to come have some.
“Let me ask my mom,” Kyle said.
The boys came running back into the living room, both speaking at once as they conveyed the invitation.
Lisa looked up at Seamus, who stood in the doorway to the living room. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not. We love when they come ta visit.”
“They’re filthy after playing outside all day.”
“We’ll wash our hands,” Jackson said gravely, making all the adults laugh.
“In that case, sure,” Lisa said with a grateful smile for Seamus. “Thank you.”
“No problem. We’ll send some back for you.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“Let’s go, boys.” Seamus herded them toward the door. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had my Caro’s lasagna.”
When David returned his attention to Lisa, he was shocked to see tears rolling down her face.
“Everyone is so nice,” she said softly.
“That’s Gansett for you.”
“I think I’m really sick.” She looked down at the blanket that covered her lap. “As in really, really sick.”
“Why haven’t you come to see me before now?”
Her small smile didn’t reach her eyes as she met his gaze. “I’ve been in denial. I kept thinking I’d shake it off the way I always do.”
“Do you mind if I take a listen?”
When she gestured for him to go ahead, he withdrew his stethoscope from his bag, and with just a quick check, he could detect abnormal breath sounds. He continued to listen carefully in multiple locations until she let l
oose with another coughing fit that had him seriously concerned.
“What’ve you been taking for it?”
She pointed to a bottle of over-the-counter cough medicine on the coffee table. There was also a bag of lemon-flavored cough drops. Neither was strong enough to put a dent in the cough.
“I’d like to get you in for a chest X-ray in the morning,” David said, hoping that would be soon enough. He was alarmed by her fragile condition.
“I can’t afford to pay for it.”
He’d pay for it himself if he had to, not that he shared that thought with her. “We’ll take care of it.”
New tears slipped down her cheeks. “I’m scared for my kids.”
“Is there anyone you can call to come out to help you?”
She shook her head. “It’s just us.”
David tried to imagine what it would be like to be so alone in the world. He immediately thought of Daisy, who was estranged from her family. He’d been blessed to be born into a great family that had stood by him during his fight with lymphoma. They not only helped him to recover from his illness but also to put his life back together after the mess he’d made of it.
“How about I ask Seamus and Carolina if the boys can stay there tonight? That way, you can get a good night’s sleep and then come see me in the morning.”
She shook her head. “That’s too much to ask of them.”
“I saw Seamus on the way over here. He didn’t ask why I was coming, but he told me if there was anything at all they could do for you and the kids to let him know. He said they’re extremely fond of the kids.”
“He said that? Really? I’m always afraid they’re bothering them when they go over there. They’re newlyweds after all.”
David smiled and hoped his plan would be okay with Seamus and Carolina. “They don’t seem to mind. So what do you say? Should we pack a bag so they can stay there tonight, and we’ll see what’s what in the morning?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Lisa used the last of her energy, or so it seemed to him, to pack an overnight bag for her sons.
“Is there anything I can get for you before I go?”
She shook her head.
He handed her his business card, the one that had his cell phone number on it. “If it gets worse overnight or if you have any trouble breathing, I want you to call me. Don’t hesitate to call.”
She took the card from him. “Thank you so much.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this tomorrow.”
Nodding, she said, “Will you tell the boys to call me before they go to bed and will you please thank Seamus and Carolina for me?”
“Of course.” David put his medical bag in the trunk but left his car parked in Lisa’s driveway. He followed the well-worn path that led through a thicket of trees into Seamus and Carolina’s backyard. The scent of baked lasagna wafted through the screen door on the back porch, making David’s mouth water.
“Come on in,” Seamus called when he knocked.
David stepped into the cozy house, where the foursome was eating dinner at the kitchen table. “How’s the lasagna, guys?” Both boys sported freshly washed faces and hands.
“So good!” Kyle said as he shoveled in a huge mouthful.
Carolina smiled at his enthusiasm.
“Told ya,” Seamus said.
“So your mom said if it’s okay with Seamus and Carolina, you guys can have a sleepover tonight. What do you think of that?”
“Is she okay?” Kyle asked, his brows knitting adorably.
“She’s not feeling so great. A good night’s sleep is just what the doctor ordered.” He kept his tone light, but he could see the concern on the faces of Seamus and Carolina.
“Is it okay with you guys?” Jackson asked his hosts.
“Absolutely,” Seamus said. “We can make popcorn and watch a movie. It’ll be fun.”
“He talks funny,” Jackson said, giggling.
Seamus stuck his tongue out at the boy, setting off him and his brother into gales of laughter.
David sent Seamus a grateful smile. He’d made a lot of assumptions in putting together this plan. “Lisa is coming to see me in the morning, so if you could hang on to these guys until she gets back, that’d be a big help.”
“We’d be happy to.” Carolina got up from the table and returned with a plastic container that was soon full of lasagna. “Take this home to Daisy,” she said as she covered it and handed it to David.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“We’ll never eat it all. Happy to share.”
“That’s so nice of you. Thanks. For everything.”
“Our pleasure,” Seamus said.
David drove home feeling worse than he had before, if that was possible. He didn’t like the looks of what was going on with Lisa—at all. The chest X-ray would tell him more. He wished she hadn’t waited so long to get medical help. As a seasonal worker in several of the island’s restaurants, she didn’t work enough hours at any one job to qualify for insurance coverage.
The system was still imperfect, despite recent reforms, and providers were forced to do the best they could within the existing parameters. It was frustrating as all hell in cases like Lisa’s when someone needed urgent care but didn’t seek it out because they couldn’t afford to.
He arrived home feeling exhausted and out of sorts but excited to see Daisy after a long day apart. David was so damned thankful to have her to come home to every night. She made everything better just by being there. As he parked next to his landlord Jared’s Porsche, Jared and his wife, Lizzie, came out of their house, dressed up for a night out.
“Hi there,” he said to his friends as he emerged from his car, carrying the container Carolina had given him. “Where are you off to?”
“A fundraiser at the Chesterfield,” Jared said, referring to the estate they’d bought earlier in the year and turned into an event venue.
“What’s this one for?”
“Open space,” Lizzie said.
“How about you do one for single parents who can’t afford basic medical care?” David said with more of an edge to his voice than he’d intended.
“Talk to me,” Jared said sincerely. He’d made his fortune on Wall Street and was now “retired” from the financial rat race.
“Sorry.” David rolled his shoulders to shake off the stress. “Just a long day.”
“Do you know someone who needs help?”
“Yeah, I actually do. I’ve got a young mom with two young boys who might be seriously ill. The boys are five and six.”
“What can we do?” Lizzie asked.
“Can I get back to you about that tomorrow when I know more about what we’re dealing with?”
“Absolutely,” Jared said. “Anything she needs, you let me know.”
“I was having a horrendously shitty day until about five minutes ago. Thanks, you guys.”
Lizzie walked over to David and hugged him. The gesture didn’t surprise him. He’d come to know her quite well since she married Jared, and she was easily affectionate with him and all their friends. David could see why Jared adored her. “Whenever you encounter something like this, you come to us, okay? We have everything we could ever want or need, and it’s my pleasure to spend Jared’s money on worthwhile causes and people in need.”
Jared snorted with laughter. “She’s quite good at it, too.”
“I don’t believe in doing anything if I can’t do it well,” Lizzie said, returning to her husband’s side.
He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “And that’s why I love you so much.”
“You two have a great evening,” David said, amused by them, as always.
“We’ll expect to hear from you tomorrow,” Lizzie said.
“You got it. Thanks again.” He waved them off as they left in the Porsche and then took the stairs to the garage apartment he shared with Daisy.
She was curle
d up in a ball on the sofa, sound asleep.
David smiled at the sight of her. She worked so hard at the hotel this time of year that she was worn out at the end of every long day. But she loved the job managing the housekeeping staff at McCarthy’s Gansett Island Hotel, and since she was the best thing to ever happen to him, he loved that she was happy.
Because he couldn’t be in the same room with her and not want to touch her, he put the container of lasagna in the kitchen, pulled off his tie, released the top three buttons on his shirt and went to join her on the sofa.
“Mmm,” she said, her voice sleepy and sweet. “There you are. Long day.”
“That just got three thousand percent better.”
“Only three thousand?”
“Make that three billion.”
She smiled without opening her eyes. “That’s a good number.”
David put his arms around her, and she snuggled up to him. “Now my awful day is perfect.”
“I heard about Maddie and Mac. Are you okay?”
Since Maddie was one of her closest friends, he was touched that she thought to ask if he was okay. “It was horrible. Devastating.”
“I’m so sad for them.”
“Did you get to talk to Maddie?”
She shook her head. “I tried to call her, but it went right to voice mail. I left a message for her and one for Linda offering to help with the kids if need be.”
“I’m sure Maddie knows we’re all thinking about her and Mac tonight.”
“I hope so.” She took a deep breath and perked right up. “What do I smell?”
“Carolina Cantrell’s lasagna. Or I guess I should say Carolina O’Grady’s lasagna.”
“My mouth is watering. Does this mean we don’t have to cook or go anywhere?”
“That’s exactly what it means.”
“What do you think of dinner in bed?”
“Other than deciding to love me, that’s the very best idea you’ve ever had.”
As she laughed, he kissed her and felt the troubles of his day melt away when she kissed him back with all the love and enthusiasm he’d come to expect from her.
Chapter 19
