One More Second Chance

by Jana Richards

  Beth fanned herself with a napkin, giving an exaggerated sigh. “If only I was fifteen years younger and twenty pounds lighter, I’d be all over the good doctor.”

  Julia laughed. “Aren’t you forgetting something? Or someone? You know, Marty? The guy you go home to every night?”

  “Marty?” Beth pretended to think about the question. “The name does sound vaguely familiar.”

  “It should. You’ve only been married to him for the last twenty years.”

  “What can I say? A pretty face like Alex Campbell’s can turn the head of even the most devoted wife. I hear women from all over the island are making up diseases just so they can be examined by him. Isn’t that right, Tracy?”

  Tracy hid her smile behind her coffee cup. “I don’t know about that, but I do know he’s well-liked and respected at the hospital. He’s great with patients, especially kids.”

  “That’s what I heard, too. His looks are just an extra added bonus.”

  “It’s too bad he’s only here temporarily,” Tracy said. “We could really use another young, dynamic family doctor who was willing to stick around.”

  “I hear Alex only has about ten months left on his contract, and the chances of him staying beyond that are pretty slim.” Beth winked broadly at Julia. “Unless, of course, he falls madly in love with a nice Lobster Cove girl and decides to chuck city life to stay with her here.”

  Julia stared at her in surprise. “Don’t look at me. I hardly know him!”

  “Ah, come on, Julia. Somebody’s got to do it. I was going to volunteer, but as you’re so fond of reminding me, I’m already married. So it’s up to you. Take one for the team.”

  “The team’s going to have to manage without my help.”

  She knew Beth was joking—sort of. But she had no intention of throwing herself into the dating pool any time soon. Her marriage had left her with plenty of wounds that hadn’t entirely healed yet.

  Perhaps they never would.

  Chapter Six

  It was truly astounding how much noise seven six-year-old girls could make.

  Julia’s head still pounded from the shrieks and giggles as she surveyed the remains of crumbled birthday cake and half eaten hotdogs littering her kitchen table. Brightly colored balloons and bits of wrapping paper were strewn across the floor. Thank God Ava’s birthday only came around once a year.

  Fortunately, the afternoon’s festivities of games, prizes, opening presents, and excited squeals was over for another year, and the children had gone home, except for her friend Edie’s daughter Natalie. She glanced out the open kitchen window and saw Ava and Natalie playing in the back yard on the swing set. They slid down the plastic slide in tandem, and Julia grinned at their excited laughter, induced, no doubt, from a lingering birthday cake sugar high.

  Julia wondered what was keeping Edie. She’d said she needed to pick up her daughter early so she could head into Bar Harbor to do some shopping, but a half hour had passed since the other children left, and she still hadn’t arrived. It didn’t really matter; Ava and Natalie were best friends and enjoyed hanging out together. But it was odd for Edie not to phone if she was going to be late. She’d probably had to make an emergency diaper change before coming over. With two other children aside from Natalie, a boy a year older and a girl who’d just turned one, Edie had her hands full. She’d been run off her feet since the arrival of baby number three.

  Julia began dumping paper plates and food remains into a garbage bag in an effort to bring some order to the kitchen. A minute later the girls ran into the house through the back door.

  “Can we have a drink of water, Mommy?” Ava asked.

  “Of course. What do you say?”

  “Please!” they sang in unison.

  Julia laughed as she filled two glasses with water at the tap. “Very good, my darlings. I have trained you well.”

  Natalie drank her fill before handing the glass back to Julia. “Is my Mommy coming for me soon?”

  “Yes, I’m sure she’ll be here soon, sweetie.” Julia wondered if she should give Edie a call. She decided to wait another fifteen minutes before she officially started to worry.

  The doorbell rang and Julia sighed in relief, sure it must be Edie at last. But when she opened the door, her former mother-in-law, Lily Stewart, stood on her front step, a large box wrapped in brightly colored paper in her arms. Lily smiled nervously, as if uncertain of her welcome.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to say happy birthday to Ava and drop off this gift for her.”

  Julia had always liked Russ’s mother, but her relationship with her former father-in-law had deteriorated to the point that Lily obviously didn’t feel welcome in her house. For Ava’s sake, she wanted to amend that situation.

  “Of course I don’t mind. Why don’t you come in, and we can have a cup of tea and what’s left of the birthday cake? I’ll have to shovel off a spot at the kitchen table before we sit down, though. It’s a disaster zone in there.”

  Lily chuckled as she stepped inside. “Sounds like you had quite the celebration.”

  “Oh, yes. My ears are still ringing from all the happiness.”

  When they entered the kitchen, Ava ran to Lily as soon as she saw her. Lily bent over and held her tightly.

  “How’s my little birthday girl?”

  “I got so many presents, Grandma. And we had balloons and played games, and everybody got a treat bag when they left.”

  “That’s wonderful, Ava. I’m so glad you had a happy birthday.”

  Ava wrapped her arms around Lily’s waist and looked up into her face. “I’m so glad to see you, Grandma. I haven’t seen you in so long.”

  Lily brushed Ava’s blonde curls from her forehead, her expression wistful. “I’m glad to see you too, darling.”

  As Julia watched them, a lump formed in her throat. It wasn’t fair to Ava to deprive her of her grandmother’s love and attention. But her relationship with Wyatt had grown so strained since her divorce that she’d avoided contact with Russ’s parents. Unfortunately, Ava was the one who suffered most.

  While Julia made tea, Lily gave Ava her present, and with giggles of delight, Ava and Natalie tore the wrapping paper from the box to reveal Barbie’s dream house. They’d just taken the house out of the box and unwrapped the little plastic accoutrements that went with it when the doorbell rang again. Julia was relieved to see Edie this time when she opened the door.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said before Julia could say a word. “Believe it or not, I fell asleep.”

  “How did you manage to do that without the baby waking you up?”

  “Aaron took the kids over to his mother’s house for a while so I could have a nap. I curled up on my bed for twenty winks, and the next thing I knew it was four hours later. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a problem.” She glanced toward the kitchen where Lily now sat on the floor with the girls, examining Barbie’s new abode with them. Julia lowered her voice. “Are you feeling okay? You’re not sick, are you?”

  Edie waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m fine. Just tired. The baby has been teething and hasn’t been sleeping well. So I haven’t been sleeping well either.”

  Julia noticed the dark circles under her friend’s eyes that spoke of fatigue. “Tomorrow is Sunday. Why don’t you bring the baby over here in the afternoon so you can have a rest?”

  “That’s really sweet, Julia, and I appreciate it, but Aaron’s promised to take care of the kids tomorrow. I’ll take you up on the offer another day.”

  “Make sure you do.” Was it her imagination, or had Edie lost weight since she’d last seen her? She’d already lost all the weight she’d gained with her last pregnancy. She hoped she wasn’t going overboard with the dieting.

  When they walked into the kitchen, Edie said hello to Lily and wished Ava a happy birthday before leaving with a now reluctant Natalie. After they’d gone, Julia finished cleaning the table and then pour
ed hot water into the teapot along with a bag of Earl Grey tea and let it steep.

  “You like milk in your tea, don’t you, Lily?”

  “Yes, I do.” She grabbed the back of a chair to help haul herself to her feet, while Ava moved her new toy into the living room. “I’m surprised you remember. It’s been a while since we had tea together.”

  Julia filled a small china creamer with milk and brought it to the table. “I know. I’m sorry about that. I should have invited you to Ava’s birthday party, but I didn’t know what Wyatt’s reaction would be. It’s been so long since I talked to either of you I was afraid he’d think I was only offering an invitation to get a present out of you.”

  “Did you honestly think that, Julia?”

  She turned away, embarrassed. She had believed Lily and Wyatt would think an invitation from her would come with ulterior motives. And to be honest, she’d wanted to avoid a confrontation, especially on Ava’s birthday. Family gatherings with the Stewarts had become more and more uncomfortable. Instead of time healing wounds, it had only succeeded in rubbing salt into the open sores.

  For a moment, Lily watched Ava playing on the floor in the living room, then turned to Julia and spoke in a quiet voice. “I don’t want to miss seeing Ava grow up. She’s the only grandchild we have. Or at least, the only grandchild we’re allowed to know.”

  Julia blinked at that statement. Did that mean Russ had fathered another child in Thailand? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Or cared.

  “I don’t want you to miss seeing Ava grow up either. But with the way Wyatt feels about me, it’s been difficult. I don’t want her to see us arguing every time we’re together.”

  She cringed when she thought about the previous Christmas. She and Ava had gone over to Wyatt and Lily’s house on Christmas morning so Ava could open her presents from them there. They were supposed to stay for brunch, but Wyatt picked a fight with her about the school lunch program, which he’d opposed on budget grounds and she had fought to implement. She’d tried to avoid a confrontation; it was Christmas Day, after all. But Wyatt kept picking at her and goading her until she’d been forced to take Ava and leave before she said something she really regretted. Neither she nor Ava had been in their house since.

  “Wyatt really misses her,” Lily said with a sigh. “Do you think we could come to some sort of compromise?”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “What if Ava spent a little time with us? Maybe an afternoon at our house once in a while? I could pick her up and bring her home so that you and Wyatt don’t have to deal with each other.”

  Julia sipped her tea and watched as Ava moved Barbie and Ken into their house. She hoped the dolls’ relationship would turn out better than hers. She and Russ had been happy once, but it had all started to unravel after they’d moved home to Lobster Cove and Ava had been born.

  Or maybe she was kidding herself and their troubles had started long before that.

  “I want Ava to know her grandparents. All her grandparents. I want her to spend time with you, I truly do. But I can’t do that if I think Wyatt will bad-mouth me to her.”

  “That’s not going to happen. We just want to spend time with her. I promise you, if I ever hear Wyatt say one unkind word about you in Ava’s presence, I will stop him immediately. But I’m sure he’s not going to do that. He’s not a monster, Julia. He just misses his family.”

  “Okay, I’ll trust you, Lily. We can start a week from this Monday, if you’re free. I have an appointment after school I need to get to. Can you pick up Ava at the school? I can let her teacher know you’ll be there. You could take her to your house and bring her back here after I get home.”

  Lily’s eyes lit with excitement. “Yes, of course I can look after her. I’ll be at the school to pick her up at three-thirty.” She paused for a moment, setting her teacup back in its saucer. “You’re sure about this? Maybe you’d feel more comfortable having your mother look after Ava.”

  Julia’s stomach made an uncomfortable swoop, the way it did every time she thought about what was happening to her mother. “No, I’m sure I want Ava to be with you next Monday.”

  Lily smiled in happiness and relief. She reached across the table and grasped Julia’s hand. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. I won’t let you down.”

  Julia squeezed her hand. “I know you won’t.” She vowed that from that day forward she wouldn’t let the antagonism between her and Wyatt affect Ava’s relationship with her grandmother.

  ****

  Alex grabbed the chart off the back of the door and scanned it quickly before entering the examining room. Melissa Maloney, thirty-four. Complaining of a urinary tract infection. Upon entering, he found her sitting on the table with her legs crossed and her head bowed. She looked up and smiled, and when he extended his hand, she grasped it and gave it a hearty shake.

  “I’m Melissa. I’ve heard a lot about you, Doc,” she said before he had a chance to introduce himself. “All good things, mind you. I usually see Dr. Sato, not Mrs. Dr. Sato, the OB/GYN, I mean Dr. Rob Sato, the GP. I was relieved when I heard he was referring his patients to you while he was away on vacation. Like I said, I’ve heard good things.”

  The small town grapevine strikes again. He grinned. “Pleased to meet you, Melissa. I’m glad you feel comfortable seeing me in Dr. Sato’s absence.” He referred to the chart that Dr. Sato’s office had sent over. “I see that you’re complaining of a urinary tract infection. What makes you think you’ve got one?”

  She rolled her eyes. “The usual—the urge to pee all the time, and the terrible burning when I do. I’ve had enough of them to know exactly what they’re all about. Dr. Rob usually gives me an antibiotic and then I’m on my merry way.”

  Alex scanned the notes again. Rob Sato’s cramped handwriting indicated she’d been in his office numerous times in the last year to seek treatment for urinary tract infections. The number seemed excessive. Aside from a simple test to check for bacteria in the urine, Dr. Sato had done no further testing. His notes indicated he’d wanted to investigate further, had warned her the UTIs could be a symptom of another problem, but Melissa had flatly refused.

  “Well, according to your medical file, you’re becoming quite the expert on UTIs. Will you indulge me for a moment and let me play doctor?”

  “Will it take long? I need to use the bathroom again, and then I have to get back to work.”

  “I’ll be as fast as possible.”

  “Okay then,” she said reluctantly.

  He took her blood pressure. It was slightly elevated but within the normal range. Her temperature was also a little above average, but according to her chart, both numbers seemed to be normal for her.

  “Aside from the infections, how have you been feeling?”

  “Oh, just terrific, Doc. I’m a working mom with two kids under six and a husband who’s away working for weeks at a time. I think he spends more time with his buddies on that commercial fishing boat than he does with me. So, no surprise, I’m tired. I’m starting to get a little thick around my middle, and my scale is telling me to lay off the sugared donuts. To top it off, I’m beginning to find more hair in my brush than on my head. But aside from that, I’m great.”

  Alex tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t suppress a smile. “You have what’s commonly known as Busy Mom Syndrome. But I am concerned about the number of UTIs you’ve had in the last year. I’d like to send you for more testing. I want to do an ultrasound to see if there are any obstructions in the urethra or kidneys.”

  “Doc, I don’t have time for that, and I definitely don’t have the insurance. I can barely afford the antibiotics.”

  “I think it’s important to find a cause for your infections. There could be some underlying problem we need to treat.”

  She shook her head as he spoke. “I can’t do it right now. Maybe later, when Davy gets home, if they’ve got themselves a good catch this time.”

  “If cost is an issue,
why don’t I arrange to meet you at the free clinic in Bar Harbor? I work there a couple of times a month.”

  Melissa’s mouth was set in a straight, stubborn line. “I don’t take charity, Doc. Me and Davy and the kids, we pay our own way. Can’t you just give me the antibiotics for now?”

  “Of course.” He wrote the script on his pad. There was no point arguing with her, or insulting her. “I’m giving you enough antibiotic for a week. I want you to come back to my office about seven days after you finish the medication. We’ll take another urine test and see if the antibiotic has truly cleared out the bugs. If not, we might need to try a different antibiotic for a longer term.”

  “Is that really necessary? I have to take time off work, get my mother to sit with the kids—”

  “Do you really want to keep getting these infections?”

  She made a face. “No, I don’t. Okay, fine, I’ll be back in two weeks.”

  “Good. In the meantime, drink plenty of water and keep your salt intake down. Try drinking cranberry juice. It helps some women with your problem.”

  “All right.” She took the prescription. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you in two weeks. Don’t forget to make an appointment on your way out.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes, a mischievous gleam in her eye. “If I didn’t know better, Doc, I’d say you just want to get me in one of those cute little paper gowns, but I’m telling you, I’m not that kind of girl.”

  This time Alex did laugh. “Get out of here before I sic my nurse on you.”

  With a wink she left the room. Alex shook his head and laughed again.

  Family medicine certainly had its moments.

  ****

  A few days later, Julia stared out the window of her office to the beautiful spring day just beyond her four walls. She longed to be outside, to breathe in the fresh air with its slightly fishy, damp seaweed smell. It was the best smell in the world.

  Perhaps what she needed was an afternoon off. Maybe she’d work in her neglected garden, or go for a walk. Or maybe she’d run. She hadn’t gone for a good run in ages. It used to be a passion for her, but with her responsibilities at work and at home, running had fallen by the wayside.