by Dawn Brower
She was still sitting in the same spot, unmoving, when Lana arrived. The box sat open in front of her with the stacks of envelopes and letters beside it. She’d been afraid to open any more. There was so much that she wasn’t sure she could take more bad news. How was she going to handle the visit to the doctor later? Lana shook her hard and started waving her hand in front of her face. “Hello? Is anyone in there?”
Jessica glanced up at her. “Who let you in?”
She shook her head and frowned. “I let myself in. The door was wide open. Did you forget to shut it?”
Hell, had she? She’d been so surprised by the package, she’d acted like an idiot. Anyone could have walked in. Lana had... What if it was someone unsavory or... She didn’t want to consider who else could have come inside her home. It was bad enough that her whole life was already in shambles.
“I may have,” she said and sighed. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
“What is going on with you?” Lana glanced at the box and stacks of letters. “Does this have anything to do with your absentminded attitude?” She gestured toward the source of her distress.
“It’s part of it,” Jessica admitted. “I’m afraid I’m financially ruined.”
After she let those words out, she lost all control over her emotions. Everything she’d been holding onto spilled out of her. She had no money and she might not have much to live for, even if she managed to beat the cancer running rampant through her body. Her whole body shook as tears fell from her eyes. She ugly cried, hiccupped, and had a runny nose to make it a trifecta of grossness. Jessica rocked back and forth wrapping her arms around herself. Cold seeped into her and settled deep into every part of her body. Goosebumps popped up on her arms and she shivered uncontrollably.
Lana dropped her purse onto a nearby table then hugged her. She patted her back and said soothingly, “I’m here. Tell me everything.”
Jessica couldn’t stop herself from spilling it all out. Her voice shook as she told her about her cancer, her accountant, and the massive amounts of debt that he accumulated in her name. The desperation to find a way out of the mess her life had become and the deep desire to keep Preston away from it all. After she managed to tell her every single one of her dark secrets, a lightness filled her. Sure, she had a long road ahead of her, but for the first time she believed she might find some light at the end of it.
Lana held on to her the entire time she’d talked. She laid her head on Jessica’s shoulder before she said. “I’m here for you. Anything you need. If it’s just listening to you, I’ll not say a word as you unleash everything you’ve held inside you for so long. I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this all on your own. I wish you’d told me sooner.”
Jessica closed her eyes and focused on calming herself down. For a while, she’d lost all hope and didn’t see how her life could change for the better. She had to wonder why she’d kept it all bottled up inside. She stepped out of Lana’s arms and paced around the room. When she got her emotions in check, she turned toward Lana and met her gaze. “I have an appointment with Dr. Foster in an hour,” Jessica said. “Can you go with me?”
“Of course,” Lana agreed immediately. “I’ll do whatever you want. I will give you a piece of advice too.”
“I don’t...”
Lana interrupted her, “No it’s my time to talk, and you will listen.” She sat back and met Jessica’s gaze. “I’m not going to tell you that you have to tell Preston everything, but I am going to suggest you consider it. He loves you, and when he finds out—and he will find out eventually—he’ll be hurt you didn’t trust him with all of this. The other thing I want to recommend is seeing a lawyer about all this financial stuff. It is a clear case of identity theft, and they might be able to extricate you from some of it.”
Jessica frowned and then chewed on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to discuss any of it with Preston, but Lana made a valid point. He might not find out about the financial stuff. The medical though—he worked in the hospital, and at some point she’d be going to the hospital on a regular basis for treatment. It would be better if he heard about her illness from her. Was it so bad that she wanted to hold onto that bit of information for a while longer? When he found out about it he’d look at her differently. She didn’t doubt for a minute he loved her, but she’d been hoping to keep him from becoming fully entranced in her problems.
“I’m not going to make any decisions concerning Preston until I have all the information. After I meet with Dr. Foster I’ll decide what I want to do.”
“That’s fair,” Lana agreed. “What about talking to a lawyer? If you want, I can call Matt and set something up.”
Jessica didn’t know anything about Matthew Price other than he was Daniella Brosen’s partner at the firm. Would Dani object to helping Jessica? She’d been civil when at lunch, but that didn’t mean she was open to doing anything nice for her. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea...”
“Because you used to be married to Ren, and Daniella Brosen is now engaged to him?” Lana lifted a brow. “I don’t think that is something you should concern yourself with. Besides, I know she’s taking a sabbatical from the practice and won’t be working much at the office. Matt is in control of the day to day stuff, and Dani is happy to let him do it. Claire Jackson, Matt’s assistant, is good at her job too. They will take care of you, I promise.”
She made it all seem so reasonable. Why did Jessica have to question everything? Lana had been good to her when she didn’t have to be. If she said Matthew Price would help her, then she had to trust he would. “All right. Call him and set something up. Maybe he can meet me after my appointment with Dr. Foster. I’d like to make some positive steps toward fixing my fucked up life.”
“Good,” Lana said. “It’s about time you stopped walking around as an advertisement for depression.”
“Ha ha,” Jessica said and rolled her eyes. “You do say the nicest things to me.”
“Hey, if I didn’t call you out on your bullshit, who would?” Lana laughed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. It vibrated in her hands before she could make a call. She stared down at it and frowned. “I have to take this. After I’m done, I’ll phone Matt and see if he can squeeze you in today.”
She walked out of the room and left Jessica to stare at the box of bills. She picked up all the opened mail and shoved it into the box. For a brief moment, she contemplated burning it all. The knowledge it might be needed later kept her from acting on the impulse. A tight knot formed inside of her gut. What if they couldn’t help her and she had to deal with all of them on her own? Would she have to sell her house? How was she going to survive on her own? Crap—how was she going to pay her medical bills? She had insurance but it wouldn’t cover everything... It was all overwhelming, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it on her own. When Lana strolled back into the room, it brought her back to the present.
“Good grief, I leave you for fifteen minutes and you regress back to a catatonic state.” Lana shook her head and reached out to grab Jessica’s hand. She pulled her to her feet and started pushing her toward the front door. Lana stopped briefly to pick up the box of bills and handed it to Jessica. “We’re going to have to work on your stress button. Matt can’t see you today, but Claire said their new associate can handle everything. So I scheduled it for later this afternoon. Let’s go see Dr. Foster and figure out what you need to do to fight this cancer, and then we’ll go after the asshole who stole your money. Don’t worry, I’ll drive. If I let you, we might do the Thelma & Louise thing and you’d drive us over a cliff. I rather like my life, so I’ll save you from yourself. Stick with me and everything will be right in no time at all.”
Jessica laughed and hugged her friend tight. She wanted to believe Lana, but feared this was the beginning of her problems. At least she now realized she didn’t have to do it alone. Maybe she could tell Preston too. One thing at a time... First the doctor, then the lawyer, and later she’d make h
erself have that talk with the man she loved.
“Let me put Bella in the laundry room first. If I let her have free rein of the house, she’ll chew everything in sight.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to ruin your pretty house,” Lana said flippantly.
Jessica stopped and looked at her furniture and expensive knickknacks. Perhaps her financial problems could be answered by selling some of the things she didn’t really need. It was pretty, as Lana said, but it could also be an answer to some of her immediate concerns. She’d look into it later and make some decisions.
“Come, Bella,” Jessica called. The dog stood up and stretched and slowly made her way to the laundry room. She lay on her bed that Jessica had placed in there for her, closed her eyes to sleep. Some days the puppy could be so lazy. “I’ll be back later,” she told the dog. Bella looked up and appeared to nod as if she understood her, and then went back to sleep. She really was a dear...
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lana and Jessica headed toward Dr. Zachary Foster’s office. Jessica wasn’t sure she was ready for the office call. All of her results had been sent over for him to review. He should have a solid plan of treatment ready for her to consider. Her gynecologist had been concerned about how large the tumor had become, but hadn’t been willing to offer a full prognosis. He wasn’t an oncologist and didn’t want to be wrong in his assessment. That hadn’t left her with a warm fuzzy feeling when she’d left Dr. Albright’s office.
They were almost to Dr. Foster’s when she heard her name being called. Jessica stopped and turned to see who was trying to gain her attention. She almost groaned aloud when she noticed the woman waving at her. Imogen Duncan strolled over to their side.
“I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing?” Imogen asked. “I’ve been worried about you ever since you were in Dr. Albright’s for your yearly exam.”
“She’s fine,” Lana said. “We’re busy. Go find someone else to bother.”
Jessica was taken aback by the vehemence in Lana’s tone. Imogen must really push her buttons for her to be so harsh. She didn’t take any crap from anyone as a rule, but usually wasn’t rude to that extent. What could she have against Imogen?
“We really have to go,” Jessica said apologetically. “I’m running late for my appointment.”
“Don’t offer her any excuses. It is none of her business.”
“We don’t have to be...”
Lana held up her hand. “Don’t say it.”
Imogen stared back and forth between them. “Don’t worry about it, Jess. We can talk later. It was nice seeing you.”
“Um, yes,” Jessica replied. “Another time.”
Lana glared at Imogen and then turned toward Jessica. “Let’s go.”
Jessica frowned and followed after her. She had her own reasons for distrusting Imogen, and as soon as she had a spare moment she’d ask Lana what hers were. Imogen gave Jessica the creeps. There was something off about her. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it was there. Imogen continued to stroll in the opposite direction. Jessica narrowed her gaze and studied her. Was her hair...blonder? No, it couldn’t be. That had to be her imagination.
They turned the corner and stopped outside Dr. Foster’s office. Lana pushed the door open and gestured for her to go inside. The room was empty, which she found rather weird. What were the chances he didn’t have any other patients? Jessica went up to the reception window and the nurse behind slid it open. “Yes,” she said.
“I have an appointment,” Jessica replied.
“Have you been here before?” the nurse said without bothering to look at her. When Jessica didn’t answer immediately she glanced up and lifted a brow. “Are you mute or deaf? Answer the question.”
Did the doctor have so many patients she didn’t recognize them? The nurse seemed rather rude... The nurse’s attitude didn’t leave a nice feeling inside of her, but what choice did she have? She had to find out what her next step was and that meant meeting with the doctor to discuss her options. “No...”
The nurse didn’t say another word. She handed her a clipboard with a packet of papers and a pen. Once Jessica took them, the woman slid the window shut. Jessica understood that to mean she had to fill out the mountain of paperwork before she could see Dr. Foster. She sighed and took a seat near Lana.
“This is a lot,” she said.
“And all necessary, unfortunately,” Lana replied.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Does anyone like filling out shit?” Lana asked. “It’s all tedious. I think that is what they will make us all do in purgatory. Give us stacks of stacks of unending paperwork to fill out. It’s our ticket to heaven or our slide into hell. It will depend on our answers, the amount of time it takes us to fill it out, and our willingness to submit to it all. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up in a fiery pit.”
Jessica laughed. “At this rate, I might be there well before you. I’ll let you know if your assessment is correct.”
It wasn’t really a laughing matter, but if she didn’t make a joke of it she’d break down. She refused to give into the need to fall apart. The paperwork wasn’t going to fill itself out, so she had to finish it. She wrote in all the required information and handed it to Lana. “Can you do me a favor and give this to Nurse Ratched?”
“She can’t be that bad...”
“Go and find out for yourself. She’s as heartless as they come.”
Lana laughed and grabbed the clipboard out of her hand. She walked up to the window and knocked on it. When it slid open, she smiled at the nurse behind the counter and then leaned on it. “Hi. So, I have a bet going with my friend, and I was wondering if you’d help me out with it.” Lana fished through her purse and pulled out a pack of gum. She pulled out a piece and slowly unwrapped it then popped it into her mouth. The nurse stared at her for several moments and opened her mouth numerous times but didn’t comment. Lana chewed her gum loudly and with a lot of vigor. “See she seems to think you’re a big ‘ole meanie, but I think at heart you’re a real softie. Which is it?”
The nurse lifted a brow and said disgustedly, “I’m not here to play games.”
“Cool, neither am I,” Lana said icily. “I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. I don’t give a fuck if you want to be the stereotype of Big Nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but my friend is sick. You will not treat her like a piece of shit because you have a superiority complex. If you have a problem with that, too damn bad. I am perfectly okay taking my concerns to someone higher up if need be.”
The nurse stiffened. “I apologize if you find my demeanor displeasing. I’ll try to be more pleasant in the future.”
“I’m glad we understand each other.” Lana glanced at Jessica and winked. “Thanks for helping me win. She owes me one hell of an expensive lunch. I knew you had to be a real sweetheart. Here is Jessica’s paperwork. I hope we don’t have to wait long to see the doctor.”
Jessica stared at them open mouthed. The exchange was quite eye opening. She’d been aware that Lana had a nice pair of lady balls, but she had no idea they were made of steel. It was hard to not be impressed with her sense of authority and the ability to intimidate someone of Nurse Ratched’s caliber.
“Give me a minute, and I’ll see that you’re shown to a room,” the nurse replied. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll return shortly.”
Lana turned away from her and headed to Jessica’s side. “Things should move swiftly now.”
“How do you do that?”
“What?” Lana asked. “Oh, that. I’ve been dealing with her kind for a while now. She thinks she is top shit. Once she realized I wasn’t going to let her steamroll us, she caved. It’s a pissing contest of sorts.”
“One you have a knack for winning.”
Lana grinned and winked at her. “You could say I was groomed to take on the biggest bad and know a thing or two how to knock them down.”
She must be referring to her chil
dhood. Lana had grown up in the Brady household and dealt with Sullivan Brady on a daily basis. He was quite the handsome man and appeared to be content remaining a bachelor. Lana argued with him on a regular basis, and he seemed to let her talk to him in a way he’d not allow another person to do. Whenever Lana and Sullivan were in the same room, sparks flew. There was a story there, and one day maybe Lana would tell Jessica what happened between them.
“Maybe you can teach me some of your tricks.”
“A master never gives away all their secrets,” Lana replied. “But yeah, I can tutor you on the finer points. First, let’s get you healed and financially secure.”
A door opened and a different nurse stepped out. She glanced their way and said, “Jessica?”
“That’s me,” Jessica said. “Lana is coming with me.”
The nurse nodded. “Follow me.”
They both stood and followed her to the back of the office. She stopped before another open room and gestured for them to go inside. It looked like a regular office. Jessica didn’t know why, but she’d expected to go into an exam room of some sort. This room appeared to be a work space of another kind. There was a desk with chairs on both sides of it. A computer sat off to one side and stacks of folders on the other. She glanced at Lana, who shrugged in response. Jessica wasn’t sure what she should do, so she took a seat and Lana did as well. The doctor must not think he had to examine her.
After several minutes went by, a man strolled into the room. He had light blond hair that was on the long side. It hung loosely over his ears and stopped above his shoulders. He met Jessica’s gaze and she sucked in a deep breath. He had gorgeous cerulean blue eyes, chiseled cheekbones, and full pouty lips. How had she never seen him around the hospital when she volunteered? He was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen.
“Which one of you is Jessica?” he asked.
Jessica raised her hand. She would have liked to answer him vocally, but her voice was frozen in her throat. At some point, she’d have to make her tongue start to work properly and have a decent conversation with him. He was her doctor, damn it, and she couldn’t drool over him. Well, she could, but it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Somehow, she’d find a way to keep her dignity intact.