Healing Hearts

by Syndi Powell

  April rose up on one elbow and looked over at Sherri. “I want him to want to be a part of my life instead of giving me the reasons that he can’t be. I want him to be present when we are together.”

  “You want him. Period.” Page sighed. “I’m going to be the only single one left in our group, aren’t I?”

  “Zach and I are far from being a couple, so you can relax.”

  “But it’s destined to happen between you two, isn’t it?”

  April didn’t know how to answer. If anything, it felt less of a sure thing. In fact, there was nothing that made her think he would be with her. He’d made his stance about his mother very clear. She came first and to the exclusion of everything else. When he cared for his mother, he had room for no other woman in his life. While she might admire his dedication and devotion to his mom, she felt left out. “You’re wrong. It’s guilt that made him pay to upgrade the room and brought you both here. He couldn’t be, so he sent you.”

  “I bet there’s more going on than you think.”

  The massage therapists finished and left the room. April sat up and pulled the sheet around her. “He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.”

  “So convince him otherwise. Show him what he’d be missing out on if he let you get away.”

  “And what would that be? What can I offer him?”

  “Are you kidding? You’re a safe place to fall. Someone to turn to when the world gets to be too much and you need peace. You’re sunshine on a rainy day.” Page shrugged. “You’ve got more to give him than he could find anywhere else.”

  April raised an eyebrow at this. “You’re exaggerating.”

  “So what if I am? You have a lot to offer, so don’t sell yourself short. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll be okay when we both know that you’re as into him as he is into you.” Page slid off the massage table and walked over to April’s. “You keep asking me why you’re still single. I can tell you that it’s because you downplay yourself. You are a strong, successful woman with a huge capacity for love. You are warm, genuine and funny. Any man would be lucky for you to love him and be in his life.”

  April hugged Page, wishing she was right about Zach. “I don’t care what anyone says. You’re a good person, Page. The best in my book. I’m the lucky one to have you as my friend.”

  Page gave her a quick squeeze, then stepped out of the embrace. “Don’t get all sappy on me. You know how I am with that stuff.”

  Sherri joined the two of them, wrapped in a sheet and trying to keep a hold on the edges. “I feel like melted butter. What’s next?”

  April wriggled her eyebrows and gave them both a wide smile.

  * * *

  PAGE SIPPED FROM the straw that was buried in an extralarge cup of frozen hot chocolate with mounds of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. April took a picture of her on her cell phone and posted it on Instagram before her friend could object. “People we work with will see that,” Page said as she tried to take the cell phone away.

  “Exactly. No one will believe that Nurse Grumpypants actually enjoyed something decadent.”

  Sherri stirred her own drink. “Nurse Grumpypants?”

  Page rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.”

  “It’s a nickname that one of the ob-gyns gave her a long time ago because of her gloomy disposition. It’s kind of stuck ever since.” April had a taste of her hot chocolate and put her mug down, feeling the whipped cream on the tip of her nose. She crossed her eyes to see if it was there.

  Sherri snapped a picture and held the cell phone away when April attempted to grab it. “Fair play and all.” She laughed and set her cell phone back on the table after she’d posted the photo. “Dez isn’t going to believe this.”

  “I’m surprised Agent Hottie could cope without you.” April made embarrassing kissing noises.

  A dreamy look passed over Sherri’s face. “He said it was the least I should get after all the treatments I’ve had.” She rested her cheek against her fist. “He knew he could trust me with the two of you in the Big Apple.”

  “That was his first mistake.” Page grinned and handed April a napkin to wipe the whipped cream off her nose. “We are known troublemakers in Detroit. We’re supposed to behave just because we left town?”

  “Don’t give Sherri the wrong impression. We’re not hooligans.” April paused, then flashed Page a wicked grin. “Remember when we used to tip over the new interns?” She turned to Sherri. “Page was notorious for walking next to someone crouched down to get medical supplies from a bottom shelf and giving them a shove to topple them.”

  “It wasn’t a shove. More like a tap.”

  “Either way, they went down.” April giggled. “The chief had to transfer her out of the ER so that the interns wouldn’t quit.”

  “I wasn’t the only one who tipped interns. You were just as guilty.”

  “Is that how you met? Working together?” Sherri asked.

  She and Page both nodded. “The saddest day was when she transferred to Labor and Delivery. I no longer had a partner in crime in my department. The nurses now are more serious. Nothing like Page.”

  Sherri motioned to Page. “I would never have guessed that about you.”

  Page shrugged. “This was BC. Before cancer. I’m not as much fun as I used to be.” She took another long sip of the frozen hot chocolate. “This here is worth the whole trip to New York for me. It doesn’t matter what else we do. Nothing will top this moment.”

  * * *

  SOMEONE KNOCKED ON Zach’s open office door. Standing there was the owner of the agency. “You have a minute?” Mike asked.

  Zach stood and motioned to a chair. “As many as you need.”

  Mike entered and shut the door. That couldn’t be a good sign, right? His boss walked to one of the windows that looked out onto the Detroit skyline. “You earned this office by bringing in big names and signing clients who have made us a lot of money.” He turned to face Zach, then approached the desk and took a seat across from him. “You established our presence in a competitive field and made us the premier sports agency in the state.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?”

  “The Zach I know was the first to arrive and the last to leave. You gave a hundred and ten percent every day.”

  “I still do.”

  Mike studied him over his glasses. “I’ve heard that you lost the next top tennis pro because you were unavailable to interview new coaches. In fact, Lorelei’s father called me personally to tell me why his daughter was leaving our representation.”

  Zach swallowed and nodded. “That’s true. I did have to cancel some of the interviews because of a personal problem.”

  “I know all about that. You’ve left early twice this week already because of that problem. And you missed our meeting this past Monday for the same reason.”

  “Are you firing me, sir?”

  Mike laughed as if that was funny even if Zach couldn’t find the humor in it. “I’m not firing you, but I am suggesting you take a leave of absence.”

  Zach shot to his feet and put his hands on his desk. “I assure you, sir, that I’m fine. I can take care of my personal issues outside of my commitments here. There’s no need for me to be suspended.”

  “Suspended?” Mike frowned. “I’m talking about a leave to take care of your mother. Use some vacation time to find the help she needs so you can come back here with your full focus. I can’t afford for you to drop another ball.”

  Zach’s cell phone started to ring. He glanced at the number and pressed Ignore. “It’s just my mother’s nurse.”

  Mike sighed and got to his feet. “That just proves my point.”

  “I’m your number one agent.”

  “You were my number one agent, but Leslie is outperforming you this month, and Eric i
sn’t far behind.” Mike leaned forward on the desk. “Effective immediately, you’re on vacation until further notice. Take care of your family, then come back stronger than ever. I need you, Zach. Don’t let me down. Because the next time we have a conversation like this, I will fire you.”

  “I have appointments scheduled tomorrow.”

  “You can reschedule when you’re back in two weeks, or another agent will be happy to see them.”

  “They know me, so they’re expecting me. You know as well as I do that this business is all about relationships.”

  “Then let’s go over what you have planned and make some calls.”

  Together, they dismantled Zach’s entire schedule. He called clients and potential clients to reschedule. Assured clients on his roster that he would be back after a short vacation. His newest client and newlywed Chris expressed surprise, but Zach quickly reassured him. “You can still reach me by cell if something comes up. Your contracts are signed and delivered, so I don’t anticipate anything will come up until I return.”

  Chris was silent on the other end, then he let out a long breath. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

  “I promised you honesty. I just need some time to take care of a few personal things.”

  Chris seemed satisfied with that, and he hung up sounding better than he had when the conversation had started. Mike went to the door and opened it. Before he stepped through, he turned and looked at Zach. “I don’t want to lose you, but I need to do what’s best for my company.”

  “Understood.”

  A few seconds after Mike left, Dalvin darted into the office. “He didn’t give me a chance to buzz you and let you know he was coming in. What did the big boss want?”

  Zach grabbed his coat and his phone. “To tell me I’m on vacation as of right now.”

  Dalvin’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “For how long?”

  “Don’t know. He mentioned two weeks, but my clients can’t afford me to be MIA that long.” He put his laptop into his messenger bag. “You know how to get a hold of me if anything comes up, right?”

  “What am I supposed to do without you?”

  “I hear Leslie is pretty busy with clients. She might appreciate your assistance.”

  Dalvin made a face. “She’s so fake, that Leslie. If she’s bringing clients into the agency, then it’s because she’s telling them what they want to hear.”

  “That’s part of an agent’s job.”

  “You never lie or mislead. You ask your clients what they want, then hustle to make it happen.” Dalvin cocked his head to the side. “I’ll miss you. Don’t stay away too long.”

  “I won’t know what to do with myself if I’m gone longer than a few days.” Zach gave a laugh, but he meant it. He’d put in long hours at the office, then gone home to do the same. The thought of not having work to distract him from the situation with his mother gave him a headache. He shook Dalvin’s hand. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Dalvin sniffed and nodded. Zach hustled out quickly, trying to ignore the looks of the other agents and assistants. Especially Leslie, who gave him a smile and a finger wave. She shouldn’t get too comfortable being the top agent for the month. Because he’d be back better than ever like Mike had said.

  In the parking garage, he sat in his car and wondered what he was supposed to do now. It was still early afternoon, and the thought of going home and dealing with whatever crisis Dolores had called him about made his stomach hurt. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel, closing his eyes.

  His phone buzzed, and dreading what he’d see, he took it from his pocket and checked the screen. Not Dolores, but April. Having a fabulous time here in NYC. But you should be with me.

  Ironically, if he didn’t have his mother, he’d be hopping on a plane and flying out to meet her. But the reality of his life didn’t allow him to be spontaneous. Instead, he texted her back, Wish I could. Before he lost his nerve, he sent a second message. Miss you.

  Bubbles appeared on his screen, making him smile. Miss you, too. We should talk when I get home.

  His smile disappeared. Why did women always want to talk? Couldn’t they accept that he couldn’t give as much as they wanted? That he had responsibilities that meant they would never be his only priority? But he swallowed all this. Can’t wait.

  * * *

  WHEN THEY RETURNED to the hotel suite after their time at the spa, an envelope lay on the carpet just inside the door. Page reached down and picked it up, but handed it to April. “It’s for you.”

  April shrugged and opened the envelope. Tickets for a musical for which she hadn’t been able to get seats online. She noticed the seat numbers and whistled. “Anyone up for one of the hottest shows on Broadway?”

  Page reached over and plucked the tickets out of April’s hands. “Those are impossible to get. How did he do it?”

  “He’s an agent, so I’m sure he’s got connections.”

  “What does a musical have to do with sports?” Page asked. “I think he’s working a little too hard to win you over.”

  “There’s nothing to win.”

  Sherri nodded. “Because you’re already falling for him.”

  “We’re friends, and he’s hinted about something more. But that’s all there is.” When Page and Sherri gave her a look that meant they weren’t buying it, April took the tickets back and stared at them. “Believe what you want, but he won’t let me in close enough to feel anything. He’s got another woman in his life.”

  “His mom doesn’t count,” Sherri said.

  “She does though, because he will choose her every time.” She headed for the bedroom, but turned back to her friends. “I’d be foolish to fall for him, right?”

  Page seemed to be deep in thought, her expression serious. “Sherri’s right. You’re already falling and it scares you because it is crazy. But then, what love affair isn’t?”

  * * *

  ZACH SHOWED UP to find Dolores sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine, while screaming came from his mother’s bedroom. He put his messenger bag on the dining room table. “What is going on?”

  He started down the hall when Dolores called after him, “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you.”

  He shook his head at her suggestion, but when he opened his mom’s bedroom door, his jaw dropped. The room no longer looked as it had. Furniture had been upturned. The sheets and blankets lay in a tangle on the floor. Clothes from her closet had been pulled out and thrown around the room. He took a step inside and reached out to stop her from making more of a mess. “Mom, stop yelling!”

  She turned and slapped him hard across the face. He staggered back, and she rushed at him, hitting and scratching. He put his hands up to protect his head. Dolores must have heard the commotion and ran into the room. She put her arm straight out to fend off his mom while she helped him to recover his balance. Together, they backed out of the room and shut the door, leaving his mother on the other side.

  Zach looked at Dolores. “What happened? I’ve never seen her like that.”

  “I’ve called an ambulance.”

  “What? No.” What was a paramedic going to do? “She just needs some time to calm down.”

  “I called you earlier to tell you that she was extremely upset. But what I just saw? It’s escalated, and neither you nor I can control her.” Dolores checked the scratch on his cheek. “She really got you.”

  He waved off her attention. “I’m fine. No big deal.”

  “Zach, she needs more help than we can give her. She needs to be in the hospital.”

  “No. We need to adjust her medication or something.” He couldn’t, no wouldn’t, send her away. “This has happened before, and the doctor gives her something to help her.”

  “She’s getting beyond what I can do. I can’t come here anymore.” Dolore
s turned on her heel.

  He couldn’t make this work if Dolores quit. He followed her. “You can’t leave me. What will I do without you?”

  Dolores set her mouth in a tight line, and her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know, but I can’t help her anymore. She’s getting too dangerous.”

  “She’s an old woman. How is she dangerous?”

  Dolores pointed to his reflection in the glass cabinet. It looked like he’d been in a bar fight, a bruise on one cheek and scratches down the other with more along his neck. She must have gotten a good shot at one of his eyes because it looked swollen. “You might be in denial about all this, but I’m not. I’ll tell the agency that you need a different day nurse. However, after they ask me why, they may not be willing to send anyone else.”

  “Please, Dolores. I’ll pay you extra. Whatever you want. Just don’t quit on me. Please.”

  Dolores jerked her coat on and grabbed her purse. She stopped and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s time to admit that you can’t take care of her anymore.”

  A loud shriek followed by a crash filled the air. Zach glanced toward the sound, and when he turned back to Dolores, she had already opened the back door to leave. He closed his eyes and fisted his hands at his sides.

  Another crash came from his mother’s room and then silence. He opened his eyes. The quiet stretched, and he strode down the hall and opened the bedroom door. His mother lay across the bed, a sleeve of her nightgown ripped and showing a red gash. She appeared to be asleep.

  Zach ran to the bed and gathered her in his arms. “Mom, what have you done to yourself?” He checked the wound and found that it was deeper than he’d first thought. She’d need stitches at least. Further examination revealed a bump on her head.

  A knock at the front door announced the paramedics. He gently laid her on the bed and left the room so he could let them in the house. “She’s back here.”

  He brought them to the bedroom, then stood back so that they could care for his mom. One of the paramedics looked over at him. “Can you tell us how this happened?”

  “She had a fit and threw things around the room. She’s got Alzheimer’s.”