Always A Bridesmaid (Left At the Altar)

by Richards, Jana

  Still, the tender way he'd kissed her in the parking garage at the gym haunted her. Maybe she could make him understand. Maybe if she explained her feelings, he'd come to see that it wasn't vanity that drove her to the surgery, but the need to feel normal.

  Even if he understood her feelings, there was no guarantee he'd stick around. A terrible thought struck her. What if the only reason he was interested in her at all was because of the size of her breasts? If she suddenly had regular sized breasts would he lose interest, walk away?

  She shook her head. No, Zach wasn't like that. But that didn't mean she could hold his interest for the long haul.

  Dani held her head in her hands. As lousy as she felt, she still had to ask someone to be her responsible adult. She'd already signed papers saying she would, and the clinic wouldn't do the surgery without someone standing by to pick her up.

  Sarah was her oldest friend in the world. She would just have to suck it up and ask for her help. She dialed her number before she could chicken out. Her call was picked up on the first ring.

  "Dani! Where have you been? I've been calling you for days!"

  "I know, I'm sorry. I haven't been picking up. I haven't wanted to talk to anyone for the last few days."

  "Is this because of what happened at my dinner party?"

  "Kind of."

  "Oh, I knew it was my fault!" she said. "I'm so sorry."

  "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that I found out some things about Zach at your party that I didn't know before."

  "Are you talking about the fight you had about plastic surgery? What was that all about?"

  "That's why I'm calling you. Can you be my responsible adult when I have my breast reduction surgery?"

  There was silence on the line for several seconds. "Wait a minute," Sarah said finally. "Did you say you're having surgery, that you're getting a breast reduction?"

  "Yes, I am."

  She told Sarah the whole story and what would be required of her. "Do you think you can help me?"

  "Of course I can. I can pick you up after the surgery and drive you home. I'm just teaching half days in the mornings until the baby comes, so I can stay with you in the afternoon. But I can't stay overnight. There's no way I'd be able to sleep comfortably at your house. I have enough trouble sleeping in my own bed these days."

  "I'm sorry to impose on you."

  "It's no imposition. I'm sure Olivia can stay with you overnight for a day or two. Or maybe you can stay at Tony and Liv's house for a few days after the surgery. I'm sure they'd love to have you."

  "No! I don't want Tony to know. He'll try to talk me out of this."

  "You mean you haven't told your family?"

  "I plan to tell them," Dani said. "As soon as it's all over."

  "Oh honey, are you sure about this?"

  "Yes, I'm sure. That's the way it has to be."

  "Okay then. How about if you come to my house? We've got a spare bedroom where you can convalesce for a few days. And Will's home during the day, if you have any problems."

  "Are you sure Will won't mind?"

  "Of course he won't, but I'll run it past him. Are you sure you don't want to talk to your mother about this? I think she'd like to know."

  "I promise I'll tell her once the surgery is over. You know what they say, better to beg forgiveness than ask permission."

  "What about Zach? Have you talked to him?"

  "I really don't need to. It's not like he and I are together."

  "If you say so." Sarah didn't sound convinced. "Give me the times and dates of the surgery again? I'd better write this down."

  Dani gave her all the pertinent details, and Sarah rang off, promising to call the day before the surgery. She heaved a sigh of relief.

  So now she had her responsible adult to look after her. She was determined to go ahead with the breast reduction come hell or high water.

  Even if she was scared to death.

  * * * *

  "She's doing what?" Will asked.

  "She's having a breast reduction," Sarah said. "And she's asked me to look after her following the surgery. Is it okay with you if she stays with us for a couple of days while she recovers?"

  "Sure, she's welcome to stay, but I would have thought she'd want to be with her mother at a time like this."

  "Yeah, me too, except Dani hasn't told her mom she's having the surgery. In fact, she doesn't want anyone in her family to know about it until it's all over. I'm sure she wouldn't have told me except that the doctor required her to have someone look after her for at least the first night."

  "I can't believe she's doing this," Will said. "It seems kind of radical."

  "She thinks her bust is too big, and you have to admit she is pretty top heavy for such a petite girl. She's always felt that way."

  Sarah could remember Dani being teased about her top-heavy figure since junior high. Her large breasts, along with her weight, had made her a target for bullies. Of course, her brothers had seen to it that bullies paid for messing with their little sister.

  She'd thought Dani had outgrown her inferiority complex about the size of her breasts long ago. She'd worked so hard to lose the weight, and looked so wonderful, it hadn't occurred to Sarah that it was still an issue. The size of Dani's bustline hadn't crossed Sarah's mind in years. To her, Dani was beautiful, inside and out, just the way she was.

  But if this surgery was what it was going to take to make her happy, then she was going to do everything she could to help her.

  Including ratting her out.

  * * * *

  At last the day she'd both anticipated and dreaded arrived. She took a cab to the clinic and arrived by six-thirty in the morning. After assuring the nurses she hadn't eaten anything since dinner the previous evening, Dani was whisked into pre-op where she was prepped for surgery. A short time before she was scheduled to go into the OR, Dr. Silverman arrived, and using a marker, drew lines on her breasts where he planned to make the incisions. The whole thing felt surreal, but at least the edge had been taken off her nervousness by the sedative she'd been given.

  Soon she was wheeled into the OR. Masked people bustled around her, everyone busy with whatever job they were assigned to do. Dani shivered. Did they have to keep the temperature in here at sub-Arctic levels?

  A nurse started an IV in her left arm. Dr. Silverman arrived with the anesthesiologist.

  "Are you ready for this, Dani?" he asked.

  "As I'll ever be. I hope you slept well last night and you're feeling nice and steady today."

  He chuckled. "Don't worry, I slept like a baby. This is Dr. Mason. He'll be putting you to sleep."

  "Just as long as he wakes me up again, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

  Dr. Mason held the mask just above her face. "When I put the mask over your face, I want you to breathe deeply and count backwards from one hundred."

  "Okay."

  He placed the mask over her nose and mouth. "One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety..."

  * * * *

  She was floating. Somewhere, far away, she heard people talking but she couldn't make out what they were saying. But she didn't care. She was content to float along on her little bubble of happiness.

  "Daniella, can you hear me? Wake up, Daniella."

  Her bubble of happiness burst as she came to full consciousness. The more she came to, the more her chest felt like an elephant had used her for a trampoline. Her eyes blinked open and she stared at the nurse.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Just peachy. How 'bout you?"

  The nurse chuckled. "At least the doctor didn't remove your sense of humor."

  "Did everything go okay? You didn't hear him say 'whoops' at any point, did you?"

  "No, nothing like that. Dr. Silverman isn't a 'whoops' kind of guy. You're going to be fine, and your breasts will be beautiful and just the right size. As soon as all the swelling and bruising goes away, of course."

  Sh
e sighed in relief and closed her eyes once more. It was over. All she had to do now was recover.

  After she'd rested a while longer, the nurse removed her IV and helped her to the bathroom. A short while later another nurse brought her water that she sipped through a straw. Dani dozed on and off between visits from the nurses until around four o'clock, when Sarah and Will arrived to pick her up.

  "Remember," the nurse warned as she discharged her. "No driving for at least forty-eight hours and stick to a liquid diet of clear soups and teas for the rest of today. Don't make any crucial decisions while you're still under the influence of the anesthesia and don't operate any heavy equipment."

  Dani lifted two fingers to her temple in the Girl Guide salute. "I promise to stay away from bulldozers and forklifts for the next forty-eight hours."

  The nurse grinned. "Make sure you do. The doctor wants to see you tomorrow afternoon to see how you're doing. In the interim, call us if you have any issues you're worried about."

  She gave Sarah the discharge papers and a prescription for pain meds and antibiotics. Will and Sarah helped her into a wheelchair.

  "Thanks for the wheels, guys. Not sure I could walk a straight line on my own."

  Will chuckled. "You're welcome."

  "You have a wonderful wife, Will. I hope you appreciate her."

  "Don't worry, Dani. I definitely know how lucky I am."

  "You guys are such a cute couple. And now you're having a baby."

  She suddenly felt weepy. And a little drunk, like she'd had one margarita too many. "Tony and Liv are a cute couple, too."

  "I think you and Zach would make a cute couple. He's very good looking, and nice, too," Sarah said. "Liv says your family loves him."

  "They do. They think he's adorable."

  Will helped her into the back seat of the car and carefully fastened the seat belt around her. Then he helped his pregnant wife into her seat.

  "So darn cute," Dani mumbled.

  Sarah turned around to smile at her. "When you're feeling better, you'll have to call Zach and talk to him. I'm sure you can work out your differences."

  She shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

  "Why not?"

  "'Cos I don't want to get too attached to him. If I get even more attached than I already am, it's gonna hurt even more when he leaves."

  "How do you know he's going to leave you?"

  "'Cos everybody does."

  "That's just the anesthetic talking, Dani," Sarah said. "You've got lots of people in your life who love you, including me and Will."

  "I know, I know." She waved her hand in front of her face until she started feeling a little dizzy. "I mean men. Men always leave me. Every boyfriend I've ever had has dumped me."

  "I seem to recall you dumping some guys in high school."

  She tried to shake her head but it felt too much like it might fall off. She wagged her finger at Sarah instead. "I mean boyfriends who meant something to me. Men I was in love with. Zach's just going to leave me at some point, so why bother?"

  "Oh, honey."

  "It just hurts too much, you know?"

  "I know, sweetheart. But I think Zach has staying power."

  She leaned her head against the car seat and closed her eyes. She was so tired. Just opening her eyes took a Herculean effort. So she kept them shut.

  "I wish you were right, Sarah."

  * * * *

  Sarah and Will helped Dani up the stairs and into their spare bedroom. Sarah took off her shoes and socks and tucked her under the covers, making sure she was propped up with pillows so her incisions could drain properly, just as the nurse had recommended. Dani fell asleep immediately.

  After going downstairs to make some Jell-O for Dani to eat later, they went back upstairs to check on her. Sarah straightened her blanket.

  "Zach?" Dani asked weakly.

  "No, sweetheart. It's me, Sarah."

  "Oh Sarah. I miss him so much."

  Sarah's heart broke for her friend. She smoothed Dani's hair, being careful not to bump her chest. "I know you do, sweetie."

  "I wish he was here."

  She immediately fell back asleep. Sarah turned off the bedside lamp and made her way to the door. Will followed her out and closed the door behind them.

  "Do you think she's okay alone?" he asked. "You should get some sleep, but I could stay in her room in the chair, make sure she doesn't fall out of bed or something."

  "Yes, I think someone should stay with her, but I have another idea."

  "Oh yeah? What's that?"

  "I'm going to call Zach Morrison. It's time to find out what he's made of."

  Sarah hoped her plan didn't backfire on Dani.

  * * * *

  Zach stepped out the shower and grabbed his ringing cell phone from the bathroom vanity.

  "Hello?" He struggled to wrap a towel around his waist with one hand while his hair dripped all over his phone. Were these things waterproof?

  "Hi, Zach. It's Sarah Marshall here."

  He quit fiddling with the towel and let it drop to the floor, his attention fully on Sarah. "Hi. How are you?"

  "I'm well, getting bigger by the day. Listen, there's something I think you should know. Dani had surgery today."

  For a moment, terror closed his throat and he couldn't speak or breathe. A vision of Dani lying hurt in a hospital bed turned his knees to water. He had to lean against the vanity to keep himself upright.

  "What happened? Was she in an accident? Is she okay?" His words tumbled over themselves in their rush to get out.

  "No, she wasn't in an accident. She's okay. Just a little groggy from the anesthetic and sore from the procedure. She just needs rest and care for the next few days, and time to heal."

  "She seemed fine the last time I saw her." He searched his memory for any suggestion that she had been ill when he last saw her at the gym, but the only thing he remembered was the jerk who'd tried to assault her. "What happened? What kind of surgery did she have?"

  Sarah hesitated. "She had breast reduction surgery."

  It took him a few heartbeats to process the information. "Breast reduction?"

  "Yes. They took enough tissue from her breasts to take her from a DD to a B cup."

  "Oh God." The thought of his beautiful girl under the knife, subjecting herself to that kind of torture, made him sick to his stomach. Had he done anything, said something to make her think she should do this to herself? "Where is she? Is she in the hospital?"

  "No, she's not in the hospital."

  "At her parents' house then?"

  "No, she hasn't told her parents. She hasn't told anyone in her family because she was afraid they'd be angry with her. I was only told the other day and she swore me to secrecy." She sighed. "Guess I blew that promise."

  "I need to see her. Tell me where she is."

  "She's pretty groggy right now and very vulnerable. She's on meds for the pain. So the last thing I want you to do is lecture her about having this surgery. You have to promise me you won't upset her."

  "I really need to see her, Sarah. I need to see for myself that she's okay. I won't say anything to upset her."

  "You promise not to start an argument about the evils of plastic surgery?"

  "I promise."

  "I'm taking a chance, Zach. Dani has no idea I'm calling you, and if she doesn't like it, our friendship could be on the line. So if you have any qualms about what she's done, maybe you should just stay away."

  His patience was wearing thin. "I need to make sure she's all right. I need to look after her. So quit stalling and tell me where the hell she is."

  He heard her chuckle. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear you say."

  * * *

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Dani woke again, she was propped up with pillows in a bed in a darkened room. Disoriented at first, she didn't know where she was, but then she remembered the surgery and her memory rushed back. Sarah and Will had picked her up from the clinic, and she was
at their house, in their spare room. According to the clock on the bedside table, it was 2:30 a.m.

  Her head felt a little clearer. The fog that made her feel drunk and sleepy had lifted. Her chest throbbed, but nothing she couldn't handle. Mostly she was tired. She needed time to gain back her strength. Once she felt strong enough, she'd come clean with her family.

  But for now, she wanted to hide here for a couple of days where no one could see her.

  A rustle of clothing caught her attention. In the semi-darkness she made out a figure getting out of a chair in the corner of the room and coming toward her bed.

  "Sarah?"

  "No, sweetheart. It's me, Zach." He turned on her bedside lamp and sat on the edge of her bed.

  Surprise made her mouth go suddenly dry. "What are you doing here?"

  "Sarah called me. She thought I should know about your surgery."

  She was going to throttle her friend, pregnant or not. "This isn't a good time for me. I think you should go."

  "No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with you. For the next forty-eight hours I'm your nurse, at your beck and call."

  Tears welled in her eyes. Stupid meds were making her weepy. "Why are you here? You made it quite clear you think plastic surgery is stupid."

  He bowed his head and sighed. "I'm sorry about that stupid argument. I was way out of line. It had nothing to do with you."

  "Then what did it have to do with? Why are you so against plastic surgery?"

  "Because of Chantal, of course. When she came back into my life a couple of years ago, she asked to borrow money for breast augmentation surgery. At first I refused. I couldn't imagine why she felt she should have the surgery."

  "Because she was perfect the way she was."

  "Because it was all about vanity for Chantal. I tried to talk her out of it, but as usual, she got her way. I gave her the money and she had the surgery."

  "I don't remember her looking any different," Dani said. Her cup size looked about the same as it had in university.

  "That's because she wasn't careful with her recovery. She developed a bad infection, and her doctor had to remove the implants. She had two surgeries that left her with scarring and for what? In the end she was the same size she'd always been. Not to mention she never did pay back the money."