Starting Anew (Life Unexpected Book 3)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  Lynn’s surprise stole her voice for several moments. “I’m glad you told me. What hospital are you going to?” She shifted her weight and reached for a nearby notepad and pencil, receiving a nasty look from Thai for her efforts. She wrote down the information. “Okay. Yeah, I’ve got it.”

  “And Bethany? Don’t come to the hospital. Not yet. Your father wouldn’t be happy. I’ll keep you updated.”

  Lynn wanted to argue with her. “Yeah. Call anytime—day or night. Seriously.”

  “I need to go. Pray hard.”

  “I will.”

  The connection went silent, and Lynn set her phone down. A big part of her wanted to ignore her mom’s request to stay home and get in the car right now. But what if the stalker was outside? Would she lead him to the hospital and make things worse? What if the press caught wind of where she was going and crowded the hospital?

  Either scenario had her stomach aching.

  Mom was right. She needed to wait and get an update first. Find out how things were going before she went charging in. Hopefully Perry would get to the hospital, they’d make a change to her medication, and she’d be going home again before the day was out.

  “Father, guide the hands and minds of the doctors as they care for Perry.” She paused as she thought about the fact that her mom had even called her. That in itself was a huge thing. “Thanks for encouraging Mom to reach out to me and let me know. Please continue to work in their hearts. I miss my family.”

  For only the hundredth time that hour, Nathan came to mind. There was such a huge contrast between where they were in their lives. Here she was, sitting alone, while he was with an extended family today. It took everything she had not to send him a text and let him know she was thinking about him.

  ~*~

  Nathan considered calling Lynn all weekend, but every time he got close, he realized he didn’t know what to say and then talked himself out of it. He finally convinced himself that waiting until Monday would be the best thing. He’d take Mia by Little Lambs, see Lynn in person, and see if she’d be up to meeting after work.

  At this point, talking in person was going to be better than trying to talk on the phone or through texts.

  As he got himself and his daughter ready for the day, he kept going over the conversation in his head. He thought he was prepared until he entered Little Lambs and didn’t see Lynn anywhere.

  Sharon spotted him, waved, and came his way. “Hi, Nathan.” She took the diaper bag from him. “Good morning, Miss Mia.”

  Nathan kept scanning the room, hoping Lynn would walk in from somewhere. “Good morning. I hope you had a nice weekend.”

  Sharon shrugged. “It was okay. I kind of needed another to recover from it.” She reached for Mia.

  He gave his daughter a hug and a kiss before handing her over then cleared his throat. “Didn’t Lynn come in today?”

  Sharon hesitated. “She left me a message early. I guess her sister is in the hospital with some heart trouble. They made the decision this morning to operate. I’m not sure of the details, but Lynn was going over there to wait for more news.”

  “Did she say which one?”

  With a knowing smile, Sharon nodded and told him. “I know she’s nervous. I don’t think her dad invited her, but she’s going anyway.” With a pointed look, she added, “Lynn could probably use some support right now. Trust me, she’s had a really rough week.”

  There was no stopping the immediate pang of guilt at only contributing to Lynn’s plight. He certainly knew how she felt. “I appreciate the information.” He ran a hand over his daughter’s silky hair. “Be good for Miss Sharon today, baby. Love you.”

  Once he got out to the Jeep, he called and spoke to Gregor on the phone. After some schedule reworking, he managed to call in enough favors to get the day off.

  Would Lynn be glad to see him if he showed up at the hospital? Or, since they hadn’t spoken in a while, would she be upset? He couldn’t know until he tried, but he wished he’d reached out to her before now like his gut had told him to do.

  Less than an hour later, he arrived at the hospital and headed for the cardiac wing. Once he got there, he looked for someone to ask about Perry. It didn’t come to that, though. He spotted Lynn sitting in a chair, one elbow on the arm rest, and her chin in her hand. She sat across from a couple he could only assume to be her parents.

  The man had a magazine he was looking at, and the woman next to him worried her thumb.

  No one was talking to each other.

  The moment he started to approach them, all three pairs of eyes swiveled to him anxiously. The couple both looked disappointed, probably hoping he was the doctor.

  But Lynn’s beautiful eyes widened with surprise as she got to her feet. “Nathan. What are you doing here?”

  “I hope you don’t mind. I took Mia by Little Lambs today. Sharon told me why you weren’t in, and I wanted to come by and check on you all.” He glanced at her parents. Her mother was watching them curiously while her father seemed uninterested after going back to his magazine. “How’s your sister?”

  Lynn shrugged. “They took her in for surgery about an hour ago, and we’re still waiting to hear something.” She ran a hand over her face. “It’s been a long night.” She studied him with an open expression. “It was nice of you to come by.”

  Relief flooded Nathan’s system. They still had a lot to figure out, but at least she wasn’t angry or dismissive. He could deal with that. “I’d like to sit with you all for a while if you don’t mind. Mia’s with Sharon, and Gregor is covering my classes.” He silently prayed that she’d say yes. She looked so tired and worn out. There was probably little he could do to help, but he didn’t want to have to walk away and leave her now.

  She looked surprised. “That would be nice. Thank you.” She turned to her parents. “Mom, Dad. I’d like to introduce you to Nathan Kirkpatrick. Nathan, these are my parents, Ralph and Emily Truitt.”

  Nathan barely earned a passing nod from Mr. Truitt, but Mrs. Truitt smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Nathan.” She looked to Lynn as though hoping for further explanation. “It’s good of you to stop by.”

  “Could I get any of you something to drink from the cafeteria? I’d be happy to make a run down there.”

  Mrs. Truitt looked to her husband, who didn’t bother taking his eyes off his magazine, and finally shook her head.

  Nathan turned his focus on Lynn. “How about you? I could get you some coffee. Or a bottle of juice.” He noticed Lynn didn’t even have water at the moment.

  She hesitated before nodding. “I’m actually starving. A bottle of orange juice would be great.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He resisted the urge to reach for her hand and give it a squeeze before he left.

  Chapter Fourteen

  What was worse than sitting in a hospital waiting room? Sitting with your father who completely ignores your existence. Lynn sighed. She got the sense that her mother might have been willing to talk or visit a little, but she was hesitant to do so while he was there.

  Waiting for news about Perry would have been bad enough. Sitting there with her parents just staring made it seem even longer.

  She couldn’t have been more surprised to look up and find Nathan approaching them. She’d imagined all kinds of scenarios over the last week or so, wondering what it would be like to see him again. Wondering what he might say, or how she might respond. Sometimes she was upset at him for not bothering to call. Other times, she all but ran into his arms.

  But none of that really prepared her for the flood of emotions she actually experienced. Surprise was chased by annoyance that he hadn’t called or reached out for so long. But all of that was replaced by relief.

  Lynn was so worried about Perry, yet unable to truly express that with her parents. Having someone there for her was huge.

  There was a lot they still needed to talk about, and maybe Nathan was going to tell her their relationship wouldn’t wor
k. For now, though, he was here. Right where she needed him to be.

  He returned a short time later with a bottle of orange juice and a blueberry muffin. He handed them to her and sat in the chair beside hers.

  “Thank you so much.” She twisted the lid off the bottle and took a long drink, only then aware of how dry her throat had been. The smell of the muffin had her opening the plastic container it was in and pinching a piece off the fluffy top before placing it on her tongue. Her eyes slid closed in approval. This was exactly what she needed.

  When she opened her eyes again, she found Nathan watching her, a look of satisfaction on his face. Her cheeks warmed. A quick check told her that her parents weren’t even paying attention. She tried to tell herself that was a good thing. Except that if her long lost daughter introduced her to a man, she’d want to know all about him.

  Yet another example of the lack of interest her parents had in her. Lynn swallowed her disappointment right along with the muffin.

  Nathan cleared his throat. “Sharon said you took some time off last week. I hope you were able to relax and maybe get some reading in or something.”

  Was he fishing for why she took the time off work? Even if they were to the point where they were openly talking about everything that happened, this wouldn’t be the place to do it. Not within earshot of her parents. Maybe it was pride, but if they didn’t have any interest in her life, she certainly wasn’t going to give them information for free.

  “Let’s just say that, by the end of the week, I was going stir crazy.” She offered him a smile and hoped that would be enough for now. “How about you? How was your week?”

  “It was a long one.” He gave her a pointed look. “Maybe we can talk later?” There was no missing the look of hope on his face.

  When she smiled her agreement, he rested his arm beside hers, the warmth of his skin sending tingles through her own.

  She continued to eat her muffin as they all sat with only the waiting room television to fill in the silence.

  It was nearly an hour later before the doctor finally entered through the double doors at one end of the room. Lynn got to her feet along with the others.

  Dr. Lang smiled reassuringly. “The procedure went smoothly. Perry is in recovery, but she’s still asleep. I’ll need to keep her here at the hospital for several days, but I see no reason why she won’t make a full recovery.”

  Mom burst into tears as she turned to hug Dad. Lynn smiled, tears of relief flooding her eyes as well. “Thank you, doctor.”

  “Of course. A nurse will come let you know when Perry wakes up. At that point, you’ll be able to come sit with her. Do you have any questions for me?”

  Mom asked several about how to care for Perry once they got her home. The doctor assured her that he’d have full instructions for them before Perry was released from the hospital.

  Moments later, he disappeared again.

  The waiting room seemed brighter and less ominous than it had been before the doctor came in. Lynn slowly let a lungful of air out as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “Praise God!” She smiled. “I can’t wait to see her! She’s going to be so surprised I’m here.”

  That earned her a sharp look from her father. “You know Perry will be okay now. You should leave.”

  A blow to the stomach couldn’t have hit Lynn any harder than his words. She blinked at him, sure she had to have misunderstood him. “But I want to see her. Let her know I’m here and praying for her.”

  Her father gave a decisive shake of his head. “No one asked you to come here. Your mother and I are here for Perry, just like always, so it’s time for you to leave.” With that, he opened his magazine again as though he’d given her the time or informed her of the weather.

  Lynn’s stomach rolled as she turned her attention to her mother. She was the one who let Lynn know about the surgery in the first place. Surely she would say something about Lynn staying.

  Mom looked sad, but only said, “Go. I’ll send you an update by text later today.”

  Lynn bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. She refused to cry in front of her parents. Keeping control of her emotions took all she had, and she was afraid if she looked at Nathan, that would be the end. She slung her bag over one shoulder and rushed from the room.

  ~*~

  Nathan fully expected Mrs. Truitt to run after her daughter, but she remained seated next to her husband, sad eyes on the floor at her feet. Nathan may not know enough about the Truitts—or even the history that led to the clear emotional separation between parents and daughter—but he couldn’t imagine speaking to Mia like that.

  When he didn’t leave immediately, Mr. Truitt finally raised his gaze, his expression stern. Nathan was being dismissed.

  He shook his head, amazed at how cold Lynn’s parents were being. He intentionally used the name that Mr. Truitt had called Lynn. “Bethany is one of the kindest, most amazing women I’ve ever met. I hope you know what you’re doing by pushing her away.”

  With that, he left the waiting room. He found her down the hall by the elevators. She was staring out a small window, her back to him, and he heard her sniff as he approached.

  “Lynn? Are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry.” She sniffed again and swiped at her face. “I should be used to this. I should’ve known better.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Knowing my father, he won’t even tell Perry that I was here.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for. Certainly not for anything that happened today.” Nathan desperately wanted to step forward and wrap his arm around her, but didn’t know if she would welcome it. Or if he even should. Instead, he stood shoulder to shoulder with her and allowed his arm to brush hers. “What your dad said was completely unacceptable. And I got the feeling your mom didn’t agree with him.”

  “Maybe not, but she never speaks against him for any reason. That she even called and told me about Perry’s surgery was a shock.” Lynn swallowed hard and turned her head to look at him. “How pathetic is it that, after all these years and after my dad acts like this, I still miss my family?”

  “It’s not pathetic. It’s normal.” Nathan slipped an arm around her shoulders then. When she leaned into him, he rubbed her upper arm with his thumb. “I’ve told you some about my childhood. My biological parents were neglectful at best. My adoptive parents deceitful and vindictive. Despite all that, I still sometimes miss them. Or at least miss the idea of a normal family, even if I’ve never really experienced it.”

  Lynn leaned her head against his shoulder and nodded. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe I miss the idea of a normal family. You know, one that sits in the waiting room together and then bursts into Perry’s room with flowers and balloons and takes turns keeping her company until she’s released.” She quieted for several heartbeats. “I’ve never experienced a normal family, either. Do you think such a thing even exists?”

  Nathan chuckled. “Probably not. Every family has their problems. That’s why it’s a good thing that, in the absence of biological family, we can choose our own.” He was referring more to the way Chess had formed a family, and how they’d all welcomed him and Mia into it. Or how Lynn and Sharon were so close and could support each other.

  But as the words left his mouth, he couldn’t stop thinking about himself and Lynn. Despite the questions he needed to have answered first, it was way too easy to picture creating a family with her. Too easy to see Lynn rocking Mia to sleep every night. And Nathan waking up next to Lynn every morning? Yep, that was super easy to imagine, too.

  He allowed himself to rest his cheek against her head, but resisted the urge to press a kiss to her hair.

  That was one thing about Lynn. Once he’d held her in his arms and tasted her lips, it made not doing so all the more difficult.

  The woman was addicting. After not seeing her for over a week, he was well aware of what life was like without her, and he didn’t like it. But he needed her to be honest with him before he could move forward in their r
elationship.

  “Do you want my opinion about your sister?”

  Lynn leaned back a bit so she could see his face. “Sure.”

  “The hospital is a public place. And your sister, while under your parents’ care, is an adult. I say you go back to the waiting room, get the doctor to see if Perry wants to see you, and if she says yes, your parents will likely have no other choice.” When she didn’t speak right away, Nathan cleared his throat. “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds. But that’s what I would do.”

  “No, it’s a good idea. You’re right, my dad can’t make me leave here if I don’t want to.” She straightened and stepped away from Nathan. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He missed the feel of her leaning into his side. He supposed he should take his leave and give her some space, except it was the last thing he wanted to do.

  Lynn surprised him when she asked, “So I suppose you probably have to get back to work, huh?”

  “My schedule is clear for the day. And Mia is at Little Lambs until five. I could stick around for a while, if you want me to.” Please, Lynn. He wanted to help her, even if it meant just keeping her company while she waited to see her sister. And if he was honest with himself, he didn’t like the idea of Lynn’s parents being unkind to her.

  “If you don’t mind, that would be great. Thank you.”

  “Any time. Come on, let’s get back in there so you don’t miss an update.”

  She flashed him a brilliant smile that left him with no doubts that staying with her today was the right thing.

  ~*~

  Jeb slept in his car Sunday night in anticipation of seeing Bethany Monday morning. She’d taken the whole previous week off from work. Surely she couldn’t keep that up much longer. He’d been confident she was returning to her normal schedule.

  It was a good thing he had been sleeping in his car across the street from her house or he wouldn’t have seen her leave in the very early hours of Monday morning.