“I’m sensing you two don’t have as close a relationship as you had with your father,” Bev concluded from the way her shoulders stiffened and the look of annoyance on her face.
“She doesn’t get me— never has,” she griped, then proceeded to explain how she wouldn’t give her the money to expand her business.
“It might not be my place to offer advice to you—”
“Please. I welcome it,” Diane assured her.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but your mother loves you and is looking out for your best interest in her own way. Maybe, because you haven’t had a relationship with her for so long, it’s making you more defensive than understanding. Life is short and full of the unexpected, sweetheart. You must try to put aside your differences and build a bond before it’s too late.”
She knew the feeling and the regret it carried. She had experienced it with the death of her son and his wife, and suddenly their disagreements seemed so trivial, but she hadn’t gotten the chance to reconcile with them for the things she had said.
It was too late by then.
ChapterTwelve
Tessa
“Ouch.”
“Are you okay?”
Holding her side, Tessa looked at Janet, eyeing her with concern.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It was just a pinch at my side,” she assured her.
“Are you sure? Because this is the third time I’ve seen you wince and hold your side like that,” her friend pressed.
“Janet, I’m fine,” she repeated. “I’m just having some tension, and I suspect it’s because of working this double shift. I haven’t had more than a sandwich, a cookie, some tea, and some juice,” she explained.
“Why don’t you get something to eat then? I’ll cover for you,” Janet offered.
“Thanks, dear, but I fear I might make it worse if I eat anything now. It’s best to wait until my shift is over. After I’ve rested, I’ll feel much better,” she assured her. “Besides, I need to check on Mr. Simpson in the ICU. He is due for brain surgery early in the morning. I have to ensure everything is in place and the nurses have done their due diligence.”
“Okay,” Janet reluctantly accepted.
“I’ll see you in a few,” Tessa responded and headed for the elevator. When the doors closed, she used her thumbs to rub circles at the base of her spine. She rested her head against the glass-paneled wall of the enclosed space for the brief duration of her ascent to the fifth floor.
“Good night, Nurse Luis,” the ICU nurses greeted her when she exited the elevator.
“Good evening, ladies,” she greeted back with a smile. “I’m here to go through the charts and check on Mr. Simpson,” she told them.
“Sure thing, nurse Luis.” One of the nurses handed her the charts, and she took her time reviewing them. “Everything looks good.” She smiled reassuringly after taking the patient’s charts. She walked over to his bed with the assigned nurse close behind.
“Blood pressure, O2 level, and heart rate are all normal, and his condition remains the same,” the nurse informed her.
Tessa nodded in understanding while observing his color and vitals as the machines beeped away while he remained comatose.
When she returned to the ER, her side was fully throbbing. Getting an ice pack from the drawer in her desk, she strapped it to the center of her back and returned to the nurses' station.
Her phone vibrated against her leg, and she quickly fished it out of her pocket with hope. However, it was quickly dashed when she realized that it was a message from her dad and not either of her children. She hadn’t heard from Jake since her birthday call to him, and Diane hadn’t been returning her calls. She had hoped they could talk after Diane had a few days to cool off, but Diane wasn’t giving her the time of day, and she was frustrated.
“Nurse Luis, are you okay? You look like you could do with some rest.”
“Why? Because I’m a woman?” she snapped at the man standing on the opposite side of the desk.
Dr. Myers held his hands up with a surprised look on his face. “I didn’t mean to offend you. You just looked a little pale, and then you rubbed your eyes, so I assumed you were maybe tired.”
Tessa sighed as her eyes fluttered shut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. That was rude. I just have a lot on my mind,” she apologized, looking at him sincerely.
