“Yeah, I do,” she agreed as she made her way down Pioneer Way and toward the downtown area.
“Have you talked to Diane?”
Tessa’s brows drew together as she screwed up her nose. “Aren’t you two joined at the hip now? I’m sure the minute she called me, you would have known,” she quipped.
“Tessa, can you not do that?” Kerry sighed.
“Not do what?” Tessa asked innocently. “Not mention that my daughter would rather spend time with you than me? Should I not mention that Diane hasn’t called me in more than a week, nor has she been to the house in weeks even though she lives less than twenty minutes away?”
“Then why don’t you call her? Visit?” Kerry countered.
“You don’t think I’ve called and left messages, and she still hasn’t returned any of them? Believe me. I’ve tried.” Tessa released a heavy breath, and her shoulders sagged as her fingers loosened around the wheel. She had hoped that after Don’s death, her children would have wanted to be closer to the one parent they had left, but it seemed they were intent on staying away and blaming her for what happened to their father. As she stared into the rearview mirror and prepared to turn onto Goldie Road, she winced at the sight of the wrinkled skin at the corners of her tired-looking eyes. Her children had no idea how Don’s death had devastated her and still did. He was the love of her life.
“My daughter is too busy trying to erase me from her life to call,” she said, her lips turning down in a sad frown. “Maybe she has succeeded in replacing me,” she added.
“I will say this for the last time. I’m not trying to take your place in Diane’s life. I would never do that. But it doesn’t mean that I won’t be there for her if she needs me because I care about her very much. So maybe if you’d try to listen to her once in a while and support her dreams, you wouldn’t have to feel this salty about who she chooses to spend her time with because you would let her know that you’re open to learning about her interests instead of her feeling like a disappointment to you.”
“Did she say that?” Tessa’s grip on the steering wheel tightened to the point that her knuckles lost all color. “That I think she’s a disappointment?” She shook her head and sighed. “I have never felt that way about her. Granted, I still think her opting out of medical school to become a café owner was not the right choice.”
“See, that’s your problem.” Tessa’s lips sealed shut at her sister’s interjection. “You can’t get past the fact that she isn’t doing what you want her to do, and you can’t even see that it’s not about what you want.” Kerry’s breath sounded through the stereo and was heavy with disappointment. “You’re acting just like Dad.”
“I am not.” Tessa vigorously shook her head.
Kerry continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Unless you change that attitude and try to support her dreams, you might just lose your daughter forever.”
“What do you mean by that?” Tessa asked, her brows compressed over her eyes, her heartbeat quickening.
“Talk to your daughter, Tessa,” Kerry encouraged instead of answering her question.
“Look, I’ve gotta go. I’m in the parking lot. I’ll call you later.” Tessa disconnected the call after her sister’s“Okay.”She released the breath that had been straining heavily against her chest and rested her forehead on the steering wheel of the now-parked car.
Her head swirled with thoughts about what Kerry had meant about her losing her daughter. Even though their relationship was strained, the thought of Diane going anywhere where she wouldn’t be able to reach her scared her to the core. Jake had opted to go all the way to Chicago, which was already maddening. If Diane moved away too, it would leave her a wreck. She needed to talk to Diane. When she’d collected her thoughts, she stepped out of the car, gathered her things, and walked toward the hospital lobby.
ChapterTwo
Tessa
“Good morning, Tessa. How was your break?”
“Hi, Callie, it was great. I got in some well-needed rest.” Tessa smiled at the bubbly redhead receptionist at the reception’s desk. “How has it been here?”
“Busy.” Callie pulled a face as she replied. “But I’m off this weekend, and I can’t wait.” Her green eyes lit up at this.
Tessa chuckled. “Don’t have too much fun now. We need you back here in one piece.”
“What would Oak Harbor Medical do without me?” Callie sighed dramatically.
“I suppose the hospital would burn to the ground,” Tessa replied with a lift of her lips. “It was great catching up with you, but I've gotta head over to the ER before the morning rush.”
“Okay, Tessa.”
She turned and continued down the lobby toward the door that led to the ER. She was surprised by the lack of staff on the floor, especially on a ward where there was usually a flurry of activity. One of the interns she was responsible for training informed her of a meeting in the waiting room.
When she made it there, nurses and attendings gathered in a semicircle as the hospital’s medical director stood before them.
“What’s going on?” she discreetly asked one of the nurses she’d sidled up to.
“Oh, Nurse Luis, you’re here, great,” the director spoke up before the nurse could reply.
