“Wow. This is really happening.” She blanched.
Her boss smiled down at her. “Like I told you, we have to do everything to make sure we don’t miss anything. We need you back and at your best…you’re gonna be fine.” His gray eyes offered hope. Tessa felt her lips turn up in a smile, and a calm came over her.
After taking the samples, her friend and the other nurses took her down to do the scans before taking her back upstairs. “We should be getting those results within the next two to three hours, then we can move forward,” Justin informed her. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back to check on you periodically while we wait. If you feel any discomfort, don’t hesitate to use the call button.”
“Thank you, Dr. Myers.” She smiled gratefully up at him.
He returned it, and with a slight nod, he left.
Shortly after, there was a knock on the door before a distraught-looking Diane entered. “Mom…” she cried, flying into Tessa’s arms, burying her face in her chest.
“Sweetie, it’s okay. I’m fine,” she said, running her hand over Diane’s dark-brown hair. “I’m fine,” she repeated. It felt natural yet foreign at the same time to comfort her distressed daughter, knowing that she and Diane hadn’t shared an intimate relationship in such a long time. But it warmed her heart to have these small moments with her, even if it was borne out of sickness.
“How did you get here so quickly?” she asked after some time of just holding her daughter while she cried.
Diane disentangled from her and raised her head to look at Tessa. Her green eyes were bloodshot from her tears. “I was already here when I got the call,” she answered.
Tessa’s brow furrowed. “Why? Is everything okay?” she asked, becoming concerned.
“Everything’s fine. I was here to visit my friend. She’s seventy, and she fell and broke her hip.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear that,” Tessa offered. “Is she going to have surgery?”
“Yeah. The doctors told us that they’ll have to do a hemiarthroplasty.”
“They’re going to replace some of her damaged hip joint with an artificial part,” Tessa translated.
“Yup,” Diane replied.
“Is her family here?”
“No. She only has one grandson, but he won’t make it here for a few days. He’s in the Army,” Diane explained.
“Okay. Well, she’s fortunate to have you looking out for her,” Tessa complimented her daughter. Diane’s cheeks turned beet red as she smiled gratefully.
“I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. I really didn’t mean it. I was just angry, and I lashed out,” Diane apologized.
Tessa reached over and cupped her daughter’s cheek. She smiled softly. “I know,” she spoke reassuringly.
“I shouldn’t have said it anyway. That was a despicable thing to do, especially knowing how hard you worked to make sure we were okay.” Diane placed her hand over her mother’s and gazed softly at her with adoration in their green depths. “I never thanked you for all the sacrifices you made for our family because I grew up resenting you for not being there. But the truth is you have always been there for me, Mom. You bought all my ballet gear and cheerleading outfits and helped me bake cookies for spirit day at the crack of dawn before heading to the hospital. I remember you would make Dad video Jake’s and my games, and when you got home, no matter how late, you would sit in the living room and watch them.”
Tessa’s eyes glistened as she listened to her daughter’s recollections.
“It took me a long time to realize it, but you were just as integral to my growth and successes as Dad was, and if it were the other way around, I would have still had two loving parents who made sacrifices to give us a stable home. I’m sorry for being such an ungrateful daughter, Mom.” Her eyes also glistened as they locked on her mother with deep regret.
Tessa flipped her palm to connect with her daughter’s, brought their intertwined hands to her mouth, and then kissed the back of her hand. “I’m sorry too.”
Diane’s brow furrowed. “For what?”
Tessa drew in a breath before releasing it while sitting up against the pillows. “I never tried to understand your passion for baking because I was set on you following in my footsteps and having a successful career. I belittled your café, and that is entirely because of my rigid mindset.” Tessa gave her daughter an apologetic look. “I missed out on so much of your achievements because of my own selfishness, and for that, I am very sorry.”
Diane stared lovingly at her mother. “It means a lot to hear you say that, Mom.”
Tessa smiled and reached over to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I should have been saying it way before now. I promise I will visit your café more than I have, and when you have the grand reopening of your expanded bistro, I will be your most vocal supporter and the first one in line to order.”
Diane’s eyes broadcasted surprise, and her mouth dropped open. “Are you saying that you’re…?” She didn’t finish her statement.
Tessa nodded with a broad smile. “I’m giving you the money to expand your business. I should not have used it as a bargaining chip because it is rightfully yours.”
