Loving Lizzy (The Serenity Mountain Series Book 6)

Chapter Eighteen

The sound of a door shutting from the kitchen indicated Michael had finished working. Kassie glanced back to make sure Lizzy slept comfortably before entering the kitchen.

“How are you holding up?” she asked as she pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured some tea. She offered it to him, and he took a sip.

“I’m fine. How did the shower go?” His eyebrows arched in worry as he glanced at the entryway leading to the living room.

“It relaxed her. I gave her pain medication an hour ago and wrote it in the log. She took off her wrappings, from what I can see, everything appeared to be healing nicely. I redressed it and she drank a smoothie.” ‘Nurse Kassie’ appeared as she gave him a report.

“How did she take it?” he pressed.

“Naturally, it came as a shock. She wasn’t supposed to remove the bandages until the post-op visit. There’s still swelling, but it’s healing. We did get her into a mastectomy bra to help keep things secure. Samantha found special shirts that hold the drains. It’ll give her a sense of normalcy. We sat in the sunroom and chatted a bit before she got tired. I moved her to the living room since I figured you’d be eating dinner soon. Ty will stop by in an hour with a meal.” Kassie picked up her purse and her keys. “She dozed off about fifteen minutes ago. Catherine will relieve you at twenty-three hundred.”

“I know I can’t do this without all of you. You’ve thought of everything. Half the time, I feel like I’m in the way,” he confessed softly as he followed her into the living room.

“You play the most important part, Michael. Chase mentioned the guys waited for you to show at the team headquarters and you never came. Caregiver burnout exists, and you’ll need breaks to breathe,” Kassie advised as she folded the blanket she used and headed for the front door.

“I didn’t want to bother Chase and the other guys; they don’t know me. I appreciate the fact they support me because of Chase.” Michael turned the knob and opened the door for her to leave.

Kassie’s hand clasped over his as she gently shut the door. She scowled heavily at him as she worked out what she wanted to say to him.

“The team supports you because you supported them. They carry the upmost respect for you as their friend. You, Matthew, and Jameson worked extremely hard to protect us as the team fought their way back. They consider you their friend,” she chastised.

He hastened to reassure her. “I know they are. We don’t know each other like they do Chase. I’m grateful for everything they’ve done.”

She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’ll get to know them now since you live here in Serenity. With the team having babies, you already have a great start as the town pediatrician. I hope you realize we’re here for you as much as Lizzy.” She opened the door and walked out. When she reached the edge of town she called her husband.

“Hey Princess, did you finish at Lizzy’s? I’ll leave in another thirty minutes. Emma and I planned on making dinner.”

“I appreciate the thought. I’m coming to pick up Em and hope to catch you at the hospital. Do you think we can eat dinner there?”

He paused, “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe you can shed some light on a few things, and we can come up with a plan,” she told him as she rounded the bend to the mountain.

“Are we planning or plotting?” Chase chuckled.

“It all depends. We’ll see you soon. Oh, can you ask Leo to pop over? It might help to get his perspective.”

“Will do, sweetheart. Be careful and I can’t wait to see you and Ladybug.” He disconnected the call.

* * *

Michael watchedKassie get into her car and turn toward the mountain before he quietly clicked the door shut.

He read as Lizzy rested. Ty came and left after delivering a mouthwatering steak, a baked potato, and tossed salad for him. He added the grilled chicken salad Lizzy always ordered with extra balsamic dressing. He included a bowl of creamy potato soup and crackers. Two brownies with separate bowls of ice cream and strawberries sat in the other bag. Michael placed the ice cream in the freezer and the strawberries in the fridge with Lizzy’s food.

He glanced at his watch; she didn’t stir. The bath must’ve taken more out of her than he imagined. At least she rested peacefully. A few minutes later his phone dinged with a text from Chase.

Checking in. Bryanna offered to stay with Lizzy tomorrow evening. Team meeting at the building. Thought you might like a tour.

Thanks. Getting my patient files in order while Lizzy rests. Maybe next time.

Michael replied.

Three dots appeared and disappeared.

An hour later another text dinged his phone. This time the message came from Leo.

Team meeting tomorrow. You’re required to attend. Bryanna will come over after she closes the bakery at fifteen hundred.

Michael frowned. Maybe he’d tell Leo he resigned when he got there. They didn’t really use him, and they already started searching for a new corpsman to go on missions. Lately, they stayed local to help the Seattle Task Force with a few investigations. With Catherine expecting and Saint finding out about his daughter, he guessed Leo wanted to keep operations close. They still searched for Kassie’s former patient José and their teammate Ragu, who’d been unjustly charged with drug possession. The team stepped up their search and felt they’d gotten close a few times before something spooked the two missing men. He sighed and began reading his e-book. He found a selection of stories from a woman’s point of view, hoping to understand Lizzy’s emotions.

“Something smells divine. Did you cook dinner, already?” Lizzy slightly stretched before rising from the chair.

“Ty brought over dinner. He left his famous grilled chicken salad for you and dessert. I ate earlier while you slept.” Lizzy nodded and Michael stood to get her food.

“I must’ve left my phone in the bedroom. I’ll get it while you’re preparing my meal. What time is it?” She removed her blanket and steadily went down the hall to retrieve her device.

“It’s twenty thirty,” he called out to her as she passed the kitchen. Michael warmed up the meat, placed it on the salad and set it on a tray. He finished putting the boxes and bags in recycling at the same time she came around the corner.

“I didn’t realize I slept late. The chicken smells wonderful even from the bedroom.” She pinched a piece from her plate and hummed in appreciation.

“Go sit down and I’ll bring the tray,” he directed her as he picked up the food.

Lizzy settled in the chair and placed the pillow in front of her chest. She smiled as she peered down and noticed he cut up her food into small portions to keep her from struggling with cutting it with a knife.

“Thank you. Sit down and tell me about your day. Did you get everything from the office?” She pierced some of the greens and chewed as Michael told her about the new doctor replacing him.

When he finished, a silence filled the room while she continued to eat. She noticed he kept glancing at her plate. She rolled her eyes.

“I drank an entire smoothie which I’m sure she added to the log. Can we pretend you’re not my doctor and act like two normal people carrying on a conversation?”

Michael put his phone down on the coffee table. “Shall we start with you explaining why you took your bandages off this early? We’re finishing up the first week and your instructions said to keep them wrapped. I wanted to be here to support you,” his voice showed his disappointment.

“I told you I wanted to do it myself,” she mumbled and laid down her fork. Her hands folded in her lap.

Michael swiped his hair with his hand. “Damn it, Lizzy. You asked me to leave, and did it after I left. Kassie told me you took it off, I’m assuming you did it before she arrived. What if you fell? No one was here to support you through it, not to mention it’s still swollen and draining. It probably appeared a lot worse than it will be in a few weeks. You did it all alone…” his voice drifted off. He felt more upset she didn’t ask him to help her and hold her while she saw the fresh wounds along her chest.

“Again, I wanted time to absorb the shock of it. After all it’s my body and my decision,” she bristled at his questions.

“You’ve made that quite clear. It seems like we always come back to this. Please tell me where I fit in this journey. I realize you’re battling cancer. Your friends come and give you sponge baths, help you get to the bathroom and keep your spirits up. I fully admit I’m grateful to them for thinking ahead because I concentrated on getting you home. What do you consider me now? So far, I’ve delivered a meal to you. At twenty-three hundred, Catherine will take over. You’ll go to the bathroom once she arrives and change into pajamas, and I’ll sit out here and patiently await your return. Catherine will insist I get some rest. Then I’ll leave you in her capable hands. In the morning, I make your breakfast and eventually Kassie will make her way down or Carol will stop in. Do you realize we haven’t kissed one time since we got home? We don’t talk about the future. In fact, I notice you avoid it all together. If I guessed, I’d say you’re waiting for a call from Dr. Brady to determine my place in your life. I don’t like it one bit,” Michael ranted.

“I’m here,” she whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

Michael swiped his hand over his face and shook his head. He got up from his seat on the couch and knelt beside her chair.

“Lizzy, I’m sorry. Waiting for the damn phone to ring feels like an eternity. Then you’re subtly holding yourself away from me. It scares me.”

“I’m here.” She gazed into his eyes. “When Dr. Safder told me they found cancer, I decided not to drag you through this, not again. You convinced me to move here with you and I said yes. I can’t promise you tomorrow, but I’m here, right now. Let’s enjoy this time together and pretend the cancer doesn’t exist. Show me the new office, take me for a ride up the mountain, or let me sit in the kitchen while you prepare our food. Don’t pretend I’m an invalid. It helps having my friends stop by because I can’t stand you staring at me and pretending to stay hopeful when we both know we’re terrified of the phone ringing.”

Michael blinked and a tear ran down his face. “I’m terrified the phone will ring and like a nightmare, I’ll wake up and find you gone. I love you, Lizzy Bee and I worry you don’t think I can care for you. I admit, I’ve experienced boneheaded moments, and I promise to do better.”

Lizzy laughed. She rolled back her head, held onto her chest and let it out. Michael stared at her completely confused.

“Don’t get better at staying a bonehead,” she giggled. “Oh, Michael, you walk around on eggshells. You act as if I’ll break any moment. You can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. The road didn’t magically appear with potholes because you drove me home. The stairs to the front porch were there the first day we saw the house. The ladies kicked you out for your own good. You need air, friends, and for Pete’s sake stop watching me breathe.”

“This can be serious, and you crack these crude jokes. In all the time we stayed married, you never told a single jest. I don’t know what you’re thinking anymore. How can I reassure you when you don’t talk to me? You ask me to grab your tablet, get your leggings but we don’t discuss the elephant in the room.”

Lizzy sobered at his words. “We can’t discuss anything when we don’t know all the facts. I try to think of things to occupy you or you’ll sit and watch me sleep. It’s almost a week, and we’ll know soon. I hope she calls before the weekend. If Catherine and Kassie didn’t push you to rest, both of us know you’ll make a pallet on the couch and grow mold. If you wanna kiss me, then kiss me, dang it.”

He smiled as he leaned in, watching the merriment dance in her eyes. Somewhere in there, his Lizzy lurked and deemed him a bonehead. His lips pressed against hers. She started to touch his face and he intercepted her hand, knowing it caused her pain to raise it. He closed his eyes and relished the moment of her soft mouth touching his. Her mouth opened as her tongue glided across his bottom lip. She nipped him with her teeth and grinned.

“I love you, Michael Bonehead, no matter what happens, I want you to remember those words more than anything else.”

“Oh, Lizzy, don’t?—”

“Shhh, help me move to the couch and hold me. We’ll take a moment to recharge. As much as you’re worried about me, I’m concerned for you. Can we enjoy each other and keep the world at bay? I’ll text Catherine and tell her you’re taking care of me tonight.”

Michael pulled the blanket from her lap and noticed her shirt. “This comes in handy, who found it?”

“Samantha sent it over.” She eased up from the chair. “I’ll text Catherine if you’ll grab me acetaminophen. I’m feeling a bit achy.” She winced as she reached for her phone.

Michael helped her gather pillows for the couch and sat her down before retrieving her meds and a glass of water. He wrote the time in the logbook and watched as she took the two pills from his hand and swallowed them down. He took the glass from her and set it on a coaster before sitting down next to her. Gathering the pillows to hold her upright, he eased her back, yet still kept her in a sitting position. His arms went around her, and she sighed her contentment.

For the first time since they returned home, he finally felt he did something right. They enjoyed the silence until he heard a soft snore. He closed his eyes and kissed her temple. Her hair smelled of vanilla and he inhaled her scent. He leaned his head on the couch. Before he drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were of how much he loved this woman. He prepared himself to fight for her, for himself and their future.