Chapter 7
2012
Nobody had ever warned Bethany that twins were a possibility. As far as she knew, they weren’t on her mother”s or her father’s side, and the Waterstones had no mention of them in all their generations on this side of the Atlantic. Why, then, had Bethany given birth to Tommy and Maddie? People called it a blessing. They said, “Two were better than one.” Most of the time, Bethany agreed with them. Her heart burst with love for her two darling blessings. She spent every hour of every day worrying over them, nursing them, staying up late with them, and watching them sleep. But alongside that, she recognized the reality of having twins. It meant fewer hours devoted to her career. It meant a foggy brain. It meant twice the fear of illness and accidents.
The twins were three months old when Bethany returned to work. She was needed at the hospital, where she worked as a surgeon for children and adults. Very sick patients needed her expertise, her sure hand. But going back to work made her feel heavy with guilt and shame. And, of course, Amanda Waterstone didn’t help with that. She reminded Bethany at every family dinner that Bethany was “missing out on the precious years.” Bethany spent nearly every moment of her life brokenhearted as a result. If she quit working, she was doomed to regret that forever.
The staff at the hospital welcomed Bethany back with open arms. Both female and male nurses had private words with her, telling her she was “their favorite doctor” to work with and that many other surgeons were “impossible.” They had a little welcoming party with cupcakes, fruit, a big basket of baby supplies, and plenty of speeches regarding Bethany’s “wonderful commitment to the field.” Bethany was so overwhelmed that she sobbed in the bathroom afterward.
After her first day, Bethany returned home to find Nick and Amanda in the nursery. Amanda fed Maddie a bottle while Nick held Tommy over his shoulder. Their eyes were shadowed. Bethany had a strange suspicion that they were talking about her.
“There she is. Your mother,” Amanda said, speaking to little Maddie as she passed her over.
“How was it?” Nick asked her.
Bethany sat gingerly in the chair that Amanda had vacated. “It was incredible to be back.”
Amanda sniffed. “I had better get home to your father. He was in surgery today and will expect a steak dinner.”
“Thank you for coming today, Amanda,” Bethany said quietly. Their nanny had called in sick at the last minute, and Amanda had graciously stepped in. “I don’t know what we would have done.”
Amanda looked as though she wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.
After she left, Nick and Bethany put their babies to bed and watched them sleep for a little while. They held hands and felt in a bubble of love.
Downstairs, Nick popped open a bottle of champagne, which they drank from after Bethany pumped. His eyes sparkled as he congratulated her on her return to the hospital.
“It was such a complicated day,” Bethany said after a moment. “But I know it’s the right thing. I want Maddie to see me like this. A working mother.”
Nick flinched. “You don’t have to insult my mother, you know.”
Bethany’s lips parted with surprise. “That’s not what I meant!”
It hadn’t occurred to her to insult Amanda. Not overtly.
Nick waved his hand. “I’m sorry. I know.” He sipped his champagne. “It’s been a difficult few days.”
Bethany rubbed his shoulder. “What’s up?”
Nick explained that he’d overheard a colleague complaining about him. Saying that Nick had only gotten the surgeon gig because of who his father is.
“That’s ridiculous,” Bethany said. “You know you’re good. You know how smart you are. These people are jealous.” She laughed gently. “You were born into the kingdom, yes. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve your status.”
Nick smiled and kissed her cheek. They shared a moment of quiet intimacy that spoke of the tremendous years they’d spent together and the babies sleeping upstairs.
“Are you still up for the party this weekend?”
Bethany racked her mind for the memory of the party.
“You know. Win’s engagement party.”
“Right! Sure,” Bethany said. “I just have to check with the nanny.”
“Already taken care of,” Nick said. “Mom agreed to watch them.”
“I don’t want to overuse your mother,” Bethany said.
“She’s a grandmother for the first time! She loves it,” Nick said.
Bethany chewed her lower lip, then immediately stopped, remembering when Amanda had belittled her for doing that.
“It’ll be fun,” Nick urged. “Everyone will be there. When was the last time you saw some of them? Our wedding?”
It was true that Bethany hadn’t had a lot of “fun,” per se, in the past few years. She’d pushed herself through her residency with ravenous intensity and secured a top surgical position at the other Savannah hospital—the one that Nick’s father did not control. It was important to her to keep her distance. To earn her place. Nick, of course, had been hired to work under his father.
Saturday night, Bethany dressed in a flowing blue dress and a pair of flats. Of the outfit, Amanda said, “It hides the baby weight wonderfully,” which made Bethany wince with shame. “Twins!” she wanted to cry out. “My body wasn’t ready!”
But as she and Nick entered the night, Bethany allowed herself to flow through time, drink champagne, eat ridiculously expensive appetizers slathered in reductions and sauces, and laugh with some of her nearest and dearest friends from med school. Or—if not her nearest and dearest friends, Nick’s.
One of them, Austin, wrapped an arm around Bethany’s shoulders later, his breath heavy with whiskey, and said, “Y’all remember when she was a nobody?”
They were in a circle in the middle of Win’s living room, and the air was warm and sparkling. Bethany felt her smile falter.
“What are you talking about?” This was a girl from med school named Quinn. “She was always Bethany Sutton, the best student in our class.”
“Yeah, but she didn’t hang out with anyone,” Austin said. “She acted like she was so far above all of us. Nick was obsessed with her. Remember, Nick? You were like, ‘Who does she think she is?’” Austin’s eyes sparkled with drink.
Bethany’s heart banged against her ribs. Nick separated Austin and Bethany and wrapped his arm around her lower back. “She was intriguing to me, that’s for sure,” he said. “You good on drinks, honey?”
Bethany’s cheeks were warm with embarrassment.
“Seems like Bethany’s having the last laugh,” another friend said. “Married to Nick Waterstone with twins. High up at her hospital. A revered surgeon. Most of us can’t say that about ourselves.”
“That’s true. When I asked Nick to marry me, he said no,” Austin joked.
Bethany cackled and swatted Austin on the shoulder.
“All in good fun, my love,” Austin said.
The night went on. Bethany drank a glass of water, knowing the twins wouldn’t care if she was hungover tomorrow. They would scream as much as they pleased regardless. Nick went out on the balcony with Win and Austin to smoke cigars, and she found herself in the corner with another of Nick’s colleagues from Dr. Bob Waterstone’s hospital. Mel was in his forties with a comfortable beer belly.
“How’s the kid holding up?” Mel asked, raising his beer toward Nick, whom they could see through the window.
“With the twins? Oh, great. He’s a good father,” Bethany said.
Mel shook his head. “No. I mean, after the incident.” He wagged his eyebrows.
Bethany’s stomach curdled. She had the horrible sensation that he was referring to something she didn’t know about.
“I mean, the guy didn’t die, right?” Mel asked. “So it’s not the end of the world.”
“Right.” Bethany played along, trying to put the pieces together.
“But it was a close one,” Mel said. “That’s for sure.”
Bethany’s head hammered with confusion. After Mel disappeared to find more beer, she beelined to another colleague from Nick’s hospital, a nurse married to one of the other doctors. Her name was Rita, and she was incredibly peppy and happy, with a high ponytail that reminded Bethany of high school cheerleaders. Rumor had it she was the best nurse in Bob’s entire hospital.
“Bethany!” Rita said. “Congratulations on the twins!”
Bethany thanked her, smiled, and made small talk until she could figure out a way to ask about Nick’s patient. It felt bizarre that she had to learn about this via Mel. Wasn’t this the kind of thing Nick should talk to her about?
Rita’s eyes were shadowed when she brought it up. Under her breath, she said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know details about that. Only those in the room know, and they aren’t talking.”
Bethany’s stomach tightened. “That’s bizarre, isn’t it?” Normally, gossip was high-powered in hospitals. Stuff got around.
“If you ask me,” Rita said delicately, “your father-in-law made some threats. Maybe even bribed them.”
Rita snapped her hand over her mouth. “Shoot. I’ve drunk a little too much, haven’t I? Loose lips sink ships, as they say.” She scowled. “You won’t tell Nick I told you that. Will you?”
“No. Of course not.”
Bethany felt like she was floating. She went through the party, eavesdropping, trying to put together the pieces of her husband’s “other life” at the “other hospital.”
Was it possible he wasn’t a proficient surgeon?
That his father had given him the position of relatively high-up surgeon without merit?
The thought rang through her. It terrified her. If people like Nick were on the loose, making mistakes that were ultimately covered up, then the medical field was just as corrupt as she’d always feared.
Worse than that, she’d married into that corruption. And there was nothing she could do about it.
In the following weeks, Bethany did her best to dig into the life-threatening surgery that Mel had mentioned. But there was no record of it on file in the hospital office. Nobody would speak with her about it nor acknowledge that it had happened.
And when Bethany finally asked Nick about it to his face, Nick played dumb. Accusing him of lying seemed idiotic, especially as the twins were less than four months old.
Bethany decided to drop it.