Chapter 9
Isla
T hree days had passed since Isla had cried her heart out to Vera and she was still mildly embarrassed that it’d happened. Under normal circumstances, Isla wouldn’t have let her emotions overcome her like that. But she had been trying to hold it together for so long that one look at Vera sent her falling apart. Not in a bad way; in fact, it was the opposite.
Vera made her feel safe.
Isla didn’t know how to explain it, but there was a softness that she could almost feel in Vera’s presence. She calmed the parts of Isla that she didn’t know could be calmed. And that simultaneously scared Isla as much as it excited her.
There was no doubt in Isla’s mind that she had feelings for Vera. She also couldn’t deny that she knew Vera had feelings for her, too. After all, Isla wasn’t one to go around kissing random people. Especially not people she barely knew and especially not random doctors. But there was just something different about Vera.
Maybe the whole soulmate thing is real, Isla mused to herself as she finished bussing a table. Work had been slow, as she was learning most lunch shifts were, but it gave her just enough downtime to daydream about Vera. If anything, it kept her mind from constantly thinking about Blake.
Not that she wanted to forget Blake. In fact, that was the last thing on earth she wanted. Blake was a part of her and a part of her would always live outside of her body and in Blake. But Isla knew that no matter how much she wanted to let everything fall apart because of what happened, she had to keep going. For herself and for Mason. Especially for Mason. Mason still needed her, and she was with her. Isla had to stay strong for her to protect her.
Which was why she’d been careful not to let Mason watch any TV shows recently. She’d claimed the cable was out, but in reality, Isla couldn’t stand the thought of Mason seeing Blake on TV. Isla didn’t want to explain, again, why Blake wasn’t with them anymore and why their daddy took her away. It killed a piece of Isla’s soul each time she had to retell the story.
But Isla knew the older Mason got, the more of the story she’d have to tell her. At least for now Mason was too young for all the details.
“Isla,” Maureen called from behind the bar, holding up the bar’s corded phone, “phone call.”
Her heart immediately began racing. No one knew she worked there except Mason’s school, Maggie, and Vera, and she doubted Vera would call her at work. But with Mason at school, she had a good idea of who it would be. Isla ran over to the phone and grabbed it out of Maureen’s hand as she pressed it against her ear.
“Hello?”
“Miss Mackenzie?” It was an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line.
“Yes? Who’s this?”
“Oh, sorry. This is Miss Smith from the elementary school. I wanted to let you know Mason has an upset tummy and a fever. I have her separated from the other kids in the nurse’s office right now, but you should come and pick her up.”
“I’m on my way.”
After telling Maureen the situation and clocking out, Isla sped over to the school to pick up Mason. She looked so sick and tired laying on the small vinyl bed. Isla sat beside her and felt her forehead with the back of her hand.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“My tummy hurts.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Isla scooped Mason up into her arms and noticed her wincing. “Where does it hurt?”
“I don’t know,” Mason whined, but she was clutching her right side. Isla didn’t know much about medicine, but she knew that wasn’t the side to have hurting.
Rushing out to the car, Isla buckled Mason in and headed straight to the hospital. She made a beeline for the reception desk in the emergency room.
“Is Dr. Forsyth here?”
“Yes,” a concerned nurse stood at the nurse’s station, “is everything okay?”
“I just really need to see her. Please. Tell her it’s Isla.” She shook her head as the nurse picked up the phone. “No, tell her it’s Mason.”
The nurse paged Vera, who came running around a corner a few moments later. She had on the standard blue scrubs and a stethoscope was loosely hanging around her neck. Vera placed her hand on Isla’s back as she led her over to an exam room.
“Hey, what happened?”
“I don’t know. The school nurse called saying she had a fever and a stomach ache but she’s clutching her right side so I thought…”
“Appendicitis,” Vera finished her sentence for her. “It could be, or it might not be. Lay her down here and let me examine her.”
Isla did as she was told, and Mason held tightly onto her hand. “It’s okay, baby. I promise.”
“Hey, Mason,” Vera gently tucked her hair behind her ear, “it’s Vera. You remember me, right?”
Mason nodded.
“So, you’re not feeling good, huh?”
“My tummy hurts.”
“It does? Hmm. Well, is it okay if I take a look at it?”
Mason nodded again, and Vera carefully lifted up her My Little Pony shirt and began palpating her abdomen. And just like Isla had feared, Mason cried out in pain when Vera was near her appendix.
“Yeah, that’s her appendix,” Vera looked up at her with sympathetic eyes. “But the good news, this is a common procedure and she’ll recover great. I know it.”
“Okay,” Isla nodded, trying to prepare herself for Mason to go under the knife.
“But I can’t do the procedure, so I’m going to get a doctor that can, okay? I’ll be right back.”
Isla nodded again as Vera left the room. Sitting beside Mason, Isla kept running her hands through her hair as she prayed over her. Religion wasn’t something Isla was in the habit of practicing, but she’d found herself praying more and more over the last year. Not that she had to think about why that was.
After a few minutes, Vera and another doctor along with several nurses came into the room. They explained the procedure to her and gave her forms to fill out as Vera changed Mason into a gown with dinosaurs on it. As they wheeled her out of the room, Isla held on to Mason’s hand down the hallway. When they arrived at the point when Isla couldn’t follow, she leaned down and kissed Mason’s cheek.
“I love you, Mason. It’s going to be okay.”
“I love you too, Mommy.” Mason’s smile was all she needed to let her know things were going to be okay.
As they wheeled Mason back to surgery, Isla grabbed onto Vera’s hand. She hadn’t fully registered that Vera had stayed right by her side until that moment.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” Isla exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours. “Can you go with her?”
“What?”
“Please,” Isla almost begged. “You’re a doctor. Can you be in the room with her?”
Vera nodded, seeming to understand what Isla was asking. “I can, or I can stay here with you. What would help you?”
Isla was stunned by her response. It only added to the fact that Vera was different. She was special. And she was too damn good for Isla.
“Be with Mason. Please.”
“Okay,” Vera nodded. “I’ll come and find you as soon as she’s out of surgery, okay?”
“Okay.”
Before either of them had time to overthink their next move, the two embraced and quickly kissed. It was as if it was their routine every time before Vera headed off to the operating room. But the scary part for Isla was it felt so damn good and natural. How were her feelings developing so quickly and so strongly?
And how was she going to be able to keep from going insane with thoughts of Mason, Blake, and Vera all vying for her attention?
Finding a magazine in the waiting room, Isla took a seat and tried to distract herself. But the magazine was boring, and old. She already knew about all the celebrity gossip it contained. Tossing the magazine aside, she turned her attention to the TV that was playing quietly in the corner of the room. The local news was on, which gave her a temporary distraction for the hour or so she sat impatiently in the waiting room.
Until that damned commercial came on again.
Isla felt as if she couldn’t breathe. All her emotions around Blake bubbled up to the surface once again and mixed with her worries about Mason. Rushing outside, Isla barely made it to the green grass before throwing up.
She was angry with herself and at the world for not being able to better protect her children. They were her daughters . It was her job to protect them and yet she’d let one daughter be taken from her and another was in surgery.
I’m a terrible mother.
Isla felt her heart breaking for all the things she couldn’t control. She hated not being able to protect them at all costs. As badly as she wished she could go back in time and change everything that had happened over the last year, Isla knew it was impossible. One way or another, she’d have to find out how to pick up the broken pieces of her life and make them into a mosaic. She had to: for herself, for Mason, and for Blake.
“Isla!” Vera’s voice was frantic and it startled Isla from her thoughts. “Are you okay?”
It was then Isla noticed she was on her hands and knees on the ground with her purse haphazardly lying beside her. Vera helped her to her feet, then pulled her into a hug. She seemed to know exactly what Isla needed to hear.
“Mason is okay.”
“Good,” she sobbed happily into Vera’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“The surgery went great. She did great. She’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you.”
Carefully, Vera took a step back enough to see Isla’s face. She brushed her hair out of her face and wiped her tears. It was becoming an all too regular occurrence with them.
“I’m sorry.”
Vera cocked her head. “For what?”
“That I’m such a fucked-up mess.”
“You, my gorgeous Isla, are not a fucked-up mess. You’re a beautiful human trying to handle everything life throws at you the best way you know how.” Vera kissed her forehead softly. “And, for the record, I think you’re doing a great job.”
“How can you say that? I mean,” Isla gestures to herself, “look at me. I’m a mess.”
“No.” Vera shook her head. “You’re Isla. You’re an amazing mom. Mason is so lucky to have you as her mom. I see the way you are with her; how much you love her. I know she feels that.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “And I know Blake feels it, too.”
Isla resisted the urge to hug Vera again.
“You’re too good to me. I don’t deserve this.” Taking a few steps back, Isla tossed up her hands. “I never planned on you showing up in my life, you know? I was supposed to move to this town, keep my head low, and make a life for Mason. I never planned on you.”
“I never planned on you either.”
Is she smiling? She’s smiling.
“Believe it or not, I don’t usually accept dinner invites or movie invites from people. And I especially don’t go around kissing people just because there’s nothing else to do.” Tenderly, Vera reached out and took hold of Isla’s hand. “I like you, Isla Mackenzie. And, if I’m being honest, that probably scares me as much as it scares you.”
Isla laughed dryly. “I’ll admit I’m a little scared. My feelings for you are so…”
“Strong,” Vera finished her sentence again.
“Exactly.”
“But you know what?”
“What?”
“There’s no one else I’d rather be scared with than you.” For a moment, neither said anything. They looked into each other’s eyes until Vera laughed. “I’m sorry. That was supposed to be a lot more romantic than it actually sounded.”
“Don’t apologize.” Closing the space between them again, Isla wrapped her arms around Vera’s neck and kissed her. “I know what you mean, and I feel the same.”
“Good.” Vera kissed her again. “Do you want to see Mason? She should be in recovery now.”
“Yes, please.”
Holding onto Vera’s hand, they walked back into the hospital. It felt so natural that Isla could almost convince herself they were an actual couple going to check on their child. But the official stuff would have to come later. Isla needed to see Mason.
When they walked into Mason’s room, she was resting peacefully in the bed. Isla softly kissed her forehead as she tried not to wake her up. Vera squeezed her hand.
“She’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Vera pulled her close again. “Always.”
And again, Isla felt a wave of safeness wash over her. Somehow, she knew they were all going to be okay as long as they stayed together.