Mother Knows Best #2
Eyes darting at the unattended reception desk, the same thought kept replaying in my head; I could bet if I walked into the doctor’s room I would find my mother perfectly fine, possibly sitting with a cup of coffee or even something stronger, having quite an engaging tête-à-tête.
Suddenly, I bolted to my feet because that was exactly the plan.
I was going to go there and I was going to get her red-handed.
“Florence?” My father glanced at me with concern.
“What’s wrong?” My dear father, the kindest person in the entire world, who had to deal with that woman I called my mother day after day and yet still admired every beat of her heart.
The very man who dragged her from the cold night sea, later begging her not to marry his best friend, so deeply was he in love with her.
How did she even deserve him?? And now, how was I going to tell him that this whole thing was just another one of her plotting schemes?
Well, the thing was…I suddenly wasn’t going to do that.
“Um…I just had a, um, a spasm, a spasm in my…hip.” I quickly hinged forward. “Gotta stretch that,” I blurted out, aggressively reaching for my toes. I couldn’t tell whether he was buying it or not, but the one staring at me with curious suspicion was Miles. And that was freaking me out.
Minutes later my mother showed up with, by the look of it, a demeanour conveying theatrical distress. How did I not catch that sooner? Dr. Monroe was at her side.
“Your wife is fine,” the doctor said, “nothing serious to worry about.”
“Thank God,” my father sighed with relief. “I was so, so worried about you, Elizabeth,” he breathed.
My mother, nearly tearing up as he took her hands in his. Oh, please! Mentally rolling my eyes at this brilliantly performed scene. Hollywood, you’re missing so much!
“Elizabeth,” Dr. Monroe continued, “make sure you have a lot of rest and,” glancing at me, she added, “less stress.”
There was so much going on in the last few days, but this…
Wow! I genuinely thought there might be something wrong with her.
Diabetes? Or even something worse! What a relief, of course, I was wrong.
But this whole charade…God, I was so furious.
Furious! Ugh! I curled my fingers into a tight fist. If I could, I’d punch a freaking wall, though the idea of a fractured hand didn’t seem like a great one. So, I thought, no, thanks.
“Did you hear, Florence?” Miles smiled at me. “Good news!”
“Yeah.” I mustered a subtle face. If only he knew… “Well,” I shot back at my mother, eyes narrowing, my voice firm as I spoke, “it looks like we are going to draft a caretaker schedule for you, Mum. Bed rest for you for the foreseeable future.”
“Oh, Florence.” She forced a laugh, innocently shifting her face to my father. “No need to exaggerate. I really do not need a full-time nurse.”
“Please, Mum.” I reached for her hand, a knowing grip tightening her fingers.
“You made us all so worried. From now on, meals are delivered to your bed, and certainly no solo trips around the town. After all, we are all in this together.” Using her own methods against her wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was certainly a lot more fun.
Let’s see how long she was going to last helpless.
“Oh, absolutely.” My father nodded his head. “Elizabeth, my darling, you won’t lift a finger.”
Terror. A flash of terror crossed her forehead. The thought of incessant twenty-four seven care must have felt like a punch to her gut.
“I think,” she suddenly blurted, her voice dramatically weak, “we should probably go now. This place makes me so, so dizzy.” Slowly making her way to their car, she suggested with the slightest gleam in her eyes, “You two…will be fine?”
“Of course,” Miles nodded. “Don’t worry, Elizabeth. We’ll see you at home soon.”
And in the end, this whole ordeal turned out just as she planned.
Back at Miles’ car, still huffing and puffing with frustration, I pushed myself deep into the seat. My fists clenched so tightly that my nails dug into the soft of my palm to the point I might have actually bled.
“What’s up with you being agitated and all?” Miles asked, a slight, quizzical frown playing on his face.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, forcing my best I-am-fine smile. God, this is the first time we were alone after what happened at the beach. I guess we needed to talk, but …I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready for any of this. As far as I knew, I was meant to have a drink with Blake. Shit, Blake.
“You don’t look fine to me.”
“Well, I am!” I spat the words out and shot him a glare.
“Um…” Miles cleared his throat. “You sure?”
A curt, “Yep!” escaped me. “Hundred percent.”
“So, what’s with the attitude?” He raised his brow, staring at me. Then, a slow smirk played on his lips. “I really need to understand why you’re radiating such warmth towards me?”
“Jeez!” I muttered. “I said it’s nothing! Can you just drive?”
He scoffed. “Okay…princess?”
“Great, then!” I glanced away.
“Great, then!” He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. A quick snort followed as he pushed back to start the car.
Damn it , I knew this whole thing with my mother wasn’t his fault. So why was I taking it out on him?
“Look,” I sighed with a quick head shake. “I’m…I’m sorry, okay?”
“Yeah, Florence. Whatever…”
“No!” My eyes hesitantly shifted his way, then travelled upwards to meet his. “I mean it. I am sorry.”
Miles narrowed his gaze at me, both eyebrows arched in question. A slow, very pleased grin plastered across his face. “Hmm…what was that again, Florence?”
“You can cut it out with the smugness, I won’t repeat it again.” Lips pressed together in a thin line, I tried to keep my cool.
“Well then,” he said, tilting his head with a confident flair, basking in his own glowing contentment. “Since you are asking so nicely…” He peered at me from under a few strands that fell over his forehead. “Apology accepted.”
A half-smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Crap!
“Home?” he asked, his voice softening slightly as he noticed the change in my expression.
***
The way back was quiet. We didn’t talk about the beach.
He probably wanted to, but he didn’t ask.
He knew I wasn’t ready to discuss it. Nor did he—and, frankly, me neither—expect us to be back to…
well, yeah …We sat in a comfortable silence, unsure what awaited us tomorrow, our favourite band playing softly in the background.