“I think I’m the first one she’s decided to use IV sedation on.”
“Oh.” Connie wrinkled her nose in an attempt to hide her smile. “But sweetie, you have to get a needle in your arm to get an IV. I don’t see how that will be any better.”
“I’m going an extra hour early, and they’re giving me a sedative in the waiting room. The doctor promised me I’d be so relaxed they would scoop me up out of the waiting room, and I wouldn’t even remember getting the IV.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t go to nursing school like Olivia and me,” Connie chuckled. “It sounds like you have it all under control. You probably won’t remember anything at all. And I’ll come hold your hand. When are you getting it done?”
“That’s the thing. It’s tomorrow afternoon, and I know you’re working. I’ll be fine once I take the sedative, but I’ll need someone to get me home.”
“I’m finished with my shift at two. I can probably get off earlier if I need to. Where will you be?”
“I’ll be in the outpatient surgery at Mercy General.”
“It’ll be fine, Grace. Don’t worry.” Connie hesitated, and her brows knitted. “But Gracie, aren’t you going to tell your sisters? They’ll be so upset if you don’t.”
“I don’t want to tell them.”
Connie let out a heavy sigh. “What happened? Why did you break up with Brad? And why are you on the outs with your sisters? You girls have always been so close. You’ve never stayed upset with each other for this long.”
“Mom, you have to trust me. I broke up with him to protect him.”
“To protect him? But—”
“Please Mom, not now. I’ll explain later. I just can’t handle any more stress right now.”
“But honey, I think Brad would want to know you’re having this procedure done. He’s obviously still in love with you.”
“He’s not in love with me,” Grace protested, feeling her cheeks heat up. “We haven’t even known each other that long.”
“Grace, I’m not as oblivious as you think I am. I know you think I’m unaware, but I’m not deaf and blind. I know when a boy is in love with my daughter.” She wrapped her arms around Grace and kissed her hair. “And I know when my daughter is in love with a boy.”
Grace couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. And she couldn’t keep denying her feelings, either. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”
“It’s not that complicated. You love each other, and then you work things out so you can be together.”
“But he needs to leave New York City so he can have an opportunity to advance. He’s working himself into the ground at Mercy General.”
Connie shrugged. “He’s young, Grace. He chose this life—this branch of medicine. And if he wants to work somewhere else, you can always move, can’t you?”
“He won’t even discuss it. He’s sacrificing himself so I can stay in New York when I’m perfectly willing to move.”
“Gracie, you’re doing this in the wrong order.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It’s way too early to work out all the details. You need to spend time together and get to know each other. And once you’re committed to each other... Well, I’m not saying everything is easy, but all these problems will work themselves out. You’ll decide together, as a couple, the best place for you to live. But you don’t have the right to make that decision for him any more than he has the right to make it for you. You have to decide together.”
Her mother made it sounds so simple—too simple. It couldn’t be that easy. “What if he still refuses to move? I wouldn’t be able to bear watching him wear himself out, knowing it was my fault. It’s already breaking my heart.”
Connie groaned out loud. “I love you, sweetie. But you do have a few faults. And one of them is you think you should make all the decisions. You’ve been bossing your siblings around since you learned to talk. I’ve got news for you—in marriage there’s not going to be a boss. You’ll find out it’s actually fun to share that responsibility. And on occasion, Brad might actually be right about something.”
“But...”
She held up a finger. “Just think about it. I think you ought to tell Brad about your biopsy. But if you’re not ready, I won’t press you on it. It’s your decision. But when this is all over, you’ve got to talk to him. Both of you are miserable, and there’s no reason for it. Okay?”
Grace inhaled a shuddery breath. Why hadn’t she talked to her mom weeks ago? Her mother had a way of making her feel like everything would work out for the best.
“Okay.” She hugged her tight and grinned. “Thanks Mom. You’re pretty smart for an old lady.”