her mouth. “Shh, it’s sharing time.”
Lynn turned to Page. “Did you want to share something with the group?”
Page shook her head. “Naw, I’m good for this week.”
Lynn looked at April. “How are you coming along with your second-chance list?”
The entire group knew about April’s list and had even brainstormed ideas to add to it. She shrugged. “We took a cooking class a few days ago. That was pretty cool.”
“Tell them about the hot guy.”
April frowned at Page. “The hot guy has nothing to do with my list.”
“So you admit that you’re attracted to him? Why won’t you go out with him?”
“Because I don’t like him. Sure, he’s good-looking, but he rubs me the wrong way.” April crossed her arms over her chest. “Why should I go out with someone like that?”
“You don’t know him well enough to not like him.” Page appealed to the group. “You should have seen the sparks between them when they rolled out the pasta dough.”
Lynn’s eyebrows shot up. “He asked you out?”
“Yes, and I shot him down.”
“Isn’t the point of your second-chance list to take you out of your comfort zone and see what else is out there?” Lynn pleaded, “Isn’t going out on one date with him part of that?”
April bit her lip. Part of her resented Page for bringing up Zach. Another part knew she and Lynn were right. April hadn’t given him a chance, but then why should she? If cancer had taught her anything it was that life was too short to waste on regrets. She couldn’t explain why she didn’t like Zach, but then, she didn’t need to. She knew she’d regret it if she tried to get close to him. “No. My second-chance list is about doing things I’ve wanted to do but didn’t have time for or the opportunity to pursue. It’s not about squandering time with pushy men who have a cell phone stuck to their ear.”
“Okay, okay. What’s next on your list?”
“I haven’t decided.” She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. She figured she’d close her eyes and point to one.
“Wait.” Page sat up straighter in her chair. “There’s a doctor at the hospital that has tickets for an exclusive wine tasting. I couldn’t go with him, so I gave him your number.”
April groaned. “A blind date? Really?”
“Not so blind. You know Dr. Ross in Pediatrics?”
April glared and mentally scanned the staff at the hospital. “The name is familiar. Maybe I know him.”
“Well, don’t be surprised when he calls you. He definitely remembered who you were and seemed interested.” Page gave her a bright smile. “And I know that going to a wine tasting is on your list.”
It wouldn’t hurt to give Dr. Ross a shot. But then why wouldn’t she do the same for Zach? asked a little voice. She shook her head. Because that was a completely different situation. She’d seen Zach in action and hadn’t cared for him. But Dr. Ross was a mystery. One she’d be interested in unraveling given the chance.
* * *
THE KNOCKING ON his bedroom door wouldn’t stop. Zach checked the clock. A little after three in the morning. Rubbing his eyes, he walked to the door and opened it. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“You’re going to be late for school.” She peered behind him into the darkened room. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
“It’s not morning yet, Mom. And I haven’t been in school for more than a dozen years.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Why don’t you go on back to bed and I’ll read you a chapter from your book?”
She smiled. “The romance one? Love stories are my favorite.”
He nodded and led her down the hall toward her bedroom. “I know.” He squinted from the bright light in the room, but helped his mom into bed. He sat in the recliner and pulled the book they’d been reading the past week from the bookshelf and flipped to where they’d left off earlier that evening.
As he read aloud to her about the Duke of Montmorency and the governess who taught his young ward, the words lulled his mother to sleep. After three pages, her eyes closed and soft snores accompanied his reading. He put the bookmark in place and watched her for a moment. When she slept like this, he remembered how she used to be—so vibrant, full of laughter and funny stories. Her eyes were clear and bright, not clouded with confusion. He missed his mother, grieved for her even though she was still alive. He wished he could do more for her, that he could find a doctor who’d be able to bring her back to him, restore the person she’d once been. Unfortunately, the doctors had told him her disease wouldn’t get better. She had moments of lucidity, but they came less often. And she stubbornly held on to the past as her present.
He replaced the book on the shelf, then stood and covered his mother with the blanket. She stirred, and he held his breath to see if she’d stay asleep. Her eyes remained closed, so he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Good night, Mom.”
He tiptoed out of the room and turned off the light before slowly shutting the door. The snores on the other side meant that he could return to his own bed. But when he lay down under the sheets, he stared at the ceiling, unable to stop the tumble of thoughts in his brain. His mother’s condition seemed to be getting worse. She’d soon need more care than what he could provide. And that meant finding a facility for her. He shut his eyes tight. He couldn’t think about that now. Wouldn’t try to imagine what it would be like to give up on his mother when she needed him the most.
April’s face popped into his mind. The thought of her made him smile despite the fact that she’d rejected him. That was okay. He could ask her out again. There was something about her that intrigued him. That called out to him in a moment like this when he needed to be calm, when sleep wasn’t coming.
* * *
APRIL FELT ALONG the sides of the teen boy’s throat before she turned to the mother, who clearly fretted as she watched. “His glands are swollen, so it’s probably strep throat.” She took a tongue depressor and cotton swab from her coat pocket as well as the small flashlight. “Wade, I need you to open your mouth as wide as you can. I have to run a test to make sure what we’re dealing with.”
The boy opened his mouth, and she used the tongue depressor to stabilize his tongue while she ran the cotton swab along the red, inflamed tissues near the back of his throat. When she finished, she put the swab in a plastic tube and marked the sticker on the outside with Wade’s name and hers. “I’ll have the lab check this ASAP. When is the last time you visited your regular doctor?”
The mother gave a shrug. Based on the shabbiness of her winter coat and the scant information on the intake forms, April could guess that it had been a long time. The only reason that they’d shown up in her ER that morning was because Wade had stopped breathing in class when his throat had swollen to the point of closing. A quick-thinking school nurse had gotten him breathing again before the ambulance arrived. “If it’s strep, I’ll give you some antibiotics and you’ll be off school for a few days until you’re better.” She turned to the mother.
