what I’m going to do. Unfortunately she’s determined to be my nurse, psychotherapist and nutritionist instead of my mother.”
Yeah, it was all or nothing with her. Always had been. Always would be. At her mother’s age, there would be no changing her.
Yet another reason she’d left home at such an early age. While growing up Aurora had felt like she’d been hatched or adopted. She hadn’t felt as if she belonged to her family. They’d had very distinct ideas on what she should be and what she should do with her life that hadn’t matched at all with what she’d wanted. Her needs, her wants, her dreams, had been squashed by her family.
The only solution she’d been able to come to had been to leave. To get away. Forge a life for herself elsewhere. So she’d broken out and left the state to fulfill her career goals at a large university hospital in Virginia.
At least she’d gotten that part right. A husband and family of her own had been more elusive.
Being in charge of her life was something that she would never change. But those ideas of building a life with someone, having a family, had begun to surface—then had crashed into oblivion after the breakup with her boyfriend and the car wreck. Eventually she’d figured out that he wasn’t a long-term kind of guy. Wasn’t in it for the long haul and didn’t have the fortitude to be the man she needed.
The first time he’d seen her scars he’d recoiled. That had been the end for both of them. All the plans she’d made for her future had come crashing down and she’d come home to Brush Valley to lick her wounds, heal, and recover from the accident and the breakup.
Here she was. Home again. Starting over. A new Aurora, reinventing her life.
Beau looked at her for a moment, contemplating. “I’m sure your mother was scared when you were hurt, right? She’s probably not over the shock of it, so you’ll have to cut her a break a while longer.”
That thought had occurred to Aurora, and she dropped her eyes away from the intensity of him, the truth in his words. “I know, and I appreciate her efforts, but if I hang around the house all the time she’ll feel compelled to wait on me. It won’t be good for either of us.”
Beau lifted his hands and looked around, as if suddenly struck by a bold new idea. “Well, as you know, I’m suddenly without a nurse and I need one immediately. I would love to have you help out as much as you can. If you’d be interested in working with me, that is?”
“What? Really?”
She hadn’t thought of working while she was in Brush Valley, let alone working with Beau. She hadn’t let her mind wander in that direction, but now it seemed like a great idea.
Her heart thrummed in anticipation, her throat constricted for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened. “I couldn’t work full-time yet, but I can answer phones, make patient appointments and work the triage line for you.”
The stress would be way less than working in the hospital, so she might be able to swing it. Could this be the answer she needed?
“What triage line?” Beau gave a sideways smile, lifting one corner of his mouth. “I bought the building a year ago...right before Chloe was born. A lot has happened since then, and I haven’t gotten everything in place.” He shook his head, but there was a smile there. “Maybe you can help me get caught up.”
“That would be fantastic! I could start any time. Like tomorrow.”
The idea of working with Beau, helping to get his business going and refilling her bank account were both very appealing.
“This would solve so many of my problems—just like that.” She snapped her fingers.
“For me, too. Agency nurses are hard to find this far out in the country, and I hadn’t even thought of looking for one yet because Cathy still had a couple weeks before she was due.” He snorted and shook his head, his eyes wide in self-deprecation. “Underestimated that one, big-time. But, if you’re serious, can you really start tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.” Joy lifted her mood immeasurably. “My temporary disability payments run out in a week, so working for you will be the perfect answer until I can figure out a more permanent solution.”
“Deal. You’re hired.” He looked away for a second, then back at her. “Do you want to return to Virginia and your job there? Or are you considering something else? You’ve been missed around here. By everyone.”
The look he gave her was pointed, and guilt filled the empty space in her gut. The people around here had once been her friends, her family, and she’d left them behind in order to have a life for herself elsewhere. Now...? Who knew what the future held, but returning here permanently hadn’t crossed her mind.
A sigh tumbled out of her throat. “I just don’t know. With hospital work there’s always a lot of lifting and pulling and tugging of patients or beds or equipment.” Her shoulders drooped as saying the words aloud made them more real. “I couldn’t physically do the job right now, which is really disappointing.”
“All the years you spent training and gaining experience feel like they’re going down the drain?”
Somehow, he’d hit it right on the head.
“Yes. Maybe it’s not true, but at this moment it sure feels like it.”
Sadness, grief for her loss, overwhelmed her for a second. She’d left this small town to create a life for herself, and now that life had been changed dramatically the first thing she’d done was head home—back to Brush Valley, where she knew she could recover. Could she leave again so quickly? It felt like a betrayal to think of leaving again and it made her very uncomfortable.
“So, be objective for a few minutes. What would you tell a patient if they were in your position?”
“I don’t want to play this game, Beau.” Being vulnerable was hard for her. Being vulnerable in front of Beau was even worse.
“That’s because you know I’m right. What I’m trying to do is get you to think outside of your pain. Come on—humor me. What would you tell a patient? If it helps, consider this a job interview question.”
Huffing out a sigh, Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, then opened them and looked at Beau. “I would tell a patient that this is a moment in time, and not to make any big decisions while still recovering, to relax about it.”
“Perfect!” He patted her on the knee. “Now you know exactly what I was going to advise you.”
He twitched his brows once at her and a smile found its way to her lips.
“Fine. You’re right. I’ll hold off on making any big decisions. At least for now. I’ll work with you and we’ll see how it goes, how my back does, and what other opportunities arise for my future—what I want to do, where I want to live.”
Saying it like that, all in a rush, sounded reasonable, but it was so hard to accept. Time marched on while she stood still. At least it seemed that way.
Maybe all she needed was a little more time, and Beau was right about that. Being driven, focusing on accomplishing her goals in life, had gotten her places. Having her goals and her life stalled due to injury was not the way she wanted to live. Doing
