"His doctor explained all of this in great detail," Amelia said. "He said permanent paralysis was a possibility."
"That is a possibility, but given your son's age, and the fact that he's in otherwise good health, I don't foresee any complications," he said.
Of course there were no guarantees. Complications could arise, but Luc was confident the surgery would go smoothly. Besides, she didn't have much choice at this point. "No surgery comes without risks. But without the procedure, the spinal column will continue to narrow. Then you'll be looking at paralysis, loss of bladder and bowel function. Excessive pain."
"I know all that," she said, looking conflicted. "I just needed to hear it from you. Of course he needs the surgery. And I trust that you'll take good care of him. How soon can you do it?" she asked.
"It would be next week at the soonest."
Her mouth fell open, eyes went wide. He knew that look as well as if he had seen it yesterday. "Next week? But he's in pain! I assumed you would do it right away."
He sighed quietly. That was Amelia, always expecting things to be done her way. "I'm already booked up this week and most of next. I have to check with my secretary, but I think I can squeeze it in either next Thursday or the following Tuesday."
"You can't do it any sooner?"
"Thursday or Tuesday. That's the best I can do."
She nodded slowly and said with a weak smile, "So, no special treatment for the ex-fiancée, huh?"
Is that what she'd expected? Special treatment? "I have a busy schedule," he told her. "Until the surgery we can control the pain and at this point there's no danger of permanent damage. But he will have to stay in the hospital so we can monitor him."
"If that's the case I'm staying here with him. In the room," she said, her chin lifting a notch, as if she were trying to challenge his authority, when there was really no need. This combative attitude was unnecessary. As her son's surgeon, his patient was his main priority.
"You'll have to talk to your son's nurse about hospital policy," he told her. "But I'm sure it won't be a problem."
"There is something else I wanted to ask you, that, uncomfortable as it is, I feel needs addressing."
He made a point of checking the time on his watch. He was already running late. "Okay."
"I need to be sure, because of our past, that you don't see this as a conflict of interest," she said.
Several years ago it might have been. But after getting over the initial shock of seeing her again, the only thing he felt was a medical obligation to care for his patient to the best of his ability. As he always did.
And she was nothing more to him than the mother of his patient.
"There's no conflict," he said, and he could see the instant she noticed the ring on his left hand.
"Oh. You're married," she said, sounding surprised.
"Yes, I am."
"Anyone I know?"
"No."
She paused, as if she was expecting him to give her a name, or details, and when he didn't, her smile wavered. "I'm very happy for you.
"In case you're wondering, I'm divorced now. For almost two years. He traded me in for a younger model," she said, bitterness dripping from her words. "They moved to San Antonio and are expecting a baby. He sends Tommy gifts, and calls occasionally, but he never comes to see him."
None of Luc's business. He was her son's doctor, not a confidant.
He checked his watch. "Is there anything else-?"
"Leaving you was the biggest mistake I ever made," she blurted.
Oh, what he would have given to hear those words six years ago, but it was too late to turn back. He was happy with his life just the way it was. He didn't love her anymore. He hadn't for a long time. Maybe all along he'd only been in love with the idea of her, and deep down she had never been what he needed.
Julie was, though. And he did need her. More than he'd ever realized.
"I'll talk to my secretary and see about scheduling the surgery," he told Amelia. "In the meantime I'd like to run some tests."
She looked up at him with big blue eyes that used to melt him on the spot, and he felt nothing. Not a single damn thing. He was beginning to wonder what he had ever seen in her. Had he changed so much since then?
It was clear now that all these years he'd been wondering what-if had been a waste of time. Now he knew. Even if she hadn't dumped him, he seriously doubted they would have lasted very long. Her narcissism would have eventually driven him away.
"You don't want to talk about it," she said. "I get it. Just let me say that I'm really sorry for the way things turned out. I know I hurt you. I hope someday you can forgive me."
He might have laughed if he wasn't so appalled. Same old Amelia, thinking she was the center of the universe, and he refused to take the bait.
"I'm ordering tests today. I'll let you know when I get the results." Or more likely, he would tell one of his residents, who would then notify her. The less contact he had with her the better.
"I really am sorry," she said softly, looking genuinely apologetic, but she was six years too late. He turned and walked out without another word.
* * *
Julie set up a folding table and chair to make a small work space for herself at the foot of Elizabeth's bed where she could keep an eye on her while the nurse, who had been up most of the night, took a few hours to nap. Luc had spared no expense on his mother's home care. The room was as efficient and well equipped as any hospital room Julie had ever seen, yet it lacked that sterile atmosphere that was inevitable in a hospital setting. But if his mother's health continued to fail her, Luc would have to consider hiring another nurse for the overnight shift.
As fragile as Elizabeth was now, Julie was a little nervous being even temporarily in charge of her care. She was too emotionally invested in the relationship to be impartial. Elizabeth was her mother-in-law, but more than that, she was becoming a good friend. A bit like the mother that Julie never had.
When Julie and Luc first discussed their childhoods, she had asked him about growing up without a father. Did he feel resentful or cheated? Had he ever wished his mother had remarried?
My mother gave me everything I could have possibly needed, he'd said. We took care of each other.
They still did. Julie wished she could have been so fortunate, that there had been someone in her life who always had her back, who loved her unconditionally. Wasn't that what everyone wanted? What everyone needed to feel whole? Luc had brought her closer to that feeling than anyone in her life ever had.
"Are you in love with my son?"
The sound of Elizabeth's voice startled her. She looked up from her laptop and saw that her mother-in-law was watching her. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
The older woman's shoulders lifted in a shrug and she smiled weakly. "Eh, I've been worse."
Her strength of character, her resilience, never ceased to amaze Julie. She could only hope that faced with similar circumstances, she would handle her condition with equal poise.
"So? Are you in love with my son?" she asked again.
"He's the most important person in my life."
"But that isn't what I asked, is it?"
Julie hesitated. Luc was right, his mother was sharp as a tack. "Elizabeth-"
She held a hand up to stop her. "No, no. You don't have to explain. You feel what you feel. I know how that is. But a mother can hope, can't she?"
Julie picked her chair up and moved it closer to Elizabeth's bed. "I'm honored that you feel that way, that you would want me in your son's life, and I wish things were different. I really do. What Luc and I have is very special, it's just not..." She struggled for the words to explain.
"Luc was my miracle baby," Elizabeth said. "Did I ever tell you that?"
Julie shook her head.
Elizabeth smiled wistfully. "His father and I had been trying for five years to have a child."
"Wow, that's a long time." For her and Luc's dad it must have felt like forever.
"Back then there weren't as many options as there are now, but we did everything we could. I was young enough to keep trying, but Luc's father was seventeen years older than me. He felt as if he was getting too old. I was his second wife and he had two grown boys when I met him, so he'd been through it all before. I couldn't blame him for his feelings. But, as these things sometimes happen, when we finally made the decision to give up, when I resigned myself to the fact that I would never have a child of my own, I got pregnant."