“Is that what Dad did?”
“Look, ninety percent of the time he was a loving, giving, supportive guy. But ten percent of the time he was not in love and he moped around like he was walking to the gallows, looking for someone to make him feel better. Someone to prop him up and rescue him. No one wants that job. Jenn was telling you that she was glad to be patient and kind and help you through your grief if she could, but if you’re just going to abandon her when times get hard, who signs up for that?”
“I didn’t really mean—”
“Yes, you really meant that,” she said. “Your feelings were a little off so you thought if you abandoned her, you’d somehow get it together. But it didn’t work. It takes compromise and sacrifice to make a partnership work. From both people, not just the girl.”
“Is that what I did?”
“Sounds like it. Michael, sometimes a good partner puts his needs and desires last, making sure to nurture his woman’s needs and desires. And you know what? I bet you’d feel better faster.”
“I might be too late,” he said. “And now I’m screwed because I really do love her.”
“Then find a way to throw yourself on her mercy. Apologize. Tell her you lost your head and made a mistake. And while you’re at it, promise you won’t do that again and mean it. You know there’s a real trick to making a good relationship last.”
“What’s that?”
“Keep your promises,” she said. “And stay. Never run out. Stay.”
FIFTEEN
Jessie went into the city alone. She stopped by her practice to check in with the staff. Her assistant, Heather, hugged her. “You look so well rested!” Heather exclaimed.
“I don’t know how that’s possible. I’ve been even busier than as a working physician!”
“How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s doing great actually. There was no paralysis. But of course she isn’t driving yet. She’s still in PT, to which I drive her, and uses a walker about half the time because she can get unsteady. Her neurologist is monitoring her, and until he’s convinced she’s stable, she’s going to be a passenger. Her clerk is bringing some work to the house, slowly building up the amount of time she puts in, but honestly, you’d never know she had a close call. Her memory is back to as good as ever, though she has no memory at all of the stroke, the ambulance, the thirty-six or so hours that her brain was scrambled in ICU. And she looks better than ever. Probably from the extra rest, though the fatigue irritates her.”
“And how are you doing? Because you look great,” Heather said.
“I have a million things to keep up with. My younger sister has been with us the last couple of weeks while attending some group therapy but she’s planning on going back to her apartment in Berkeley this week. She has a boyfriend and it cramps their style to have the constant crowd of family around. But he’s so nice and so crazy about her, not the least intimidated by her rather unique personality. So I’ve been getting both my mom and my sister to doctors’ appointments, running errands, cooking, shopping, everything necessary to keep my mom from doing too much too soon. She’s still napping so much. I’d say I should do that for a couple more weeks and hope to come back to work. Part-time at first, just so I’m available. I’m going to continue to stay with my mom for a while, until I’m convinced she doesn’t have a health risk.”
“Isn’t the only risk a second stroke?” Heather asked.
“Yes, and with the blood thinners and blood pressure medicine, I want to be sure she doesn’t have any side effects or other issues before I leave her on her own. The TPA worked like a miracle, but if she’d been alone...” She grimaced and shook her head. “It could have been a tragedy.”
“Well, we really miss you around here.”
“That’s nice to hear,” she said. And she thought that, strangely enough, she kind of missed being around.
She said hello to the partners, the other physicians if they were in the office, and repeated nearly all the same conversations. Then she dashed across town to Dr. Norton’s office. She could have taken her session virtually, but was going to be in the city, anyway, and really looked forward to seeing Dr. Norton in person.
She waited in his office and he came in, his glasses on his nose, that warm smile on his lips, a folder of papers in his hand. He beamed when he saw her sitting at the table. “Look at you! Your mother must be doing so well—you look fantastic.”