Authors: Lynnette Bernard
“Room 206, second floor,” the nurse told her, stepping back as Laurie rushed by to head toward the elevators.
The ride up the one flight was endless. Laurie’s heart was beating hard against her chest as the doors finally slid open and she was facing a waiting room partitioned off with floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Stepping forward, she pulled the doors open and stepped into the waiting arms of her son Dean.
“Mom! Thank God you’re here,” Dean whispered as he pulled her into his arms and held her firmly in his embrace.
Laurie squeezed him tightly, thankful that he was there. “Dean, have you seen her yet?” she asked quickly, trying very hard not to cry and make him more nervous than she knew he already was.
He stepped back and put his arm around her shoulder as he directed her out of the waiting room toward the semi-private room that housed his sister. “Yeah, they let me in to see her a little while ago but just made me leave so they could examine her.”
They stood together outside the room, waiting, knowing that they couldn’t go in just yet. It was killing Laurie to be so close and be unable to get to her daughter. She stood with her back against the corridor wall, nervously wringing her hands together as they waited. Turning to look at Dean, she saw he was equally agitated as he stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, the muscles of his arms bulging under his T-shirt, and his face covered in a day-old beard. She saw the worry in him as he stood straight and tall as he faced the closed door to the room that his sister was in.
Laurie smiled as she watched him, knowing that he had turned into a wonderful person. How had she ever gotten so lucky to have such amazing children?
“When did you up and turn into a man?” she asked him, smiling.
He turned toward her, a confused expression on his face before he smiled slowly. “When you weren’t looking,” he teased her, glad to see the smile that covered his mother’s face.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door to the room finally opened. A young nurse with short black hair and a soothing smile stepped out, rolling a portable blood pressure machine.
“You can go in now,” she said quietly to them both. “The doctor will be in shortly to speak to all of you.”
“Thank you,” Dean answered, smiling at the young nurse. “This is my mom Laurie,” he introduced her.
The woman smiled. “I can see the resemblance between the three of you.”
Laurie smiled, loving the way people always commented that her children looked like her in both features and coloring. All three of them had the same brown eyes and dark brown hair. Only Dean was different in that his height was already surpassing six feet and she and Mia were tiny in comparison. Turning quickly, she walked into the room. At any other time, she would have stopped to talk and be friendly, but her only thoughts were of Mia. She had to get in to see her.
The room was darkened, the blinds pulled to allow as little light in as possible. Laurie turned and nearly cried out as she saw her daughter’s form lying so still in the hospital bed.
“Baby girl?” she spoke softly.
Mia turned toward her mother’s voice and smiled, tears filling her eyes immediately. “Mom,” she whispered, reaching out her arms and trying to lean up to embrace her.
Laurie was beside her immediately, pulling her daughter gently into her arms and hugging her as tightly as she dared. “I’m here, baby,” she whispered against her daughter’s face, kissing her cheek and breathing in the scent that was uniquely Mia.
Laurie could hear Dean walking around the other side of the bed to sit on the edge to face his sister. “How ya doing, Mia?” he asked her softly, reaching out to embrace both her and their mother.
“I’d be much better if you two weren’t squeezing me to death,” she mumbled against their shoulders.
Laurie laughed and gently released her hold on her daughter, smiling as Dean grumbled and sat back to stare down at his sister. “Okay, brat,” he told her calmly. “Is that better?”
Mia smiled and let out a small laugh, holding her head immediately as the pain shot through her. “Don’t make me laugh, Dean. It hurts.”
“Sorry,” he said immediately. “What did the doctor say?”
“She said I’ll be sore for a while, but she didn’t think there were any broken bones or internal injuries. They took some X-rays to be sure. My neck and shoulders hurt from gripping the steering wheel and trying to keep control of the car.” Mia turned to her mother and looked at her with fire in her eyes. “It was Patrick, Mom,” she said with such anger that Laurie had no doubt that if he were here right now, Mia would unleash all her pent-up anger and frustration. Mia and Dean both knew that Patrick had never been much of a father to either of them.
Neither kid ever referred to him as Dad. They grew up with him being absent except for rare moments over the years when he made sure they knew he hated their very existence.
“You saw him?” Laurie asked, knowing before she spoke what the answer would be. She had no doubt in her mind that Patrick was putting in place his form of judgment and sentencing. She knew that he would never leave them alone. He would continue to hurt them and prove he had control over them until they took their last breaths.
“He didn’t try to hide himself,” Mia answered disgustedly. “He swerved into me three times before I couldn’t hold the car on the road anymore. Luckily, I just spun out on a section of dirt next to the highway. I hit a guardrail. I think the car is totaled. Sorry, Mom.”
“I don’t care about the car, honey,” Laurie answered vehemently. “I only care that you’re okay. We can always replace a car, but I can never replace either of you.”
Mia nodded, trying to hold back the tears. She had always been the strong one who took on the protection of her mother and brother. No one ever messed with her. But now that her mom was there, she could finally let go. She was scared, in pain, and angry. She didn’t want to be in control anymore. She needed her mom to help her give up that control.
The door to the room opened, and all three of them tensed. Looking up, they saw the woman who Mia recognized as being the attending physician when she had been admitted. The older woman smiled down at them, her deep blue eyes filled with caring as she looked down at the obviously loving family. She pushed up her wire rimmed glasses and took a calming breath as she held a clipboard in one hand against her chest.
“Hello, Mia,” she greeted her warmly, looking at the two obviously very concerned people who sat on the bed beside her. “I’m Dr. Rogers. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before. We were all a little busy when you were brought in.”
“I remember,” Mia answered quickly. “This is my mother Laurie, and my brother Dean.”
The doctor nodded to them and looked down at the chart that she carried. “I just wanted to let you know that all of your tests and X-rays came back negative. You have no internal bleeding and no broken bones. Due to the severity of the crash, you should expect to be pretty sore for the next few days at least. We’d like to keep you in the hospital overnight for observation. As long as your condition remains stable, we’ll be able to discharge you in the morning. I’ll make sure one of the nurses schedules a follow-up visit so I can check on you in about a week.”
Laurie let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Thank you, Dr. Rogers,” she said, trying with all her might to keep herself under control.
“You’re very welcome.”
Dean squeezed Mia’s hand, unable to talk. He was more than relieved. He didn’t know what he would do if something ever happened to his sister or his mother. The three of them were a team. They always had been, and always would be.
The doctor turned and walked to the door, reaching out to open it, then hesitated and turned to look back at the three of them. “There was a call that came in to the main switchboard that was forwarded to me a little while ago. It was from a man who claimed to be your father. He wanted to know the status of your condition.”
Laurie’s heart stopped beating.
Oh, God. He knows where we are!
“I don’t have a father,” Mia spoke up strongly. “He died when I was a baby.”
Laurie looked at her daughter, stunned. “Mia?” she whispered, unsure what to say.
“Don’t give out any information about me to anyone who calls. The people in this room are my only family. No one else should even know I exist.”
The doctor nodded and left the room without another word.
“Mom, I told the police that Patrick was driving the car that ran me off the road,” Mia told her, her voice strong and sure. “They said they were going to pick him up for questioning. Hopefully, they’ll see the damage to his car and hold him for a while. Then I’m going to press charges.”
Laurie nodded. “Good.”
Mia smiled for the first time and relaxed against the pillows. Laurie lay down next to her, gently holding her daughter’s hand as she did so. Dean lay down on the other side of her and did the same.
“So, how’s your vacation, Mom?” Dean asked, smiling at the feeling of finally being able to relax.
“It’s really nice,” Laurie told them honestly. She hesitated a moment, unsure how to tell her children about Jace and Jackson. “I think I’ve finally found love.”
Mia and Dean looked at her in shock. “Really?” Dean asked smiling, one eyebrow quirked with humor.
“Yes, Dean, and don’t tease,” she warned her son.
“I’m not,” Dean began.
“Yes, you are. Shut up, Dean,” Mia told him quickly. “So who is this guy, Mom? Does he treat you with respect?” As always, Mia’s voice was filled with concern.
Laurie blushed and lowered her eyes.
Here goes nothing.
“It’s actually two men,” she began hesitantly.
Mia laughed out loud, wincing slightly at the pain it caused her sore muscles. “Go, Mom!”
Laurie blushed but couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “They are the owners of the lodge where I’m staying. They’re wonderful men. The whole community there is amazing. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before. They’re all in triad relationships. It’s different, but it seems to work for them. I’ve never seen people so happy.” Laurie hesitated, thinking through what she wanted to say to her children. “Jace and Jackson seem to feel that we were fated to meet to form a triad. They want us all to be a part of their family. They want you two to be with us. They say that because you’re my children, you’re their children, too. They value their family and friends, and they treat me with such tenderness and caring it makes me afraid.”
“Of what, Mom?” Mia asked quietly.
“I’m not exactly the best judge of men,” she whispered.
“Mom, don’t let your lack of judgment over Patrick ruin your future,” Dean cautioned her seriously. “That was a long time ago, and you’re not a shy seventeen-year-old anymore.”
“Mom, you’ve been alone for a long time,” Mia told her quietly. “We know you’ve given up a lot to take care of us. If you’ve found someone, or two someones, who care about you, you shouldn’t let that pass you by. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. Don’t make a mistake and throw it away.”
Laurie smiled across at her two angels. “When did you two get to be so smart?” she asked them sarcastically.
“We were born that way,” Mia answered sleepily. “We take after our mother.”
Laurie smiled and snuggled against her daughter. She reached out to take hold of Dean’s arm as he embraced the both of them.
Mia grumbled and pushed at Dean. “Geez, Dean, you’re squishing me!”
“Quiet, brat,” he told her calmly. “You scared the crap out of us, so just be still and let us hold you.”
“Mom!” Mia whined.
“You heard your brother,” Laurie answered, smiling into the pillow as she lay next to her daughter. “Quiet, brat.”