Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (21 page)

“Could
I get something to drink, please?” She gave a weak smile. “Diet Coke if you
have any, Gran.” She started to make her way toward the kitchen but Jenna, her
friend since childhood, jumped up. “I’ll get it.”

They’re
probably afraid I’ll make a run for it out the back door
, she thought to herself. And they may be right. The
shock was beginning to wear off, and she took in the two remaining people in
the group. Rachel Ellison, the head nurse from St. Mark’s and a woman she
didn’t recognize.

The
woman stood up and motioned for Laura to sit down in the big chair in the
corner. Laura almost giggled; it reminded her of a wedding shower where the
bride-to-be was the center of attention.

The
woman extended her hand and Laura shook it. “My name is Myrna Hyslop. I’m an
intervention specialist and I’m here to help your friends and family.”

Jenna
came back into the room. Ice cubes clinked in a tall glass and she held a can
of coke in the other hand. She placed both items on the table beside Laura and
gave her friend a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Love you,” she murmured,
then went back to the other side of the room and sat down.

Laura
poured half of the coke with a trembling hand and took a deep swallow. It
tasted great, but what she’d really like is another oxycodone to go with it.
She tried to remember when she’d taken the last one, but her memory was fuzzy.
She set the glass back down, frowning with the effort of concentration. Her
memory was deserting her frequently these days, and she didn’t like it.

There
were times, like right now, when she couldn’t even remember what had sent her
down this path to self-destruction. But then the memories would come flooding
back and she’d feel herself falling even deeper, if that was possible, into the
black void that was currently her life.

She
forced herself to look at the people gathered in her grandmother’s living room.
Her father, divorced from her mother for ten years now. Always there for her.
It was her father who’d supported her when she announced her decision to become
a nurse. He was the best, and she’d been genuinely delighted for him when he
told her a few weeks ago that he’d found a woman to share the rest of his life
with. She couldn’t remember the woman’s name right now, but her father was
happy and that’s all that mattered.

Next
to her father was her Gran. As long as she could remember, a stable force in
her life and a source of unconditional love. As a child, Laura had spent at
least two weeks a year here at her grandmother’s house in the Shaughnessy
district of Vancouver. Those had been some of the happiest times of her life.

Rachel
Ellison. Head Nurse at the hospital, and her supervisor. It was only a little
over a month since Laura had fallen at work and broken her arm. The cast had
come off two days ago and she massaged her arm, trying once more to recall what
had precipitated that fall. She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t remember
that either. At least she’d done one thing right. She’d stashed away a supply
of oxycodone before the accident. The doctor wouldn’t prescribe any pain meds
for her after the fall, informing her that a broken arm didn’t warrant anything
more than Tylenol, and besides a stronger pain killer could prove addictive.
She’d almost laughed out loud at that, but had managed to nod in solemn
agreement.

Jenna
Harkness. Her closest friend since childhood. They’d grown up together in
Quesnel, had done volunteer work at the local hospital, and had shared
everything. Even after Laura had gone to Vancouver for her nurses’ training,
they’d remained close. Laura had been there when Jenna and Drew got married,
and had rushed to see each of her children only days after their birth. Her friend’s
eyes were all shimmery with tears, and she wondered if Jenna was about to tell
her that she was no longer Godmother to Hayley and Mark. The idea was
insupportable, and for the first time she felt real fear.

“...which
is why your family and friends are here for you today.” The intervention
specialist was speaking but Laura hadn’t heard a word. What was her name again?
She turned toward the other woman, hoping that her expression didn’t reveal
what she was thinking. That she didn’t really need her help. Her family were
wonderful to be so caring, but her current state was only temporary. She’d be
back up to speed any time now.

She
took another drink, playing for time. She’d come to love the sound of ice cubes
recently. They signalled good times ahead. She frowned again. At least they
were
supposed
to be good times, but in recent weeks she’d often wake up
in the morning not remembering what had happened after the third or fourth
drink in her favourite bar. She stared into the bottom of the glass. She’d better
cut back on the drinking, or she wouldn’t be in any shape to go back to work.

She
looked at the faces around the room and put on a conciliatory smile. “I’ve been
drinking too much” she said, nodding as she spoke to let them know she accepted
the seriousness of her problem. “And I promise to cut back right away.”

Nobody
responded. They didn’t have to; it was clear that they didn’t believe a word of
what she said. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

“Okay,
you’re right. I won’t just ‘cut back’. I’ll stop drinking completely.” She
tried another smile and held up the arm that had been broken, flexing her
fingers as she spoke. “I’ll be fit for work soon and I need all my senses for
that.” She looked directly at her supervisor, who was looking at her oddly.
“Rachel knows what I mean, right?”

The
Head Nurse looked at the intervention specialist who nodded, then turned her
attention back to Laura. “You’re not coming back to work. I’m sorry, Laura, but
I can’t afford to have you back on the floors.” She gave her head a little
shake. “I’d planned to talk to you the day you had your accident. In
retrospect, I should have realized what was going on, but it never crossed my
mind that you had a substance abuse problem. You were skating on thin ice then,
but now you’ve gone right over the edge.”

Laura
wanted to tell her she was mixing her metaphors, but something held her back.
“How can you possibly say that? I haven’t seen you since I got the cast on.”
Her tone was getting desperate, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I’m much better
now.”

For
the first time she saw something like pity in Rachel’s eyes. “Laura, we saw
each other a couple of weeks ago, at the staff picnic. You don’t remember?”

“Come
on, Rachel. Stop kidding.” She glanced around at the others in the room. They
were all looking at her gravely and her world seemed to tilt. She looked back
at her supervisor and when she spoke her voice was little more than a whisper.
“I don’t remember.”

“You
were pretty high when you got there, so I’m not surprised.”

Laura
didn’t intend to give up without a fight. “Come on, Rach, everybody has too
much to drink once in a while; it’s how we blow off steam. You know that.”

“Your
drinking is only part of your problems.  It wasn’t until I discussed the
situation with Dr. Rowland that I started to put the pieces together. He told
me that you’d been taking various forms of oxycodone for a couple of months
before you broke your arm.”

“And
you believed Stew?” Laura was incensed. “He’s the one who gave it to me in the
first place.”

She
closed her eyes, dropped her head. She wanted to snatch the words back, but it
was too late. Her first instinct was to blame Rachel for tricking her, but that
lasted only a second. It wasn’t Rachel’s fault she’d become addicted. It wasn’t
even Stew’s fault, much as she’d like to share the blame. She was an RN, for
God’s sake; she’d known the consequences of self-medicating with oxycodone long
before he suggested that she take one to help her get through the bleak days
after Mattie died.

They
all spoke after that. Her father, her grandmother, and finally her friend
Jenna. Ashamed and resentful at the same time, she heard very little of what
they had to say. She knew they loved her and wanted to help her, but what right
did they have to interfere in her life? It wasn’t until Jenna spoke of her
children that she raised her head and actively listened to her friend.

“I’m
not giving up on you, Laura. You’re Godmother to my children, and I need you to
be in their lives. What if something should happen to Drew and me, God forbid?
You promised to take care of them, and I need you to be well. Please say you’ll
go.”

Go
where?
Laura wondered. Either they
hadn’t discussed that part, or she hadn’t been listening. But did it matter?
Not really. She knew what was in store for her; the location was the least of
her concerns.

She
knew better than to ask if she could go home. After brief but tearful goodbyes,
the Hyslop woman bundled her into a large SUV and pulled out into traffic.

Laura
was silent for the first half hour, watching downtown Vancouver slide by
outside the window. “Where are we going?” she asked eventually, as they crossed
the Lions Gate Bridge.

“Please
call me Myrna”, the woman said with a thin smile. “We’re going to Vancouver
Island. There’s an excellent rehab center not far from Nanaimo, so we’ll be
crossing from Horseshoe Bay.” She seemed remarkably upbeat. “I always enjoy the
ferry crossing.”

Laura
remained silent for several moments. “What about my apartment?” she asked
finally. She hoped it wasn’t too much of a mess.

“Your
father’s going to take care of that for you.”

Laura
absorbed this information with a silent nod. She twirled a piece of hair around
her finger and rubbed it against her lips. It was a gesture she used to make to
calm herself when she heard her parents arguing, or when her mother had been
particularly vile toward her. She dropped the piece of hair and glanced
sideways to see if Myrna had noticed, but the woman was manoeuvring through
traffic, approaching Highway 1.

“What
about clothes, toothbrush, stuff like that? And who’s paying for all this?”
Laura hadn’t meant to sound belligerent, but the words came out that way.

Myrna
narrowed her eyes.

She
probably thinks I’m a spoiled bitch. Maybe she’s right.
She smiled in an attempt to let the other woman know
she meant well.

“Your
father sent along a suitcase for you. You won’t need a huge wardrobe at Water’s
Edge, but he and his new lady friend picked out some nice things for you.”

“You
saw what they bought?”

The
other woman nodded. “Yes, it’s part of my job. You’ll be checked again when you
arrive just to make sure. As for the money, your father and your grandmother
have paid for that as well.”

“I
can afford to pay for it.” Laura didn’t know why she’d said that. Maybe she
just needed to assert herself. Everything else seemed to have been decided for
her.

“Good.
But that’s between you and your father now.”

They
fell silent after that. Laura scarcely noticed the sparkling blue of the
Pacific as they neared the ferry terminal. She was startled when Myrna spoke as
they waited in line to board the ferry.

“I’ve
made this trip many times.” She glanced across at Laura. “It never fails to
inspire me, knowing that people like you have the strength to turn their lives
around.”

Traffic
started to move. Ferry staff motioned them forward impatiently and Myrna guided
the SUV up the ramp and into the gaping mouth of the ferry.

Laura
felt as though she were being swallowed whole. She fought the panic that
threatened to engulf her as they drove into the gloom of the parking level.
Until now, she hadn’t given serious thought to what lay in store for her. She
took several deep, calming breaths. Whatever was coming, it couldn’t be worse
than what she’d already been through...could it?

Bradley
Jamieson watched the shaft of sunlight move slowly across the bed. He willed it
to stop, but it moved inexorably toward him. Soon it would be in his eyes, he’d
be forced to move, and the woman in bed beside him would know he was awake.

She
was lovely, no doubt about that. They’d been introduced a couple of weeks ago
and he’d been attracted to her, but had been hesitant to ask her out on a date.
Finally he’d texted her, and she’d replied almost immediately. Last night had
been wonderful; an intimate dinner sitting side by side in a booth at his
favourite restaurant, followed by a leisurely walk along the waterfront. He
couldn’t recall who had initiated the first kiss, but it had been long and hot;
there was no doubt that they both wanted more.

The
sex had been fantastic...for both of them. A small smile tilted the corner of
his mouth as he recalled the number of times she’d told him what a wonderful
lover he was.

She
stirred in bed just as the sun hit him in the face. It was pointless to pretend
any longer.

“Oh,
you’re awake” she said, propping her head on a hand and looking down at him
with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

He
nodded. He’d had a rare night free of nightmares. That in itself was worth
celebrating. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and rubbed at the stubble
on his cheeks. The woman...what was her name? Ah yes, Alexa...scooted across
the bed and was snuggling up behind him, pressing her breasts into his back.