A Second Chance (10 page)

Laura told her also about Liam’s reaction, his angry outburst that he didn’t really need his father anyway
; it was
one of the few instances
when he’d
lost control and showed exactly what he felt inside.

I
t was the right move to go and see Laura
.
H
er
fingers
punch
ed
Brian’s cell number
,
and
she waited
impatiently for him to pick up. She had to talk to him
immediately
, prepare him for her absence
,
and
make sure he understood he was in charge of their business for
the time being
. She could just imagine Veronica’s grin
when she realized she had
the office
to
herself for the next week or so, but
Jade
didn’t care
.

She thought guiltily about the countless hours she had dedicated to her work, aware that it
had
pushed aside pretty much anything else that mattered in her life. Brian was just as bad as
she
, both of them working
through
many weeks without as much as a day off
;
the last time they
had taken
a vacation
was
at least two years
before
. There wasn’t much time for friends and family, their relationship thriving only because they had so much in common.

And she knew why it meant so much to be successful and accomplished in the first place. As much as she would like to deny it, there was one person she wanted to impress. She wanted Liam to know she was good at what she was doing, maybe even see his smile as he congratulated her on her successful career, proving she was more than just another girl with big dreams and nothing to show for it. She wanted him to see her as an equal, a woman with ideas and projects instead of the empty
-
headed teenager he used to know years ago. She
hadn’t
really plan
ned
on
meet
ing
him anytime soon
;
the vague idea of him finding out just how good she was at her job
had been
enough to keep her striving for the best.

Well, it looked
as if
she might
get
her wish sooner than she had anticipated.
P
anic
clos
ed
her throat as she imagined seeing him again. She would have to be very careful not to make a fool of herself. The girl from over
a
decade ago was gone
,
and the woman in her place had no time or interest in idolizing a man who so obviously had no interest in her
.

Ignoring Liam was not even remotely as easy as she planned. Jade thought about
him
almost resentfully as she looked around Laura’s apartment. She had arrived at her friend’s place two days ago
,
and already
it
seemed as if she
would be
forced to relive their teenage years.

Laura was thrilled to have her, that much was
clear
.
From the moment she arrived
at the airport
to
pick
up
Jade
, their teary reunion
had brushed
aside all the time they
had
spent apart as if it
had
never existed
,
and
their friendship
had
flourished once again.

S
he
had
left the business in Brian’s hands, trusting him to loo
k after
it
with care as she spent two
week
s
with Laura in San Francisco. He
had been
taken aback and protested weakly about the pile of projects that demanded her immediate attention, only to cave in
when
he saw her set mouth and determined eyes.

T
he truth of this
unholy mess started to sink into
her reawakening brain
for the first time when
she finally plopped into the comfortable seat of the plane. She had acted on impulse, leaving behind all her obligations and plans. She couldn’t explain what
had
made it so easy for her to decide to act the way she
ha
d
.
But it felt right,
a
sense of peace she hadn’t experienced in the longest time descending upon her as she snuggled deeper into the
seat
.

She
had been
shocked
—
and hoped
she had
hidden it well
—
when she spotted Laura waiting for her in the arrival area.
She remembered
Laura
as a slim, dark haired girl with beautiful almond
-
shaped eyes and cheeks that were as smooth as satin. She might have
worn
glasses since grade three, but Laura was still one of the prettiest girls in school. Her shy smile and perfect complexion
had
won her
plenty
of admirers.

The young woman
who
stood at the barrier looked like a ghost of her former self, the pale cheeks and dark shadows under her eyes a stark reminder of the true reason
for
Jade’s
visit. Her dark hair had been cropped short
er
,
and her light pink dress hung loosely around her
petite
frame. Laura
had been
very slim at the best of times
and had made jokes about envying
Jade’s rather voluptuous chest. Jade’s eyes skimmed
over
Laura’s
delicate features
with the speed of light
while debating
what to say
.

‘Laura, gosh
,
it
’
s good to see you.’ Hugging her friend close, her throat
tightened
as she felt the slimness of
Laura’s
body.

‘You too, Jadie
.
’
A
smile radiated all over
Laura’s
face
,
banish
ing
the shadows for a moment as she watched Jade, her dark eyes brimming with tears. ‘God, I
’
m pathetic
,
’ she added swiftly, wiping away the moisture with one impatient move. ‘I promised myself not to make a show, you know
.
But I
’
m so happy to have you here.
The last two weeks have been a nightmare
.
’

A
s time passed
,
Jade was careful to make sure
that
Laura had as many reasons to smile as possible. After all
,
she
had come
to cheer her on and to help her to battle
th
e
treacherous disease that
had
reared
its
ugly
head like an animal ready to pounce on its unexpected victim.

Today they were going to an
orientation
, where
Laura
would learn more about her treatment, the possible side
effects, and
the
risks it would carry as she fought for her life.
The meeting
was obligatory
,
and as much as Laura complained about sitting with a bunch of people equally desperate and scared, she couldn’t just ignore it
.
Jade
had
tried to convince her
of
the benefits of such
an
appointment, quoting people who thrived on group support. She
had
d
one
a lot of
Internet
research and collected all the testimonies in a special folder, forcing Laura to read the more positive and hopeful ones and carefully editing the ones that fell short of her approval.

‘You just go in there
,
and don’t
l
et
yourself
be
scared,’ she ordered
,
after
finding
she wasn’t allowed to accompany her friend inside the room. ‘I
’
ll just wait here for you and try to pick up some doctors. How about that?’

Laura
giggled, her dark eyes
mischievous
.
‘
I didn’t know you
fanc
ied
doctors
.
Good luck
,
girl.’

She disappeared behind the glass door
,
leaving Jade to fight the urge to follow her and offer the support her friend so obviously needed. Instead she picked up
a
magazine
from the pile
and leafed
through the glossy pages. She found it impossible to concentrate
on
the story she had chosen, her thoughts as restless as a flock of swallows before a thunderstorm. She hoped the meeting would help Laura to shake off her almost paralyzing fear of surgery and
the
aftereffects of the chemo that she dreaded. The nurse who was running it looked pleasant enough
; Jade was
glad to have taken a peek at the tall, forty
-
something woman with a maternal smile and reassuring face. She looked trustworthy and experienced, her booming laughter as she joked with some of the patients taking the edge
off
of the rather unpleasant experience.

Jade
cast a quick glance at her watch
;
the meeting was to last approximately an hour.
T
hey
had
passed a cafeteria
o
n the way to the second floor
where
the meeting
was held,
and she remembered the delicious smells
that had wafted
their way as they walked by.
Her stomach grumbled now, reminding her
that she had
skipped breakfast and barely
eaten
anything the evening before. Laura
had been
too stressed to eat much
,
and
Jade hadn’t felt
she should tuck
in in front of her friend. She
had
persuaded Laura to have some cereal and a chamomile tea, watching
Laura like a hawk
as she
obediently
gulped it down.

It
was almost noon
,
and she decided to get herself a snack while she waited. A quick sandwich and a cup of coffee would restore her energy and help her pass the time
she would otherwise spend sitting and biting her nails.

As she walked down the long,
wind
ing
corridor, she looked around with relieved approval. This hospital was nothing like some of the other places she had seen over the years. It was bright, sunny
,
and cheerful. Instead of the usual cream and beige walls that could make everything look sad and dated, lavender and turquoise tones provided a much more pleasant visual experience.
A
few watercolors
hung
on the walls, the serene scenes featuring mostly gardens and landscapes,
their blue and green
hues blending with the cool palette of colors chosen for the
general
décor.

The cafeteria was full of people, the lunch hour attracting plenty of hospital workers and patients alike. She looked through the sea of hospital coats and people with visitors
’
passes, ready to give up on her spontaneous idea and return
to the waiting room upstairs. The line was quite long
,
and she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend too much time
t
here, just in case Laura
needed
her help upstairs. There were definitely worse things than being a bit hungry
.
She
cast one last glance at the buffet, the appetizingly arranged bagels, sandwiches
,
and cakes making her
second
-
guess her decision.
Instead
,
she could use her coins to get a bottle of water from the machine and maybe a pack of dried mix of fruit and nuts
.
E
ager to return upstairs
, s
he searched her purse, fishing for quarters
,
and
sigh
ed
with relief as she found enough to pay for all
the
items she wanted to buy. Brian
scolded
her constantly for not carrying enough cash, and she had to admit he was absolutely right.