Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) (12 page)

Encouraged by the sympathetic looks
thrown her way, Moira continued. “Maybe planning’s the answer. You all planned
your interventions to the last detail. This time around, probably because I’m
so emotionally involved, I threw caution to the wind and acted spontaneously.
We need another intervention and we need to plan it in detail.”

The nods of agreement and ensuing
plotting were abruptly stopped by Daniel Ramsay’s booming voice as he entered
the living room. “What you need,” he looked Moira squarely in the eye, “is to
leave them be, - you all need to back off.”

Moira’s head whipped back in surprise
and Daniel felt a twinge of guilt. They’d been married for close to sixty years
and she was still his darling girl, but sometimes her good intentions got in
the way of her good mind. And, because she was as stubborn as he was, she
wasn’t open to hints and manipulation, so he needed to say it straight off, as
hard as it was for him to be firm with her.

Taking a chair and placing it next to
her, Daniel took Moira’s hand and gently placed it in hers. She looked at him
from lowered lids, eyes reflecting confusion and a bit of shame. Good, he
thought, squeezing her hand in reassurance, there was a glimmer of guilt so
there was hope to stop the ‘Meddling Association’ as he secretly called them.

He looked around at the unusually silent
crowd, his friends, and neighbors, and said with as much feeling as he could
muster, “Your intentions are good and I respect that. That you do so much good
is honorable and kind. It makes you the best people I know.”

The others in the room blushed or dipped
their heads in embarrassment, because praise from the strong, stalwart Daniel
did not come lightly or insincerely. Good, thought Daniel, things were going as
he’d planned them to. “But sometimes, good intentions can lead to bad
situations. And, although, you didn’t mean for it to be so, that’s what’s
happened with my granddaughter and that fine, young man. All was going as it
should, as the natural way of things needed them to go. They were becoming
accustomed to being a family, to being parents working together. Maybe they
would’ve sorted things out and gotten back together and maybe they still will.”

“But,” the steel in his gaze stopped the
conspiratorial gleams in their eyes, “if they get together, it’ll take them to
make to be turning that into reality. Not you. For I reckon that, you’ve made
that harder. There’s a rift between them now and no pushing them together is
going to be fixing it. What’s more is that I’ve never seen my granddaughter
this unhappy before. I can take tears and tantrums but I can’t take this
martyred-type of happiness. That is killing her and it kills me to watch it.
So, if you respect me and love me as I do all of you, then you’ll grant me this
one wish and not meddle this once. But knowing you, you can’t sit back and just
watch. So, I’ll ask that instead of meddling, you lend them care and support,
give them strength to heal from whatever happened and move on so maybe they can
find that happiness we want for them by themselves.” 

Leaving them with that to chew on,
Daniel leaned over and kissed his wife’s forehead. “I better go check on my
seedlings. I’ll see you later, my darling.” Moira grabbed his hand and squeezed
it by way of apology. What he’d said had cut to the heart of things and because
it wasn’t what any of them had wanted to hear, that he’d pressed on because
they’d needed to hear it, made him a brave man. The Irish in her didn’t take to
kindly to being ordered about and the squeeze was also meant to let him know
that she forgave him for the set down.

Nodding in understanding, Daniel looked
down at her and winked, before leaving them to the chaos that was bound to
erupt upon his departure.

“Anyone for some more tea?” Shelly
asked, breaking the ice.

“To hell with tea,” grumbled Mrs.
Stewart. “Moira, bring some of that Irish stuff you keep.”

And like that, the atmosphere thawed.
Drinking their ‘Irish stuff’, they smoothly, swiftly made a U-turn in the
conversation and began merrily arguing and scheming on how to best support Todd
and Bree.

Her class dismissed and she was ready to
go home, Bree walked down the hallway of the school to Amber’s classroom to
pick her up. The kids were restless - blame it on a Friday afternoon. Having
the annual town picnic the next day didn’t help temper down the excitement
either.  As adorable and understandable as that was, it had been tiring work to
keep them calm enough to get through the day’s lessons. Eventually, Bree had
given up on the usual curriculum and had taken the kids outside to go
bug-hunting and berry-picking from the wild, heavily bedecked bushes that
sprang up like weeds during the Alaskan summer. The day hadn’t then turned out
to be a waste as the children received a very practical biology lesson under
the open sky.

Outside Amber’s class, waiting with the
other parents of children who did not live on the bus routes, was her
grandmother. “Hi gran,” she said, kissing her cheek in greeting. “What brings
you here?”

“I was in town,” Moira explained, “and
finished what I was doing earlier than expected. So I thought I’d pop by and
take Amber out for a treat - some Gran and Amber special time.”

“That’s very sweet of you,” Bree beamed.
“I’m sure Amber will love it.”

“Oh, I’ll love it too,” Moira said
smiling.

“Hi Amber,” Bree waved her daughter over
as she exited her classroom. It was really cute that Amber insisted that her
mother call her by name whilst at school and not by a term of endearment. Bree
observed her daughter hug another girl, who was fast becoming her best friend,
before heading towards them. It wasn’t long ago that they were in Columbus and
Amber ran towards her mom whenever she spotted her after school. Feeling the
twinge of time gone by, Amber relished the fact that her little girl was
growing up and establishing real roots in Devil’s Peak.

“Hi Mom, hi grandma,” Amber scurried
over and gave them each a peck on the cheek. “Why are you both here?”

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Moira
leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in Amber’s ears. Bree watched
Amber’s eyes pop wide then glisten with excitement at the treats her
grandmother was promising.

“I’ll leave the two of you then to go
and enjoy yourselves. I’ll see you back home later,” Bree said. “I’ll start
dinner in the meantime. Should I tell granddad that you’ll be a while?”

“No need for that dear,” her grandmother
patted her hand. “Granddad knows what we’re doing? It’s funny how things seem
to just fall into place this morning. I got dinner done this morning so no need
for you to see to it. And then when I was in town earlier, I saw Shelly. I told
her of my plans to take Amber out and she said she’d do the same and come and
get you. Something about not seeing you often enough lately - I think she misses
you. In fact,” Moira nodded towards the tall, beautiful woman walking down the
hallway, “looks like she’s here. So, the only thing you have to do is go and
enjoy yourself.”

Bree took a moment to watch Amber skip
hand in hand with her grandmother, eagerly chattering away. She walked towards
Shelly and gave her a big hug. “I’m a bad friend, Shelly,” Bree said. “I’ve
been so caught up in myself lately that I’ve completely neglected you.”

Shelly shrugged it away, “No worries,
hun, as long as you make it up to me today. I’ve got stacks of interesting
things planned for us. That’s all I want for my birthday.”

Bree flinched inwardly. Goodness, she’d
been so self-obsessed that she’d completely forgotten her best friend’s
birthday. Smiling at Shelly, she swore to herself that she’d make it up to her
and fall in with whatever plans she had. “Then let’s go. Your birthday, your
party, and your rules.”

“Music to a girl’s ears,” Shelly smiled
back and they walked out to the car arm in arm like they had as teenagers.

xxx

“What are we doing here?” Bree asked.
They had parked in front of the medical center. “Are you sick?” Bree scanned
Shelly worriedly, looking for signs of ill health.

“Nope,” replied Shelly, “just a
check-up. Come with me, it won’t take long.”

Bree followed Shelly still concerned,
but ready to support her friend.

“Shelly Adams and Bree Tanner Ramsay to
see Dr. Dimitrov,” Shelly informed the receptionist.

“Her last appointment cancelled
unexpectedly so she’s ready to see you,” the receptionist stated. “Why don’t
you two go on through? It’s the second to the last door on the right.” 

The room they entered was not the usual
doctor’s abode. One corner looked like it belonged in a restaurant play area
and was set up with loads of toys, a children’s boxing bag, sandpit, and loads
of dolls. There was even a kiddies’ table and chairs with crayons and blank
paper to draw on. This doctor must love kids, Bree thought. Maybe this was a
pediatrician. But why would Shelly need one? There was no need for her to be
here - Bree’s eyebrows shot up - unless Shelly was pregnant.

The other side of the room held an
informal lounging area with chairs facing each other. By the window was a
traditional desk and chair at which sat a middle-aged woman with a welcoming
smile. The woman got up and came around the desk to greet them, “Hi Bree,
Shelly, welcome. Pleased to meet you, I’m Doctor Roz.”

“Hi,” they both replied in unison and
sat down at the chairs the doctor waved them towards.

“So, what brings you here?” Doctor Roz asked.

“Well, I’m here for my friend, Bree,”
Shelly began.

Bree looked at Shelly in surprise. “I’m
not sick,” she said.

Shelly looked at Bree, guilt written all
over her face and took her hands in hers. “I know you’re not sick. Doctor Roz
is not a GP, she’s a psychologist.”

Startled, Bree felt trapped,
manipulated, and angry. Shelly stopped the tirade that Bree was about to let
out with an indication of her hand. “Wait. Hear me out. Please,” Shelly begged.

“You’ve been down now for months,”
Shelly continued. “You won’t talk about it and in fact, you’ve been avoiding,
not only, my company, but everyone’s company for just as long. You’re living in
your own world and while I’d be okay with that if it made you happy, you’re not
happy. In fact, you’re downright miserable. You’ve never been vain, but you’re
even letting yourself go.”

When Bree opened her mouth to speak,
Shelly stopped her again, “For the sake of our friendship and for your own
sake, here me out please?”

“For the sake of our long history together
and because I love you, I’ll hear you out before I strangle you,” Bree promised
furiously.

Shelly nodded and hurried on, not
wanting Bree to change her mind. “You hardly eat, so you’ve lost a lot of
weight. You dress like a bag lady and when do the last time you did your hair
or put make-up on. You’re twenty-five years old, not seventy-five. You only
speak when spoken to and you don’t go out. Like I said, I hardly see you and
when I do it’s by chance. Your grandparents say that you’re like that at home
too. Once Amber’s gone to bed, you go and shut yourself up in your room.”

“I’ve just moved back to Alaska, Shelly,
with a young child in tow,” Bree bit out. “That’s bound to wear anyone out. Why
should I be any different?”

“I’d buy that if you’d been here for
just a month or two, but you’ve been here for just over six months. That’s a
long enough time to adjust, especially with all the support you have, and
because you grew up here so nearly everything is familiar to you.” Shelly took
a heartbeat of a moment to catch her breath before she continued making her
case. “I realized that you weren’t yourself when I stopped by your
grandparent’s house last month and you were sleeping. Amber and your
grandparents were sitting in the kitchen eating your gran’s birthday cake.
Apparently, you went to bed after dinner with a headache. They were worried
about you, but you’d even apparently forgotten about your gran’s birthday. That
is so unlike you that I began to worry. The Bree I grew up with always had a
plan for anyone’s special day. We even called you Birthday Girl because you
were always planning outrageous events to celebrate people’s birthdays. You
loved it - it’s why I thought you’d eventually become a party planner. Then,
today, you even forgot mine.” Shelly’s eyes filled with tears.

Feeling like a wretch, Bree leaned over
and hugged her friend, “I’m sorry, hun; I didn’t mean to forget your birthday.
My head’s just been full of stuff lately.”

“I know,” sniffed Shelly, “and it’s not
the birthday I’m crying about. Stuff the birthday! I’ll have more. I’m worried
about you. It broke my heart when you left Devil’s Peak and when you came back,
I was super-excited. I had my Bree back. You’re more than just a friend, Bree.
I’ve known you since I was five year’s old. To me, you’re the sister I never
had. I’m worried about you because I love you and I can’t stand to see you in
pain anymore. But, as much as I love you, I also know that you can be an idiot
when you get pig-headed about something. So, this is my way of making you do
something to get better and give me my Bree back. This is the only birthday
present I want. In fact, stay and give Doctor Roz a chance and you never have
to give me another present again. I’d much rather have you.”

Bree looked at Shelly through watery
eyes. “My God, I’m a mess. I forgot gran’s birthday, I forgot your birthday and
you’re right, I have been avoiding everyone. It’s just so hard, you know, to
pretend that everything’s okay.”

Doctor Roz stepped into the
conversation. “What it sounds like to me, Bree, is that you’re experiencing a
depressive episode or what people simply call depression. It is a proper
medical condition and more common than you realize. I can help you get back up
on your feet and feel better. Would you like to stay and talk to me about it?
You can try it out today, hear what I have to recommend and then decide if
you’ll come back. Does that work for you?”

Bree cast a glance at Shelly’s hopeful
glance, and then looked at Doctor Roz and nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Shelly
hugged her friend and got up to leave the room. I’ll be waiting outside when
you’re done.

xxx

“So, how did it go?” Shelly asked as
they got back into the car.

“It went well,” Bree answered though her
eyes that were a bit puffy from crying. “Shelly,” Bree said facing her friend,
“thank you for what you’ve done. I was mad as hell at first when I realized
you’d tricked me, but it was right. I needed to see Doctor Roz.”

“My pleasure,” Shelly beamed at Bree
through misty eyes. “What did she say?”

“She diagnosed me with a clinical
episode of depression,” Bree responded. “That doesn’t mean that I’m depressed
and need to go on medication for the rest of my life. In fact, I didn’t want to
go onto the medication she prescribed for three months, but she explained what
happens in the brain when someone is depressed and how the medication helps
restore balance to the brain’s chemistry. We think the depression was caused by
what happened after I got pregnant.” Bree shrugged, “You know, my parents’
reaction, leaving town, doing it alone and then coming back and the fight with
Todd. Apparently all of that causes a shock to the system and enough of it
creates a chemical imbalance - hence the depression.”

“So, you’ll take the meds?” Shelly
inquired, looking at the script in Bree’s hands.

“I’ll take the meds,” Bree nodded, “but
only for three months and then we’ll reassess. I’m going to begin doing other
stuff that’ll help speed recovery too and I’ve worked out a program of sorts
with Doctor Roz. I’ll ask gran to pick Amber up from school on Fridays so that
I can continue therapy with Doctor Roz, I’m going to start exercising and I’m
going to go on a healthy eating plan. I’ve got a list of food here that help,
which Doctor Roz recommended.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Shelly beamed at
Bree, unclicking her seatbelt to lean over and hug her. “And anything you need,
just call. I’m here for you. In fact, I never get to spend time with my niece
between Todd and your grandparents, so Friday’s are mine. I’ll pick her up from
school and take her to the boutique and when we’re not busy, the manager can
run the place and we can do girly things. It’ll be fun.”

“You’re the best friend anyone could
ever ask for,” Bree responded with a watery smile. “Thank you.”

xxx

After they’d filled the prescription for
her medication, Bree and Shelly strolled arm in arm down the town’s main
street.

“Shelly,” Bree stopped her friend. “Do
you think we could go to the hair salon?”

“Sure,” Shelly nodded, “but first, we
need to go in there.” Shelly pointed to the local gym, which to Bree could just
as well have been a house of horrors.

Bree grimaced, “I was thinking of
exercise more along the lines of long walks in the woods, swimming in the lake
and so on. Besides, I have Amber with me when I get out of school.”

“That’s not a problem,” Shelly shook her
head. “I’m joining too and we are both going to get our asses so tight that no
man is going to be able to look straight after we pass them by. And, they’ve
got an excellent kiddies’ care facility and kiddies’ exercise program that
Amber can join. What’s more, because I’m part of DPC and so is your gran, we
both get discounted rates.”