Taking a Chance (4 page)

As she turned, her mom came into the room.

“I remember that day. You were so stubborn. You had your dad wrapped around your little finger. He did anything for you. I would get so mad sometimes when he would let you do things I didn’t think you were old enough for. But I did love him for it. He was such a big part of your lives growing up and for that I’m forever thankful.”

“I know. He was truly the best dad and I miss him every day.”

“Me too.”

“Mom, do you think you’ll ever date again?”

Nina looked down at the ground for a few moments. She looked back up and made eye contact with Maddie. “Yes. I miss your father every day, but it would be nice to have someone to share my life with again. Would it upset you?”

Maddie walked over and gave her mom a hug. “Of course not. I know you miss Dad, but I wish you could be that happy again. I hate seeing you alone. I promise you I would be fine with it. I want you to do what makes you happy.”

“Thanks. I just don’t want to disappoint you or Scott.”

“Never, Mom. You could never disappoint us. It’s not your fault that Dad was taken from us too soon.”

Nina grew even quieter. “Yeah, he really was.”

“He would want you to be happy. You know that right?”

Nina shook her head. “Yes.” She sighed. “I do. I just wish things were different. That’s all.”

“I understand. Come on. Let’s go make something for dinner. We can talk about it while we cook.”

• • •

T
he next morning Maddie sat on her mother’s back porch and held her coffee mug close with both hands. The scent of toasted caramel swirled around her. The sight of her mom’s gardens reminded her of the quiet rural life she had grown up in. Maddie had given it up to enjoy all the things a big city had to offer. George had lived in Chicago, and after dating him a few months, Maddie had moved down without looking back.

Even though she had lived with Molly for the first two years, Maddie and George had been inseparable. He was a few years older and a successful investment broker, and he had swept her off her feet. The first two years had been a whirlwind. They had attended parties, charity events, sporting events and weddings or traveled over long weekends. If they were not attending something, he took her to new restaurants or just out with friends.

After two years, Maddie had bought her own condo in the city. George did not officially move in but began spending more time at her place. By the time he proposed a year later, he had pretty much moved all his clothes and a few personal things into her place.

Maddie shook her head, trying to erase the last ten months of their relationship from her memory.

Her mother walked out onto the porch.

Maddie looked up. “I talked to my boss this morning and told him I was going to spend a few days up here.”

“I’m glad you’re able to be here. I know how much it means to you to be here with your goddaughter.”

“Mom, I know we didn’t talk about it last night, but why do you think Lola is struggling so much with everything? Not only did she not reach in to touch Ashley, she didn’t even talk to her. If that were my little girl, I would sit and talk to her all night. I wouldn’t leave her side.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m not sure why, but we all react to things differently. Maybe Lola is struggling with her little girl being so fragile right now.”

“You’re probably right. Maybe she was still weak after everything she’d been through. I hope today is a better day for everyone. I need to send a few emails for work before I leave this morning. If you would like to head to the hospital while I finish, I can meet you.”

“I’ll wait. I have a few things I need to get done before we go, so take your time.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Eager to get to the hospital, Maddie rushed through her work as fast as she could. A couple hours later, Maddie put on her sandals and caught herself checking out her image in the full-length mirror. She laughed.
Yeah, Maddie, I’m sure the doctor will be paying attention to what you’re wearing.
She shook her head and walked out of her room.

Maddie dropped her mom off at the front door of the hospital with the gifts they had brought. As Maddie approached the door, she noticed her mom’s mood had changed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I talked to Scott. He said Ashley had a great night, but Lola had a rough night. They moved Ashley out of the NICU and she’s in the Level II nursery. Lola will need to be here at least a few more days so they can monitor her. Scott said she’s not in a great mood and may not want visitors for very long.”

“Well, the good news is now we only have to worry about one. Lola is strong, so we know she’ll amaze the doctors and recover quicker than they think.”

Even Maddie did not believe her own enthusiasm, but she didn’t feel like dwelling on the situation. A nurse was in Lola’s room running tests, so they left the bags of gifts inside the door and headed toward the nursery to see Ashley. Maddie saw Scott first and grabbed her mom’s hand. She was glad she had thought to pull out her camera and took the picture before he had any idea they were there. He was gazing at his daughter and already wearing the proud father look.

Maddie hugged Scott tightly. “I’m so happy Ashley is doing much better! Can you believe how fast she recovered? She’s tough just like Daddy. Have you had a chance to hold her yet?”

“Yes, a little while ago. They want her to sleep before they bring her out again, but you should be able to hold her soon. Mad, it feels so great holding her!”

Maddie saw the love and pride in his eyes and smiled back. “We dropped gifts by Lola, but a nurse was in the room and we didn’t want to interrupt. Has Dr. Anderson been by to see her yet?”

“Why do you ask, Maddie?” said Scott with a sly smile.

“I want to be sure Lola is on her road to recovery, so she can go home soon.” Maddie played the concerned sister-in-law card, hoping it would distract him. Apparently, it was successful as the three of them made their way back to Lola’s room without another word about it.

Maddie was holding up the last pink outfit for Scott and Lola when she heard Dr. Anderson’s voice. Her stomach fluttered at the sound, a feeling she was just starting to experience again. Maddie began to wonder what she had been missing these last months or even years. She turned to smile at Dr. Anderson.

“Good morning. I would like to examine Lola. Scott, you’re welcome to stay.”

As Maddie made her way toward the door, Dr. Anderson turned to her. “I hear your goddaughter is doing well this morning and she will be able to go home as soon as Mom is ready.”

“She’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to hold her.”

“I’m sure we can do something about that. I’ll see what I can do after I’m finished here.”

Maddie glanced at her brother with excitement. She practically skipped out of the room with her mom following behind.

Dr. Anderson came out of Lola’s room and eased the door shut behind him.

“Things are going well, but not as quickly as I would like. Lola will need to stay a couple more days and she needs to get some rest right now.”

“Thank you, Dr. Anderson. We appreciate everything you’ve done,” said Nina.

“Absolutely, that’s what I’m here for. I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your names yesterday.”

“Nina, proud new grandmother, and this is my daughter, Maddie.”

Dr. Anderson shook Nina’s hand and turned toward Maddie. “Now, Maddie, I promised you I would get your goddaughter in your arms, so let’s see what we can do about that.”

Maddie glanced at her mom eagerly. Nina took a step back and excused herself to use the restroom, leaving Maddie alone with Dr. Anderson.

As Maddie turned to walk with Dr. Anderson, he lightly placed his hand on her lower back to lead her forward. Again, Maddie felt a flutter in her stomach.
Geez, what is up with me?

“Dr. Anderson, is everything going to be okay with Ashley?”

“First,” he stopped and placed his hand on her arm, “please call me Todd. Doctor sounds too formal coming from you,” he said, as a smile spread across his face.

His smile was warm and his blue eyes turned even brighter when he smiled.
God, why am I noticing these details? He’s Lola’s doctor, not my boyfriend
.

“Doctor—I mean, Todd—Are you sure it’s okay if I call you by your first name?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind, but if you prefer, you may call me Dr. Anderson.”

Mind? Why would I mind?
Maddie was going to continue, but a nurse approached them. Todd stepped away from Maddie with the nurse and had a brief conversation. When he came back, Maddie saw the same concerned look she had seen yesterday.

“Please don’t say something is wrong with Lola or Ashley,” exclaimed Maddie.

“No, but I have another patient who needs my immediate attention. I feel terrible I have to leave after I promised to take you to Ashley. I asked Anne to speak to the head nurse in the nursery. I will stop by as soon as I can.” He gave her a smile, but it was quick and did not light up his eyes.

Maddie could tell he was preoccupied. She was not sure if she was more disappointed he was leaving or that she was not going to be able to hold Ashley. As Todd walked away, her mom came down the hallway.

“What happened?”

“He had an emergency with another patient. He did speak to one of the nurses before he left to see if I would still be able to hold Ashley.”

They sat down on the nearest bench to wait.

“So, what did you two talk about?” Nina’s mouth widened into a slow smile.

“Mom, I’m not sure what that smile is for, but we just talked about Ashley and Lola.”

“Oh, Maddie, it’s very obvious he’s attracted to you. Even Scott noticed it while he was in the middle of a crisis yesterday!”

“It feels so weird to me. Remember how I told you I met Austin Hunter. The same thing happened when I met him, only the connection was even more intense. I just don’t want to fall too fast for someone.”

“You’ll be fine. You’re a smart girl,” her mom said as she patted Maddie’s leg.

A little while later, a nurse came over to get Maddie and her mom so they could hold Ashley for a few minutes. Maddie held out her arms first and tears welled up in her eyes as the nurse handed her the tiny bundle. Feeling like an over-protective aunt the second she touched her, Maddie wanted to cradle Ashley in her arms to protect her from everything bad in the world. Ashley blinked her eyes open and Maddie saw the most beautiful blue eyes staring back at her.

“Oh, Mom, she’s gorgeous! She’s so tiny but just so perfect.” Maddie knew she only had a few minutes before the nurse returned to get her. “Do you want to hold her? I don’t want to be selfish.”

“No, sweetheart, I’ll hold her later when she can be up longer. You just enjoy this moment.”

When Maddie saw the nurse coming back, she tilted her head down to give Ashley a kiss. “You’ll always be safe in my arms, little one. I look forward to watching you grow up.”

Scott and Todd came around opposite corners and caught Maddie in the moment. “Maddie, what did I tell you, it’s a feeling like you’ve never experienced before!” exclaimed her brother.

“She’s amazing. I could hold her in my arms forever.” She turned to Todd. “And Todd, I can’t thank you enough for making it happen!”

Scott and Nina exchanged a look.

“It was my pleasure,” said Todd. He turned to Scott, “Is Lola resting?”

“She’d just fallen asleep before I came down here. Is she going to be feeling better soon?”

“She will. Everything will be fine. She just needs rest. I want to be sure she is on her way to feeling one hundred percent before the three of you venture out on your own.” He smiled reassuringly at Scott.

“Well, I think we should go get lunch while Lola and Ashley rest,” said Maddie. Scott and their mom both nodded in agreement.

“Maddie, could I talk to you?” Todd asked as he took a few steps back to separate himself from the group.

“Sure.” She turned to her mom and Scott. “I’ll catch up with you by Lola’s room.”

“Sounds good, I’ll check to make sure she’s still asleep.” Scott put his arm around their mom as they walked down the hallway to Lola’s room.

Maddie turned back to Todd. “Oh my God, I can’t believe how amazing that felt.”

“Maddie, I don’t want to sound forward and I apologize if I’m at all out of line, but I would love to see you again.” Before she had a chance to respond, he added, “I’m sorry, I should have asked if you had a boyfriend. I hope I didn’t cross the line.”

Maddie hesitated a moment. “Yes,” she said quietly, then saw the look of confusion on Todd’s face. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “What I meant to say is I don’t have a boyfriend and yes, I would like to see you again.”

Relief washed over his face. “Do you live in Milwaukee?”

“No, I live in downtown Chicago. That’s probably a bit far …”

“Actually, I’m attending a conference in Chicago next week. If you’re available any evening, just let me know and I’ll make it work. Although, if it’s Wednesday, you’ll have to accompany me to a dinner reception. I can’t get out of it.”

“I hate to say this,” Maddie did sound disappointed, “but Wednesday is the only night I’m available next week.” Maddie was out of town for work Monday and Tuesday and some of the girls were coming in early on Thursday for Amanda’s bachelorette weekend.

“It will make for an interesting first date, but I’m sure nothing you can’t handle.” He smiled.

She hesitated and then with a warm smile said, “I would be happy to be your date.”

They exchanged numbers and emails and promised to be in touch before next week. As he walked away, Todd turned back to Maddie. “Oh, by the way, it’s a black tie event.” He winked and turned down the hallway.

M
addie waved goodbye as she drove away. Lola and Ashley had both been discharged on Wednesday. Maddie had stayed in town a few more days providing an extra “shift” to make the transition smoother. Lola was still recovering and Maddie hoped she would soon get her energy back.

Maddie was leaving that night for a two-day work convention in Las Vegas. She attended every year and normally looked forward to it. In the past, George had gone with her a day or two early to enjoy the city, but she would be alone this trip. A few other people from work would be there, but that wouldn’t fill the void.