What Matters Most (30 page)

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Authors: Gwynne Forster

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #General

BOOK: What Matters Most
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 M elanie Sparks opened her bedroom window wide and breathed. The crisp April night air couldn’t banish her problems, but she needed the psychological effect of clearing her head it seemed to give. If her father thought that challenging her every time she came home could break her, she’d show him. Nearly exhausted from typing students’ term papers, studying during the day and attending evening classes at Towson University in Baltimore—a two-hour trip by bus between her home and the university—Melanie just wanted to go to bed and stay there. But challenges were merely invitations to hang tough. Melanie had wanted to be a nurse since she was seven years old. Now, at age thirty-one, the coveted degree was finally within reach…provided she could pay her tuition. And with the prize so close, she was not going to allow anything to get between her and her bachelor’s degree and certification as a registered nurse. She had been tired, but the thought was as calming as a warm bubble bat

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 J ack drove his Town Car into his three-car garage and entered his house through the kitchen that adjoined it. Gray-blue marble-topped counters sparkled against chrome appliances and pale blue brick walls. Vernie, his housekeeper, would have been happy with much less. He thought about what it had cost him and how rarely he saw it and wondered if a man experienced a mental metamorphosis when he neared age thirty-five, because he’d been thinking a lot lately about what he had that his patients in South Baltimore couldn’t even imagine having. “I’m just tired,” he told himself, checked the warmers he’d had built into the electric stove and smiled at the sight of beef stew, garlic mashed potatoes, turnip greens and sautéed green, yellow and red peppers. He filled his plate, poured a glass of red wine, sat down and concentrated on filling his long-empty belly. After an enjoyable meal, he left the kitchen as neat as he found it and went upstairs to his bedroom. The red light blinked

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 M elanie opened the door as quietly as she could in order not to disturb her father who, she knew, would be sitting in the living room watching television and guzzling beer or asleep, having drunk too much of it. “You coming home mighty late,” he said when he heard her footsteps. “I just left work, Daddy. The doctor had so many patients tonight, and I couldn’t leave before the last one.” “Yeah? Well, if you making so much overtime, where’s the money? I wanna see some money. We gotta pay these bills.” “I get paid every two weeks, Daddy. Nurses don’t get paid by the day.” “Don’t you smart-mouth me, young lady.” In his present mood, she knew better than to try to defend herself. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, going into the kitchen to find something to eat. She couldn’t go to bed without food, starved as she was, though she’d done it many times in order to avoid him. She made a cheese sandwich, got an orange and headed up to her room. “You can’t answer me?” he yelled up after her

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 J ack pushed thoughts of Melanie from his mind. He looked down his little patient’s throat, didn’t see any evidence of a problem, confirmed that she should see a dentist and was about to tell the twelve-year-old as much when, to his amazement, she smiled and winked at him. He could see that she’d reached puberty, but he wouldn’t have thought that she was already flirting with older men. “What was that about?” he asked her. “I just wanted to see if you’d notice.” “Really? What do you think your mother would say if I told her how fresh you are?” “Please don’t do that. She might tell my dad, and he’d kill me.” He adopted his most serious expression. “In that case, I’ll mention it directly to your father. I dislike young women who tease men, and I may decide not to treat you again.” “Oh, please, Dr. Ferguson. Please don’t do that. You don’t know my father.” “Well, since you know him, behave yourself and act your age. That’s all for tonight.” It hadn’t occurred to him that girls t

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 J ack nuzzled Melanie’s lap, soaking up her sweetness, affection and, yes, loving, for there was nothing else to call it. He hadn’t known such caring since his mother had died weeks after his eighteenth birthday. As Melanie’s gentle stroking made his pain over the little girl’s death the day before more bearable, it reminded him of his mother’s tender and soothing care, and of the fact that almost seventeen years had passed since he’d received such unconditional love. He knew it was his fault, because of the company he kept, but he had only recently begun to notice the self-centeredness of the people with whom he associated. He hoped he hadn’t been like them, people for whom any show of compassion was almost always perfunctory and definitely short-lived. Melanie’s faith in him seemed unbounded. Yes, his patients believed he could work miracles, but they needed to believe it; she didn’t. His mother had believed in him. She had always told him that he could do anything he set h

Chapter 5

Chapter 6 I hope he doesn’t come here expecting to see me decked out in wide-skirted baby-blue. I may not get another opportunity, so I’m going to use this one. I wish I had some designer perfume, but I don’t, and I’m not going to ruin things with the flowery-smelling soap I usually use. She showered and pampered her body, gave herself a manicure and a pedicure, set her clock alarm for six o’clock and got in bed. Maybe she’d sleep, but with her heart racing and her head filled with images of what could be, she doubted it. Suddenly, fear gripped her, and after thrashing and turning for half an hour, she sat up. Suppose she’d been misreading his signals. Just because he wanted to help the poor wasn’t an engraving in stone that he didn’t mislead women. She got out of bed, poured a glass of ginger ale and sipped it as she watched the six o’clock news without seeing or hearing anything. What was wrong with her? He wouldn’t be the first man she’d dated, for Pete’s sake. Get your act together

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 M elanie arrived at work that Tuesday morning, hung her uniform and her cap in the closet, changed into a pair of sneakers and set about taking the monthly inventory. She had streamlined the process and didn’t regard it as a chore. Although comfortable with the job’s requirements, her relationship with her boss made her increasingly uncomfortable. Her feelings for him deepened daily, but his father had made it clear the previous Sunday evening that he disapproved of their socializing, and she didn’t believe a man with Jack’s background would risk his relationship with his father because of her. That clinic meant everything to Jack, and she didn’t think Montague Ferguson would sponsor the clinic if he disapproved of Jack’s social life and particularly of his choice of a woman.   Jack knew the risk, but he’d stand on his own, no matter what. His father had the contacts and had used them well, but he had some of his own, and he would not exchange his rights to a woman of his cho

Chapter 7

Chapter 8 “Y ou mean you’re letting your nurse go off for an entire month?” Montague asked Jack. “How are you planning to handle that crowd you have there?” “If I can’t get a registered nurse, I’ll try for an LPN. I’ll even take a medical student. They’re not in school during August, and every one of them can use the money. I’m doing the right thing, Dad, and I’ll benefit from it almost as much as she will.” “Well, sure. That’s a great institution down there in Memphis, and if she stays there a month, she’ll be a better nurse. Try to get a medical student in her last year.” “I was hoping to do that.” He hung up, finished dressing, got into the Town Car and drove to Melanie’s address. She opened the door almost simultaneously with his ring. “I thought you’d never get here, Jack.” He looked at his watch and relaxed. “I’m eleven minutes early. Are you eager to leave or eager to see me?” “I’m a nervous wreck. I’m leaving all I know, and I’m headed for…I’m glad I’m going, but—” He brought h

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 M elanie had been back to work as Jack’s registered nurse for two weeks when the day of the clinic’s ground-breaking finally arrived. She had splurged on an elegant burnt-orange suit of lightweight wool and brown leather accessories, the first time she’d ever bought a complete outfit for any occasion. It wouldn’t hurt to wear her hair down, she reasoned. The bigwigs would be there—nothing like getting their picture in the paper at an event aimed to uplift the poor—and she meant to hold her own. “You remember Ms. Sparks, don’t you, Dad?” Jack said to his father as they approached the reserved seats facing the temporary podium holding each other’s hands. “Yes, of course. How do you do?” Montague said, his grudge as obvious as the nose on his face. “Good morning, sir,” she replied, giving him some of his own. Jack’s arm eased around her waist and moved her closer to him. She looked up at him and smiled when she saw in his eyes the message that, for his affection for her, he apol

Chapter 9

Chapter 10 “Y ou real quiet tonight, doc,” Vernie said to Jack when she topped his warm apple turnover with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. “Is that why you’re filling me with all these calories?” “Well, I thought I could at least cheer you up with your favorite desert.” “Thanks. I appreciate that, but I’m fine. Just had a decision to make. Thanks for a great meal. It was up to your usual high standard.” He patted her shoulder. At least one of them ought to be happy. Bounding up the stairs, he was reminded of his childhood and his faith that his father stood for all that was good, right and just, a man whose integrity couldn’t be shaken. He didn’t understand the reason for his father’s zealous crusade against his son’s friendship with a woman similar to his own wife. He can try as he might to torpedo our relationship, but I won’t let him win. Jack walked into his den and stopped. Suppose his father made a move to oust Melanie from the clinic or even to demote her. No way would it happen.

Chapter 10

Chapter 11 T hat Monday morning after an exhilarating weekend in Eagle Park, Jack awakened at six-thirty with the world on a string. He could still smell her woman’s scent and feel her soft skin beneath the tips of his fingers. Whew! He headed for the shower. Life was good. He wanted to call Melanie just to say good morning, but it didn’t make sense; she was probably still asleep. He had to give a lecture in the operating theater that morning, a task that he always enjoyed, and that morning, he especially delighted in it. “You were really on this morning,” a woman doctor said to him after his talk. “You think I could make your eyes sparkle the way they lit up when you talked about cholesterol-free arteries?” He always became annoyed when his female colleagues made passes at him, but her remark sailed right over his head. He envisioned Melanie in the grip of passion, undulating beneath his body, and couldn’t control the grin that spread over his face. “Sorry,” he said, “but if my eyes a

Chapter 11

Chapter 12 A s Jack embraced his father, he fought to contain his emotions. Knowing that his dad no longer held a grudge against Melanie made him feel as if a weight had been lifted. Melanie loved him, and his father at last respected his choice. Life was good. That night, he slept peacefully, and arose early the next morning feeling young and alive. Later, in his Bolton Hill office, he thumbed through the mail, made a note to send two hundred dollars to each charity and was about to push the remainder aside when he saw a return address that caught his attention. He opened and read a letter from the chairman of the International Conference on Cardiovascular Disease in Children inviting him to lecture on a topic dear to him. He could hardly believe his good fortune, for an invitation to lecture to that august group of specialists from around the world confirmed that he had reached the pinnacle of his profession. He had worked hard, but he hadn’t dreamed that he’d attained that level of

Chapter 12

Epilogue

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