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He said gently, “It may be time to find your mother a place where she’ll have full-time care.”
“I know, but that’s costly. I can’t afford an apartment and pay for a place for her to stay. Her insurance doesn’t kick in until she is fifty-nine and a half. That’s another seven months. I’ll just have to figure something out until then. The doctor has just come in. I have to go. ’Bye.”
“’Bye.” He spoke into silence.
Unable to stand not knowing what was going on any longer, Gabe took the first opportunity he had and called again around midmorning the next day. He tapped his pen against his desk in his apprehension about how she would react to his suggestion that she come and live with him. Zoe answered on the first ring.
“How’re things today?” he asked.
“Better.” She sounded tired.
He wished he was there to hold her. Whoa—that wasn’t a thought he should be having, or the type of relationship they had. “That’s good to hear. I’m concerned about you. Are you taking care of yourself?”
“I told you—the baby’s fine,” she informed him, as if he hadn’t just asked about her welfare.
Did she think he was only concerned about the baby and not her? “I want to know about you as well. Have you been able to make some plans?” Would she consider his idea? For some reason it really mattered to him that she accept his plan.
“A few. The doctor said Mom could stay in the hospital a week. That’ll give me time to look for an assisted-living home for her. I don’t want her to make any unnecessary moves. She’s already confused enough.”
Strength and determination had returned to Zoe’s voice. “Can you go back to your apartment?”
“No. It’s so damaged it’s uninhabitable. I’ll have to find a new place.”
This was his opening to offer his solution. “I have something I want you to consider and I want you to hear it out before you say anything. Right now, your most urgent problem is twofold: finding somewhere your mother will be safe and that has adequate full-time care, and somewhere for you to live. Let me help.”
“Gabe, I’m not taking money.” She sounded iron-rod strong. “I can handle things on my own.”
“Please hear me out.” Why wouldn’t she let him help her? Zoe’s independence would get her into trouble one day. “I’m sure you can, but if you’ll listen, I think you might find my plan practical and helpful.”
She huffed then said, “Okay. What do you think I should do?”
“I think you need to move in with me.”
“What!”
He jerked the phone away from his ear.
She came close to yelling, “That’s not going to happen. No way.”
Gabe interrupted, using his giving-order-in-the-OR voice. “Just listen. You need to find a place for your mother. Money is an issue. If you stay at my house, where I have plenty of room, you’d be able to pay for a place for her while you wait for her insurance to start.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think so.” Her words sounded as though they were coming through clenched teeth.
“Why not?” He’d offered a practical solution. Couldn’t she see that?
“Because you don’t need to be involved in my problems, my private life.” She sounded as if he should have known that.
“If it’ll make you feel any better, I’m interested in seeing that my child comes into the world with a mother who hasn’t been sleeping on a couch in someone’s living room. Who isn’t stressed out over finances. It’ll just be for a few months. We’d only be housemates. You can pay rent if you like.”
“I appreciate your offer, but I don’t think it would work.” Her voice had calmed, but her resolve was loud and clear.
What was that supposed to mean? It was a practical solution. “Just think about it.”
“I have to go. Mother’s calling me. Her nurse has just come in.”
Silence filled his ear. He wasn’t surprised that she’d shot the idea down and ended the call. If nothing else, he’d learned Zoe was stubborn.
* * *
Zoe resisted the impulse to kick something. How dared Gabe think that she would move in with him? She didn’t even know him. Just because she was having his child, it didn’t mean he had any say over her life.
Up until a week ago they hadn’t really talked, and even then all they’d done was agree to make lists of what they wanted. And have a lawyer make it legal. She mustn’t forget that part of his idea. She should have rejected his idea outright and told him what he could and could not do when it came to his rights. Instead she’d meekly agreed to avoid an argument.
Now he was trying to move her around like a pawn on a chessboard. She wasn’t having it. Taking care of her mother, her baby and herself was her job, her decisions to make. She didn’t need or want him butting into her life anytime he pleased. Besides, if she started letting him make major decisions about her life, what would she do when he got tired of playing daddy or didn’t have time for her when the next crisis cropped up? One thing she had learned was that she must be careful who she depended on.
* * *
Two days later Zoe wasn’t feeling nearly as confident. Since she couldn’t return to her apartment, her renter’s insurance was paying for a hotel room until she found a place to live or for fourteen days, whichever came first. Her priority over the weekend had been to locate a place for her mother to live. That had turned out to be more difficult than anticipated.
She’d visited every assisted-care facility in the immediate area. Responsibility weighed heavily on her about having to put her mother in a home. She had found one that would be suitable, but it was way beyond her budget. Guilt squeezed her heart.
Between searching for facilities for her mother and her full-time job, there hadn’t yet been time to look for a place for herself. Her apartment manager told her that there wasn’t an empty apartment available in the complex. Since her lease was almost up, Zoe would have to look elsewhere. Fourteen days in which to see to her mother’s needs and find a new home for herself, not to mention getting packed to move. There simply wasn’t enough time. She was almost at her wits’ end.
Her workload was heavy, but she’d managed to squeeze in checking on Mr. Luther. He’d been discharged from the hospital, where he’d been treated for stomach pain and fatigue. These were just symptoms of a larger issue that wouldn’t get better without a transplant. It was time he be admitted to National Hospital for a transplant workup. Thankfully he wasn’t so sick he couldn’t go home until that time, but that
wouldn’t be the case for much longer. When she could think straight again she must talk to Gabe about him.
That night at the hotel while Zoe sat eating takeout food, her phone rang. It was Gabe. She hated to admit it, but his unwelcomed suggestion was starting to look like the only answer. “Hello.”
“It’s Gabe.” He sounded unsure. Was he afraid of her reaction after his last call?
“Hi.” She was so tired and disheartened she was glad to have someone to talk to, and Gabe was a good listener.
“How’re things going?”
She loved the deep timbre of his voice. There was something reassuring about it. “They could be better.” Zoe sounded as down as she felt. She refused to show weakness. Appearing needy wouldn’t help her either. Gabe was already making plans regarding the baby she’d not counted on.
“Your mother?”
“She’s actually recovering well.” For that Zoe was grateful.
“What, then?”
“I’ve been out looking at homes for her.” Her hand cradled her baby bump. The weight of her responsibilities was growing.
“And?”
“They were awful. I can’t stand the idea of putting Mother in one. I hate myself for having to do it.” Why was she spilling all of this to him? What was it about Gabe that made her want to lean on him? Their relationship was nothing like that, yet she was becoming more deeply involved with him each time they talked.
“What’s happening with your mother isn’t your fault. You know for her health and safety she needs to be in professional care where she’ll be safe and well cared for. What occurred a few days ago proves it. You’re not abandoning her. You’re doing it because you love her.”
His voice was gentle and reassuring, washing over her tight nerves like a warm balm. “Thanks for saying that. I just wish it wasn’t necessary.”
“You didn’t find any place you liked?”
“I found the better of the evils.” If only she had the money to put her mother there. Even if she emptied her savings she’d still be short. It was just as well there was no room available. She’d have to settle on one of the other places that weren’t as nice as Shorecliffs House.
