“Yes, here, let me pour you a cup of coffee.”
She drank a sip. It dribbled down the front of her gown. She tried again. This time with a modicum of success.
“Where’s Drake? Can he come in now?”
“Uh, who?”
“My boyfriend.”
The nurse left to check.
Goldie took another sip of coffee. She wanted to sit up. Could she sit up?
The nurse returned.
“There’s no one in the waiting room. But if you like, I can call someone for you.”
“No, no, it’s okay. Can I sit up?”
“Give it a little time, maybe in about half an hour. The doctor will swing by in a bit.”
“Uh, nurse, am I okay?”
“You’re fine, flying colors.”
“Thank you.”
The nurse left to attend to other patients. Slowly, Goldie got less groggy. The doctor talked to her. She could leave today. As planned.
Drake never showed.
She’d thought he would drive her home.
A nurse helped her get dressed. Put her in the wheelchair. She called Scott Ozock. Of course, he didn’t answer. His assistant did, and the assistant called for a car for her.
If Mitchell was still alive, he’d have come. Her mom was too old now to travel cross country, and her dad had been gone for over a decade. She was sitting in a wheelchair in the lobby, alone. She had a hat and sunglasses on. No one would recognize her, just like Scott Ozock advised.
“Don’t be seen. Don’t tell anyone you have fibroids. That’s not sexy.”
No, it was not sexy in the least bit.
She’d done everything they’d told her to get where she was. She’d sacrificed a lot to be here. But right now, here, she was alone, with five incisions from a robot arm and a strangertaking her home to her mansion in the hills.
Where was Drake?
Eventually, she was home, in her own bed. She had pain meds. That was something.
Drake showed up the next day. She needed a shower. But she was afraid to stand by herself.
“Can you help me?”
Drake looked at her with an expression she didn’t understand at first. And then it dawned on her. He was disgusted. Or maybe it was fear.
“Forget it. Can you just leave?”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“I needed you, and you weren’t there. Just leave.”
