Her Last First Date by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery [Mallery, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Positively Pregnant, Category
ISBN: 0373248318
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2009-06-03T20:47:45+00:00

Crissy was waiting for Josh in the foyer of her gym. It probably wasn’t cool, but she was too excited to wait upstairs. What was it about puppies, kittens and babies that made a person crazy? Not that she was as excited about the puppy as she was about seeing Josh.

She saw him pull up in an SUV she’d seen parked at Pete and Abbey’s house and grinned as she opened the passenger’s door.

“So we don’t want to risk puppy piddle in our fancy doctor car,” she teased by way of greeting.

He gave her a half smile that didn’t reach his eyes, then leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek. “It was Pete’s idea. I didn’t say no.”

She stared at him, taking in the shadowed hollowness of his face. It was as if something had sucked the life out of him.

“Josh, what’s wrong?” she asked, thinking of Brandon and praying he was all right.

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Abbey and the kids are okay? Pete?”

He frowned. “They’re all good. Why?”

“You look different. Something happened.”

He put the SUV in Drive and turned onto the street. After a couple of minutes of silence, he said, “I’m sorry. I thought I could act normal, but I guess I can’t.” He glanced at her. “Or you’re more perceptive than most.”

“I’m sure I’m just amazing,” she said, hoping to lighten his mood a little. “Lucky you to have me around. What happened?”

He clutched the steering wheel more tightly, then exhaled. “One of my kids. Joey. He died last night. We knew it was coming. I tried everything I could think of. For a while it seemed like we were winning, but in the last couple of weeks…”

She had no idea what he was feeling. Death was as much a part of Josh’s work as sweat was of hers. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he must go through with each patient, knowing there was a chance that a child could die. But without his willingness to try, those lives would be lost for sure.

“He went downhill fast,” he continued, slowly. “Faster than we thought. His body started shutting down late yesterday afternoon. He was gone by midnight.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It must hurt every time.”

“It does. I nearly canceled getting the dog, but Alicia is really excited and she’s still with us. Life has to go on, right?”

“You get involved,” she said. “You have to mourn.”

“I don’t always have time. Every life is a battle. Me against the cancer. Sometimes I beat the bastard. Sometimes I don’t. Even when the end is expected, it’s still a shock. I was with Joey last night, along with his folks. I never know if staying is a good idea. If I help or make things worse.”

“I’m sure his parents appreciate knowing how much you care. I would.”

“Maybe. I know what they’re going through. There’s always hope—right to the end. That the hand of God is going to reach down and touch your loved one. That this time, there’ll be a miracle.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.