Return of the Rebel Surgeon by Connie Cox

Author:Connie Cox
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHEN David had brought Adrian home from the jazz festival, she had been barely coherent when she’d said she didn’t want to talk about it. She owed him a big thank-you, as well as an apology for being so abrupt.

Putting a few hours between her and Cole had been of no help as Isabella tried to figure out what last night—and this morning—meant to her. She hadn’t even gotten to the repercussion part of her actions. And then there was the mind shift that Cole hadn’t known about Adrian all these years.

Still in a daze, she now went through the motions of dining with her father and her son. All three of them looked forward to the two nights a week when she and Adrian picked him up from the nursing home and took him for an outing.

“You’re quiet tonight, daughter.” Her father struggled to string the words together despite the years of speech therapy that had followed his stroke. Some days were better than others.

He sat in his chair with as much dignity as his shrunken body would allow him. He may have lost his health but he hadn’t lost his intelligence—although the world often treated him as if his mind was as feeble as his body. She was as guilty as the rest.

Tonight she’d almost done the unthinkable and canceled their outing, but her father’s encroaching weakness, and the twinkle in his eyes whenever she and Adrian visited, made her treasure every moment spent with him. So she had dug down for her last half-gallon of strength, and here they sat.

She looked at her dear papa, who had always done his best by her, even when he’d been totally bewildered about how to raise a daughter.

“I’m just tired. I’ve been juggling a lot this week.” The dark circles under her eyes were visible proof that she needed a rest.

Usually, she tried to carry a conversation, if for no other reason than to keep herself from having to eat in silence. His life in the nursing home tended to have as little excitement as hers. She would normally be regaling him with stories about the hospital, a life he missed desperately, but she was doing all she could to keep up the pretense of eating. She had nothing leftover within her to play the role of gracious hostess.

As soon as the waiter cleared the table of dishes and set down the traditional two cups of coffee and cup of hot chocolate, Adrian pulled his doctor doll from his backpack.

She continually wondered what went on in her son’s head but tonight she didn’t have to guess as Adrian held the doll in front of his grandfather’s face, trying his best to communicate that his own personal superhero was in town.

“What’s this, Adrian?” her father directed the question to his grandson, but expected the answer from her.

“It’s a long story.” Isabella hesitated about how much to tell him. “Sorry to be such bad company. I’ve got a lot on my mind.

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