Tangled Hearts by Tea DeLuca

Author:Tea DeLuca [DeLuca, Tea]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-09-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31

Technically, she cheated. Melissa’s little something to eat was an authentic Italian meal from Luigi’s, that included all his favorites. The aroma from his favorite restaurant made his stomach growl in anticipation. Hot crusty bread, antipasto salad, a veal dish in a wine sauce, and buttered potatoes were already on the table. The expensive rich dark wine was breathing.

“You went all out,” Mark said, pouring two glasses of wine.

“Just pretend we’re in Italy.” He got the message. She was still trying to make the trip to Italy into a romantic Roman holiday. She tapped his glass and took her seat. Mark had missed lunch, and he chose to ignore the underlying message. He filled his plate, tore off a piece of the bread, and savored the first bite.

“You’re not eating,” he noticed as she sipped more of the wine.

“I am, but I’m bothered by one of my cases, and I can’t shake it off. I guess you must have clients you feel bad for and bring home with you.”

“Eat.” He patted her hand. “You went to a lot of trouble, and there’s nothing you can do for your patient right now.”

“You’re right. It’s just so frustrating.” She filled her plate and took a small bite.

“Is she terminal?” Mark asked.

“Oh, no, but I shouldn’t talk about her.” Half way through dinner, Melissa turned on some soft mood music and finished her wine, but Mark sensed her worry.

He sat with her on the sofa with the rest of the wine, and she cuddled against him.

“Maybe you should talk about her, generically speaking. Doctors must need to vent or process like the rest of the population. You can trust me, Melissa, not to repeat anything you tell me.”

She smiled at him thoughtfully. “I would like to tell you, Mark, but it can’t go anywhere else. It could cost me my license.”

“I understand.”

“Normally, I can keep my emotions a safe distance from the surface. They teach you in medical school not to get emotionally involved for good reason.”

“It has to be hard with the devastating disease you deal with.”

“Yet, I do it every day, but this patient is different. She’s not the typical over fifty breast cancer patient. She’s just thirty without a family history of the disease. That in itself didn’t touch me, but she’s not the ideal patient either. She’s terrified of hospitals, doctors, needles, anything related to medicine. I’ve had to cajole, threaten, push her through this whole process.” She took another sip of her wine.

Was Melissa talking about Mags? He hadn’t considered she might be frustrated with her. Should he stop her before she told him anymore?

“She had a malignant tumor, but fortunately it hadn’t spread beyond the immediate area of the breast. I wanted it removed yesterday, but it took her almost a month to schedule it and keep the appointment. The day of the surgery I went in to check on her pre-op, and she almost walked out. I gave her a mild sedative to relax her then I realized she was alone.

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