What a Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr

Author:Leslie Lehr
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2013-03-26T04:00:00+00:00

20

A puddle splashed the curb as Cathy pulled her minivan to the front of Holy Cross Hospital. Between swipes of the windshield wipers, Michelle could see the Virgin Mary statue beckoning her toward the entrance of the small building. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem,” Cathy said. “But who’s this doctor? I don’t blame you for switching if that other guy burned your arm, but we had a deal. No more medical bills until my husband gets paid.”

“It’s just a consultation,” Michelle said. A station wagon honked, then passed and turned into the mall entrance across the street. Michelle could see toddlers strapped into car seats, tiny fingers smearing Cheerios against the rain-streaked windows. She missed those days.

Michelle peered at the concrete building rising up in the clouds and pushed up her hood.

“Are you going to be okay?” Cathy asked.

“Good question,” Michelle said. “See you in an hour?”

“Don’t be late. I have a school committee after lunch.” She leaned across to open the passenger door. “Good luck.”

Holy Cross Hospital was as gray and dreary inside as the sky outside. Scarlet stained glass windows cast bloody shadows across the tile floors. Michelle stamped her wet shoes then submitted to the elderly volunteer in a wheelchair guarding the lobby with a pump of hand sanitizer. When the admitting nurse pointed to Dr. Braunstein’s sign-in sheet, Michelle declined. “It’s personal.”

The nurse sat up, immediately alert. “Are you the one who called?” A woman at the desk in back looked up from the computer. Michelle heard whispering behind her as two nurses in green surgery caps looked up from the coffee stand. A sitcom star breezed past, but the nurses didn’t flinch. Infamy trumped fame. The nurse pointed down the hall. “Second door on the left.”

Michelle thanked her and started walking. Her heels echoed too loudly on the tile. She tried to keep the past separate from this moment, as if it hung on a lanyard around her neck, but with each step it tightened like a noose. She stopped at the door plaque that read: Laura Braunstein, MD. She felt faint. She had no idea how this woman felt.

Maybe she was being selfish, like Jack when he described his affair to his wife. The confession had made him feel better, but it broke Julie’s heart. What if Michelle’s presence made Noah’s mother feel worse? She turned to leave.

A watercolor print next to the small office portrayed the sun shining on the ocean. Michelle studied the golden glow shimmering across the waves, and recognized it as a religious work symbolizing God’s infinite power. She changed her mind. But the possibility of forgiveness wasn’t the only thing that made her stay. The picture frame was the perfect size for the photograph of Noah. His good looks and high spirit would surely give his mother a moment of comfort. Michelle checked her reflection in the picture glass, counted to ten in French, and knocked.

Dr. Braunstein sat behind an enormous desk in the small, tidy room where she dictated patient notes into a tape recorder.

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