Page 100 of Training the Heart

“My boss, but he’s also so much more. We’re close.” I’m struggling to label whatever Wade and I are.

“I never had a boss that looked at me like I hung the moon.” She looks at me like her next statement is obvious. “That man is in love with you, Ivy Grace. He watches you like he’s ready to take on the world for you at a moment’s notice.” My mom laughs then grimaces, holding the sore side of her face.

“It’s how your father used to look at me.” She smiles and snuggles her head back into her pillow.

I lower my eyes from her gaze, and another round of unpredictable tears fills them.

“I’m in love with him too, so much, but … I know he’s going to want a family one day, and I’m just so afraid I won’t be able to offer him that.”

“Does he know it may be tricky for you to carry a baby to term? Has he told you it bothers him or that he’s worried about it? You could find a surrogate, adopt; there are ways, honey.”

“Yes, he knows, and I know that.” I sniff. “He hasn’t said anything about it, but I think that’s because this thing between us went from a fling to something more when neither of us were looking. I don’t know what the future holds, I’m leaving his ranch soon—”

“Baby.” My mama looks at me and smiles a soft smile. “Take it from me, if you won’t take it from anyone else. If a man is going to love you with his whole heart—and that man does, there isn’t a doubt in my mind—never, ever let that go. Do everything youcan to hold on to that for as long as you can, because you never know how much time you have with people.”

I blink, and more tears spill over my cheeks.

A soft knock on the door interrupts us. I stand to wipe my tears away as the doctor enters the room.

I move to stand, but static begins to line my vision and an intense wave of nausea washes over me, creeping up my throat so fast I gag and grip the wall. I compose myself and look up at him.

“Sorry, doctor, I think I need to sit for a second. We gave blood, I’m … dizzy,” I say, putting my head down into my hands.

“It is normal to be a little woozy after. How long ago?” he asks.

“About two and a half hours ago …” I mutter

“Hmm. That seems like it’s a little long to still feel woozy, but maybe with the adrenaline of the morning. Just stay put, don’t stand on my account.”

I start to feel better as the blood returns to my cheeks.

“That’s just been happening on and off … I’m in an intense time with my job … and I haven’t been eating the best,” I tell him.

“Stay seated, please. I just wanted to check in on your mother. Glenda, are you comfortable speaking about your sobriety with your daughter here?”

“Of course,” my mom says to him.

He nods. “You were mentioning you have been sober and were worried about your family thinking drinking may have had something to do with this accident?”

My mom nods and smiles at him, then turns to me.

“I filled him in that I’m sober, because for once, I’m proud of myself.”

“You should be,” the doctor tells her and me, looking back and forth between us.

“There is a program you could enter right from here. We even offer transport—”

“Thank you, but Ivy and I were just talking about that, I just simply can’t afford that right now—”

“That’s the thing I was coming to tell you about, the state will cover some and I just found out that the hospital donor program has some availability. I didn’t think we did but when I checked, we’ve added some new donors recently. The program is to help people in your situation. You qualify in every aspect, and we’d be happy to help you apply, I think you’d be approved right away.”

My mom’s eyes fill with tears, so mine do as well naturally, and I hug her.

“Yes, we’d like that,” I say.

“When will we know?”

“We may know by tomorrow if we process the application today. I’d like you to stay a day or two anyway, Glenda, so we can keep an eye on that concussion, and we could arrange for you to leave here and head straight there if you like? Probably Saturday. I can give you some info on the center in the meantime.”

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