Page 8 of Loving Lizzy

His friend chuckled and placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll all have a list of orders by the end of the day. She’s unstoppable.”

“She’s certainly a blessing for you,” Michael murmured.

“Yes, she’s a miracle worker, now let’s get you to HR.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Kassie, Catherine, and Bryanna piled out of the truck. Each woman grabbed supplies from the vehicle's back seat containing paint samples, flooring options, food, and a bouquet of flowers. They stood in the doorway and smiled as Lizzy opened the door.

“Oh, I didn’t expect any company,” she said, making excuses as she tightened the robe around her.

“I tried calling, but you didn’t answer. Michael got held up with Chase at the hospital. I accepted a new patient this afternoon, and he needed immediate intervention. I told him how much we wanted to come visit you, and we decided to bring you dinner.” When she made no move to let them in, Kassie stared at her. “May we come in?”

She stepped back and allowed the women in. Suddenly ashamed of her messy condo.

“My place appears such a disaster—” she started to explain.

“Ha! You call this a disaster? Right now, Kassie’s entire living room consists of a quilt fort and every single pillow in the house represents a barrier against the snow queen. As we left, Joe and Maddie crawled in the middle, providing snacks to the trapped princesses,” Catherine interrupted as she placed the flowers on the table. “Can you point me in the direction of a bathroom? I gotta pee again.”

Lizzy laughed. “Straight down the hall and to the right.”

Catherine made her way down the hallway. Bryanna pulled out containers from the takeout bags while Kassie grabbed the utensils and napkins.

“Michael mentioned he planned to bring you dinner. We brought it instead.” Bryanna told her. “Catherine’s craving Chinese food. Kassie requested pasta, and I voted for a salad, so we got all three. Samantha wants us to video call her as soon as we get set up. She’s in New York this week.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. What about the bakery? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?” Lizzy asked as she watched them pull out container after container.

“We wanted to see you.” Kassie gestured to Lizzy to sit on one of the kitchen chairs. “Plus, we need your help.”

She sat down as her friend set a plate in front of her. Bryanna grabbed glasses and poured water with lime for each of them. Catherine moved to the table and her eyes lit up at the sight of all the food. “I’m starving. Morning sickness sucks and this turns out to be the only time I get to eat. Let’s dig in.”

Bryanna and Kassie began to pass around the containers. Bryanna dialed Samantha’s number and placed the phone on the table facing the women.

Samantha picked up on the first ring. She was at her desk, dressed in a white lab coat, and eating an orange. “Hey ladies, how’s things in Serenity?”

A chorus of hellos rang out.

Kassie leaned closer to the device. “We brought dinner to Lizzy. She’s avoiding our calls; we decided an intervention might remind her we’re her friends too.”

Lizzy’s mouth dropped open at her straightforward confession. “I…I didn’t want to bother you. You’re busy. Kassie’s got the hospital, Catherine, you have to pee every five minutes and Bryanna runs a bakery. Samantha works all the way across the other side of the map. I don’t need any help.”

The women’s eyes all narrowed in her direction.

Kassie took her hand. “You said you wanted one true friend you can talk to. Not one, but four of us sit right here. You can smile and say you’re fine and we’ll still support you. Or you can lean on us and know letting down your guard doesn’t mean you’re weak or we’ll think of you any differently. You have breast cancer. We can’t imagine how scared you felt when you faced this alone. This time you’ll have us to assist you,” she told her quietly.

Lizzy met each woman’s eyes and then Samantha’s on the phone. “I’ve never experienced a friendship like what I’ve seen among you ladies. Most women act petty, and from my experience, they don’t mean what they say. I want to believe you want me as your friend, but I don’t want my diagnosis to be the reason you’re here.”

Bryanna rolled her eyes at the same time as Kassie. Catherine huffed and Samantha laughed. Bryanna shook her head as she addressed Lizzy’s worry.

“They may be stubborn and hardheaded, but their hearts lay in the right place. I heard how you walked in on their little conversation. They represent the true-blue friends you want to have at your back. Even fighting, they still asked me if I saw the other. If Victoria, Maddie, and Carol, refused to step in when they did, I planned to cut them all off their favorite bakery treats.” The rest of the women laughed.

“We have our moments. The offer of friendship comes from the heart. I didn’t realize how difficult it must be to make friends with the nurses when you’re the hospital administrator. You needed to maintain an invisible line because you’re the boss. Luckily, we don’t have to deal with those issues in this group. You aren’t ours,” Kassie clarified.

Lizzy nodded as she thought it over. “You’re right. I’m not. I can establish friendships without having to toe the line.”

“Exactly,” Catherine stated. “Can we eat now? I want some of your pasta. Bryanna, did you happen to make dessert?” She grinned widely as she thought of it.

Bryanna looked at her in disbelief. “Lord, save me from the cravings of pregnant women.” She rolled her eyes heavenward. “I brought a fresh apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream I made this morning.”

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