Page 35 of Loving Lizzy

“I see why he doesn’t complain. You’re good.” Her head tilted back further as her neck relaxed under Kassie’s masterful hands.

“I’m a quick study. If he comes in with a serious face, I wait till Em goes to bed and suggest a hot shower to relax him. As soon as his head goes back, I know I’ve got him,” she told her, as she rinsed out the shampoo and added conditioner.

“You got him?”

“Yeah, one head massage later, and I’m a lucky, lucky girl,” Kassie grinned as she moved to Lizzy’s front.

“Hmmm, questions come to mind.” Lizzy peered at her friend with one eye as Kassie’s fingers moved to her temples.

“What?” She concentrated on her task.

“Are we still talking about the head massage on the top or the lower one? Second, are you trying to get me into bed?”

Both women snickered.

“It doesn’t really matter which head. I’m still a very lucky girl. The second question, I’m afraid you’re out of luck, I’m taken. Chase ruined me for anyone else.”

Lizzy grew quiet. “I knew you planned to come a bit later. I asked Michael to leave early. I wanted to see myself. I don’t know if I can let him see me like this. How can I keep him attracted to me when I resemble a surfboard?” Another tear slid down her cheek and melded with the water in her lap.

“Michael loves you from the inside out. He loves your intelligence, how you magically walk into chaos and organize everything in mere minutes. Your independence and drive attract men to you. When we worked together, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I saw men stare at you as they watch a confident woman walking by. Plus, I always considered him an ass man.” Kassie left the conditioner in her hair while she washed her face.

“An ass man?”

“Yep, he always walks behind you and checks out your ass. I noticed it during the snowball fight. When he walked with you to get hot chocolate, he stayed totally focused on your butt.”

“What if this turns him off?” Lizzy whispered softly.

Kassie stopped rinsing out the washcloth, knelt and placed her hands on her friend’s knees. “You’re scared. Everything feels new, it’s still swollen and healing. Take it one day at a time. You found your way back to each other even after losing your child and him losing you. If he lets something like this bother him, he isn’t the man either of us know. Michael stayed by my side when Chase and the team’s helo went missing. He never left me or Emma. He’s a man who cares deeply and I imagine when he says he loves you, he means for life. These men of ours act hard and tough on the outside, but inside they carry the biggest hearts ever. Michael wants to love you through this. The question is, will you let him?”

Lizzy slowly nodded at her friend. Kassie made a point. Michael had insisted from the moment he learned of her diagnosis that she allow him to stay at her side. If things stayed status quo, she’d somehow muster the courage to stay and not run again. What concerned her the most was the tests showing something. He’d already experienced it once with his mom. She refused to allow him to watch her suffer. She witnessed the pain in his eyes every time he thought of his mom. Dread filled her as she waited for the phone call giving her the news. After everything life handed them, Michael didn’t deserve to endure that battle again. For once, Lizzy wasn’t sure if she worried more about her diagnosis or a future without Michael.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The sound of a door shutting from the kitchen indicated Michael had finished working. Kassie glanced back to make sure Lizzy slept comfortably before entering the kitchen.

“How are you holding up?” she asked as she pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured some tea. She offered it to him, and he took a sip.

“I’m fine. How did the shower go?” His eyebrows arched in worry as he glanced at the entryway leading to the living room.

“It relaxed her. I gave her pain medication an hour ago and wrote it in the log. She took off her wrappings, from what I can see, everything appeared to be healing nicely. I redressed it and she drank a smoothie.” ‘Nurse Kassie’ appeared as she gave him a report.

“How did she take it?” he pressed.

“Naturally, it came as a shock. She wasn’t supposed to remove the bandages until the post-op visit. There’s still swelling, but it’s healing. We did get her into a mastectomy bra to help keep things secure. Samantha found special shirts that hold the drains. It’ll give her a sense of normalcy. We sat in the sunroom and chatted a bit before she got tired. I moved her to the living room since I figured you’d be eating dinner soon. Ty will stop by in an hour with a meal.” Kassie picked up her purse and her keys. “She dozed off about fifteen minutes ago. Catherine will relieve you at twenty-three hundred.”

“I know I can’t do this without all of you. You’ve thought of everything. Half the time, I feel like I’m in the way,” he confessed softly as he followed her into the living room.

“You play the most important part, Michael. Chase mentioned the guys waited for you to show at the team headquarters and you never came. Caregiver burnout exists, and you’ll need breaks to breathe,” Kassie advised as she folded the blanket she used and headed for the front door.

“I didn’t want to bother Chase and the other guys; they don’t know me. I appreciate the fact they support me because of Chase.” Michael turned the knob and opened the door for her to leave.

Kassie’s hand clasped over his as she gently shut the door. She scowled heavily at him as she worked out what she wanted to say to him.

“The team supports you because you supported them. They carry the upmost respect for you astheir friend. You, Matthew, and Jameson worked extremely hard to protect us as the team fought their way back. They consider you their friend,” she chastised.

He hastened to reassure her. “I know they are. We don’t know each other like they do Chase. I’m grateful for everything they’ve done.”

She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’ll get to know them now since you live here in Serenity. With the team having babies, you already have a great start as the town pediatrician. I hope you realize we’re here for you as much as Lizzy.” She opened the door and walked out. When she reached the edge of town she called her husband.

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