Page 51 of Loving Lizzy

“I’m fi—” Lizzy stopped herself. “I’m tired and kind of hungry. Can I get something to eat?”

“Victoria dropped off grilled chicken, asparagus and a fruit tray,” he told her as he rose from his position.

“I’d love some,” she called as she rose from the wedged cushion she slept on.

“When did you take your meds last?” he asked as he pulled the food from the refrigerator.

“They gave some in my IV and I took the rest when I returned home. I’m not due for anything until around sixteen hundred,” she told him as she walked into the kitchen. “Edie wrote it down.”

“I’ll warm your food and bring it out to you,” he admonished as she sat down at the kitchen table.

“I want to visit with you. How did your appointment go today?”

“Very long, I’m afraid my mind kept wandering to you,” he admitted.

“Michael, I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t discuss my pregnancy difficulties to keep you from worrying about me while you were overseas doing your job. Giving medical care to those kids seemed very important to you and we agreed you should do it before we started our own family.”

Michael put down the plate he held to give her his full attention. “The trip meant a lot to me, Lizzy. However, it didn’t mean as much as you did.”

“Edie said something to me today and it hit home. When we got married, our schedules clashed all the time. We barely saw each other for weeks unless we caught each other leaving. I know we loved each other; I don’t doubt it. Did it occur to you we lived as roommates for most of our marriage?”

Michael frowned and began to slice the chicken. “I guess I viewed it as us starting out. We married young, carried student loans, and finding our places in the world. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I don’t think it seemed like it while we lived it. Looking back, I remember making dinner and leaving yours in the fridge and you doing our laundry and separating it into two baskets. You bought the groceries, and I prepared the meals. We opened separate bank accounts and paid our own bills. I left before you woke up in the mornings and you returned home after I went to bed Nothing connected us as a couple until Conner and we lost him.”

Michael stiffened as he walked toward her and placed their dinner on the table. He poured each of them a glass of water with lime. “Do you believe we don’t belong together now?”

Lizzy shook her head. “No. I love you,” she told him. “Maybe I believed we lived in a protective bubble and nothing from the outside world touched us. When Conner died, I didn’t know how to handle telling you, or going back to living the way we did. His birth and death changed me, and I feared what it meant for the two of us.”

Michael sat down and took her hand. “When I returned from Germany, it took me months to heal. I spent every day searching for you. Then you blindsided me with the divorce papers. I thought we seemed happy.”

“We were newlyweds, young and in love,” Lizzy asserted. “I want to apologize because I always relied on myself to handle everything, and I didn’t allow you to act as my partner.”

“I forgive you. Both of us lost Conner and it hurt to lose you too. Maybe Edie brought up a good point. Neither of us knows how we would’ve dealt with Conner’s death or discovering your breast cancer if I’d returned home. Finding you gives us another chance to make this right. I know you’re the only woman for me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to remind you,” he told her as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips.

“Why don’t we play a board game after dinner?” she asked as she pierced the asparagus with her fork.

“A game sounds like fun. What date is your bloodwork and next chemo appointment? I want to add them to my calendar.”

“I’ll give you the schedule after dinner,” she told him. “Do you have another meeting tomorrow?”

“Not until the day after. Edie said she’ll stay until I return.” He chewed the chicken and swallowed.

Lizzy smiled. She accepted losing Michael and loved her job at Seattle Health. When Chase offered her the job to come to Serenity, she never imagined gaining friendships much less a group who built each other up. Edie spoke the truth. Maybe she did belong to a family.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Relieved, she made it into the evening without any complications, her and Michael played a game. She ate a small dinner and cat-napped on the couch. When the clock stroke ten, she dragged her tired body into the master bedroom. It took all her effort to get her clothes off and into a pair of pajamas. She left them lying where they fell on the floor and climbed into the comfort of her bed. She stretched her arm to the pillow Michael used when he slept in the same room. It failed to provide any substitution for his arms around her. At four in the morning, Lizzy leaped from the bed and barely made it into the bathroom before the vomiting began.

She lay on the floor, relishing the cool tile against her cheek. Her body felt like a limp noodle as she attempted to raise and rinse out her mouth. A whimper escaped her when her body refused to cooperate. She felt weak all over. Another cramp in her belly signaled another bout of vomiting, and she lurched up in time to hold her head over the bowl.

A cool cloth touched her forehead, and she saw a shirtless Michael squatting beside her. He rubbed her back as she rid herself of the last of her dinner from the night before. He handed her a small cup of water.

“Rinse your mouth out,” he told her as he stabilized the shaking cup with his hand and guided it to her mouth. She spit out the water and sighed as her body involuntarily leaned against the wall. Michael took everything to the sink and stood over her. She wanted to raise her eyes to seek his, but it was too much effort. He leaned down, lifted her into his arms and took her back to bed.

Her teeth began to chatter. Covering her, he tucked the blanket under her chin. She closed her eyes as he washed her face. She wanted to thank him but even talking required too much energy.

“When did you start vomiting?” he asked as he assessed her for dehydration. He swiped her bangs from her drowsy eyes and waited for her reply.

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