The past two years in Holly’s life hadn't been easy. In less than three months Jamie Bernice would be two years old.
Jamie was walking everywhere around the house and she was the cutest little thing in theworld.
She was a happy baby, saying words and little sentences already.
When she was in a group with others her age, she was not a normal two year old.
She was really smart, and the things she would say. Other moms could not believe Holly when she told them that Jamie was only 21 months old.
Rod was a great friend and the only one who had been a father figure to Jamie.
Both of them, and her own mother, loved Rodney Bullucio dearly.
They met in med-school and the only bad thing about him was that he couldn’t shut up about Jake Peters. She wanted to tell him that she despised Jake, especially when he made the cover of a medical magazine. Jake was in China, still busy with his residency, and was already making a name for himself.
The doctor that took him under his wing was the best neurologist in the world today, Dr. Sam Huyo.
He had won so many awards, and he believed that Jake was going to be a second him.
Holly hated that medical magazine for a month. She had to walk by the magazine stall every morning and saw it every day.
Women obviously couldn’t shut up about Jake’s face and Holly was sure that every single person searched the internet to find out more about him.
He was also Jamie Bernice’s father, not that he knew it. And true to Murphy’s law, Jamie was not going to let Holly forget Jake either.
She was him through and through.
Jamie could have easily won all the baby contests there were, but she never entered her in any since Jake might find out that she had kept her.
He would find them, and only heaven knew what he might do.
She refused to even think about it.
So she hid Jamie from the world, while she went to the university trying to become a doctor so she could give her everything she should’ve had. One day.
It wasn’t easy though.
She envied people who could sleep eight hours straight at night.
She was having dinner with her mother and Frank this evening.
She hadn't seen her mother this happy in a long time. Holly was glad that she hadn’t broken up with Frank like she wanted to when the yearly doctor’s conference came to Seattle.
Jake had apparently been there since Rod couldn’t shut up about him. But he also told her that Jake was arrogant and didn’t know if he would be able to work with someone likethat even if the opportunity presented itself. Rod had seen him that night in a different light. He said that Jake was sort of drunk and that one of the other doctors had had to help him to his room. Jake had slurred nonsense into the other doctor's ear, but the doctor had handled it like a pro.
Holly just gaped at Rod and was glad that Rod misinterpreted what had actually been going on.
It didn’t sound like the Jake she knew. But now that she thought about it, six months was hardly enough to even remotely know someone. But she was shocked to the core, just like Rod.
It was a bit of a let down. Rod said that he had tried so hard to introduce himself to Jake. Holly, on the other hand, was glad that she had gotten out of working at the conference.
She was supposed to have worked that night, but said Jamie was coming down with the flu.
She got away with it while Frank never even heard about the fake flu she had attributed to Jamie.
Her mother had been in a tizzy since he had wanted her to be his plus one for the conference. She had even almost broken up with him. But she too came up with an excuse not to go, telling him that she didn’t feel well.
Of course the reason that her mother was so paranoid about the whole thing was because Frank always ended up staring at Jamie in the weirdest way. It was almost as if he was seeing someone else in her. Someone like a Peters maybe. But Holly still didn’t know ifhe knew the Peters family or not.
Of course she couldn’t ask him any questions, because asking questions resulted in getting answers, and maybe curiosity, which sometimes led to digging deeper into something.
Frank was wonderful and perfect for her mother, but her mom had said that they had to protect Jamie and if he did know the Peters personally, she wouldn’t date him.
Holly put it onto the hate Jake Peters list her mom had come up with, but in reality Holly knew that she could never get over him.
She had tried.
The first twelve months had been fairly easy. At least until she realized that she was still looking for all of Jake’s qualities in the guys she met on dating apps.
She knew it was wrong, but it wasn’t just her heart that wanted him. It was much deeper,like her soul wanted him.
She still had dreams of what had happened two years ago as well as one where he was running toward her as she flatlined on the operating table.
It took her twelve months to realize that he would always be her weakness, her let down, and probably the biggest disappointment in her life, aside from Romy who didn’t survive.
Her phone rang.
“Are you still going tonight?” Her mother asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Good, because Frank really wants to see Jamie. He said he misses her a lot. And he has something to discuss with you.”
“What does he want to discuss?”
“I think it has something to do with a scholarship.”
Holly sighed. She had applied so late for them, meaning a lot of rejections, and didn’twant to get her hopes up again.
“Have you spoken to your father yet?”
“No, why should I?”
“I know you are disappointed in him sweetheart. He is just worried that you are doing this for the wrong reasons.”
“I know, and he’s wrong.”
“Yeah, I know. He will see that eventually.”
“I doubt that.”
“See you tonight, okay.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you more.”
She hung up. Her mother was her rock. She couldn’t have survived any of this if it hadn’t been for her mother.
That night they met Frank at their favorite restaurant.
“Holly, my girl,” Frank got up as she came near with Jamie on her hip.
He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. Then he took Jamie from her and lifted her high in the air.
She cackled.
He kissed her a few times on her neck, eliciting more laughter, and then they all sat down.
Her mother looked so relaxed as the waiter came around and took Holly’s drink order.
She watched how Frank played with Jamie.
Jamie loved him as much as she loved her grandfather Charles. She had always wondered what sort of a grandfather Gus would’ve been, if Jake hadn’t changed his mind about them.
Gus had been one of her favorite people in the world.
The whole Peters family had disappointed her.
The evening progressed fast and when Jamie fell asleep, Frank pushed a few chairs together and put her down on the makeshift bed.
Holly saw the look in his eyes as he stared at her sleeping figure.
“Uncle Frank?”
He looked up at Holly. “Yes, dear?”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
She could see her mother’s eyebrow raise a bit.
“Of course.”
“Why do you look at her like that?”
He smiled as her mother shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“No particular reason. She is by far the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen.” He smiled. “You should enter her in some beauty pageants, Holly. That might help you when it comes time to pay for her college tuition.”
“I could never.” Holly laughed and Jane smiled, touching her hand.
“I’ve talked to a few of the board members of the foundation. They said that they’ll see what they can do about a scholarship for you. Of course, it’s not a done deal yet, but I hope it’s going to lead somewhere.”
Holly gasped. “You didn’t.”
He smiled again.
“Uncle Frank,” she yelled softly, got up and hugged him again. “Thank you. Even if it’s not a full one, I’ve saved up a few bucks already that could cover some of it. Every little bit helps.”
“No need to thank me. If I had the money, I’d pay for it. But the hospital is bleeding me dry.” Their hug broke and sat back down.
“No, it’s not. You just take on all those free cases because you’re so generous and have a big heart.”
“Janey, I became a doctor to heal people, not shove them away.” Frank looked lovingly at her mother.
“But it’s putting a strain on your hospital, Frank.” She scolded.
“We will manage, I always do.”
“Your heart is way too big, uncle Frank.” Holly chuckled at their playful bickering.
“Yeah, I know. Maybe Somers will take pity on me when I lose it all.”
They all laughed.
Frank was part of a children’s foundation that helped with cases where the families couldn’t pay for major surgeries. Holly hoped that the board would be able to give her just half of her tuition. It would be better than nothing.
The evening finally came to an end and tonight Holly might finally get some sleep.
Frank didn’t know the Peters family and that was a great weight shifted from her shoulders.
