Best Foot Forward Read online

  “No, but she’s taking a sedative and they’re giving her an IV.”

  “I’ll be sure to be there by one o’clock.”

  “Thanks Emily.” He lifted her chin, and his kiss took her breath away.

  When he released her, she stayed in his arms until her heart rate returned to normal. With her head against his chest, she could hear his own heart pounding.

  “Wow. I really like these ‘gratitude kisses’. I’ll try to earn them as often as possible.”

  *****

  Olivia was exhausted when she went up to her room. Her clinical rotation in NICU was intense, and she’d stayed at the library to study until eight p.m. Knowing her alarm would go off at five a.m., she’d planned to shower and fall into bed. But when she opened the door and found Grace looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes, she knew it was finally time to clear the air. Despite her fatigue, her heart rejoiced. She’d missed her sister—they’d never stayed angry at each other for this long. Not that they’d actually been angry, but they weren’t communicating about anything of importance. Olivia missed that closeness so much. She’d almost felt like she’d lost a limb—everything seemed off-kilter without Grace.

  Olivia opened her arms and in a blink, Grace was hugging her, both of them weeping.

  “I’m sorry,” sobbed Grace. “I just couldn’t explain it to you, and I didn’t want you to disapprove.”

  “But I’m your sister. I’m on your side, no matter what.”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”

  “Yes, but I expect you to tell me everything.”

  Grace lowered her voice. “Can I wait on that? I’ve got something kind of important to tell you.”

  The door cracked open and a head covered in auburn curls appeared. “Wait—we can’t hear very well.” Hannah tumbled into the room with Claire on her heels.

  Grace mumbled something about paper-thin walls, and Claire said, “It’s about time you came back to us—I’ve been missing my Grace.” She squeezed between them to steal a hug, glaring when Olivia opened her mouth to object to the intrusion. “No pulling rank, Olivia. We’ve missed her, too. And I’ve got a boy problem, and I need her.”

  “So what were you saying? Something important? Is it Brad? Are you engaged?” Hannah asked.

  “Shamazzle! No! We’re not even dating right now, and we agreed not to talk about marriage or anything,” said Grace.

  “Then what is it?” asked Olivia. “Do I need to get rid of the junior sisters so we can talk?”

  “No, it’s okay,” said Grace before Claire and Hannah could protest. “I’m... I’m having a biopsy done tomorrow afternoon.”

  “What kind of biopsy?” asked Olivia, as the other two gasped.

  “It’s not a big deal, really,” said Grace, but the quiver in her voice belied her nonchalance. “It’s a needle biopsy. I’ve got two lumps in Flopsy.”

  “Now which one is Flopsy and which one is Mopsy?” asked Claire. “I always forget.”

  “Flopsy on the left. Mopsy on the right,” said Grace.

  “Is it cancer?” asked Hannah.

  Grace flinched at the word. “They’re probably just cysts, but I’m kind of nervous.”

  “No kidding,” said Olivia. “Your face is almost white just from talking about it. When is the biopsy? And where? Do you want us to be there?”

  “I’ll gladly skip school,” offered Claire.

  “It’s tomorrow afternoon, and Mom’s coming after she finishes her shift. I need you more tonight so I don’t think about it too much.”

  “Is it going to hurt?” asked Hannah. “How big is the needle they stick in there?”

  Olivia saw Grace’s blanched face grow even whiter as her hand rose to her mouth. “Come on, Grace. Let’s sit down.” She shook her head at Hannah, mouthing the words, “Don’t say needle.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine—probably hardly any blood.” Claire didn’t seem to notice how Grace flinched at the word ‘blood’, continuing on merrily. “So tell us about Brad. Are you back together yet? And why did you break up this time?”

  Hannah brightened. “Hey! I thought of something good that’s coming out of this biopsy thing. Didn’t you always say Flopsy was bigger than Mopsy? Maybe this will even them out.”

  Claire giggled and let out a snort. Soon all four were laughing and rolling around on the beds.

  Grace wiped away tears of laughter. “Oh man! I needed this.”

  “We’re glad to have our president back,” said Olivia. “It was like you’d fled the country.”

  “Yeah, Olivia’s not as much fun as you.” Claire ducked when Olivia took a swing at her.

  “I fled the country because I thought I might get assassinated,” Grace teased. “No one was talking to me.”

  “You weren’t talking to us,” said Olivia. “You used to tell us everything. Why did you quit talking to us?”

  Grace worried her lower lip. “It made perfect sense at the time, but after talking to Mom... I don’t know. Now, I have to admit it’s possible I overreacted.”

  “What! Our Grace? Overreacting to something?” Olivia threw her head back in dramatic fashion and held the back of her hand to her forehead. “It can’t be true! I think I may faint!” When Grace swung a pillow her way, she dashed out of reach.

  Claire copied Olivia’s pose, “No... No... Say it isn’t so!” Grace lunged for Claire and caught her, tickling her until she begged for mercy.

  “So are you finally getting back together with Brad? Because like I’ve said before, I’ll take him if you don’t want him.” Hannah bobbed her eyebrows up and down.

  “He’s too old for you,” said Claire.

  “I like older men,” said Hannah. “In fact, I’ll take Josh if Charlie doesn’t want him.”

  “Either one, huh? Something makes me doubt your level of commitment,” Grace jested.

  Hannah crossed her arms. “I’m not going to let you lecture me about commitment. You’ve turned out to be a commitophobe.”

  “That’s not even a real word,” Grace objected.

  “It’s in Wikipedia, and your picture is on the page.” Olivia sidestepped the pillow Grace threw at her.

  “Stop it! I’m not afraid to commit, I just want to be careful about it.”

  “I think you’re not willing to give up being president of the Marshall Sisters for a lesser post. You’re addicted to power,” said Claire.

  Grace raised an eyebrow. “I have no intention of relinquishing my post as president if I ever commit to some guy. I will always be the head honcho around here, and don’t you forget it.”

  “So you’re going to commit to Brad now? You’ve been skirting around our questions this whole time. What are you going to do about him?” asked Hannah.

  “She’s in love with him.” Olivia turned a wry grin toward Grace. “Aren’t you, Grace?”

  Olivia saw Grace’s face turn beet-red. “Enough about me... Let’s talk about Claire’s new boyfriend.”

  Olivia held up her hand before Claire could respond. “Wait. I’m invoking the Truth or Dare law. Either you tell us the truth now, or you have to accept any dare of our making.”

  Grace threw herself face down on the bed and let out a muffled, agonized moan. “Why God? Why did you give me sisters? Spencer is so nice—he’d never do something like this.”

  “You know you love us,” said Olivia. “But you still have to make a choice right now. Which one will it be? Truth or dare?”

  Grace flipped over. “Dare. I’ll take the dare. What is it? I want to get it over with.”

  “Oh no you don’t.” Olivia motioned her younger sisters into a huddle. “We get to take our time deciding what it will be. We’re not going to waste our dare on something lame. You’re going to wish you’d chosen truth.”

  Grace’s eyebrows drew together. “Maybe I’ll just change my choice. Fine. I’ll tell you the truth.”

  “No way,” chuckled Hannah. “We figured out the truth as soo
n as you refused to answer. You’re in love with Brad or you wouldn’t have minded telling us. Now we know the truth, and we still get to give you a dare.” She turned toward Olivia and Claire, jumping up and down, her reddish curls bouncing. “I’ve got a great idea.”

  Olivia felt the grin growing on her face as Hannah explained her plan in a low whisper. She glanced across the room at Grace, who appeared more than a bit anxious about the turn of events. Oh well, at least they’d gotten her mind off the biopsy. This was going to be fun.

  *****

  “Olivia? Olivia? Are you awake?” Grace whispered into the darkness.

  Olivia groaned, “I am now. What’s wrong? You can’t sleep?”

  “No. I’m still nervous.”

  “Are you worried about the IV? Or is it the biopsy that scares you?”

  “I’m worried about the dare. I can’t believe you’re making me talk to Brad right after the procedure.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Oh, that—it’ll be so easy. You’ll be under the influence of the drugs. You probably won’t remember anything you said.”

  “It’s so unfair! I think there must be some exception. Didn’t we pass an amendment on that Truth or Dare law when Hannah sprained her ankle that time?”

  “Yes, but it only applies to the endangerment of life and limb. Embarrassment doesn’t count.”

  “What about mortification? I’m pretty certain I’m going to die when I find out what I actually said. And having all of you witness it will make it even worse.”

  “You could always go with the other alternative. You could talk to him before you have the procedure done. But then you have to confess everything, and we get to be there.”

  “No, I’ll take my chances. I’m hoping I’ll be so sleepy I won’t say anything to him. Or even better, he’ll be in the middle of some emergency procedure and he won’t be able to come. Or maybe he’s working tonight and he’ll be asleep tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Maybe, but I’m betting he’ll be there. Once he finds out you’re having some sort of procedure done, he’ll find a way. And you’re not allowed to tell him ahead of time, because I know he would come before the biopsy starts and spoil our fun.” She let out a long slow, “Hmmmmmm.” She continued in a teasing tone, “I think I’m going to video it and put it up on YouTube. I bet we’ll get a million hits.”

  “No way! That was not part of the dare.”

  “Oh, well of course I won’t make a video.”

  Grace was disconcerted by the ease of Olivia’s acquiescence. “Do you promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “You promise what? What exactly are you promising?”

  “I promise I won’t make a video and post it on YouTube.”

  “Okay.” Grace was quiet for a moment. “What about Hannah and Claire?”

  “Of course I can’t promise for our sisters. They’ve gotten really out of control, in my opinion. You’ve really fallen down on your job lately.”

  “Olivia,” Grace growled.

  “What? It’s true. I can’t control them.” Olivia began to giggle, and she continued to laugh over Grace’s protests.

  “Olivia, please! Don’t let anyone make a video! If you love me—”

  Olivia howled with laughter until she had to gasp for breath. “This is the most fun ever—I’m so glad you’re my sister!”

  “That makes one of us,” Grace muttered.

  Chapter Nine

  Brad cornered Josh before he left the apartment. “What do you think I should do? Should I apply for a position in another city?”

  After learning about Grace’s stalker, he’d spent a sleepless night. He needed to protect her, and he couldn’t do that from a distance. Now, more than ever, he was desperate to restore their relationship.

  “Don’t you need to talk to her first? I mean, before you change your whole life around for her, shouldn’t you make sure she even still wants you?”

  “I don’t know what to say to her. I can’t even explain why I want to stay in New York, because you haven’t told anyone you’re planning to change tracks in a few years. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

  “No, a couple more years of this, and then I’m looking into surgical residencies. By the time Dr. Cooper retires, I’ll probably be gone. Anyway, just because I beat you out for attending doesn’t mean I’d get the head of Emergency Medicine.”

  “Yes, but to be honest, I don’t want to compete against my best friend.”

  Josh hesitated. “To be honest, I’m hoping Charlie and I will get together before I go into surgery. There’s no telling where I might end up. If I’m not in New York when she moves here, my chances with her go from slim to none.”

  “You still think you have a chance with her? I thought she pretty much blew you off.”

  “Of course I still have a chance—as long as I’m willing to wait for her. And believe me, I’m willing. Plus, I’ll see her at Spencer and Emily’s wedding.”

  Brad didn’t want to discourage his friend, but he knew Charlie hadn’t been responding to his calls and texts. “How do you know she’ll come to New York when she graduates?”

  “Emily’s keeping me informed. She’s planning to come here for law school if she gets accepted.” He frowned and crossed his arms. “But we’re not discussing Charlie and me—we’re talking about you and Grace. I don’t think moving away from New York is a solution to her stalker problem, anyway.”

  “I agree, but once Grace gets an idea in her head, it’s hard to convince her otherwise. I thought I might tell her I’ve decided to go back to L.A. And once we’re together again, I’d be able to protect her. After we get rid of this stalker, I could tell her I changed my mind. By then she won’t care—she’ll probably be glad to stay in New York.”

  “That might work. In fact, you could tell her that was the only reason you went out with Kara.”

  “I didn’t go out with Kara.” Brad bristled. “We went to the baseball game as friends—that’s all.”

  “Except for that kiss...”

  “She may have kissed me, but I didn’t kiss her back. That woman is psycho!”

  “I thought you said Grace was psycho.”

  “Well Kara is more psycho... A lot more!”

  Josh laughed. “That’s what you get for cheating on Grace.”

  Brad’s blood was beginning to boil. “I didn’t cheat on Grace. She broke up with me. Remember?”

  “Calm down. I’m just kidding you. But are you sure you want to keep dating her if she has plastic surgery?” Josh chuckled.

  “That’s not even funny. I’m sure that was never a serious consideration. She’s scared to death of needles and surgery. And Ben said he’d talked her out of it already.”

  “I hope you’re right. But she has been acting kind of crazy lately.”

  “Well, all of that stops today. I’m going to talk to her and straighten everything out.”

  “Good luck, buddy. Hasn’t she blocked your phone number? I don’t see how you’re going to make that happen.”

  “My shift doesn’t start until noon. I’m going to see her at her school. I’ll stand outside her classroom until she gives in.”

  “Will they even let you inside the school? With all the safety hype, I’m not sure you can get to her.”

  “I met her principal the first week of school. Surely she’ll let me in to see her. I’ll wear my hospital ID.”

  “Why don’t you just go to her house tonight? Now you know what’s actually going on, you’ll know the right things to say. But you promised Ben you wouldn’t tell her you know about the stalker.”

  “I won’t tell her, but I have to see her this morning. I can’t explain it, but I feel like something terrible is going to happen. I can’t take a chance, waiting until tonight.”

  Josh grinned. “Be careful. If you run into Horatio, you might have a fight on your hands.”

  *****

  The bell rang and Grace fought to calm her students who were exceptionally ramb
unctious on this rainy day. Her substitute was scheduled to arrive by eleven o’clock, and she hoped the high-spirited children would settle down before her arrival.

  “Ms. Marshall! Ms. Marshall!” Horatio called out. “Cord has a bloody nose!”

  Grace grabbed a wad of tissues and rushed to hand them to the boy. Accustomed to the problem, Cord already had his head back and his nose pinched, but there seemed to be an extraordinary amount of blood.

  “Come on, Cord,” said Grace, taking his hand to walk him to the nurse. “I’ll be back in two minutes. We’re playing the still and silent game until I get back. Briana is the monitor. No one moves unless the fire alarm goes off.”

  Her stomach heaving each time she glanced at the bloody ball of Kleenex, Grace hurried him along to the nurse’s station. Upon her arrival, she felt her cell phone vibrating a reminder alarm. Expecting to see the message prompting her to remember her one o’clock appointment, Grace viewed the screen. Mercy General, biopsy, 11a.m.

  Eleven a.m.? It couldn’t be. Wasn’t it one p.m.? She scrolled into her appointment book as her heart thudded in her chest. There it was, plain as day. Her appointment was at eleven and the surgery was at twelve o’clock. Somehow, she’d gotten the one o’clock time stuck in her head, and remembered it as the time she was supposed to arrive at the hospital.

  With a frantic pounding of blood in her ears she patted the boy’s arm. “Cord, Ms. Livingston will take care of you. I’ve got to run to the office for a minute. Okay?” Dashing down the hallway to the office, she found the office staff was in conference with the principal, leaving the receptionist alone left to man the front.

  “Danna! You have to help me! I got my appointment times mixed up. My sub is coming at eleven, but I have to be there by eleven.”

  Danna’s mouth formed a big O as her eyebrows flew up. “What do I do? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’m new—”

  “I know—you’re new. But you need to find the sub who’s scheduled to come to my room and get them to come early.”

  “Oh... Oh...” She began to shuffle through papers on her desk, her hands trembling.

  “It’s probably in the computer,” said Grace. “Do you want me to look?”