Hitting the Right Note (3 page)

“H
oney, I'm home,” JJ called jokingly as the pulled her suitcase through the front door and dumped it in the entryway. She looked around at the mid-Toronto house that had been her home for the past seven years but which over the past seven months she had barely seen in the light of day. Everything looked more or less the same. From the front door she could see down the short hallway into the open-concept living-dining area. A wide counter separated the dining area from the kitchen, the place where the sisters spent most of their time.

All of them could hold their own around a stove—Jackie Isaacs, their mother, had made sure of that—but Sydney had a special touch when it came to the oven. She took after their father that way and had followed directly in his footsteps by opening her own gourmet pastry shop less than a year earlier. They all thought she would have inherited their father's store, which she had run for over a year after his death, but things hadn't turned out that way. Thankfully, however, all that was in the past and now Sydney was settled into her own place, still named Decadent in honor of their father's old bakery but fully owned by Sydney and her boyfriend-turned-fiancé, pro-basketball trainer Hayden Windsor. A fiancé who, judging by the size thirteen Nikes at the front door, was in the house right now.

“JJ, we're in the kitchen,” a familiar baritone voice called out. “Your sister is trying to give me a heart attack and gross me out at the same time.”

“I am not!” she heard Sydney reply.

Grinning, she slipped off her shoes and padded down the hallway, through the living area to the kitchen.

“So I guess Sydney is experimenting again?” she asked as her sister and Hayden came into view.

“Yes, I am trying out a sweet cabbage strudel recipe, but forget about that—you're home!”

“Yes I am, and just in time apparently,” JJ said with a grin. “Let me see it!”

Sydney pulled off her oven mitt with a grin and held out her glittering left hand. JJ squealed as her eyes took in the white gold engagement ring which featured a round diamond surrounded by elegant clusters of diamond side stones.

“Oh my goodness! It's beautiful. Congratulations, Sydney!” She threw her arms around her sister.

JJ felt the last bits of the Alberta cold disappear as her sibling wrapped warm arms around her in a giant hug. It had only been a few days but she had missed her big sister. And regardless of how she had felt when she first heard the news, she really was happy for Sydney.

“Good job, Mr. Windsor,” JJ said, playfully punching Hayden on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” he said with a grin. “Gotta do my best to keep this one happy.”

The look that passed between him and her sister was so full of love JJ had to look away.

“It's so good to see you.” Sydney beamed when she finally remembered JJ was there. “How was the trip?”

“It was amazing,” JJ said with a sigh as she plopped down onto the stool next to Hayden, at the counter. “We did three shows while we were there, including singing at a children's hospital. We shared the stage with a whole bunch of other musicians. I got to meet K'naan!”

“Wow,” Hayden said, looking impressed. “Look at you moving up in the music world.”

“That's awesome, JJ,” Sydney said. “I'm glad it was great. I hope nothing happened to spoil the occasion.”

She gave JJ a meaningful glance, which JJ read clearly.

“No. Nothing happened,” JJ said, emphasizing the nothing.

The two sisters locked eyes with each other in silence for a long moment. Hayden looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Okay,” he said, standing up. “Guess that's my cue to go.”

“No,” JJ said, standing up and then moving toward the stairs. “You stay. I'm gonna go upstairs and lie down for a bit anyway. Still a little worn-out.”

She gave a weak smile and avoided Hayden's and Sydney's eyes as she headed toward the stairs. She was not looking forward to her conversation with Sydney. Her older sister could get water from stone. She would look at JJ and immediately know something was up. JJ was sure she had some kind of special radar. It was scary.

At least she had enough time to take a shower and relax before the interrogation began.

Or so she thought, until she returned to her bedroom from the shower and found Sydney sitting in her chair.

“Geez, Sydney, can you give me a minute to breathe before you start the third degree?” JJ asked as she searched in her drawers for underwear and clothes.

“What are you talking about?” Sydney asked innocently. “I just wanted you to taste my cabbage strudel.”

Expectantly, she held out a plate of questionable-looking pastry.

JJ wrinkled her nose as she pulled on a pair of calf-length leggings. “Ugh. As if I would put that grossness in my mouth.”

“It is not as bad as you think,” Sydney said, rolling her eyes. “Even Hayden said it was pretty good.”

JJ grinned. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

“Come on,” Sydney whined. “Just try it.”

“Sydney . . .”

“One forkful.”

“I don't even eat sugar anymore.”

“One bite won't make you put on a hundred pounds,” Sydney said, rolling her eyes again. “And if you don't like it, you can spit it out,” Sydney finished, holding up a napkin with her free hand.

JJ finished buttoning up her shirt, then plopped down on the bed.

“Alright,” JJ said, reaching for the plate. “But if I do this, you can't interrogate me about my trip.”

“No deal,” Sydney said, immediately moving the plate out of JJ's reach.

JJ groaned and leaned back on her hands on the bed.

“And now that you've opened the door to that conversation . . .”

“Nothing happened, Sydney.”

“Great,” Sydney said, taking a bite out of the pie. “So you'll have no problem telling me all about it. Where did you stay?”

JJ reached over and grabbed the fork and plate from Sydney's hands. Maybe the strudel wasn't such a bad idea. At least it would buy her time to think of answers. Or make up ones.

“Crowne Plaza Edmonton,” JJ said, putting a forkful of strudel in her mouth. A mix of sweet, delicate flavors that she wouldn't have normally associated with cabbage hit her tongue. Surprisingly, not bad.

“Pretty good, isn't it?” Sydney said with a knowing smile.

“M-hmm,” JJ murmured with a nod as she kept chewing.

“Good.” Sydney gave a short nod of satisfaction. “Now back to this trip. What was the hotel like?”

“Beautiful. Clean. Expensive. Great service. And the hotel restaurant was pretty good too,” JJ said. “We had dinner there a few nights. They had the most amazing amuse-bouche, Sydney. You would have loved it. If you and Hayden go to Alberta, you should stay there.”

“Well, it's unlikely that Hayden and I would be staying at a hotel together anytime soon since we aren't married yet,” Sydney said pointedly. “Speaking of which . . .”

“Have we got to the part about who was in her room yet?” Lissandra asked, showing up at the door.

JJ rolled her eyes, wondering how she had not heard her other sister enter the house.

“Just about,” Sydney said, pursing her lips.

JJ put a large forkful of strudel in her mouth. She would pay for this later with a few extra laps around the block, but she needed the time.

“Mm-mm-mm,” Lissandra said, shaking her head as she folded her arms. “Look at her buying time. Syd, you better take that plate from her.”

Sydney shrugged. “There's not much left anyway.”

JJ put down the fork and faced her fate. “Guys, like I said, it wasn't a big deal. I had just had dinner. A friend was making sure I got back to my room okay.”

“What friend?” Lissandra pressed.

“A friend,” JJ pressed back, glaring.

“Anyone we know?” Sydney asked.

“You don't know all my friends,” JJ said defensively.

“Especially not lately,” Lissandra muttered.

“Look, JJ, if you're dating somebody, that's great,” Sydney said, taking on a more coaxing tone. “That's nothing to be ashamed of. We just don't understand why you would hide that from us.”

“Unless you're sleeping with that someone,” Lissandra said.

“I'm not sleeping with anyone,” JJ said more loudly than she intended. She glared at Lissandra. “Though I can't see how that would offend your nonexistent values.”

“Hey, I never claimed to be anything other than what I am,” Lissandra said sharply. “You know I am all for a good time, no matter how it comes around. I'm not the one who used to walk around here holier than everyone else, condemning everyone else for their mess, acting like she had an alarm system on her chastity belt—”

“Okay, Lissandra, that's enough,” Sydney cut in.

“Look, I am a grown woman. Who I see and what I do is my business. I don't have to share that with you. But if I am dating someone and it is serious, I will let you know. Again, for the record, I am not sleeping with anyone. So, yes, Lissandra, my chastity belt is firmly in place,” she snapped. “At this point I am not sure if you could even find yours.”

“Maybe it's with the man who was in your room last night,” Lissandra quipped.

Sydney glared at Lissandra. “Enough!”

“I am done talking about this,” JJ said, folding her arms. She could not believe she had let her sisters railroad her like this. Sometimes she wondered if they were for her or against her.

“I agree,” Sydney said. “Let's drop this whole thing for now. There's something more pressing that we need to talk about.”

“Sheree?” JJ asked, glad to steer away from the topic of her love life.

“Yes,” Sydney said. She took a deep sigh. “Now I know I said that we would talk about this together, but things have been happening really quickly and—”

Sydney was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

“Who's that?” JJ asked, getting up.

“I don't know,” Lissandra said. “I wasn't expecting anyone.”

The doorbell went off again. Several more times in a row, with more urgency.

The three women rushed downstairs, JJ making it to the front hallway first. Without checking the peephole, she flung the door open. Before she could say a word, a heavyset man walked in and set two suitcases in the hallway before stepping out and making way for a second man, who brought in a huge, heavy-looking box.

“What in the world—”

“Whose are these?” Lissandra demanded from the second brother who had set down the box. “And why are you bringing them into my house?”

“I'm just following orders, ma'am.”

“Whose orders?”

“Mine.”

All three women looked up to see a fourth, very pregnant, very tired-looking woman standing in their doorway.

JJ hadn't seen her in more than a month. But there was no mistaking the person standing in front of her.

“Sheree?”

The woman let out a tired breath. With a hand on her back and another one under her protruding belly, she took two slow steps into the entryway.

“Hey, JJ . . . Lissandra . . . Sydney,” she puffed, taking a labored breath after each word. “Is there anywhere I can sit down? I think . . . I'm about to . . .”

And then, before she could even get the words out, she fainted.

S
imon hated hospitals.

It was the first thought he'd had every morning since he first arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and it was the first thought he'd had again this morning as he stepped through the sliding glass doors. He hated hospitals. It didn't matter whether they were in North America or Northern Africa; whether they had state-of-the-art technology or secondhand machinery. In every case it was the same. And it was mostly because of the smell. Whether it was of disinfectant or dysentery, it was unhealthy. Unnatural. It was not the smell of life. It was the smell of sickness and death. No wonder so many people died in hospitals.

And yet this was where he would have to spend several of his days for the next few weeks. It was for the greater good, he knew. This is where people came for care, and so this was where he needed to be. But the Lord knew that if he could have built a makeshift office on a boat and docked it in the Toronto Harbourfront nearby, he would have. At least that way he might breathe in a little semi-fresh, non-artificial air every now and then.

“Paging Dr. Massri. Dr. Massri to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit.”

“They musta spotted you in the parking lot, Doc,” the security guard in the lobby called out to Simon as he saw him approach.

“Nah. It's that tracker they implanted at the airport, Lawrence,” Simon said, tossing an apple to the burly, baby-faced man in uniform. “They always know where I am.”

Lawrence caught the apple and nodded his thanks. “They got us all on the grid, I tell you.”

Simon chuckled as he entered the waiting elevator and hit the button that would take him up to obstetrics, where he would spend most of his day. He might hate hospitals, but usually the people weren't too bad.

“Dr. Massri, where have you been? You were supposed to be here at ten o'clock. It's a quarter to eleven.”

“Good morning to you too, Dr. Sterling,” Simon said, trying on his best smile for the acting chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, who looked like she had been waiting for him to arrive so she could remind him how late he was. Other doctors at his level would have told him not to take that kind of talk from a local staff MD, even if she was the chief. But he had met Dr. Sterling over ten years ago, when he was nothing but a young doctor still wet behind the ears. Before he got a PhD in research. Before he had received any international awards or been called to work all over the world. Before he gave it all up to do what he did now. She had known him then. And she still knew his mother and father. So when it came to putting him in line, she got a free pass.

“Don't good morning me. I have two women waiting to see you since ten thirty, and another one just came in,” she said, pinning him with her trademark stern gaze. Though he towered over her, his six-foot-five frame squirmed under her glare. This woman was old enough to be his mother, and there had been more than a few occasions when he felt like she was.

“I had to stop by SickKids,” he said apologetically, referring to the Hospital for Sick Children. “Dr. Mason had a case there he wanted me to look at. I've been over there since seven a.m. Up since six. Don't you feel sorry for me?”

“I've been up since four,” she quipped. “Don't you feel sorry for me?”

“No, ma'am.”

Her eyes widened but then she laughed. “You take these charts from me before I smack you with them,” she said.

“Good morning, Dr. Massri.”

Simon and Dr. Sterling looked up as a much younger nurse, who looked more like a cover girl than a medical professional, sauntered down the hallway pushing a cart. Simon was about to open his mouth to respond when Dr. Sterling smacked him with the charts in her hand.

“You stay away from those fast-tailed nurses,” she whispered quietly for his ears only. “You do what you're here for and get back to what you're really meant for. Without any distractions.”

Simon saluted. “Yes, ma'am.”

He chuckled as she shook her head and walked away. The few times he had been at Mount Sinai, he could always count on Dr. Sterling to take some time out to check on him.

Glancing at his charts of referrals, he headed to the first patient. Each one took time. Time to get the family history. Time to assess the patient's state of mind. Time to become up-to-date on the situation, do an assessment, and draft a plan of care. By the time he got around to his third patient, he was already feeling emotionally drained.

“Good morning, I am Dr. Massri,” he said, stepping into the private room to find a honey-toned young woman with cropped hair propped up against pillows. Her forehead was dotted with perspiration and her eyes were bloodshot and tired.

“You must be Sheree Isaacs,” he said kindly, immediately feeling empathy. Without glancing at the chart he guessed her to be about five months along. Pale skin. Shorter than normal breaths. Could be anemic on top of everything else noted in the referral.

The woman nodded, just as another woman, who had been on her cell phone, turned around.

“I left a message for Dean. Hopefully he'll at least call back,” the woman said. Then she looked up and Simon felt like he had been punched in the chest.

Her hair was different. Short. Some kind of uneven cut that ended at her chin. Like that black girl he had seen on the cover of some magazine at the nurses' station. It wasn't just the hair though. Her features seemed slightly sharper. But maybe that had to do with how much thinner she was. There were lines in her forehead, near her eyes. Not age lines—she was too young for those. But she had aged since the last time he saw her. The first and last time he saw her. Almost four years ago. So long ago that someone else might not be sure that it was her.

But he was sure.

It was the eyes that confirmed it. Those huge doe eyes. Brown, with flecks of gold. Eyes that didn't really belong on a creamy caramel face, but which fit perfectly on hers. Eyes that showed emotions like windowpanes. Eyes that he used to see in his dreams a long time ago.

What in the world was she doing here? In this hospital? And why had she cut her hair?

“Hi, I'm JJ,” she said, holding out her hand as if she had never seen him before in her life. As if for one day—one intense day—their lives hadn't dramatically intersected. “I'm Sheree's sister-in-law.”

He stared at her for a long moment. Waiting for her to say something. Waiting for a spark of recognition. Waiting for her to explain why she had cut her beautiful long hair.

Nothing.

Then she was pulling back her hand and pursing her lips, and he realized that he had unintentionally snubbed her. He barely managed to nod in her direction before turning away.

“So, tell me what's been happening with you, Sheree,” he said, pulling up a stool to her bedside and doing the only thing he could do while his senses were reeling—focus on his patient.

“She fainted this morning on our doorstep,” JJ answered for Sheree, the clipped tone of her voice indicating her annoyance. Probably at him. “I was told her pregnancy was high risk, but I don't have any details. She said she was referred by her OB a few weeks ago but hasn't had an appointment with the specialist yet.”

“I've been having these fainting spells for the last six weeks or so,” Sheree explained slowly. “And for a time my pressure was pretty high. The doctor says I might be anemic. They prescribed some drugs, but I don't want to be on too many medications while I'm pregnant. I don't know how it will affect the baby.”

Simon nodded. “And you've been taking all your prenatal vitamins?”

“Yes,” Sheree said after drawing a deep breath. She listed off the supplements she was on and how long she had been taking them. Simon wrote down everything she said, knowing that there was no way he would remember anything, with him being so aware of JJ's every movement on the other side of Sheree's bed.

“Okay,” he said finally. “Let's see what's going on with your baby.”

He chatted with her casually as he prepared her for the ultrasound. It wasn't long before the sound of the baby's heartbeat was echoing through the room. He heard JJ gasp and looked over in time to see her cover her mouth as she stared at the moving images on the black-and-white screen.

“Oh my gosh, he's so beautiful,” JJ breathed. She tore her eyes away from the screen to look over at Sheree and then Simon. “It is a boy, right?”

Before Simon could open his mouth, Sheree spoke up.

“Hush!” she ordered with more vigor than she'd used the whole visit thus far. “I don't want to know until I hold him or her in my arms.”

JJ looked up at Simon with pleading eyes, and he had to look away.

“Mother's wishes.” His voice sounded gruff to his own ears. But then, he seemed generally out of control of his faculties today.

He cleared his throat. “So far everything looks good. Baby's heartbeat seems normal, there're no signs of distress, things look fine. And your previous tests say your blood pressure is in the expected range.”

He shut off the monitor and turned back to Sheree. “Based on your test results from two weeks ago, your hemoglobin was a bit low. I'm going to increase your dosage of folic acid for now, but I'm also going to have the nurse come in and take some blood so we can look at your levels again and make sure everything else is okay.”

Sheree nodded.

“I understand your concerns about medications,” he said, leaning in. “I much prefer more natural methods myself. But we do need to make sure your hemoglobin count is where it should be, so that you and your baby can get enough oxygen and stay healthy.”

Sheree bit her lip, and he caught the scared look in her eyes. He reached out and grasped her hand.

“We're going to make sure you and this baby are okay, Sheree,” he said with a smile. “I know you're doing your best to take care of your little one, and we're going to do our best too.”

JJ crossed and then uncrossed her legs in the chair across from him. He succeeded in not looking over at her.

“Is there anything else going on that you're concerned about?” he asked, focusing on Sheree. “Any pains, discomforts, irregularities?”

Sheree bit her lip thoughtfully. “Just a little cramping in my stomach now and then. My doctor says it's normal.”

“How often do you feel that?” he asked, making a note on the chart.

She shrugged. “Couple times a week, maybe less?”

“Does it keep you up at night?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not really.”

He nodded, made a note on his chart, and then put it away. “If it gets any worse, you let us know immediately, okay?”

“Okay.”

The door opened again and a taller woman, similar in features to JJ but a little thicker, walked briskly into the room.

“Hi, I'm Sydney, Sheree's sister-in-law,” she said, smiling tightly and offering her hand to the doctor. “How is she doing?”

“I'm Dr. Massri.”

JJ coughed as he shook Sydney's hand.

“We're going to run some tests to make sure, but I think she's going to be okay.”

He turned back to Sheree. “Either way, I want you to make an appointment to come in this time next week, so I can follow up with you on your tests. And if you have any issues, you can call the hospital and they'll page me.”

“That's very reassuring of you, Dr. Massri,” JJ said.

He finally braved a look at her and forced his lips into a smile. “That's what I'm here for.”

She held his gaze and . . . what? Was that . . . recognition?

But before he could confirm it, it was gone. He turned back to Sheree.

“So do you have any questions about your pregnancy?”

He knew it wasn't really his role, since he wasn't her OB and he hadn't officially taken her on as a referral yet, but he knew taking some time to talk to Sheree about her pregnancy would make her feel more comfortable sharing any issues she might be having, which in the long run would make it easier for her to get the right care. Plus, based on the comment her sister-in-law had made when she got off the phone, it seemed like the baby's father might not be readily available. If he could do anything to make her feel less alone and more supported, he was willing to do it.

He chatted with her, answering her questions and occasionally Sydney's and JJ's, until he heard another page for him from the hallway.

“So I'll get the nurse for you,” he said, standing up. “And remember to make that appointment for early next week. Until then, take care, Sheree.”

Sheree beamed. “Thank you, Dr. Massri.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile.

“Yes, thanks a lot,” JJ added. He looked up just in time to catch a softness in her eyes. “I really appreciate you spending time to answer our questions. This pregnancy is going to be a first for all of us.”

He couldn't speak, so he just nodded before ducking out of the room. When he was finally in the hallway, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He had seen her again, and now he had an updated image to add to the one that had floated in and out of his mind for several years. On top of that, he just might be seeing her a lot more often. He sighed.

Heaven help him.