"Mom, how much longer?"
"Hours. It's been hours."
As the twin whines rasped her eardrums, Liz
Jordan's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Forty-five minutes isn't
hours. We'll be there soon."
"Don't know why we have to move to
some hick town."
"Yeah, we'll be bored."
Their voices inched toward supersonic
wails. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw twin scowls. Justin and
Brandon had inherited their father's handsome features and his hazel eyes, but
their hair was dark brown like hers. "Guys, why not give
"We were babies,"
"Yeah, babies know nothing,"
Justin added his comment.
They had celebrated their fifth birthdays
in
As the car rounded a bend, she saw a
shopping mall that hadn't been here four years ago. What other changes would
she find? She knew the hospital had expanded. The unit where she'd be in charge
had been opened just three years ago.
When this fact popped into her thoughts,
once more she wondered if making a lateral move had been the right choice.
Being nurse manager of the ortho/neuro unit at
At
What about the unit's neurosurgeon, Dr.
Jeff Carter? She remembered golden hair and summer blue eyes, broad shoulders
and a lean body. She recalled memories of a dark night and the scent of wild
roses. Don't go there. As the memories surged, her cheeks heated. That evening
she'd made a foolish mistake, one she'd never make again.
"Mom, why do we have to live
here?" Justin asked.
"Because I have a new job, and it's
here."
"If it ain't that far from our home,
why can't you drive every day?"
"Yeah. Then we coulda stayed with our
friends." Resentment filled Justin's voice.
And I would have gone gray from worry.
"Enough. You'll live in
"Or lump it," the boys said in
unison.
"Is Pop still behind us?" Justin
asked.
"If he gets lost, we'll lose all our
stuff 'cept our collection."
"Your grandfather's there," Liz
said. "Justin, sit down and fasten your seatbelt." Would he ever
learn to think before jumping into action?
"Just had to check."
"He's always doing dumb things."
"Am not."
She heard a grunt. "Guys, enough. Do I
have to pull over?" She had to stop them before they came to real blows,
something that had never happened. Though they were identical in looks, their
personalities were opposite. Like his dead father, Justin plunged into action
without thinking, while
The noise from the back seat ceased. Liz
spotted the sign announcing their arrival in
She saw her sons turn in their seats to
look out the windows. The sight of houses with lawns instead of blocks of tall
apartment buildings made her smile.
"Is our house like them?"
"Maybe a little bigger." She
turned the car into
"Tonight?" the boys asked.
"No. Some of my friends are coming by
after work to help us get settled."
"That's not fair," Justin said.
"We had to leave our friends."
"Do they have kids?"
"Laurel and Alex have a son. I think
he's six."
"A baby," Justin said. "Who
wants to play with a baby? Not me."
"Your choice," Liz said.
"You don't have to play, but you will be nice to him."
"All right."
"Where's the hospital?"
"When we come to the next corner, look
up the hill. The brick building at the top is the hospital."
"Wow," Justin said. "Think
of coming down that hill on a bike."
"Think, but don't do," Liz said.
"You're no fun."
"Not supposed to be. I'm your mother."
My Places
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Mark My Places
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