Page 41 of Love is a Drum Beat
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she dug her toes into the plush white carpet. She still had another month of this, and she wasn’t sure how she’d survive it.
Sighing, she stood and slid her sweatpants down her legs, kicking them off. Now, her shirt. This was the hard part. Lifting her arms, she tried to pull, to escape the too tight fabric. Everything was too tight these days.
Jo tried to reach high enough to pull it over her head. The movement threw her off balance, and she fell back onto the bed. This wasn’t working.
Huffing out a breath, she stared at the bathroom door. What now? She didn’t know if Dax was home from the recording studio. He’d spent the last few days working on his new music.
A knock sounded on her door. Jo looked down at her pantless self. “Who is it?”
“Doctor Lawrence.”
Jo didn’t know why her doctor was here, but she’d take any help she could get, and besides, the doc would be all up in her lady business soon. “Come in.”
Doctor Lawrence had the decency not to laugh when she saw Jo with her shirt tangled around her neck. “I take it you need some help?”
“Please.” Jo sighed. “I want to take a shower.”
The woman raised a brow. “No shower. We want you off your feet, remember? I’ll draw you a bath.”
Before Jo could argue, Doctor Lawrence disappeared into the bathroom. Jo had never been a bath person. There was something about stewing in her own filth that grossed her out. Baths didn’t feel clean.
Doctor Lawrence returned. “Now, let’s get you undressed.”
Jo studied her for a moment. “Why are you here?”
“My son asked me to stop by to check on you on my way home from work.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”
“For my favorite patient? Yes, I did. Now, up up. Let’s get you into that bath.”
Jo had never been anyone’s favorite. She tried to stay in the shadow of people greater than herself. She wasn’t sure how it made her feel.
“Where did you find bubbles?” Jo stared at the tub, letting the eucalyptus scent wrap around her.
“Dax keeps aromatherapy bubbles in each guest bathroom. He likes to anticipate the needs of any guests, even though he doesn’t invite many people to his home.”
Doctor Lawrence helped Jo into the tub, and Jo lowered herself, letting the warmth of the water relax her.
“Dax is like a real adult, isn’t he?” Jo cringed at her own words. “I mean, I’m in my late twenties, and I still live off takeout in a one-bedroom apartment. Dax… he has aromatherapy bubbles.”
Doctor Lawrence chuckled, giving Jo an indulgent smile. “Would you like me to leave so you can have privacy?”
Jo hadn’t talked to a single other person all day. She’d ignored her phone and slept in, waking after Dax left. “No. Stay and talk to me.”
Doctor Lawrence closed the toilet lid and took a seat.
Jo wasn’t blind to how ridiculous this was. Her doctor was hanging out in her bathroom with her at a house that just happened to be owned by the doctor’s son.
Doctor Lawrence smiled. “Jo, having a baby is just about the most adult thing you can do.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a chance I can out-adult Dax?”
“Dear, my son has acted like an adult since he was twelve years old. He has practice. He isn’t having a baby, but he is taking care of a woman who is.”
There was a question Jo hadn’t been able to figure out. Why?
As if sensing her words, Doctor Lawrence leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I remember the day Dax met you.”
