Page 27 of Beneath Her Hands
“That just got to me, that’s all. My father doesn’t even recognize me,” Rosalind said with a shudder.
Jane narrowed her eyes. “Who’s Lyla?” she asked then added, “and Denise?”
“No one, it doesn’t matter,” Rosalind said.
“I think it does,” Jane countered.
“They were… family friends,” Rosalind said with tears in her eyes. “They passed away a few years ago, they were much older than my parents, sort of like mentors to them, I don’t know. They were like a bonus set of grandparents to me. We used to spend the summers with them at the lake.”
“Why would that set you off?” Jane asked, still trying to figure out what was happening.
“They were married,” Rosalind said. “They were happily married for over sixty years, though legally was a different matter.”
“I don’t understand,” Jane said.
“They were a huge inspiration to me and my family, they had to fight tooth and nail for their love their entire lives, even when marriage between two women became legal, they didn’t bother with it because their lives were so intertwined a piece of paper no longer mattered. I’ve never known two people who cared for each other they way that they did.”
Jane blinked in surprise.
“Back in the seventies, they had their names changed to a hyphenate of both their last names because their families disowned them,” Rosalind continued. “But nothing ever came between them, even when they passed,” Rosalind’s voice broke.
“Wait, are you talking about Lyla and Denise Ryder-Strauss?” Jane whispered.
“Yeah,” Rosalind said with conviction. “You knew them?”
“Only briefly,” Jane said, “I was here when they passed. It was… it was magical, they were together for so long and they both died in their sleep next to each other, on the same night, I’m pretty sure everyone in the hospital cried over them.” Jane’s throat tightened at the memory. Lyla had come in with heart palpitations and Denise had stayed with her, sometime that night Denise had climbed into the bed with Lyla and they were both found the next morning, both of them having passed from natural causes. It was a beautiful story, almost legendary in this small city. Robert had mistaken Rosalind and Jane for those two, and the thought sent a warmth through Jane that she couldn’t explain, but it made her that much more determined. Rosalind would not be able to keep up this charade.
Jane walked in silence with Rosalind back to her office, though she didn’t notice their destination until they were at the door.
“Is there something you need?” Rosalind asked, her voice cold.
“Yes,” Jane said. “I need you to come to your senses.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Rosalind, there’s something here, something that I can’t explain, but I can’t deny it,” Jane said. “You can’t either, you know it’s true. Rosalind, I think I’m fa?—”
“Stop,” Rosalind cut her off. “There’s nothing left to say. I’ve already told you, there’s no future for us, there can’t be. I hate this place. I hate this city and everyone in it.”
“You don’t mean that,” Jane said, shaking her head. This stubborn woman would be the death of her. “You can’t possibly mean that.”
“I do,” Rosalind said with vehemence. “There’s nothing here for me, and I don’t want to start some half-assed relationship that I know to be doomed.”
“Why is it doomed? You haven’t even talked about it, maybe I want the same things you do, have you considered that?” Jane asked.
“You don’t even know what you want,” Rosalind countered. “How are we supposed to make something work when you can’t function for yourself? You’re so busy taking care of everyone and everything else, you don’t even know who you are, and I don’t have time to coach you through it.”
“Wow,” Jane said, anger filling her. “You’re too arrogant to actually allow anyone to think for themselves, what makes you think I would want you to ‘coach’ me?”
“It’s so obvious, Jane,” Rosalind said, though her heart wasn’t in it. “You said you want to travel, you said you’re envious of my life, you said you wanted so many things, but you’ve never even attempted to try and make it happen. First, it’s your sister, then it’s your parents, your nieces and nephews, you have a thousand excuses and not an ounce of ambition.”
“How can you say that? I’m an accomplished trauma surgeon, I’ve helped to establish this hospital as one of the top hospitals for miles around, one of the best in the whole damn country, and I did all that while taking care of my family. Meanwhile, you flitted from village to village around the world, too scared to stay too long or become attached to anyone oranything, and the rest of the world touts you as a hero, when really you’re just too scared to develop anything real.”
“How can I possibly try to attach myself to anyone when they can be taken away from me at any second? Even somewhere as safe as this, there’s a constant threat of accidents, sickness, anything. Everything we do is at best a stall for the inevitable,” Rosalind said.
“Yes, everyone eventually dies, Rosalind, but you’re using that as an excuse to avoid living,” Jane snapped.
“And you’re using your ‘responsibility’ as an excuse to avoid doing anything scary,” Rosalind countered.
