Page 117 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
Millie stands in the center of the room, her face flushed an angry red, arms gesticulating wildly as she screams. Caitlin stands in front of her. She doesn’t seem upset at all. In fact, she’s remarkably calm, almost bemused. Her head tilts slightly to one side, and one eyebrow is raised as she watches the spectacle unfold before her.
“You don’t belong here!” Millie shrieks, jabbing a finger in Caitlin’s direction. “This is for family! You’re not family! You never were!”
Caitlin takes a step back when Millie gestures towards her, but otherwise, she doesn’t flinch, doesn’t rise to the bait. She just stands calmly, hands folded in front of her, the picture of composure. There’s no anger on her face, no hurt, just a sort of detached curiosity, like she’s observing an exotic but ultimately harmless creature through glass at a zoo.
Around them, a small crowd has gathered. Rhonda hovers behind her daughter, her face a mask of mortification as she tugs ineffectually at Millie’s sleeve. Several nurses stand nearby, whispering and exchanging alarmed glances, while a burly security guard steps forward, his hand raised in a placating gesture.
“Ma’am, I need you to lower your voice,” he says firmly. “This is a hospital. You need to calm down, or you need to leave.”
Millie whirls on him. “Don’t tell me to be quiet! She’s the one who needs to leave! She ruined everything!”
“Ma’am, if you can’t calm down, I will remove you from the building,” the guard warns, his patience visibly thinning. “This is your final warning.”
Rhonda steps forward, tugging at her daughter’s sleeve again. “Millie, honey, please. You’re making a scene. Let’s just go get some coffee and—”
“No!” Millie shakes off her mother’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere until she leaves! She doesn’t deserve to be here! She stole everything from me!”
I cross the room, each step deliberate. Millie is so caught up in her rant that she doesn’t notice me approaching until I’m standing beside Caitlin. My arm slides around her waist, anchoring her to my side where she belongs.
The room goes suddenly quiet. Millie’s mouth hangs open mid-sentence, her eyes wide with shock as they land on me.
“Adam?” Her voice shifts instantly, turning sweet and uncertain. “Adam, you came back.” She moves toward me, arms outstretched for a hug, tears already gathering in her eyes.
I raise my free hand, palm out, stopping her in her tracks. “Don’t touch me, Millie.”
She freezes, confusion replacing the anger on her face. “But… but Adam, I—”
“No.” The word comes out hard, final. “You don’t touch me. You leave me alone, and you leave the woman I love alone.”
Millie’s gaze darts between Caitlin and me, her expression crumpling. “You can’t love her,” she insists, though her voice has lost its edge. “It’s me you were suppos—”
“That would never happen,” I cut in. “I’ve loved Caitlin from the first moment I saw her.”
“But I need you,” Millie whispers, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I’ve always needed you.”
I feel Caitlin tense slightly against my side, but she remains silent, letting me handle this. I appreciate her trust; her understanding that this is my battle to fight.
“Listen to me carefully, Millie,” I say, my voice low but clear. “I want you to leave Caitlin alone. Leave me alone. I never want to see you again.”
Millie’s face contorts, fresh tears spilling over. “You don’t mean that,” she says, voice breaking. “You can’t mean that. She’s turned you against me. She’s ruined everything!”
“Caitlin ruined nothing,” I tell her firmly. “There was nothing to ruin. I was never yours, Millie. I never wanted to be yours.”
“That’s not true!” she cries, desperation coloring her voice. “We were meant to be together! Everyone knows it! Your mother, my mother—”
“Our mothers were wrong,” I say simply. “They’ve always been wrong. Caitlin is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The only thing I’ve ever been sure of.”
The words hang in the air between us, a truth I’ve known for so long but never stated so plainly in front of Millie. Her face crumples completely, a wounded sound escaping her as Rhonda rushes forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Rhonda murmurs, shooting me a reproachful look. “Let’s go get some air.”
I turn away from them, my focus entirely on Caitlin now. Her eyes meet mine, warm with understanding and something that might be pride. “Ready to go?” I ask softly.
She nods, and we move toward the exit together, my arm still around her waist. As we pass the nurses’ station, Caitlin glances over her shoulder at Millie, who stands frozen in place, watching us leave.
“She seems a little unstable, doesn’t she?” Caitlin says, her voice pitched just loud enough to carry. “Isn’t she like a nurse or something? It’s concerning; maybe someone should look into that.”
A surprised chuckle escapes me, and I press a kiss to her forehead, my heart light despite the scene we’re leaving behind.
