Forbidden Love Page 5

  When the shift was over, Dave said he needed to stick around because he had some administrative work to do. “How much longer will you be working here, Claudia?” he asked.

  Dave knew I was a pediatrician and that my plans were to join my mother’s practice as soon as I was able to. He said he liked that about me.

  “Only a few more months,” I told him. “Until the end of May.”

  “Good,” he said. “I think it’ll be better for both of us if we’re not working together.”

  I left the hospital smiling from ear to ear. Dave wanted us to keep seeing each other. Now I knew what those high school and college girls had been talking about when they described that heady feeling of being in love.

  Not only did I get tingles when I was with Dave, but my respect for him grew the longer I was with him. The depth of his caring nature reached far beyond anything most people saw. He took a week off every summer and went to a Third World country to help the poorest of the poor. He administered immunization shots, set broken bones, and gave food to people who were starving to death. He made me want to join him.

  “You should, Claudia,” he told me. “We can do it together. I know it’s just a little thing compared to how large the problem is, but I feel like if we can help a few people, then at least we’ve done something.”

  Never in my life had I met such a kind, intelligent, caring man. His dreams became my dreams.

  Dave took me to dinner to celebrate the end of my residency. Finally, I’d become a partner in my mother’s practice. And now, he told me he wanted to meet her.

  Mom said she’d love to meet the man who’d managed to sweep her daughter off her feet. We all got together at one of the best restaurants in town for a second celebration dinner.

  My mom obviously approved of my choice in men—I could tell from the moment she first laid eyes on him. She saw that same sparkle I’d seen from the very beginning. I felt like I was on top of the world.

  “I’d been hoping you’d meet someone closer to your own age, Claudia,” she said. “But he’s so young at heart, it doesn’t really matter. You have my blessing.”

  “There’s only one thing that would make this whole thing perfect,” I told her.

  “What’s that, sweetie?”

  “If Dave could have met my dad. I wish I knew what happened.”

  Mom sighed and looked away. “That’s not possible, Claudia. Please don’t keep bringing that up.”

  I had no idea at the time what bugged her about my asking what was surely a natural question. But I did notice a strange expression that crossed her face every time I did. I dropped the subject but decided to discuss it with Dave.

  He was very attentive when I told him the mystery of my father. I explained how I’d never even seen him, and my mother never told me a single thing.

  “Do you think that maybe he was a one-night stand?” Dave asked. “That would probably embarrass your mother enough to make her clam up about him.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s it. Mom’s not the type to lose her head over some guy just because she has the hots for him.”

  “Have you ever met any uncles or other men she can’t explain?” he asked. “Think back to when you were little.”

  “No, I don’t remember any uncles. My mom only has one sister, and she lives up in Maine with her husband and two cats.”

  “Is it possible he could have been killed?” Dave asked. “Or maybe very sick with some disease she doesn’t want to discuss?”

  “No. I asked her about that, and she said she has no idea where my father is, but she wasn’t widowed or left behind.”

  Dave agreed with me. “Yes, this is very strange.”

  I let out a loud sigh. “I just wish I knew.”

  He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “One of these days, we’ll figure it out. Together.”

  The way Dave put emphasis on the word “together” made me feel like everything would be just fine. He’d see to it that I learned about my father. I had no doubt about that. Dave could do anything.

  I didn’t tell my mother what Dave said, but I did let her know he was one of those people who seemed able to do just about anything. She smiled.

  “Sounds like someone else I know,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Who?”

  “You.”

  I’ve always been one of those can-do types of people. When someone said something couldn’t be done, I made it my goal to prove them wrong. I almost always succeeded. When people moaned and groaned about things not going right, I smiled and got through whatever it was. I wasn’t the type to let anything get me down, which was what got me through medical school. And it certainly helped me in the emergency room.

  “I really admire you, Claudia,” my mother said. “Nothing seems to rattle you. Maybe you and Dave are meant to be together. Certainly seems that way.”

  Her words were like the icing on the cake. I had my mother’s approval to forge ahead in the relationship with the man I knew I’d love for the rest of my life.

  Dave and I were literally inseparable from then on. We worked different hours, now that I was in business with my mom, but he stopped by when he had a chance, and I waited for him in the hospital cafeteria when he worked late. By then, we’d professed our love for each other, and it was only a matter of time before I knew we’d get married.

  He’d been married before, but it had only lasted a year. However, that had been long enough for him to produce one daughter, who was now five years old. I still hadn’t met her, but I had no doubt she’d be wonderful since she was Dave’s daughter.

  It was a really pretty summer afternoon when Dave finally proposed. He totally caught me off guard.

  We’d just come back from a picnic where a bunch of people from the hospital had gotten together for one last summer fling. I had on shorts and a T-shirt, and Dave was wearing a muscle shirt that looked better on him than it would have on most guys half his age. He kept looking at me with a strange expression all day, and I wondered what was going on.

  Then, when we got to his car, he turned to me and said he loved me with all his heart. I laughed out loud. “I love you, too, Dave.”

  “Then will you accept this?” He pulled a black velvet box from beneath the seat of his car.

  The ring was simple elegance, a solitaire marquis-cut stone set in a plain band. Suddenly, I was speechless. All I could do was nod.

  Since he’d been married before and I didn’t like the idea of a huge wedding, we had a small ceremony with just my mom, his parents, and a few friends from the hospital.

  “I wish my daughter could be here,” he told me. “But she won’t be back into town for several more weeks, and I didn’t want to wait that long.”

  I hugged my new husband. “That’s okay, Dave. We’ll meet soon.”

  One of the first things he wanted to do now was for us to get together with his daughter when she came back. “I just hope you and Ashley get along,” he said often.

  “Of course we will,” I assured him.

  In spite of what I said, I was very nervous about meeting Ashley. After he thought about it some more, he told me he had no doubt she and I would hit it off. Now it was my turn to worry. Sure, I was around kids all day, but this was different.

  I knew her mother—Dave’s ex-wife—would be with her when we met. I didn’t want to make a bad impression on any of these people since I knew they’d be in my life now.

  Dave suggested that I might be more comfortable meeting them if we brought my mother along with us. I hugged him and told him he was the most wonderful man in the world for making that offer, and that yes, I did want my mom with me. She had an amazing ability to see when the conversation was falling apart, and she could pick up and run with it, if needed.

  We all met at a nice restaurant on the edge of town. Dave, my mom, and I were there first.

  Mom reached out and patted me on the hand. “Everything will be just fine, Claudia,” she told me. “The little girl will love you.”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  Ashley and her mom, Delia, were late. When they walked in, I stood up, shook Delia’s hand, smiled at the cute little girl, and sat back down.

  I didn’t notice my mother’s reaction at first, but when I glanced over at her, I saw that her face had turned a sickly shade of gray.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” I whispered.

  “Oh, my God,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand.

  The whole evening, my mom didn’t say two words. Dave noticed, too. He leaned over and whispered, “Is something wrong with your mom?”

  I shrugged. “Obviously.”

  Delia was a very pleasant and attractive woman, but I could see why she and Dave hadn’t stayed married. She wasn’t interested in any of the same things; in fact, she seemed rather shallow. But I still liked her. And the little girl was absolutely precious, and very smart, too.

  After Delia and Ashley left, I let out a sigh of relief. Dave turned to me and grinned.

  “See? It wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  I shook my head. “No, in fact, I really liked both of them.” Turning to my mom, I said, “Mom, are you okay?”

  She just sat there, staring at the opposite wall, still not saying a word. Dave offered to drive her home, but she looked absolutely horrified at the very idea.

  “I can drive myself home,” she snapped.

  It was so unlike Mom to behave like that. I had no idea what had gotten into her, but obviously, something had surely happened.

  After trying unsuccessfully to pry it out of her, I stood up and said I really needed to get back to my condo to pick up some more things to take to the house where Dave and I lived. I was scheduled for appointments very early in the morning, and I needed my rest, so I wanted to get going.

  Dave drove me home to the condo. He was as befuddled as I was.

  “Do you have any idea what might have happened?” he asked.

  “No idea whatsoever.”

  “Maybe you can discuss this when the two of you are alone.” He pulled up to a traffic light and stopped when it turned red. “It was almost like she saw a ghost or something.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s really weird.”

  All night, I thought about Ashley and Delia. I had to admit, Ashley looked awfully familiar. I kept thinking she must have looked like one of the many patients I’d inherited from the doctor in my mom’s office who’d just retired.

  My mom showed up to work the next day in a strange state. Her hair, usually neat, looked uncombed and her clothes were rumpled.

  I pulled her to the side. “Mom, what’s the matter?”

  She didn’t say a word. She just slowly pulled a picture from the pocket of her lab coat and handed it to me.

  I glanced at the picture and smiled. Where had she gotten such a great picture of Dave’s little girl? I wondered. Maybe Delia had dropped it on the floor?

  We were so busy, I didn’t have a chance to ask her about it until it was time to lock the doors to the office. When I did, she leveled me with a cold stare.

  “Claudia, that’s a picture of you when you were a little girl,” she said in a monotone.

  “You’re kidding!” I looked at it again. “I could swear it looks exactly like Ashley.”

  Mom shuddered, grabbed the picture, and went straight to her car. I was left standing there all by myself, wondering why she was still acting like this. Something obviously bugged her about Ashley and me resembling each other. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what in the world it could be.

  I didn’t say anything to Dave about it because I didn’t want him to think something was wrong with my mom. And I especially didn’t want him to think she didn’t like his daughter. Mom wasn’t like that. She loved all children.

  Several days went by, and I had almost forgotten about Mom’s reaction, when Dave called me at home. He told me he’d gotten the strangest phone call from my mother.

  “She said we need to meet so we can discuss something that happened years ago,” he said.

  “What does she want to discuss?” I asked.

  “Beats me. But she gave me strict instructions to come alone. She doesn’t want you there.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I don’t mind if you and my mom get together. Just don’t say anything bad about me.”

  “There’s nothing bad to say, Claudia.”

  It hadn’t taken Dave and me long to fall into a comfortable routine centered around our work hours. Because I’d worked with him in the emergency room, I knew what he had to deal with. One of the big advantages we had over most couples was that we understood each other’s work. It was demanding, and that was the way it always would be.

  Since Dave wasn’t coming home for dinner that night, I fixed myself a salad and ate in front of the television, something I rarely did. But it was nice having a little time to myself. Since Dave and I had gotten married, we spent all our time in bed when we weren’t eating or working. That thought made me smile. My husband was what teenage girls call a “hottie,” and I was very fulfilled.

  I thought Dave would be home by midnight, since he was only scheduled to work until nine. I figured he’d meet with Mom for a couple of hours, then he’d come on home. But when one o’clock rolled around and he still wasn’t home, I got worried.

  As much as I hated to bug him, I dialed his cell phone number. But he didn’t answer it. His voicemail clicked in, letting me know he wasn’t available and that he’d call me back when he was. I hung up and frowned. What was going on?

  Finally, I went to bed alone, something I hadn’t done since I’d gotten married. Whatever Mom had to discuss with Dave must have been really earth-shattering. I wondered why she didn’t want me there. It wasn’t anywhere near time for my birthday. I couldn’t imagine any secrets she might want to tell him that she wouldn’t share with me first.

  When I heard the door open sometime after two o’clock, I sat up in bed. Well, it’s about time, I thought.

  “Dave,” I called, “I’m in bed, honey. Come on back.”

  He came to the door and just stood there, leaning against the frame. Since the only light was the hall light behind him, all I saw was his silhouette. But he looked haggard.

  “What’s wrong, Dave?” I asked.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered. Then he turned and walked away.

  I jumped up out of bed and ran after him. “You’re right, Dave, I don’t know any of it. What in the world happened?”

  Now that we were in the light, I saw that Dave had been crying. My big, strong, never-rattled husband looked like a miserable pile of bones.

  Reaching out to touch his shoulder, I said, “Dave, please tell me. I’m your wife. Maybe I can help you with whatever the problem is.”

  He jerked away and glared at me. “You can’t be my wife, Claudia.”

  “What?” All of a sudden, he looked like he was insane.

  Sucking in a breath, Dave forced himself to gather a little strength. “You can’t be my wife, Claudia, because you’re my daughter.”

  “What are you talking about, Dave? Have you been drinking?”

  He shook his head and walked into the kitchen. I followed him all the way in there and blocked the door when he tried to leave. “Oh, no, you don’t, Dave. You’re not going anywhere until you explain.”

  It took several hours for me to get it out of him. In fact, the sun had already started to rise when he finally broke down and told me what my mom had wanted. Now I wished I hadn’t asked.

  At first, Dave shook as he explained how he’d gone to a sperm bank and made a donation, back when he was in medical school. He’d needed a little money, and some of the other students had told him that was a great and painless way to make a few bucks.

  My mother had been in her medical practice for a few years when the “mommy bug” bit her. She wanted a child, but she had no marriage prospects lined up. And being the sort of woman she was, she didn’t want to have a one-night stand. She went to the sperm bank and was artificially inseminated.

  Now, as he unraveled the story my mom had revealed to him, I began to see the whole picture. “But how do you know I’m your daughter?” I asked. “It could have been anyone.”

  “When your mom saw Ashley, she went straight home and dug out your pictures from when you were that age. She waited a few days, but after she thought it over, she decided she’d better call the sperm bank. They didn’t want to tell her who the donor was, but after she told them how important knowing the information was, they finally relented.” He licked his lips. “And they’re sending the paperwork so we can be totally certain.”

  Now I was shaking. “It could be a mistake,” I said. “Look at the odds of that happening.”

  “No, it’s not a mistake,” he said. “I should have seen something like this happening.” With trembling hands, he started to reach for me, but then pulled back as if a snake had bitten him. “I’ve never been a big proponent of sperm banks, and this is the very reason why.”

  Dave shook all over and tensed when I reached out to touch his face. I quickly pulled my hand back.

  “What are we going to do now, Dave?” I finally asked.

  “I have no idea, but I do know I can’t sleep with you anymore, Claudia.”

  His voice sounded very ragged and filled with angst. I ached inside, but he was right: we couldn’t sleep together. That would be incest.

  I called my mother at work the next day. She told me she’d cover for me at the office. She apologized to me, but I hung up on her. I didn’t feel like listening to anything from her lying lips.

  All this time, I thought I had a dad who’d either abandoned us or died. I never dreamed she’d gone to a sperm bank and taken a withdrawal. The very thought of that made me sick to my stomach.

  I didn’t go back to work for nearly a week, and when I did, my mom and I didn’t even look at each other. I knew she was upset, but I was even more furious. How could she have done this to me?