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Chapter 153: Motherhood
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2022-11-24 14:32:56Related chapters
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 154: Connection
ALISON"Oh, Ms. Wakely! It's been a long time since we've seen you. How are you?"I paused at the reception desk of Peaceful Gardens Home for Care, returning the smile of the nurse who sat there greeting visitors. "I'm fine, thanks." Except for a slight case of pregnancy . . . I swallowed the words. Making the trip across the country from Florida to northern California had been a last-minute decision. An impulse, maybe. It had just seemed like serendipity at the time; Dr. Johanson, from whom I'd bought my practice when he'd retired, had stopped by to let me know he was back in town for the winter and willing to give me a hand if I needed him. I could tell that his real reason for visiting was that he was bored, but still, it had been a generous offer. And then, shortly after we'd spoken, I'd gotten a call from this nursing home where one of my foster mothers had been living for many years now. When Daneen's doctor had called to let me know that in addition to the progressing de
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 155: Love the one you're with
NOAH"I'm putting down a three on your run of hearts there . . . and I'm out." Juliet dropped the card on the table and did a cute little chair dance, her arms in the air as she wriggled around. "I beat your ass again, bubba!"I groaned as I laid down my hand. "Holy hell, woman. I'm going to be deep in the hole. You definitely won." "I did, I did." She counted her cards quickly. "Ha! Take that, sucker." I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head. "Okay, I'm done with rummy. I'm bored." I drained the bottle of beer next to me. "We need to find something more exciting to do." Juliet glanced up at me as she shuffled the cards, and I couldn't read the expression on her face. That was unusual; for the past two weeks, we'd been spending so much time together that I thought I'd figured out her tells and her ticks. But maybe not. I wasn't even sure how it had happened, that Juliet Connors had, for all intents and purposes, taken up residence in my house. It had started the day after
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 156: Bad romance
NOAH"Juliet?" I called out as I stumped out of my bedroom. Sun beamed through the windows of the living room onto the tile floors and gleaming wood accents. The housekeepers had been here the day before, I remembered. That was why everything smelled so nice and looked even better. I'd been at physical therapy while they worked. Juliet had driven me there as she shuttled me any place I had to go these days. In the week since I'd lost to her at strip blackjack, she hadn't left me alone for longer than an hour here or there. But now, it seemed, I might finally be alone. On the kitchen table, a single sheet of white paper was covered with loopy handwriting. Honey Bear~I had to run into town for a meeting at the stadium, then I'm having lunch with Daddy-he's in town just for the afternoon, or I'd have insisted he come out to the house to eat dinner with us.
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 157: Last try
ALISON"Dr. Wakely, I didn't know you'd be back today! How was your trip?" Gina, my office's assistant manager, appeared in my doorway holding a steaming cup of coffee and a pile of paperwork. "It was fine." I pasted on a smile that I hoped didn't look as phony as it felt. "Bet it was nice to be in California," Gina went on. "I've never been further west than Tennessee. Did you see any movie stars?" I shook my head. "Wrong part of the state. I mean, there might be a couple up in the Bay Area, but none who I saw. Besides, I spent most of the time either in the hotel or at the nursing home where my . . . relative lives.""Oh." Her face fell into sympathetic lines. "Yeah, that's right, I think someone told me that you were flying out there to see your family. I didn't realize that's where you were from. I thought you lived in the northeast somewhere before you came to Florida.""I did. Philadelphia." I accepted the papers she handed to me. "But I grew up in California. And yes, i
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 158: Lies
NOAH"Was that the doorbell I heard?" I stepped out of the bathroom, using a towel to dry off my hair. It was longer than I'd ever worn it, I observed absently to myself. I should probably think about getting a haircut."What?" Juliet was perched on the bed, her pink robe wrapped around her, her face still flushed from the hot water. Or maybe it was more than just the water . . . as a reward for getting through a painful, challenging session at physical therapy, she'd joined me in the shower and given me an incredible blow job. "I thought I heard the doorbell ring right after you got out of the shower. Who was it?" "Oh." She frowned, and I saw a shadow of something I didn't recognize pass over her eyes. "No, it wasn't the doorbell. It must've been on TV.""Really?" I glanced at the huge blank screen that hung on the wall. Juliet's face flushed even redder. "I turned it off, okay? I was checking something on ESPN, and when I saw what I wanted to see, I clicked it off. Why are y
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 159: Party time
NOAHNoah"Hey! Good to see you again, Noah!" Two of the rookies I'd only met a few times before I'd been injured greeted me as they came into the living room. Both were big guys, built like brick walls, and both looked so young I wanted to cry. When had rookies started looking like such babies? Or was it just now, that my time in the sun was over, that I realized this truth? I stifled a sigh and struggled to get to my feet. If I swayed a little, I hoped they'd think it was the injury and not the booze. I'd already consumed a copious amount today just to get through this fucking party. Lucky for me, Juliet was making sure I didn't take anything that I shouldn't when I was going to be drinking."Welcome." I stuck out my hand to shake theirs one at a time. "Glad you could make it.""You look good, man." One of the rookies plucked at the sleeve of the black leather jacket I was wearing. "I read an article about you online the other day, being with Juliet and everything. Nice work th
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 160: Reconnect
NOAHI shook off that vague worry now, though, as Deacon and Emma climbed the porch steps. Emma's expression was guarded as she approached me, and I noticed that Deacon kept his hand on her back. They both stopped a few feet short of me. Emma cleared her throat. "Hello, Noah. You look-good." Her eyes roved down me, and one of her brows rose. "I didn't realize this was the kind of party where people could go shirtless."I tossed back my last swallow of whiskey. "Em. You look good, too." I smirked. "You should know that in my mind, topless is always an option when it comes to you." Ignoring her small gasp of outrage, I shifted my gaze upwards a little. "Deacon. Glad you could both be here today. Gotta wonder who's saving the world at St. Agnes while you're gone, though." I'd meant the words to be a light jest, just a little tease, the way we always joked around. But I could see from the way Emma's eyes flared that she wasn't taking it that way. "I'm happy you're feeling better, N
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 161: Out of control
NOAHEmma and Deacon didn't stay very long after that-big surprise. Emma wore this pinched, uptight expression, and as soon as Deacon wandered back to the porch, glancing at both of us cautiously, she grabbed his hand and told him that she was ready to leave. But she got in one more parting shot before she took off. "Noah, I love you." She laid her slim, cool hands on either side of my face, staring into my eyes. "You really are my best friend, and I don't want that to change. But look at what you're doing. Look at the choices you're making, the life you're leading. It's a mess. It's not you. If Angela could see-" She broke off, either because of her own emotion or because she saw the pain in my eyes. "Noah, she wouldn't recognize you. I barely do. So please, please, sweetie, do me a favor and slow down. Think about all of this." She'd tiptoed up to kiss my cheek. "And don't forget to call me, because I miss you." I patted her back, mumbled something that I hoped sounded convinc
Last Updated : 2022-11-24
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 193: As long as we both shall live
NOAHNoahIt was a beautiful day for a wedding. We gathered at mid-morning under the covenant oak on Jimmy and Anna Girard's farm. Alison and I had decided that since Emma and Deacon's wedding had been the start of our love story, we should say our vows under the canopied branches of that same steadfast tree. We hadn't wanted anything grand or involved, but it was important to us that the special people in our lives were present. So when Alison and I joined hands and made our vows, among those surrounding us were Emma and Deacon, Darcy and Jackson, Jenny and Nico, Mira Hoskins, and all of the people who worked with Alison in her practice. Maggie Corning, the midwife, and Brooke Slater, Alison's therapist, were there, too. My family had flown down en mass from Wisconsin and other key points around the country. My mother couldn't stop smiling, and my dad looked proud. Even my brothers and sisters and their families were behaving themselves. And then of course, there was the Tam
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 192: Happily Ever After part 3
ALISONA human being can accomplish almost any task while sobbing her eyes out. I'd known this from experience in my past life, but after Noah left that afternoon, I went about proving it all over again.I cried as I wiped the table and counters. I wept as I took out a frozen macaroni and cheese to eat for dinner. I sobbed as I climbed the steps and listened at the baby's door-she was still asleep in the crib. I sniffled as I switched a load of newborn clothes from the washer to the dryer.He was gone, and I was alone. Again. Naturally.The hell of it was that even as he'd pleaded his case to me, even as he'd told me that he loved me, I'd known he was telling the truth. I believed him. But I couldn't trust what he thought he felt, not when people changed their minds about being in love all the damn time. People claimed to love a friend or a child or a lover, and then they changed their minds. It happened. I knew it first-hand. I'd experienced it over and over again before I was t
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 191: Break
NOAH"Where's the baby?" Alison walked into the kitchen, her face etched with fatigue. We'd had a long and trying few days as Evangeline had apparently been going through a growth spurt: she nursed almost constantly and was difficult to console the rest of the time. She'd fought sleep, and she'd cried piteously no matter what we'd tried to do. The pediatrician had assured us that this was normal and we'd get through it, but privately, I thought he was a heartless imbecile who clearly didn't understand that our daughter was advanced and needed more attention than the typical newborn. But finally, today we'd caught a break. Alison had gone upstairs to take a shower-her first in three days-and somehow, I'd managed to get the baby to sleep without the benefit of a boob. More than that, I'd actually laid her in the crib without waking her up. I was pretty satisfied with myself, all in all. I was also crossing my fingers that she'd stay asleep long enough that her mother and I could d
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 190: Parenthood
NOAHParenthood was amazing, fulfilling, beautiful, awesome . . . and exhausting. The first few weeks of baby Evangeline's life at home were a blur, a constant, never-ending whirlwind of feeding, and changing, and washing, and catching whatever small bites of sleep we could whenever she slept. People came to visit and brought gifts and food, and I was pathetically grateful for that, because I didn't have the energy to cook, and both Alison and I were tired of takeout. The one factor that made everything survivable was the baby herself. God, I hadn't known how much I was going to love this ten-pounds of tiny, perfect human. I'd never anticipated that staring at her sleep for an hour was better than four quarters of football. Or that catching what might have been a smile could make me feel as though I'd just witnessed greatness. What was some missing sleep compared with noting how well my two-week-old daughter could lift up her head?Even so, as much as I was ga-ga over my baby gir
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 189: New life
ALISON"Congratulations, mama! You're at six. I think it's time to break your water and get things really going." It sounded like a great idea to me, but I saw Noah's lips go white. "Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing my fingers over the back of his hand. "You look a little green." He swallowed, his throat convulsing. "This is the only part I'm a little, uh, squeamish about. I watched that birth online, and breaking the water looked-intense." Maggie chuckled. "Stay up there by Alison and keep your eyes on her face. We don't need papa hitting the floor and suing the hospital." Noah did as he was told, watching me intently as if waiting for me to show some sign of distress. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. "The water part, I mean." I shook my head. "It feels a little weird, but not-oooooh!" I gasped as I felt the gush hit my inner thighs. "Okay, then. Eyes here, Noah. Come on. We're in this together." After that, it felt as though everything got a lot more serious. The con
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 188: Giving in
ALISON Spoiler alert: having sex with Noah did not start my labor.But it sure was worth the effort. Two days after that monumental night-and after we'd given it the good old college try several more times-we went to Maggie's office. I was in a rotten mood-being a million years pregnant can do that to a person-and poor Noah looked a little haggard. He'd been sleeping with me in my bed (we both clung to the excuse that if I went into labor, I'd want him closer than across the hall), which meant that he woke up whenever I had to climb out of that bed to pee. He thought I'd been exaggerating about how often I had to go. He was quickly disabused of that notion. After a quick exam, Maggie made some notes on her tablet and then turned to the both of us. "So listen," she began. "Do you want to have this baby?" I stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do for over three weeks now, Maggie?" I bellowed. "Of course, I want to have th
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 187: Finally, at last
NOAHNow I got it. The night we'd first had sex-the night after Emma and Deacon's wedding-we'd challenged each other to come up with the sexiest, most outrageous names for cocktails. Alison was playing the game again."Ohhhhh." I grinned. "I still don't believe that last one is legit.""It totally is. The bartender confirmed it." With a smile that was deceptively seductive for an extremely pregnant woman, she reached down to grasp the bottom of her oversized T-shirt-which was not so oversized just now-and lifted it over her head. I helped just to make sure she didn't topple over in the process. It was the first time I'd really seen her without a shirt in many months. My first few impressions were awe at the size of her swollen middle. I knew she was huge, but damn. The skin was stretched as tight as a drum, and her belly button looked like a cork just about to give way. And her boobs-they were incredible. Within the utilitarian maternity bra, they were still the sexiest breasts
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 186: Things you shouldn't ask
NOAH"What's the world record for the longest pregnancy ever?" I glanced up at Alison from the book I was reading. We were both lying on her bed while a movie that neither of us was very invested in played on the TV. The couch downstairs had become too uncomfortable for her over the past week or so, so we'd begun hanging out here in her room. It was strictly for comfort, though; we stayed on top of the covers, with Alison on one side while I stuck to the other. It was a king-sized bed with plenty of room for us. But while we hadn't hesitated to cuddle and kiss on the sofa, something about being on the bed made us more cautious. I didn't know why, exactly; Alison was so tired of being pregnant that she wasn't up for much of anything other than television lately. She'd stopped going into the office after her due date since she'd already arranged with Dr. Johanson to cover her hours. So we were both at home now all the time . . . just waiting.She really was huge. While the ultraso
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 185: Trust love
ALISON"Read me that last part again?" Noah and I were sitting in the nursery, surrounded by boxes, gift bags, and about a million pieces of a pine crib. He had spent the last two weeks focusing on the nursery. He'd painted the room a lovely pale yellow color, insisting that I stay with Emma and Deacon at the cabin for the two nights after he'd completed the first and second coats so that I didn't have to inhale the paint fumes. Together, we had selected the crib and the dressing table. Noah's mother had sent us the cradle that all of her children had slept in, and that was already set up in my bedroom.Now, with my due date less than ten days away, we were finally tackling the project of building all of the furniture that hadn't come pre-assembled. I squinted at the paper in my hand, trying to decipher the words."I'm pretty sure that this was translated directly from Swedish by someone who didn't speak English," I commented. "It doesn't seem to make sense.""Does it say at wh
