True Love

Zack parked the car in front of his childhood home. Zina and Matt's cars were already in the driveway, he was obviously the last one to the party. He pulled down his visor, straightening his bow tie. Flipping it closed he got out of the car. He walked up to the house, he didn't bother to knock instead he just walked in.

Everyone sat in the living room.

His mother and father sat in their recliners, while his sister Zina, her husband Mike and his younger brother Zack all sat on the wrap around couch.

"There he is!" Zina chimed, Zack leaned down kissing her cheek before doing the same to his mother.

"So," his mother began as Zack took a seat on the couch, "what’s so important?"

"Don't you want to eat dinner first?" she just shook her head, everyone glancing curiously between each other.

"No, it’s in the oven. I figured we could eat after we talked, you said it was important..."

"Alright," he said, biting at his basically non-existent thumbnail.

Zack had gone back and forth about how to approach this situation.

He knew that after Mia pulling her little stunt years ago his mother had been anything but a fan of her, quite frankly, she hated her. But Zack had decided that his family’s reaction wouldn't discourage him one way or the other. If they didn't want the girls in their lives then so be it that would be their decision and it would certainly be their loss.

"Well?" Zina piqued, everyone looking at him expectantly.

"Do you remember..." he started, looking at his hands while he twiddled his thumbs, "Mia Winters?" he asked quickly, glancing around taking in everyone's reaction. His mother grimaced.

"That trollop," Maria hissed, "she ripped your still beating heart out of your chest and stomped all over it? And we watched you pine over her for well over a year! However could we forget her, Zachary? "Maria hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I heard she was back in town..." Zina mumbled more towards Zack than everyone else.

"Oh!" his mother stood, throwing her arms up dramatically, "Zachary don't you dare tell me you're seeing that...that whore again!" she screamed, now standing in front of him, shaking her finger in his face.

"Yeah, I'm just going to-" he started, but Maria cut him off, yelling at him.

"I knew that girl was trouble! She always thought she was too good for you!" Maria continued to berate the absent Mia, but that was it. Zack had officially had enough.

"Jesus Christ mom," Zack nearly screamed, shooting up from his spot on the couch, "I'm not seeing her, if that makes you feel any better..." he trailed off, Maria finally went silent, "I do however, have two children with her," Zack said, a smug smile finding its way across his face, Maria's eyes just went wide as she fell back into the couch.

"What?" Maria whispered, grabbing at her chest.

"We have thirteen-year-old twin daughters..." Zack said.

The room was completely silent.
Everyone's eyes were wide with shock and wonder.

"Come on mom," Zack groaned, "now you want to shut up?" but he turned to the couch, his mother’s face was red, and she continued to grasp at her chest.

"Call..." she mumbled, "call an ambulance. I think I'm having...a heart...heart attack."



"Alright Mrs. Baker," the nurse cooed, staring at her computer. Her fingers moving impossibly fast, "one a scale of one to ten where do you rate your pain?" she looked up at the older woman who was now donning a hospital gown, her family all crammed into the tiny E.R. bay she had been assigned.

"Eight..." Maria mumbled, she refused to look at Zack.

"Alright, tell me about your symptoms...." the nurse said sweeping her hair back over her shoulders.

"My arm feels heavy...I can't...I can't breathe." the nurse just nodded, "and all this pressure in my chest..." the nurse nodded before grabbing the syringe from the cart.

They had been in the emergency room close to three hours they had run a handful of different tests and had yet to give her any pain medicine a measure they had been assured was necessary in the event she would need to go to surgery.

"I have some morphine for you," she pushed the needle into the IV delivering the pain medication to the woman, "we have our cardiologist on her way down. She’s going to read the results of your scan and then she'll speak with you, okay? And you're in luck, the cardiologist on staff is one of the best in the nation. She is wonderful." she said assuring the family, Maria just nodded, "Just push that red button right there if you need anything, okay Mrs. Baker?" Maria just nodded as the nurse pushed the cart out of the room.

Maria waited anxiously for the door to shut behind her.

"That monster," Maria cried, "kept your children from you. What is wrong with her? And do you even know if they're yours..."

"Just calm down honey," James said comforting his wife, Zack just rubbed at his temples.

He wasn't trying to kill his mother.
Really, he wasn't.

"Knock, knock-" Zack's eyes went wide at the voice on the other side of the door. But before he could react the door swung open, "Hello," and there she was, Mia. She had on green scrubs and a pair of black leopard print Nike's, her hair was tied up in a knot on top of her head.

But Mia wasn't paying any attention, she was reading over a chart.

"You!" Maria managed to scream, pulling Mia from her thoughts.

Mia glanced up, her eyes going wide.

She was clearly in shock.

She looked around, all the occupants of the room had their mouths agape, and their eyes wide.
Minus Zack, who looked mortified.

"Zack," Mia spoke slowly, glancing at Zack, his eyes were apologetic, "what’s going on?" she asked, laying Maria's chart down on the end of her bed.

"You're a monster!" Maria cried, screaming at Mia.

"Mrs. Baker," Mia started calmly, "if you don't calm down, I will sedate you. Because the last thing I need is you to blow your carotid artery and die right here in my ER before I can get an operating room cleared out, do you hear me?" Maria's eyes went wide and she instantly fell silent.

"I don't want you as my doctor." Maria spoke lowly but her tone was serious. Mia shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And I respect that," she spoke, "but it is almost ten p.m. and there is one other cardiologist on staff and he is currently in surgery assisting with a heart transplant. So it’s going to be at least four hours until you'll be seen. So if that's what you chose, I'll get the paperwork. Because if you die in my ER it will not be my fault, it will be of your own ignorance."

"This is crazy!" Zina spoke, "Mom, set your pity fucking problems aside and let her do her job." Maria crossed her arms, turning her nose up at Mia.

"Fine, but I won't speak to you..." Mia rolled her eyes.

"That's alright, it can't be any different than when my children give me the silent treatment." she stopped, thinking for a moment, "Come to think of it when they give me the silent treatment I tend to get a lot accomplished, so be as quiet as you like..." Zack smiled, Maria just glared at her, "like it or not Mrs. Baker, I am a good doctor."

Mia stopped before she began to read through the chart again.

"You never told me what you actually did...I knew you were a doctor but," Zack spoke to Mia, trailing off as Mia looked up from her chart.

"Actually," she spoke, as she logged onto the computer that was fixed in the room, I specialize in cardiothoracic treatment and oncology." Mia still didn't look up, instead, they watched as she pulled up some sort of scan onto the light board on the wall.

"What exactly does cardiotho-" Zack trailed off, forgetting the word, "...what is it?"

"Cardiothoracic?" Mia finished, looking up. He just nodded, "I specialize in the internal organs of the chest. Heart and lungs are my specialties," she drifted off as she began to examine the scan.

"What do you see?" James, Zack's father asked cautiously. Mia just bit at her lip.

"Mrs. Baker," she began, not even bothering to turn to the woman knowing full well that she would just be ignored anyway, "have you been on any long flights recently?"

"Why?" James asked, "We just got back from the Bahamas..." Mia nodded.

"I've got good news and bad news," Mia said simply, pulling a stool up next to the bed. Maria just glared at her as she grabbed the stethoscope from around her neck placing it over her ears. Mia moved the neck of Maria's gown, placing the stethoscope over her heart she listened. She waited, listening carefully before taking the stethoscope off, putting it back around her neck.

"Well?" Zack asked, glancing between Mia and his mother.

"Good news? You did not have a heart attack," everyone let out a sigh of relief, "the bad news? You have an arterial embolism-"

"Don't those usually kill you?" Zina quipped nervously, Mia thought for a moment.

"If it breaks off and goes to the brain it generally causes a stroke. But, we have caught it really early. I should be able to dissolve the clot with a shot of some sort of anti-coagulant. Things should be pretty cut and dry from here," Mia spoke honestly, "I'll keep you overnight. We'll move you to the heart hospital, observe you for twenty-four hours or so and I'll probably put you on some sort of blood pressure medication to send you home with," Mia said as she began to flip through another chart, "aside from that just rest. Keep your stress level to a minimum, and I'll set you up with a nutritionist who will adjust your diet. Aside from that," Mia stopped, glancing around, they were all hanging on her every word, even Maria, "should you travel, get up and move. It’s incredibly important, especially in a pressurized cabin."

"How much longer are you on duty?" Zack asked quickly. Mia thought for a moment glancing at her watch.

"Technically, six hours ago. But we had an ER doc call off so I volunteered to stay." Mia felt a vibration from inside her pocket.

Grabbing the phone she looked it over, "who is it?" Zack nearly spat. Mia flashed her phone at him, revealing the picture of the girls. Sliding her finger across the screen she pressed the phone to her ear.

"What honey?" she asked but she quickly rolled her eyes, "You're kidding me?" Mia cocked her hip as she began to do something on the computer, "Mackenzie Ava Winters, you called me at work to tell me Fall Out Boy is going on tour? I don't care if it was Emma's idea. Yes, I will buy the tickets when I get home. But I have to go okay? I love you, goodbye." Mia huffed quickly before hanging up, shoving the phone back into her pocket, "They're getting excited about the zoo, by the way."

An impossibly large smile found its way over Zack's face.

But before he could speak the door to the room swung open, "Hey Mia," Mia smiled at Graham.

"Hey Graham," Mia said softly as he walked in, leaning up against the bed, "Graham," Mia began as she laid a hand on his arm, "is my associate and my go-to vascular surgeon. He is going to take care of you from here, I can assure you that you are in good hands." she said confidently as she handed the charts to Graham, "feel better okay?" Maria hesitantly nodded.

"You outta here for the night?" Graham asked as he glanced over the chart.

"Yes, I am going to go see my girls," Mia said before glancing down at her phone.

"You up for some coffee?" Graham asked, but Zack could only manage a scowl.

This guy was hitting on Mia.
And at this very moment it was taking every ounce of inner strength Zack had to not get up and best this guy’s ass.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Graham." Mia was apologetic, "I am exhausted and I miss my kids..."

"Next time, go home and get some sleep." Mia nodded before leaving the room.

Zack took this moment, practically leaping from his chair, "Mom, I'll be back to see you in the morning okay?" he grumbled kissing her quickly on the cheek. He didn't even give her a chance to answer before he darted from the room, "Mia!" he called as she walked down the hall, she stopped, turning. A smile finding its way over her exhausted face, she waited for him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, but he just shook his head 'no'.

"You want some company?" he asked nervously shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

Mia didn't even have to think before nodding quickly.

"I would like that. Just let me get my stuff and you can follow me home?"

Zack wasn't sure of much right now.
But he did know he couldn't let another man weasel his way into Mia's life.
He just couldn't.