Page 49 of Curious Hearts (The Healing Hearts #2)
CHAPTER FORTY
Jessica’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel as she navigated Denver.
Her mind was a storm of rage and betrayal.
That her mother would interfere in her career was unsurprising—Lakshmi had been doing that since Jessica was old enough to have ambitions of her own.
But to actively sabotage Ali, to use her professional influence to undermine someone whose only crime was loving Jessica.
.. that crossed so far beyond normal she hadn’t even considered its existence.
Traffic slowed to a crawl approaching the hospital, and Jessica fought the urge to slam her palm against the horn. “Come on,” she screamed, checking the time. Her mother would be finishing rounds now, probably heading to her office to complete charts before her evening clinic.
Behind her, though, she didn’t notice Fenna’s car had joined the same traffic jam, with Ali anxiously watching Jessica’s vehicle three cars ahead.
* * *
“Can’t you go any faster?” Ali asked, fidgeting with her seatbelt.
“Not unless you want me to drive over these other cars,” Fenna replied tensely. “What do you think she’s going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Ali said honestly. “I’ve never seen her like this. Jessica is always so calm, so measured in everything she does. I’m the one who gets freaked out by stuff. But the look in her eyes when she realized her mother was behind this...”
“Hell hath no fury like a woman whose girlfriend’s grant was sabotaged by her controlling mother,” Fenna muttered, inching the car forward.
In the back seat, Yaya crossed herself. “This is like my telenovelas. The doctor mother, the financial daughter, the animal lover caught between. Very dramatic.”
“Not helping, Yaya,” Fenna said, though Ali couldn’t help a small, nervous laugh despite the tension.
“I’m just saying, in the novelas, this is when someone reveals a secret baby or a long-lost twin.”
“Let’s hope real life is less dramatic,” Ali said, her eyes fixed on Jessica’s car as it finally broke free of the traffic and accelerated toward the hospital.
* * *
Jessica strode through the hospital’s main entrance with single-minded focus, ignoring the security guard’s greeting.
She knew exactly where she was going, she’d visited her mother’s office countless times over the years, dutifully attending charity functions and donor dinners hosted by the cardiology department.
She took the elevator to the fourth floor, her reflection in the polished doors showing a woman she barely recognized.
Flushed cheeks, bright eyes, a tension in her jaw that spoke of the fury within.
This wasn’t the composed investment director who calculated risks with mathematical precision. This was someone else entirely.
The cardiology wing receptionist looked up as Jessica approached, recognition flickering across her face. “Ms. Taylor! How nice to see you. Are you here for Dr. Mehta-Taylor? I’m afraid she’s in a meeting at the moment.”
“Where?” Jessica asked, her voice clipped.
“I’m sorry?”
“Where is the meeting?”
The receptionist hesitated, clearly sensing something amiss. “It’s in the conference room, but they’ve asked not to be disturbed. I can tell her you stopped by when?—”
Jessica was already moving past the desk, ignoring the woman’s protests.
The conference room was at the end of the hall, its glass walls offering a clear view of the occupants.
Her mother sat at the head of the table, surrounded by junior cardiologists and residents, gesturing emphatically as she made some point about a file open before her.
Jessica didn’t knock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, the conversation abruptly halting as all heads turned toward her.
Lakshmi Mehta-Taylor’s expression shifted from surprise to pleasure to wariness in the span of seconds as she registered her daughter’s state. “Jessica! What an unexpected surprise. We’re in the middle of a case review, but if you’d like to wait in my office?—”
“We need to talk,” Jessica said, her voice flat. “Now.”
The junior doctors exchanged uncomfortable glances. Lakshmi’s smile remained fixed, though her eyes hardened slightly. “As you can see, I’m rather busy at the moment. Perhaps we could meet for dinner later?”
“This won’t wait.” Jessica remained standing in the doorway, unyielding.
Lakshmi sighed with practiced maternal patience. “Very well. Please excuse us, everyone. We’ll reconvene in thirty minutes.” As the doctors filed out past Jessica, Lakshmi’s smile didn’t falter. “Close the door, darling. Whatever has you in such a state, I’m sure we can discuss it like adults.”
Jessica shut the door with deliberate care, despite the urge to slam it. She remained standing, unwilling to cede even the small advantage of height.
“Why did you do it?” she asked without preamble.
“Do what, exactly?” Lakshmi shuffled papers. “You’ll need to be more specific.”
“Don’t play games, Mother. The Healing Paws grant application. Ali’s foundation. You interfered.”
Lakshmi’s hands stilled momentarily before continuing their ministrations. “I see. And who told you I had anything to do with that?”
“That’s not a denial.”
“No, it isn’t.” Lakshmi finally looked up, meeting Jessica’s gaze directly.
“I submitted a professional assessment based on legitimate concerns about the program’s leadership.
Dr. Ritchie has a documented history of mental instability that makes her unsuitable for working with vulnerable patients, especially when also bringing unstable rescued animals into the equation.
The hospital has a duty of care to its patients. ”
The cool precision of her mother’s words only fueled Jessica’s anger. “You mean her breakdown six years ago? After working eighty-hour weeks at a clinic that was chronically understaffed while watching animals die because their owners couldn’t afford care? That ‘instability’?”
“Medical professionals must be held to the highest standards,” Lakshmi said as if reciting from a textbook. “Particularly those working with vulnerable populations. The board deserved to have all relevant information before making their decision.”
“This wasn’t about standards or patient welfare,” Jessica countered, her voice rising despite her efforts to maintain control. “This was about me. About my decision to stay in Denver instead of taking the London position. About my relationship with Ali.”
Lakshmi’s expression softened into something almost pitying.
“Darling, I understand this woman has a certain... appeal. Her work with animals is admirable, if somewhat eccentric. But surely you can see that involving yourself with someone so impractical, so outside your professional circle, could damage the career you’ve worked so hard to build? ”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“Someone needs to think about your future when you’re clearly not,” Lakshmi replied, a hardness edging her voice.
“This infatuation is derailing everything you’ve worked for.
The London position was yours. You had earned it.
Instead, you’re settling for a domestic role because of.
.. what? A few months with a woman who collects stray animals? ”
“A woman who built a foundation from nothing after surviving a breakdown that would have destroyed most people,” Jessica corrected, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. “A woman whose work improves lives every day. A woman I love.”
The last word hung in the air between them. Lakshmi’s expression flickered—surprise, then dismissal. “Love? Jessica, be sensible. You’ve known her for what, three months? This is infatuation, perhaps even a mild rebellion against the expectations you’ve always met so admirably. It will pass.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Jessica asked. “If she’s who I want in my life, permanently? Would you accept that, or would you find more grant applications to sabotage? More ways to undermine her career, her confidence, her life?”
Lakshmi stood, smoothing her lab coat with practiced hands. “You’re being dramatic. I made a professional assessment based on facts. The board agreed with my concerns. That’s all there is to it.”
“Did you mention in your ‘professional assessment’ that you’re my mother? That you were evaluating the partner of your daughter? Your potential future daughter-in-law? Did you disclose that conflict of interest, Mother?”
For the first time, Lakshmi hesitated, a flicker of something like guilt crossing her features. It was answer enough.
“I thought not,” Jessica said, her voice cold. “You deliberately sabotaged Ali’s grant application to punish me for not following your plan for my life. For choosing to stay in Denver. For falling in love with someone you don’t approve of.”
“I was protecting you,” Lakshmi insisted, her composure slipping slightly. “You think I don’t see the pattern? You inherited Vivian’s house, and suddenly you’re embracing her bohemian tendencies, her disregard for convention. You’re surrounding yourself with cats and... and...”
“Lesbians? People who care about my happiness more than my professional achievements?” Jessica finished for her. “People who love me for who I am, not who they want me to be?”
“Don’t be na?ve, Jessica. What is love anyway? Love doesn’t pay mortgages or build legacies. Your father and I have worked our entire lives to give you advantages neither of us had.”
“And I’m grateful for those advantages. But they were gifts, not investments expecting returns. You don’t get to dictate how I use them.”
A commotion outside the conference room drew their attention. Through the glass walls, Jessica could see Ali, Fenna, and Yaya being intercepted by hospital security. Ali’s eyes found hers, concern evident even from a distance.
“Ah,” Lakshmi said with subtle disdain. “Your... friend seems to have followed you. With reinforcements.”
Jessica moved toward the door. “We’re not finished.”