The Choice by Nicholas Sparks Read Free Book Online

idea. Standing up to the neighbor was one thing; was she ready to accept the consequences if she wasn’t happy with Kevin’s answer? What if he had no plans? Did she really want to quit her first job after a couple of months? Sell her house? Move away? Just how far was she willing to go?
    She wasn’t sure of anything, other than the fact that she didn’t want to lose him. But trying to be healthier—now that, she could definitely do. One step at a time, right? Her decision made, she stepped onto the back deck and watched as Molly padded down the steps and headed toward the far end of the yard. The air was still warm, but a light breeze had picked up. The stars spread across the sky in random, intricate patterns that, aside from the Big Dipper, she’d never been able to discern, and she resolved that she’d buy a book on astronomy tomorrow, right after lunch. She’d spend a couple of days learning the basics, then invite Kevin to spend a romantic evening at the beach, where she’d point to the sky and ever so casually mention something astronomically impressive. She closed her eyes, imagining the scene, and stood straighter. Tomorrow, she’d start becoming a new person. A better person. And she’d figure out what to do about Molly, too. Even if she had to beg, she’d find homes for every one of those puppies.
    But first, she’d bring her to the vet.

Three
    I t was shaping up to be one of those days when Gabby wondered why she’d decided to work in a pediatric office. She had the chance, after all, to work in a cardiology unit at the hospital, which had been her plan all the way through PA school. She had loved assisting in challenging surgeries, and it seemed like a perfect fit until her final rotation, when she happened to work with a pediatrician who filled her head with ideas about the nobility and joy of caring for infants. Dr. Bender, a gray-haired medical veteran who never stopped smiling and knew practically every child in Sumter, South Carolina, convinced her that while cardiology might pay better and seem more glamorous, there was nothing quite as rewarding as holding newborns and watching them develop over the critical first years of life. Usually she nodded dutifully, but on her last day, he’d forced the issue by placing an infant in her arms. As the baby cooed, Dr. Bender’s voice floated toward her: “In cardiology, everything is an emergency and your patients always seem to get sicker, no matter what you do. After a while, that has to be draining. It can burn you out quick if you’re not careful. But caring for a little fella like this . . .” He paused, motioning to the baby. “This is the highest calling in the world.”
    Despite a job offer in cardiology at a hospital in her hometown, she’d taken a job with Drs. Furman and Melton in Beaufort, North Carolina. Dr. Furman struck her as oblivious, Dr. Melton struck her as a flirt, but it was an opportunity to be nearer to Kevin. And on some level, she’d believed that Dr. Bender just might be right. He’d been right about the infants. For the most part, she loved working with them, even when she had to give them shots and their screams made her wince. Toddlers were okay, too. Most of them had darling personalities, and she loved to watch as they cuddled their blankets or teddy bears and stared at her with guileless expressions. It was the parents who drove her crazy. Dr. Bender had failed to mention one critical point: In cardiology, you dealt with a patient who came to the office because he or she wanted or needed to; in pediatrics, you dealt with a patient who was often under the care of neurotic, know-it-all parents. Eva Bronson was a case in point.
    Eva, who was holding George on her lap in the exam room, seemed to be looking down her nose at Gabby. The fact that she wasn’t technically a physician and was relatively young made many parents believe she was little more than an overpaid nurse.
    “Are you sure Dr. Furman can’t squeeze