Diagnosis Love: A Second Chance Lesbian Romance Novel (Signed Paperback)

Pages : 194
ISBN : 9614622000044
Weight : 195g
Dimensions : 127 x 11 x 203 mm

Tech CEO Jo Shaw has everything money can buy—except health, happiness, or love. When she's diagnosed with endometrial cancer and simultaneously discovers her wife's affair, she faces surgery alone in the prestigious Brahmin wing of City General Hospital.
The last person Jo expects to find caring for her is Ali Saunders—the woman who shattered her heart ten years ago when she abandoned their future together for Broadway dreams. Now Ali is an auxiliary nurse, raising her niece Scarlett while carrying the weight of her own broken dreams and family tragedies.
What begins as awkward encounters evolves into unexpected comfort as Ali becomes Jo's lifeline through recovery. When infection threatens Jo's life, their carefully maintained boundaries crumble, revealing feelings neither woman could fully extinguish.
Desperate for Ali's specialized care and unable to imagine letting her go again, Jo makes a bold proposition—asking Ali and Scarlett to move into her mansion as her private nurse during recovery. What starts as a professional arrangement in Jo's lakeside home soon blurs into something far more intimate as three wounded souls begin to heal together.
But as Jo's jealous soon-to-be-ex-wife threatens their fragile new bond and critical medical tests loom, both women must decide what they're willing to risk.
Is this unexpected reunion just the painful reopening of old wounds, or could it be their second chance at the family neither believed they'd find? Sometimes, when life delivers its hardest blows, the only cure is the love you thought you'd lost forever.

- Second chance romance
- Workplace romance
- Found family
- Single parent
- Caretaking/hurt-comfort
- Rich/Poor
- Slow burn
- Medical drama

Ali was at the nurses' station, giving Sarah an update from her rounds. "Mr. Collins is recovering well from the surgery. Dr. Abraham was in, and he thinks we're looking at a nursing home transfer by Friday."

Ali stopped, aware of somebody standing in front of them. It was the same tall blonde that had been in Jo's hospital room. Ali had known from the minute she saw her that it was Jo's wife. Her features were more modelesque than Sarah's. She looked like she had stepped right off a magazine cover. Her nails were freshly done, a light pink color. She drummed her fingers on the desk in front of her while she waited for an acknowledgement.

Ali had no idea how Sarah kept a smile on her face as she turned to look at her. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, actually. I need to talk about the care that my wife has been receiving from this facility."

"Oh?" Sarah was immediately paying attention. It went back to how much she generally cared about the patients—and the hospital's reputation. "And who's your wife?"

The woman sighed dramatically, as if Sarah should have immediately known the answer. "Jo. Jo Shaw. I'm Maddie. Her wife." Maddie looked Ali straight in the eye. Her jaw was twitching with tension. "She's in room twelve."

"Right, yes." Sarah leaned over the computer, pulling up Jo's information. She scanned over it quickly before looking up at Maddie. "And what's the problem, Mrs. Shaw?"

Maddie blinked a few times before returning her gaze straight towards Ali. "She," she nodded towards Ali, "is making my wife uncomfortable. She doesn't wish to be treated by her anymore."

Ali was shocked. She was almost certain her jaw dropped open a little at the accusation. How was she making Jo uncomfortable? She thought the playful banter was mutual. Had she been wrong or inappropriate?

Sarah looked just as shocked as Ali was. Ali was a faithful employee. They had never had a single complaint about her, even in the beginning. If anything, people adored her. She was a hard worker and kind to all of her patients. "I'm sorry to hear that," Sarah said, looking back at Ali with confusion etched on her face. "What was it that made Mrs. Shaw uncomfortable?"

Maddie shook her head. "No one thing in particular. Jo just doesn't feel comfortable being around her any longer and would prefer that she wasn't. Is that doable or does she have to move hospitals?"

Sarah shook her head quickly. "That's absolutely doable, Mrs. Shaw. I'll make a note that Ali isn't allowed to provide care for your wife. I'm sorry to hear about the problem. Is there anything else I can do?"

"No. That'll be all." Maddie had a smug, satisfied look on her face. It vanished quickly, but lasted long enough that Ali caught it.

Maybe she was just imagining things. Maybe she really was making Jo feel uneasy with the joking between the two of them. Maybe she had been out of line. Maybe she just wanted to think she was the victim here.

"All right. Enjoy your day, Mrs. Shaw," Sarah said before Maddie turned and walked down the hallway, designer heels clicking against the tile floor.

Sarah turned back around to look at Ali, shock once again etched on her face. "Do you have any idea what that was about?" she asked.

Ali was still in shock. She was trying to figure out where she had gone wrong, what she had done wrong. She couldn't work it out. She watched as Maddie disappeared before turning her gaze back to Sarah, shaking her head. "I have absolutely no idea. I don't think I've done anything out of line. I really don't."

Now she was worried. What if Maddie had just cost her this job? How was she going to support herself and Scarlett now?

Sarah reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just breathe, Ali. Why don't you go for lunch? I'll look into this and get it all taken care of. I promise."

***

Maddie had left Jo with a headache and a case of anxiety. She hadn't thought about the outcome of her surgery once, but now that her wife had put that into her head, it was all she could think about. Rationally, she knew it would be fine, but emotionally? She was too young to die. She had so much more she wanted to do. She was trapped inside of her own thoughts, twisting and untwisting the sheets on the bed, when there was a knock on the door.

She was hoping for Ali. A friendly face to distract her. It kept her mind off current stresses and gave her the opportunity to remember a time when things were different. Better. Instead, another blonde walked into the room.

Jo had seen her once before, but she wasn't one of the usual nurses who checked in on her every hour. The woman walked like she was on a mission, her lips pressed into a line like something was on her mind. That only amplified her anxiety. Was something wrong with one of the blood tests? Were they going to have to push back the surgery?

"Hi. Mrs. Shaw?" She smiled at Jo. Smiles were a good thing. People didn't usually smile when delivering bad news, right?

Jo hated feeling like this. This wasn't who she was. She was confident and sure. She had never had this much anxiety in her life before. Damn Maddie. She swallowed hard, trying to make sure her voice would be clear when she spoke to the nurse. "Yes?"

"I'm Sarah, the charge nurse for this floor. First of all, I want to apologize for anything that has made you feel like this facility wasn't for you or anything that was done to make you feel uncomfortable. That’s the last thing we ever wanted to do." She spoke eloquently, using her hands to gesture as she did so. Jo had seen this before. This woman was nervous. That made her even more nervous.

Her brows wrinkled together as she looked up at the nervous nurse in front of her. Jo shifted just a bit on the bed. "I... I'm not sure what you're talking about. I have never felt uncomfortable here. In fact, it's been a great stay so far, given the circumstances. Your staff has been world class."