“Yes, I can appreciate why this seems like a difficult decision for your family. Please understand, Mr. Hood, that from a medical perspective this decision isn’t just a matter of Elsie missing her chance at competing in the upcoming Olympics. This is a choice between a resolution to the pain that your daughter has clearly been experiencing for longer than she’s indicated and a future that will likely include further injury, which could lead to missing the Olympic competition anyway and a lifetime of underlying pain.”
For the first time since they’d met, Cole saw a hint of emotion other than vehemence in the man’s eyes. He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and let out a long sigh that sounded a lot like defeat. Unfortunately, as his fingers curled around the edges of the chair, Cole worried that was just wishful thinking on his part.
“Mr. Hood, you drove two hours to see me instead of seeing a doctor in your hometown. You must have trusted that I’d have your daughter’s best interests at heart.”
“You came highly recommended,” he offered weakly.
“I appreciate that.” Clearly if Elsie’s father approved treatment, she had Rush Remington to thank for it. “As I said, then you must have trusted my capabilities to come all this way.”
“Yes. I do, despite how it might look.” He lifted hooded eyes to Cole. “How do I say to my teenage daughter, who has worked her butt off for years—literally years—giving up time with friends, sleepover, dances, summer vacations…? How do I say, you did a great job, and I’m proud as hell of you, but now we’re pulling the rug out from under your dreams?”
Cole wanted to get up and hug the man for showing that he wasn’t the robotic, angry man he’d come across as. Instead, he clasped his hands on the desk and smiled at the troubled man, appreciating the position he was in. He drew upon all he’d heard from his father over the years and hoped his words would help.
“I think you start with, ‘I love you and I’m proud of you,’ and you end with something about how when she was born, you promised to protect her and support her, and that as her father, or as her parents, that’s exactly what you’re doing. And you reassure her that this treatment will hopefully allow her to one day fulfill those dreams.”
Mr. Hood’s jaw tightened as he sat silently looking at Cole. Cole waited patiently for his words to find their path to either pissing the man off or soothing his worries. He could take either, though he hoped for the latter. In the silence, Cole searched his face for clues, but the man wasn’t giving anything away.
“Do you have children, Dr. Braden?”
Cole smiled at the thought, and it brought his mind to Leesa. He fought the urge to look at his watch and see how much time had passed since their call, or whip out his phone and check for a text, and focused on getting Elsie the best treatment he could. “No, sir. Not yet.”
Mr. Hood steepled his hands beneath his chin. His brows drew together as his eyes dropped to Cole’s desk, lingering there as the minutes ticked away. When he finally rose to his feet, his narrow shoulders weren’t pulled quite so tightly as they had been when he’d arrived, and when he extended a hand to Cole, gone was the angry grip.
“Thank you. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. Being a good parent is even more difficult. I only hope I’m doing the right thing.”
Hoping he’d choose to get his daughter proper treatment and not wanting to push him, Cole said, “I’m sure you will.”
Mr. Hood nodded, and as he opened the office door, he turned and said, “I’ll make the appointment with the orthotist on my way out.”
***
LEESA SILENCED HER vibrating phone for the fourth time in as many hours. She cut the engine, parking in front of the middle school where she’d poured her heart and soul into every class. Cole had called her at the crack of dawn, offering again to come to Towson, and as much as it hurt to do it, she’d turned him down. He had sent two text messages before she’d left the house. They probably weren’t meant to soften her resolve, but hell if they didn’t have that effect at first. She still felt the need to handle this on her own. She’d never had to rely on a man before, and she wasn’t about to start now. Her father would roll over in his grave if he thought she’d allowed herself to fall apart at a twelve-year-old boy’s bad judgment. She was stronger than that. She had to be. And on the off chance she wasn’t, she sure as hell didn’t want Cole to witness her weakness.
She thought of those text messages now as she stared at the redbrick building, gathering the courage to walk inside.
I have faith in you. Go reclaim your name! You can do it!
She knew it must have killed him to send a text instead of being there to tell her in person. She also knew Cole wouldn’t have sent the supportive texts if he didn’t believe she could do it and didn’t sincerely want that closure for her, even if it might mean that she would remain in Towson long-term. If his tone last night hadn’t choreographed his sadness and discomfort over her leaving, his actions had. She’d noticed that he was good at brushing things off with others, but with her he was an open book. One look in his eyes told her everything she could ever want to know—from how much he adored her to the intensity of his passion.
He’d sent a selfie a few minutes after she’d responded to the texts and thanked him for understanding. He was smiling and giving her a thumbs-up. She’d laughed, despite the tightening of her chest. She held on to that image, soaking in his support.
Tegan had texted before she’d even showered. The first text told her to kick ass and the second told her to come back to Peaceful Harbor if she’d rather not kick ass. She glanced down at her phone now, thinking one of the two were texting again, and was surprised to see Tempe’s name on the screen. She opened the message and a long text bubble appeared.
I heard you went back to Towson. Proud of your strength. Want me to come down? I don’t mind. I know this is going to be hard for you.
Another text bubble appeared as she was reading.
Let me know. BTW this is Tempe in case you don’t have my number in your phone yet.
Goose bumps raced up her arms. She’d never been embraced by people so completely and seamlessly, and Cole’s family accepted her despite this mess that she carried around like a ball and chain. She glanced up at the building, using the support of Tempe, Tegan, and Cole to fuel her courage for the meeting she would have with the principal, Darlene Sentry, in a few minutes.
She started to send a reply to Tempe and hesitated. What could she say? Thanks for the kudos? Thanks for the friendship? Sorry I took off and left your brother’s head and heart spinning? The truth in that thought gripped her, sending her stomach into a tizzy. Every time she thought of Cole it was like a double-edged sword. She wanted to be his, to accept his love and support and disappear into him forever, but her past felt like a ticking time bomb.
She had to do this.
She typed a quick response to Tempe—Thank you! Your support means the world to me, but I’m sure you can understand my needing to do this alone. Hug Cole for me? She deleted the last sentence before sending it off. She had no idea how long she’d be here, and she didn’t know Tempe well enough to send something like that, regardless of how close she felt to her. She stepped from the car, and with her heart racing and adrenaline pushing blood through her ears so loudly that she could barely think, she headed for the building.
She inhaled the familiar scent of school. It was the same at every school she’d ever been in, the smell of hard work, too many hormones, and knowledge waiting to be learned. She used to revel in that pungent smell. Now, as she pressed the button and the buzzer sounded, unlocking the front door, nothing felt right. The smell and sights were the same, and the halls were wide and empty. Erin Walsh, the perky brunette who had manned the front desk for the past several years, was working at her computer behind the glass doors that separated her from the entrance, but somehow the school felt as foreign as everything had after she’d lost her father.
She pulled open the doors to the office, and Erin lifted her eyes from her computer.
“Annalise!” She came around the reception desk and threw her arms around Leesa. “Ohmygod! I’ve missed you. How are you? Wow, you look tan and beautiful.” Erin was a bundle of energy and positivity.
She took Leesa’s hand and dragged her behind the desk, lowering her voice even though there didn’t seem to be anyone else around. The door to the nurse’s office was closed, and she couldn’t see far enough down the hall to Darlene’s office or the teachers’ lounge. “How are you?”
Leesa was reeling from her friendly greeting. Erin had cried when Leesa was put on leave during the investigation, but she’d worried that over time, between rumors and speculation, Erin would have a different view of her. She was beyond relieved that time had not changed things for the worse. But just because exuberant Erin didn’t hesitate to welcome her into her arms again didn’t mean that others would do the same.
“I’m doing well, thanks, and I’m sorry to surprise you like this. I thought Dar would have told you I was coming in to meet with her.”