(Complete) Nick has suffered sorrow and loss. He has relied on his family to help him survive. Can Nick ever find happiness and a love?
Sara has spent the better part of her twenties caring for the sickest people of the world. Realizing that her dre...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When Nick stepped back for Sara, he saw the pain etched on her face - the pain of compassion. He wanted to stay and console her longer, but they expected him at home. Reluctantly he left her standing alone, because he just couldn't stay. Tim was at his house waiting to hear about the meeting. That was just an excuse; the real reason he couldn't stay was because he wanted to. Holding her felt better than it should.
He kissed his children before turning to Tim.
Tim looked up. "So?"
Bridget was playing Candy Land with Tim. Nick shook his head.
In the kitchen, he kissed Julie's cheek. "How's my little pisser?"
"He's fine. Put his pajamas on backwards from now on. Unless he's Houdini, he won't be able to reach behind himself to unzip."
Nick felt stupid, but some things mothers just knew.
"Go eat. I'll bet you've hardly eaten all day."
She knew him too well, but the truth was he had hardly eaten in two days. Tim met Nick in the kitchen. Nick explained the meeting. Repeating it in medical terms helped Nick feel more detached, not that that was possible.
Tim was not detached either. "Oh hell! She's only five!" Nick nodded. "How was Christine?"
"She held it together." He wanted to say better than Sara, but stopped himself. Nick thought about the scene in the office. They were both gutted. He was used to crying alone and not in front of a coworker.
Tim and Julie left, and he put his children to bed. He held them each extra-long to take in their scent and the feel of their little bodies in his arms. It was early, but he climbed in bed and flipped on the TV. He tried to distract himself with a stupid sitcom. After the past two days, he was emotionally raw.
He thought of Lily again and wondered if Sara was alright. He took his phone and sent a text. She responded right away, but then she ended it. Had she sought comfort from her doctor friend? He tried not to remember how it felt to hold her. Her body was small, and she fit under his chin. She felt different from Mel, who was only a few inches shorter than him. It had been so long since he had comforted another, aside from his kids. For so long, it's had been others comforting him.
Stopped at a red light on the way to rounds in the morning, he watched a runner cross the street. Recognizing her, she gracefully ran toward the street where she lived, in the house owned by the bastard. Herpink cheeks were from running and not what he had thought - the one place his mind had no business being.
When he arrived at work she looked scrubbed with her hair in a ponytail again. Looking at her longer than he should, she looked too young for him.
She and Clare were discussing Lily. It was hard to forget their embrace, so he hid in his office with his sister. Avoiding Sara all day was difficult and finally at the end of the day, he had to talk to her. She assured him she planned to visit Christine, who would need Sara in the weeks to come.
