“Give me a second,” I mutter, stepping out into the hallway.
I answer. “Hey, Ma.”
Her voice is already tight. The way it gets when she’s trying too hard to stay positive. “Sweetheart, we heard back from the trial.”
My chest clenches. “And?”
“They filled this year's list of patients.”
I close my eyes.
“Okay,” I say quietly. “When’s the next availability?”
“That’s the thing.” She clears her throat. “They have a waiting list, but it’s long, Scottie. Really long. And they… they said because your father’s injury is older, he’s lower on the list. Fresh injuries show better results. Less long-term atrophy of the nerves and muscles. So the priority—”
She can’t finish.
I press my palm to the wall and try to breathe.
“How long until the next one?” I ask.
Her voice cracks. “Two years. Maybe three.”
My throat burns. “Mom—”
“He’s trying to act like it’s fine,” she says. “Like he expected it. But I know him. Scottie, he’s losing hope. He thinks this was the last chance.”
I swallow hard. “It wasn’t. I’ll find something else. Another trial. Another specialist. We’ll find something.”
A beat of silence because we both know the truth: there is no one else.
This was our best chance.
She tries to sound strong again. “Your father wanted me to tell you not to worry. To focus on hockey. To focus on your wife.”
My heart twists. That’s a little easier said than done because right now, I have no control over that either.
“Ma,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something.”
“I know, sweetheart,” she says gently. “None of this is your fault.”
But it feels like it is.
Like I should be able to fix this. Like I should be able to do something. Like the son of Arnold Easton doesn’t get to sit around while life decides for him.
But this time? There’s nothing I can do. Not about Kat and her family, or about my father’s chances… or any of it.
I hang up and just stand there. For the first time in a while, I feel small and useless. Waiting for someone else’s decision. Waiting for news I can’t influence.
Waiting for the outcomes that matter most in my life, the woman I’m falling in love with, and the father who raised me… and I can’t save either of them.
It feels like a life sentence.
And I’ve never hated waiting more.
Chapter Twenty-Two
KATERINA
