“Let me go! I have to talk to Dr. Turner!” he yelled as they began pulling him toward the elevators.
“Stop,” I commanded, striding over. “I’m Dr. Turner. What is this about?”
The staff parted, finally giving me a clear view of the man’s face. He was a stranger.
“Dr. Logan Turner…” he said, his voice laced with desperate relief. “Thank God. I need to speak with you.”
Wary, I extended my hand. His grip was shaky, his palm clammy. He couldn’t have been older than twenty.
“And you are…?” I asked.
“My name is George.”
That was all he said.
And I didn’t need a last name to know exactly who he was.
*****
That day, I ended up returning home much later than usual. I’d texted Evelyn around seven to say I was held up at the hospital and would explain everything when I got home.
It was the first time since becoming director that I’d come home after the girls were already asleep. For once, I was grateful. I wasn't sure I could have faced them right after what I’d learned. I needed time to process it all myself.
When I walked into the living room, I found Evelyn on the couch. It was past ten, and she was watching some medical drama—probably that one she loved so much.
“Hi, love. Long day?” she asked, turning to face me. But her smile faded as she took in my expression. “Logan? Is everything okay?”
I walked over and leaned across the back of the couch, greeting her with a soft kiss. Then I reached into my pocket, pulled out a flash drive, and held it up.
“What’s that?” she asked, confused. Then she tried to lighten the mood, a small smile playing on her lips. “Does anyone even use those anymore? You need to modernize, Dr. Turner.”
“George brought it to me,” I said, sinking onto the couch beside her.
Her smile vanished. “George? The ‘Uncle George’ the girls talked about? The one who left them at your hotel?”
“The same. He came to the hospital. It was a long conversation… that’s why I was so late.”
She reached for my hand, her touch a steadying anchor. “What did he say?”
“He was Ellie’s friend. He’s only nineteen. They were neighbors; she gave him guitar lessons when hewas a kid. There was nothing romantic between them—George is gay, and his boyfriend is helping him hide from the police.”
“And now he’s in trouble for the insurance fraud…”
“Yes. But I’ve already called Janet. She’s taking his case.”
Evelyn nodded, her thumb stroking the back of my hand. “What else did he tell you?”
“About Ellie’s illness. She couldn’t afford care, so he offered the marriage scheme. When the treatments stopped working and she couldn’t work, she had to move back in with her mother. But that woman never accepted the girls… Ellie’s biggest fear was what would happen to them after she was gone. She didn’t want them to see her deteriorate. The moment she was hospitalized, she made a drastic decision and asked George for one last favor—to bring the girls to me.” I let out a heavy breath. “The rest, we know. She could have come to me, Evy. Even after all those years, I would have helped her. We were friends…”
“You were,” she said softly. “But that was a long time ago. She had no way of knowing the man you’d become. Desperate people don’t always make the rational choice.”
“I’m their father. That would never have changed. I would never have turned her away.”
“I know that,” she said, squeezing my hand. “Because I know you. But don’t add resentment to your grief, Logan. It’s just more weight to carry.”
She was right. Ellie was gone. My anger at her for not reaching out was a pointless, self-inflicted wound.
I held up the flash drive again. “George gave me this. Ellie made a video for me. He was supposed to deliver it.”
