“Then I’m coming with you.”
“You are not!”
He tilts his head. “Until I find Tara, I am.”
“I appreciate that you want to protect me, I do. More than you can ever understand. And if this were a different situation, I’d listen to you.” I put my hand up when he starts to argue. “But I think we can compromise.”
“I’m not going to compromise when it comes to keeping you safe.”
I try to explain where I’m coming from. “They gave me a second chance, Ben. Take me there and pick me up. I’m not going to sit in here and hide when we know who we’re looking for. If I see her, I’ll call the cops.”
“No, you’ll call me.” He concedes. “I want updates every hour, and not just a text. I need to hear your voice.”
I throw myself into his arms and lay a wet one on him. “I can do that.”
“You’re lucky I love you.”
“Trust me, I know.”
Ben takes me to work, and after another promise to check in every hour, I kiss him goodbye and get started on my day. I go to my first patient’s room and knock softly on the door before slowly opening it. “How are you doing this morning?” I ask Mr. Johnson as I enter his room.
“Better now that you’re here.” He sits up a bit in his bed and, with a bandaged arm and trembling hand, motions toward the floor. “Can you get me that there pillow that fell on the ground?”
“I’ll do you one better and get you one that hasn’t been on the floor.”
He waves me off. “A dirty pillow’s the least of my worries. I used to sleep in foxholes. Did I tell you about that?”
His room is the usual square, beige, and hospital-like, but his family has brought pictures and blankets to brighten it up. I turn on the lamp in the corner and open the blinds, then stand at the edge of the bed and listen as Mr. Johnson repeats the story he told me last week. “And that was when I knew the war was over.”
“Wow. Thank you for your service, Mr. Johnson.”
“I didn’t have a choice, but if I did, I’d do it again if it meant you’d eventually be the one fluffin’ my pillow.”
I roll my eyes and give his wrinkly, bony shoulder a light squeeze. “I’m sure putting your head on a pillow next to your wife in your comfy bed every night for sixty years was far better than this.”
“Bullocks. She snored. And she was a hag.”
“Mr. Johnson.” I cross my arms and look at one of the photos of her on his cluttered nightstand. “She was gorgeous.”
“Not as gorgeous as you.” He attempts a wink.
“Okay, Casanova. Are you ready to get up and get something to eat?”
He smiles a toothless smile. “As long as there’s Cream of Wheat today.”
“There’s Cream of Wheat every day.”
“Then let’s go.” I help him get out of bed and ready for the day, then wheel him to the dining room. After that, I move on to the next patient.
I’m enjoying getting to know everyone and have to dab a tear from how happy I am right now. I’m doing what I love, I’m safe, and I have Ben. Of course I miss my dad, but he’s in a better place, and I truly believe that he would be proud of me. I can’t ask for anything more.
Every hour I check in with Ben, and when my shift is over, I clock out and say good-bye to my co-workers. Ben should be waiting for me out front, so I head that way.
Just as I reach the lobby, someone calls my name and grabs my arm. “Hey, wait.”
Turning slightly, I pull away from Noah. “What’s up?”
“Hi.” He keeps hold of my arm. “You’re leaving?”
