“I really wish I knew who was doing this, so I could reciprocate.” Holly tore off the wrapping paper to find a pocket-sized book.
“That’s not exactly the point of a Secret Santa.” The doctor peered at the small book. “Is it a journal?”
“No.” She flipped through the pages. “It’s full of short quotes encouraging reflection and new beginnings.”
“You look troubled.”
“I feel like someone’s trying to tell me something.” Unsettled, Holly tossed the paper in the trash and slipped the little volume into her pocket.
“Does it feel like a lecture?” Dr. Miller eyed her, one brow arched.
Holly didn’t know how to put her feelings into words.
“Well, if I can offer you a fatherly observation…” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “You had a haunted look in your eyes when you first started here. It intensified after the shooting. To be frank, I was worried about you for a while, but it eventually faded. Now that you’ve moved to Canyondale, it has almost completely disappeared. Is it too much of me to presume that some of it has to do with these little gifts you’ve been receiving every day?”
She grinned. “You are very observant, Doctor.”
“Thank you. It’s something I’ve worked on. But I think a lot of your healing has come from the time you spend with Zack Jarvie. From what I’ve noticed, he’s good for you. Even more so than your Secret Santa.” Dr. Miller tilted his head, studying her. “Are you and Zack just friends?”
Once again, Holly wasn’t sure how to answer. It kind of felt like they were dating, but at the same time, it was more like friends hanging out. But the longer she spent in Canyondale, the more she wanted it to be dating. At least, she thought she did.
“Well, Zack is a good man. I’ve known him all his life. In fact, I delivered him.” Dr. Miller gave a soft chuckle, his gaze off in the distance like he was remembering. “He’s the middle child, you know, in a large family. The first boy, though. We were all having a Memorial Day barbecue, when his mother’s water broke, and he came in a hurry. She didn’t even make it to the car.”
“Oh, wow.” Holly laughed, having met the orderly woman a few times. “I’ll bet it totally messed up her schedule.”
“Yes, it did.”
Before the doctor could say more, the door burst open and a group carrying a man with an injured leg hurried inside.
Later, when Holly could finally take a break, she reached into her pocket and remembered the book. She opened it and scanned the pages, full of little quotes about learning new things, different ways to be yourself, and the magic of starting over.
They were all true, and she felt them in her heart. When Brett and her loved ones had turned their backs on her, it opened her eyes to the truth: everything she had believed about her life was a lie. The loving family had crumbled when they stood together and accused Holly of being the problem.
But everything was different now. In the ER, they often had to deal with difficult situations, and sometimes they lost people. Looking back on where she was when she left Denver, Holly realized those downtimes didn’t overwhelm her anymore. It was because of the support of the people here in Canyondale who had welcomed and embraced her. Where her family had thrown her away, strangers had welcomed her.
And Dr. Miller was right. Zack Jarviewasa huge part of how far she had come.
Holly’s phone pinged with a text from her brother. She hadn’t heard from him since he texted her a Happy Thanksgiving greeting. Maybe he was getting a head start on Christmas.
Jason
I know you don’t want to, but we need to talk about the family.
And with a simple sentence, her happy and upbeat mood washed away.
As soon asHolly opened her apartment door, Zack could tell something was bothering her. A lot.
“What’s wrong?” he wanted to pull her into a hug but worried she wouldn’t think it was appropriate.
“Come on in.” She moved back to make room for him.
Zack stomped the snow off his boots and stepped inside, wishing for once that her unit was like his, with the kitchen nearby. He set the pizza box on the table and turned to find she had moved over to the couch she purchased on one of their shopping sprees.
“Tell me what happened,” he said as he took the seat beside her.
Holly woke her phone and shifted it so he could see a text message from someone named Jason.
Jason
