Page 86 of No Fear

She squeezed his hand and he gently rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, pleased when she didn’t pull away.

“Have you seen a therapist since you got back?”

“No. Not yet,” he admitted. “I will though.”

“Maybe you should do it sooner. I can take you while I’m here, if you like.”

“We’ll see.”

“When do you see the doctor next?”

“Tomorrow. Sophie is the head of ER at Westside. She's also the girlfriend of one of my teammates.”

“That’s nice. Must be a little easier with it being someone you know.”

“Yeah. Sophie is as much a part of my team as the guys. Family.”

“Will you tell me about them?”

He did. He told her about all of them, including Ryan’s Sophie, Steve’s wife Diane and daughter Megan. All were people he called family. Charlie asked questions, made noises, and squeezed his hand every now and then to show she was listening. He talked a little about his job, giving no specific details. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he felt hungry.

“What’s the time?” he asked.

“Just after five. Why?”

Damn. They’d been talking for hours. For the first time since he’d woken up in the hospital he hadn’t been dwelling on his blindness.

“Getting hungry. Would you like something to eat?”

“If that’s OK, then yes, that would be great. I haven't eaten since the dried-up sandwich on the plane.”

Oh, man. He should have offered something sooner. “Sorry. I didn’t think. Not the best host right now.”

She laughed. “You get a pass, this time. To be honest, I didn't think about it until you mentioned food, but now I could definitely eat. How about I cook something?”

“I don't think there is much here to cook. Plus, you’ve been traveling. We can order in, or Mackie can pick us up something. I should probably call him. I think he was worried about leaving you here,” he admitted with a tinge of embarrassment.

Charlie let out a small laugh. “Alright. Shall I dial him?”

“Please. What do you fancy?”

“I don’t mind. Perhaps not pizza. I had that last night. It’s ringing.” Charlie handed Donnie the phone.

“Go ahead and put it on speaker.”

“Miss me?” Mackie’s voice held humor.

“Yeah, like a thorn in my side. You’re on speaker, so watch your mouth,” Donnie said dryly and Charlie giggled next to him.

“Really? Watch my mouth after what you said earlier?”

“Yeah, OK. I’ve apologized.”

“Did he, Charlie?”

“Yes, he did. We’re all good.” Charlie’s smile was evident in her voice.

“Good. So, what do you need?”