folders. “Anywhere you like.”
Two gray padded chairs sat in front of the doctor’s solid walnut desk, but instead of choosing one of those, he wandered around the coffee table and settled on the long forest green couch nestled under the window. “Nice office.”
“Thanks. Sometimes I end up sleeping in here on long nights, and the couch makes a good bed.” He picked up a pen and pad from the corner of his desk and sank into the swivel chair opposite him. The black leather creaked as it welcomed his weight. “What did you want to chat about?”
“Saria.”
“Right.” He tapped the pad. “I’ll answer what I can, provided it doesn’t overstep the boundaries of patient or employee confidentiality.”
“You don’t need to answer anything, just listen.” From his wallet, he handed over a business card. “My contact details. Should she need anything, for any reason, call me. Her safety and wellbeing are my responsibility.”
“She said before you came in here, you might do this.” He slipped a card from his shirt pocket and waved it. “I already have one of your cards, compliments of Saria.”
“Take both. You can keep one in your office, and one on you.”
“Well, thank you.” Smiling, he slotted the card back in his top pocket. “Most appreciated, although you should have more confidence in Saria’s ability to look after herself.”
“I have the utmost confidence in her ability.” He certainly wouldn’t be leaving her here if that weren’t the case.
“Good.” The doctor eased back and crossed one leg over his knee. “So, we’ve time to kill. You can speak freely if you wish. Certainly anything you say will remain between us.”
“Saria’s my life.” The words shot from his mouth before he could register them. “I mean, she’s important to me. I can’t have any harm coming to her.”
“I’ll look after her. You have my word on that.”
“This past year, we’ve gotten close.” He’d bottled things up for so long, that his thoughts had nowhere to go but out.
“She mentioned that, and although no details were discussed, she did say you’d had a difficult childhood.”
“More like a nonexistent one. My father was the worst kind of criminal, and my mother an innocent. I was the result. All I can say is the past is the past.”
“Yes, unless of course our past affects our future.” His focused gaze became more intent. “If you don’t mind me asking, where do you see yourself in say five years, or even ten?”
“I’ll still be doing what I love. Protecting others.”
“An admirable job, and what about Saria? Where do you see her in that same length of time?”
“With a man who can give her what she needs and children running around her feet.” His heart wrenched at the thought, that she’d accept another man into her life.
“For that to happen, you’d have to let her go. Is that something you want to do?”
“No.” He couldn’t break all ties with her. The only light in his life would be gone, forever.
“What are you thinking right now?” The doctor edged forward with a squeak of his chair’s wheels. “Open up, Ben. Give yourself the freedom to speak and know someone wishes to listen and understand. Like you, all I desire is to help others.”
“I have nothing to offer her. I don’t want a family.”
“Is there a particular reason why not?”
“All my life, I’ve lived with the stigma of how I came into this world. My birth should never have been, and wouldn’t have except for one man deciding he could take it all. I won’t follow in his path. His line ends with me.”
“So, you’re punishing yourself for your father’s misdeeds?”
“Not punishing, ensuring order is restored, and no else can do that but me.”
“I see, but there appears to be one flaw in your argument.” The doctor slowly breathed out. “In the process of ensuring this order, what if you’re also punishing Saria, the woman you’ve chosen to
Two gray padded chairs sat in front of the doctor’s solid walnut desk, but instead of choosing one of those, he wandered around the coffee table and settled on the long forest green couch nestled under the window. “Nice office.”
“Thanks. Sometimes I end up sleeping in here on long nights, and the couch makes a good bed.” He picked up a pen and pad from the corner of his desk and sank into the swivel chair opposite him. The black leather creaked as it welcomed his weight. “What did you want to chat about?”
“Saria.”
“Right.” He tapped the pad. “I’ll answer what I can, provided it doesn’t overstep the boundaries of patient or employee confidentiality.”
“You don’t need to answer anything, just listen.” From his wallet, he handed over a business card. “My contact details. Should she need anything, for any reason, call me. Her safety and wellbeing are my responsibility.”
“She said before you came in here, you might do this.” He slipped a card from his shirt pocket and waved it. “I already have one of your cards, compliments of Saria.”
“Take both. You can keep one in your office, and one on you.”
“Well, thank you.” Smiling, he slotted the card back in his top pocket. “Most appreciated, although you should have more confidence in Saria’s ability to look after herself.”
“I have the utmost confidence in her ability.” He certainly wouldn’t be leaving her here if that weren’t the case.
“Good.” The doctor eased back and crossed one leg over his knee. “So, we’ve time to kill. You can speak freely if you wish. Certainly anything you say will remain between us.”
“Saria’s my life.” The words shot from his mouth before he could register them. “I mean, she’s important to me. I can’t have any harm coming to her.”
“I’ll look after her. You have my word on that.”
“This past year, we’ve gotten close.” He’d bottled things up for so long, that his thoughts had nowhere to go but out.
“She mentioned that, and although no details were discussed, she did say you’d had a difficult childhood.”
“More like a nonexistent one. My father was the worst kind of criminal, and my mother an innocent. I was the result. All I can say is the past is the past.”
“Yes, unless of course our past affects our future.” His focused gaze became more intent. “If you don’t mind me asking, where do you see yourself in say five years, or even ten?”
“I’ll still be doing what I love. Protecting others.”
“An admirable job, and what about Saria? Where do you see her in that same length of time?”
“With a man who can give her what she needs and children running around her feet.” His heart wrenched at the thought, that she’d accept another man into her life.
“For that to happen, you’d have to let her go. Is that something you want to do?”
“No.” He couldn’t break all ties with her. The only light in his life would be gone, forever.
“What are you thinking right now?” The doctor edged forward with a squeak of his chair’s wheels. “Open up, Ben. Give yourself the freedom to speak and know someone wishes to listen and understand. Like you, all I desire is to help others.”
“I have nothing to offer her. I don’t want a family.”
“Is there a particular reason why not?”
“All my life, I’ve lived with the stigma of how I came into this world. My birth should never have been, and wouldn’t have except for one man deciding he could take it all. I won’t follow in his path. His line ends with me.”
“So, you’re punishing yourself for your father’s misdeeds?”
“Not punishing, ensuring order is restored, and no else can do that but me.”
“I see, but there appears to be one flaw in your argument.” The doctor slowly breathed out. “In the process of ensuring this order, what if you’re also punishing Saria, the woman you’ve chosen to
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