the corner of the couch and faced him, teacup in hand. Now that Mrs. Densmore was under the appropriate care, she wondered how to broach the other subject foremost on her mind: her new quest for friendship with Jason.
“While I’m apologizing for things, I guess I owe you an explanation for the other night, too,” he said.
She almost spilled her tea, but quickly gathered her thoughts and decided to take a huge risk. “And I’d like to know about your family.”
He scrubbed his face, and stared hard across the room, as though at nothingness, for several long moments.
“Ten years ago I married my wife, Jessica.” His voice sounded monotone and guarded. “Two years later we had Hanna. You found their picture today. They were the light of my life, as the cliché goes. We talked about having more children, but it never happened. Thought maybe the summer would be a good time to try again.” He paused and took a deep breath. “When the clinic opened Phil, Jon, René and I vowed to give it our undivided attention. We worked hard and long at seeing extra patients, hoping word would get out and we’d pick up more clientele. So Jessica and I decided we needed a weekend away. We wanted to do something Hanna would enjoy. She was four, so we made plans to take the train up the coast. But I got held up at work.”
He squinted hard at the fire, as if visualizing something horrible.
“I told them to go ahead. That I’d meet them up there.” He stopped, his brows twisted, and he pinched his lips together as if fighting off a wave of emotion.
Claire’s line of thinking jumped ahead. She remembered a horrendous train crash four or five years ago. She remembered seeing the human carnage amidst twisted metal and derailed train cars on the local TV news. Fifty people had died that day. Her heart squeezed, trying to fathom Jason’s pain. She wanted to lunge for him, to throw her arms around his neck and cry with him, but he wasn’t shedding a tear. He sat as if numbed by the memories. As if oddly removed from the story that had once been a dark and tragic reality.
He glanced toward her with haunted, weary eyes. “I was supposed to be with them.”
Claire’s throat tightened, making it difficult to swallow her tea. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. In one instant his family had been wiped out. How could anyone deal with such loss? He seemed to stare right through her. She didn’t know what to do. Her hand shot for his. “Jason, I’m so sorry.”
A lump clogged Claire’s chest. She found it hard to breathe. She thought about the precious gift of her child, and wondered what she would do. She couldn’t survive if Gina died.
And Jason had lost both his wife and child.
He moved his hand. “Don’t.”
She thought of how he’d gazed gently at Gina when she’d fallen asleep in his lap that time, and she wanted to cry. What must he have been thinking? Without knowing it, she’d probably caused him more grief.
He put his shoes back on, grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
She rushed to beat him there and, not giving a damn about what his rules were, hugged him, long and tight. She buried her head under his chin and snuggled against his chest, wanting only to show him he wasn’t alone in this world. He may have lost the most precious part of his life, but he wasn’t alone.
Instead of being embarrassed about it, she was glad she’d kissed him with her soul Friday night. He deserved no less. And he’d taken a risk with her by reaching out. It touched her. Made her wish things could be different.
He felt rigid and unreceptive, like a man too proud to let anyone help. What a pair they made. She who’d never allow herself to trust a man again, and he who’d never let another woman into his heart.
She gradually disengaged from the one-sided hug.
“I won’t tolerate your pity, Claire,” he said, then left.
His warning took her by surprise, as if he’d pushed her against a wall. She stared at him
“While I’m apologizing for things, I guess I owe you an explanation for the other night, too,” he said.
She almost spilled her tea, but quickly gathered her thoughts and decided to take a huge risk. “And I’d like to know about your family.”
He scrubbed his face, and stared hard across the room, as though at nothingness, for several long moments.
“Ten years ago I married my wife, Jessica.” His voice sounded monotone and guarded. “Two years later we had Hanna. You found their picture today. They were the light of my life, as the cliché goes. We talked about having more children, but it never happened. Thought maybe the summer would be a good time to try again.” He paused and took a deep breath. “When the clinic opened Phil, Jon, René and I vowed to give it our undivided attention. We worked hard and long at seeing extra patients, hoping word would get out and we’d pick up more clientele. So Jessica and I decided we needed a weekend away. We wanted to do something Hanna would enjoy. She was four, so we made plans to take the train up the coast. But I got held up at work.”
He squinted hard at the fire, as if visualizing something horrible.
“I told them to go ahead. That I’d meet them up there.” He stopped, his brows twisted, and he pinched his lips together as if fighting off a wave of emotion.
Claire’s line of thinking jumped ahead. She remembered a horrendous train crash four or five years ago. She remembered seeing the human carnage amidst twisted metal and derailed train cars on the local TV news. Fifty people had died that day. Her heart squeezed, trying to fathom Jason’s pain. She wanted to lunge for him, to throw her arms around his neck and cry with him, but he wasn’t shedding a tear. He sat as if numbed by the memories. As if oddly removed from the story that had once been a dark and tragic reality.
He glanced toward her with haunted, weary eyes. “I was supposed to be with them.”
Claire’s throat tightened, making it difficult to swallow her tea. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. In one instant his family had been wiped out. How could anyone deal with such loss? He seemed to stare right through her. She didn’t know what to do. Her hand shot for his. “Jason, I’m so sorry.”
A lump clogged Claire’s chest. She found it hard to breathe. She thought about the precious gift of her child, and wondered what she would do. She couldn’t survive if Gina died.
And Jason had lost both his wife and child.
He moved his hand. “Don’t.”
She thought of how he’d gazed gently at Gina when she’d fallen asleep in his lap that time, and she wanted to cry. What must he have been thinking? Without knowing it, she’d probably caused him more grief.
He put his shoes back on, grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
She rushed to beat him there and, not giving a damn about what his rules were, hugged him, long and tight. She buried her head under his chin and snuggled against his chest, wanting only to show him he wasn’t alone in this world. He may have lost the most precious part of his life, but he wasn’t alone.
Instead of being embarrassed about it, she was glad she’d kissed him with her soul Friday night. He deserved no less. And he’d taken a risk with her by reaching out. It touched her. Made her wish things could be different.
He felt rigid and unreceptive, like a man too proud to let anyone help. What a pair they made. She who’d never allow herself to trust a man again, and he who’d never let another woman into his heart.
She gradually disengaged from the one-sided hug.
“I won’t tolerate your pity, Claire,” he said, then left.
His warning took her by surprise, as if he’d pushed her against a wall. She stared at him
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