Healed by J. S. Cooper Page B

orphan per se,” he continued. “Her parents are alive, but she was given up.”
    “Man, that sucks, ” I sighed.
    “She’s been at the orphanage since she was born. Once families find out she has cancer, they don’t want to adopt her.”
    “That’s shitty.”
    “But we think she’s in remission now.”
    “That’s great,” I said, truly happy to hear some good news. “That’s really great.”
    “Your mom was going to try and adopt her.”
    “What?” I sat upright and my hand grasped the phone tighter.
    “She was waiting to do it after she left your dad. She hadn’t told Shelby yet, but she had discussed it with me.”
    “Why didn’t she tell me?” I frowned. “I didn’t even know she volunteered.”
    “She started coming to the hospital when you joined the marines. She said she felt like God would protect you if she spent time with other children. She worried about you so much.”
    “I didn’t know.” Why hadn’t she told me?
    “She was going to adopt Shelby?” My voice held disbelief.
    “I don’t know how to say this, Bryce, but Shelby is your sister.”
    I dropped the phone on to the ground and tried to picture the little girl’s face. There had been something so familiar about her. “I want to see her.”
    “You can come with me tomorrow if you want.”
    “Yes. I want to come.” I paused. “How do you know I’m her brother?”
    Luke sighed before speaking. “I replaced the orphanage ’s computers and software a few years ago. That put me in contact with a lot of personal information.”
    “So you know about my dad and Lexi’s mom?”
    “Yes.” His voice was clipped.
    “But she doesn’t know.” It was a statement and not a question.
    “I wanted her to tell me about the affair when she was ready.”
    “But Shelby’s her sister as well.”
    “It wasn’t my place to tell her,” he sighed. “She doesn’t even know that I know.”
    “Are we going to tell her?” I didn’t know if I could drop another bomb on her.
    “Shelby would love to get to know you both. She’s a wonderful young girl.”
    “So you know my sister better than I do.” It felt weird saying the word sister . “She’s going to be okay now, right?” I knew it was selfish of me but I didn’t know if I could handle getting to know her, only for her to die.
    “She’s okay now , Bryce. She’s in remission,” Luke sighed. “She’s a survivor, Bryce. She’s a good kid. She needs a brother to love her.”
    “You’ve loved her like a brother though, haven’t you?”
    “I love her.” His words were firm and wistful. “Your mom loved her as well. And Shelby loved your mom.”
    “I’m glad.” I smiled, a big , wide, true smile. “I’m glad she had someone in her life who made her happy.”
    “She was a good woman. Everyone in town loved her.” Luke paused. “She wouldn’t want you to blame yourself , Bryce. It’s not your fault. Just like Eddie’s death wasn’t your fault.”
    “You’re a good guy , Luke,” I sighed. “Thanks. I’ll meet you tomorrow at the hospital?”
    “Yeah, I’ll see you there around noon.”
    “Okay, I’ll see you then.” I jumped up, suddenly feeling alive. I had a sister. A little sister. It didn’t feel quite real. She could have been my daughter. I laughed at the irony. Maybe I’d have a kid soon. Maybe I could convince Lexi to forgive me and we could start a family. And I’d be a better man. I’d be a stand-up guy. A family guy. I’d spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins. I’d be the guy my mom wanted me to be.
    First, Lexi and I could get married. We could get housing at Notre Dame and I could get a degree, maybe I’d become a teacher. Or maybe I could go to theology school. Spend my life in service to God. And then , when we graduated, we could start a family. And buy a house. We’d be a real family. I knew that Lexi would like that. We’d be happy. I would spend the rest of my life showing her how much she meant to me. I had