her. The boy’s face lit up.
Rachel tilted her head in question, her mouth tight. Sam’s heart flopped and landed hard in his chest. She had every right to give him that look. But how to explain he’d been in another time and place when she’d called to him in the garage? A year ago, to be exact. And in this very hospital.
“Uh, sorry.” He walked inside, but remained close to the door, his fingertips tracing the varnished wood. “You caught me at a bad time. I shouldn’t have been so abrupt with you.”
Rachel looked at Maxwell, then up to the receptionist, who made a show of scanning an upside-down chart. “Maybe we should wait and talk outside, after Maxwell’s appointment?”
“No, I want Maxwell to hear this. I was rude to your mother when you two stopped by my house earlier, and I want to ask your forgiveness.”
Maxwell crossed his arms defiantly.
“You see…” Sam paced, not sure how to explain this, Keeping it all bottled up seemed safest, and yet, suddenly, the words spilled out. “I found a box of my brother’s stuff in the garage and was looking through it. My mind was a thousand miles away and my heart was…”
He swallowed. Memories cut him like knives. He would not reveal that he’d been crying, and couldn’t bring himself to look at Rachel now.
Why had he thought it wise to reveal himself, as if it were as simple as stripping the siding from a house to expose the bare framework?
“Oh, Sam, you’ve never mentioned your brother. Is he…?”
“He died last year.”
“I’m sorry.”
The touch of Rachel’s hand on his shoulder did something to his tight muscles, soothing and releasing his tension. But it also put him back to the same place he’d been, standing alone in the garage with one of Jeff’s photo albums, stuffed with pictures of his younger brother in a Vikings jersey, holding a football and making goofy faces.
“I, uh…” He glanced toward Maxwell, who was now staring at him openmouthed. “I still get choked up about my brother. Jeff was only six years older than you, buddy. He had a tough time of it his last few weeks. And when I was thinking about him, I wasn’t prepared for your mom to show up and be so pretty and friendly and bright, like she always is.”
He looked at Rachel, who offered him a smile that was as soft and welcoming as the purple flowers skirting her house.
Maxwell nodded. “I forgive you for upsetting my mom.”
“Thanks.”
That simple gesture made it even harder to stand there and reveal his pain. But Sam had tossed it out there, had revealed his framework, which was desperately in need of some supportive repair.
“You should have told us about Jeff before,” Rachel said.
Sam shrugged. “I’m never sure how to bring something like that up. One of those questions you had yesterday that I didn’t answer. It’s personal, you know? And we guys, well…” Right. That was about all he could manage for now in the revealing-one’s-emotions department. “So, I, um, think I should go.”
“No, stay,” Rachel said. Her fingers moved to gently clasp his forearm. “Please?”
Much as he didn’t want to break that tender contact, Sam knew himself too well.
“I think right now I need to be alone. Hell, I gotta head out to the truck. Maybe kick the tires a few times, you know? ‘Bye, Maxwell. I promise we’ll have dinner some other day.”
Sam quickly left the hospital, feeling more torn than he had when he’d been in the garage. If only the kid hadn’t been so forgiving. It was as if Maxwell’s smile had reached in and touched his heart, and that felt great. Yet at the same time, Sam didn’t know what to do with the empathy.
And man, had he needed Rachel’s touch. He could still feel her quiet strength, warm on his skin.
* * *
Rachel handed Maxwell the remote to the waiting room television. The doctor was running thirty minutes late due to an emergency, so they might be there awhile. He’d finished the chapter in his
Rachel tilted her head in question, her mouth tight. Sam’s heart flopped and landed hard in his chest. She had every right to give him that look. But how to explain he’d been in another time and place when she’d called to him in the garage? A year ago, to be exact. And in this very hospital.
“Uh, sorry.” He walked inside, but remained close to the door, his fingertips tracing the varnished wood. “You caught me at a bad time. I shouldn’t have been so abrupt with you.”
Rachel looked at Maxwell, then up to the receptionist, who made a show of scanning an upside-down chart. “Maybe we should wait and talk outside, after Maxwell’s appointment?”
“No, I want Maxwell to hear this. I was rude to your mother when you two stopped by my house earlier, and I want to ask your forgiveness.”
Maxwell crossed his arms defiantly.
“You see…” Sam paced, not sure how to explain this, Keeping it all bottled up seemed safest, and yet, suddenly, the words spilled out. “I found a box of my brother’s stuff in the garage and was looking through it. My mind was a thousand miles away and my heart was…”
He swallowed. Memories cut him like knives. He would not reveal that he’d been crying, and couldn’t bring himself to look at Rachel now.
Why had he thought it wise to reveal himself, as if it were as simple as stripping the siding from a house to expose the bare framework?
“Oh, Sam, you’ve never mentioned your brother. Is he…?”
“He died last year.”
“I’m sorry.”
The touch of Rachel’s hand on his shoulder did something to his tight muscles, soothing and releasing his tension. But it also put him back to the same place he’d been, standing alone in the garage with one of Jeff’s photo albums, stuffed with pictures of his younger brother in a Vikings jersey, holding a football and making goofy faces.
“I, uh…” He glanced toward Maxwell, who was now staring at him openmouthed. “I still get choked up about my brother. Jeff was only six years older than you, buddy. He had a tough time of it his last few weeks. And when I was thinking about him, I wasn’t prepared for your mom to show up and be so pretty and friendly and bright, like she always is.”
He looked at Rachel, who offered him a smile that was as soft and welcoming as the purple flowers skirting her house.
Maxwell nodded. “I forgive you for upsetting my mom.”
“Thanks.”
That simple gesture made it even harder to stand there and reveal his pain. But Sam had tossed it out there, had revealed his framework, which was desperately in need of some supportive repair.
“You should have told us about Jeff before,” Rachel said.
Sam shrugged. “I’m never sure how to bring something like that up. One of those questions you had yesterday that I didn’t answer. It’s personal, you know? And we guys, well…” Right. That was about all he could manage for now in the revealing-one’s-emotions department. “So, I, um, think I should go.”
“No, stay,” Rachel said. Her fingers moved to gently clasp his forearm. “Please?”
Much as he didn’t want to break that tender contact, Sam knew himself too well.
“I think right now I need to be alone. Hell, I gotta head out to the truck. Maybe kick the tires a few times, you know? ‘Bye, Maxwell. I promise we’ll have dinner some other day.”
Sam quickly left the hospital, feeling more torn than he had when he’d been in the garage. If only the kid hadn’t been so forgiving. It was as if Maxwell’s smile had reached in and touched his heart, and that felt great. Yet at the same time, Sam didn’t know what to do with the empathy.
And man, had he needed Rachel’s touch. He could still feel her quiet strength, warm on his skin.
* * *
Rachel handed Maxwell the remote to the waiting room television. The doctor was running thirty minutes late due to an emergency, so they might be there awhile. He’d finished the chapter in his
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