There was a brief silence as she presumably went to check on Casey. I used the moment to take a deep breath, centering myself.
More shuffling sounds, and then, “Theo? Is that you?”
Casey's voice hit me like a wave, a rush of emotions sweeping over me—joy, guilt, fierce love. “Hey, buddy,” I managed, my voice catching a bit.
“I'm good! Miss you. When are you coming home? Did you catch any big fish today?” The questions tumbled out in quick succession, a pattern I recognized from his therapy, the language exercises they'd been working on.
I smiled, despite the pang in my chest. “No fishing today,” I said, sticking to the cover story. “Had some training. Learning about different kinds of boats.”
“Boring,” Casey declared. I could almost picture him making that face, his nose scrunched up just right like he always did. “Fishing is better.”
“Yeah, it really is,” I agreed, playing along. “How's therapy going? You being good for Dr. Martinez?”
“I'm good,” he insisted, his stubbornness peeking through. “Did all my exercises. Made progress.”
Pride swelled in my chest. “That's awesome, Casey. I’m really proud of you.”
“When are you coming home?” he asked again, circling back to the question that tugged at my heartstrings.
“Soon,” I promised, hating how vague it felt. “I need to work a little longer, make some money. But I'm thinking about you all the time.”
“Florida is far,” Casey pointed out, his tone a mix of facts and mild complaint.
“I know, buddy. I’m sorry. But I’ll be back before you know it, and I’ll bring you something cool. Maybe a shark tooth.”
This piqued his interest. “A real shark tooth? From a real shark?” His voice shot up with excitement, the pitch higher than I remembered before the accident.
“Absolutely,” I promised, grateful for his enthusiasm. “The biggest one I can find.”
Casey laughed, and I could almost feel the weight lifting off my chest. “Theo the shark hunter!”
“That’s right!” I laughed too, relishing this moment.
There was some muffled commotion in the background, and then Casey said, “Sofia says it’s time for meds and bed. Have to go now.”
“That's okay,” I said quickly. Time was slipping away. “You take your meds and get some sleep. I’ll talk to you again soon.”
There was a rustle, then Sofia came on. “Theo? Casey needs to head to bed now. Thanks for calling. He asks about you like every single day.”
The guilt twisted hard in my gut. “I’m sorry it took so long. The job… it’s been pretty intense.”
“I understand,” she said. “Just so you know, he’s doing really well. Making good progress.”
“That’s great to hear,” I replied, noting the sense of relief flooding through me. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.”
“Of course,” she replied warmly. “He’s a special guy. Everyone here loves him. Take care of yourself, Theo.”
“You too,” I said before the line went dead.
Sitting there in silence for a moment, holding the receiver, I felt comforted but devastated by the conversation. Hearing Casey's voice was what I needed, but now I felt acutely aware of the reality of our situation. His recovery was long and uncertain. There were no shortcuts. The slight slurring of his words, the childlike persistence, the memory gaps—all of it hammered home just how far he still had to go. And I wasn't even there beside him.
Just the path I was on now.
A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. “Mr. Bennett? Your time is up.”
Marcus's voice was gentle but firm.
I replaced the receiver and stood, pulling myself together before opening the door. My legs felt strangely unsteady, and I had to take a deep breath to center myself, squaring my shoulders and forcing my expression into something resembling composure. “Thank you for arranging that,” I said. “It really meant a lot.”
