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“And what a pretty face he has,” I deadpan.
“Don’t do that,” she groans. An awkward silence passes between us before she says, “How’s your therapy going?”
“It’s going, I guess. I had my first session a few days ago.”
“Dad told me you’re seeing a woman doctor.”
“Dr. Devine is a woman.”
“She’s your age, right?”
“Give or take.”
“I hope you didn’t hit on her or do anything stupid that will jeopardize your career. Dad is worried about you. We all are.”
“Kat, I’m fine. This suspension is nothing. I’ll be back on the ice in a few months.”
“Dad had to pull a lot of strings to keep you with the Caps. He won’t tell you that, but I will. You messed up big time, Denny.” She sniffs into the phone. “And you hurt Dean. You hurt me. And you still haven’t apologized to Dean!”
“Kat, I’m sorry. I know you hate me.”
My stomach hurts having this conversation. I hate that I have caused her so much pain.
“I don’t hate you,” she declares. “I could never hate you. But I can be mad at you. I want to forgive you.”
I lean my head back on a stack of cushions and stare up at the ceiling. “Tell me what to do, Kat. I want to make things right with you. I want to be there for you and the baby.”
“Call Dean and apologize. You can say sorry to me all you want, but without telling the person you hurt most, it doesn’t mean a thing.”
“Fine, I’ll call Dean.”
“He has off on Friday. Call him then.”
“How are you feeling? Is the baby okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she sighs. “A little tired. And sick. The morning sickness is kind of kicking my ass. I practically live in the bathroom.”
“I can come home and help out.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m moving soon. I told Dean I would live with him.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy, Kat. But promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t do what mom did. You need to have your own life and your own career. She gave up everything to raise us.”
“Mom didn’t regret it,” she challenges.
“I know she didn’t, but just promise me, okay?”
Before my mom died, she asked me to watch over my brothers and sister. She made me promise her that I wouldn’t let Kat repeat her past. Our mom was a partner in a successful law firm when she met our dad. They had a whirlwind romance that swept both of them off their feet. Within a few short months, they were married. I came along not long after. My mom gave up everything to be with my dad. He became her world, and when she got sick, my dad couldn’t handle the thought of losing her.
Instead of being there for her, for all of us, he stayed away. I’m close to my dad, but that’s one thing I will never forgive him for. It’s hard to forget the years I spent at my mother’s bedside while I watched her slowly die. And it’s even harder to forget that my dad left two teenagers to raise his children. He forgot about all of us, throwing himself into hockey more than ever.
“After I have the baby,” Kat says, “I plan to look for an internship in Philly. I’m not giving up on my dreams. Mom wouldn’t want that, and I don’t either.”
"As long as we're on the same page."
