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It was that easy.
And yet it still was painful and ugly.
Hearing the tap on the door, I stood as it opened and a thin woman holding a 9-month-old baby girl in a pink ruffled dress came in, her eyes glued to Bo.
“He’s alive,” I said, moving over to her. Her eyes shifted to mine, surprised. Like she didn’t truly believe I’d be here. I guess that proved Bo’s point that I had left him. Ignoring that, I smiled at his daughter, my hands outstretched. “May I?”
She nodded and her to me. “Her name is—”
“Is Katie, I know,” I replied, bouncing slightly and bringing her round, chubby face close to mine. “Hi, Katie. I’m your Uncle Noah,” she giggled, smacking her hand on my nose, and I kissed her hand.
“What is wrong with him?” her mother whispered behind me, putting her hand on Bo’s head.
“I’m not sure. But I wanted you to know, both of you,” I poked Katie’s cheek again as she smiled, “that no matter what, if and when you need me, I’ll be there. Of course I’ll make sure the house I got for Bo is transferred to your name, along with his allowance. But Megan, this also comes with a warning.”
“A warning?”
Walking back over to her, I placed Katie in her arms. Katie’s hazel eyes never looked away from mine. “If I find out you so much as sniffed bathroom cleaner, I will not just take Katie, but I will destroy you. You’ll never find work in this city or this state again. When I am through with you, you will want to d
ie. Katie’s a Sloan, my brother’s little girl, my niece. If she can’t have both of her parents, she going to have the best damn mother possible. Are we clear?”
Holding on tight to Katie, she nodded. “I won’t. I swear. I’ll watch out for her.”
“That’s all I ask. I’ll be in touch,” I replied, leaving them. When I got to the door, I couldn’t help but turn to look at him one last time.
“I’m sorry. This is the best I can do,” I said to him.
“What? You’ve done so much,” Megan said, looking at me strangely.
Shaking my head, I stepped out, closing the door behind me. Across from me was Daniel, his whole body stiff, as he waited.
“Did you see him?” I asked him, and he nodded, unable to speak.
Saying nothing more, I followed him as we walked toward the elevator. I hated hospitals and the memories they brought with them, always because of Frank. Even as an adult, it was the same feeling.
“Sir, your phone,” Daniel said when we waited for the elevator. I clearly hadn’t even realized I was missing it.
Seeing the caller, I didn’t want to answer. But I did anyway.
“Sloan,” I said into the phone.
“Rest assured, your father will no longer be an issue for either of us,” Liam said. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I’m sure he was smiling.
“Understood.”
“I wasn’t expecting a ‘thank you,’ but you could sound a little jovial? Don’t you think?”
No, I did not think so.
“How?” My thought process felt like it slowed down the moment the elevator arrived, and we stepped on.
“You want details, or how to be—”
“How do you do everything you do and still manage to sit down to enjoy steak and shallots with your wife like nothing ever happened? Better yet, how do I do this?”
He snickered in reply. “And here I thought we were sort of the same.”
That was not comforting.
