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Her words troubled me, but I could tell she’d been waiting for a chance to say them.
“You’re very kind.”
She laughed; Justin had described her soft lilt perfectly. “I’m blunt and truthful. I have something for you. I’ve wanted to give it to you for a long time.”
Little Justin clung to me as his mother left the room. As I eased him to the floor, I held out the teddy bear. His eyes lit up, reaching for the bear then stopping, looking me square in the eyes.
“Is it okay for me to hold him, sir?”
I’d never been a man to show any emotion but anger, but as tears formed in my eyes, I struggled to keep them from sliding down my face. “He’s your bear now.”
Giggling, little Justin grabbed the stuffed animal from my arms, swinging it around in the air. “I’m going to call him Santiago.”
Maria stood in the doorway, the same smile on her face. As she brought me a small box, she purposely placed it in my hands. “Justin would want you to have this.”
I knew the box because I had one just like it, only I’d never opened the lid because it didn’t feel right. But on this sunny July day, the honor of doing so was another reminder that my friend had followed his heart. She beamed as I found the courage to open it, running my finger down the Medal of Honor.
Perhaps Justin had led me here, hoping that I’d accept the same advice I’d given him all those years ago.
To follow my heart.
As I shifted my gaze, watching the happiness displayed in the little boy named after two men who’d shared a dream that had ended in tragedy, I finally accepted it was time to follow my heart.
* * *
One and a half months later
Willow
I glanced at the clock, realizing I’d been on my feet for almost eight hours without a break, my leg muscles screaming. But it had been a good day, dozens of little creatures parading through the clinic.
As I moved into the backroom, I finally grabbed a bottle of water. It was almost time to go home. Home. It was simply an apartment I showered and slept in and nothing more. I hated the nights more than anything because the nightmares refused to allow me the sweet release of sleep. The visions weren’t entirely wrapped around the kidnapping and violence I’d endured, but also Santiago’s face.
I couldn’t get Santiago out of my mind. Even now, just thinking about him left me with tingling sensations. How many times had I almost picked up the phone to call him? At least two dozen since I’d left him in the airport. He’d been stoic, but I’d seen the look in his eyes, the same one that greeted me every morning. Haunted.
However, he’d returned to his work, and I knew it was as important to him as this was to me.
“You’re working too many hours, Willow. You need to take a vacation,” Dr. Abbot told me in her usual motherly voice.
“I just got here a little over a month ago.”
“And you’ve been working seven days a week. I appreciate your work ethic, but you need to figure out which position you’re going to accept.”
“You’re pushing me out the door, Doctor?” I laughed.
She gave me a look. “I’m retiring in less than a month. I love having you here and I’d be happy for you to take over the practice but with the lease up, there’s nothing I can do.”
“I know the developers are turning the area into condos. I just hate it.”
“So do I, but I have no say in it. I want you happy, Willow, and you’re not. You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
I blushed and leaned against the counter. “That obvious?” I’d told her only some of what I’d been through, but she was a smart woman and could read between the lines.
“You must be kidding me. I might be old but I’m not immune to true love. You need to give him a call.”
“I know.” Maybe. One day. When my phone rang, the jolt of excitement as the possibility Santiago was calling was quickly snuffed out by the California number appearing on my screen. If this was another reporter, I was going to give them a piece of my mind. “Willow Cavanaugh.”
“Ms. Cavanaugh, this is Administrator Simmons from the University of California. We would like to invite you to become a part of the summer session’s graduation ceremony. You certainly earned the right as the valedictorian and we would love for you to provide a presentation along with the valedictorian from the summer session. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
