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He laughed. “You haven’t? Canada’s only a couple hundred miles that way.” He pointed out the window. “You could drive there. I’ve crossed the border more times than I can count hauling logs. It’s not a big deal.” Once again, Remy made things sound so easy, so accessible.
But I had things to do, research to finish.
“How about this?” he said, brushing his fingers down the cover of the book I was still holding tight to. “When you finish your dissertation and officially become a doctor, I’ll take you there. I’ll even read the book first. We can take a celebratory road trip together.”
I grinned. A road trip to Avonlea with my brother’s dreamy best friend. Teenage Hazel had officially died and gone to heaven.
“That sounds nice,” I said softly, unable to articulate all the gratitude I was feeling toward him.
Chapter18
Remy
“Ilove her for you,” Alice whispered in my ear while giving me a warm embrace. “This is a good thing.”
I smiled weakly and handed her the daisies I’d picked up for her.
My brother didn’t socialize unless brute force was applied, so this dinner was no doubt Alice’s doing. But Hazel had been stuck in the house recovering, so the break would be good for her.
Henri was the one sibling whose attitude toward me I could predict. He was steady and focused and had picked me up when I was at my worst.
“Uncle Remy, Uncle Remy!” Goldie came running down the hall, dragging a massive stuffed sloth behind her, and jumped into my arms. “How could you get married without me as your flower girl?” she pouted.
“Sorry, GoldBug.” I spun in a circle, knowing just how to improve her mood. “Trust me, Grandma is super mad about it too.”
She pushed my hair out of my eyes and gave me a big smacking kiss on the forehead. “Did you bring me anything?”
I set her on her feet and ruffled her hair. “Ask Aunt Hazel.”
She turned to Hazel, who was standing beside me, and gave her a lopsided grin.
“I may have brought these,” Hazel said, holding out a box of fresh molasses cookies from the bakery.
Goldie ripped it out of her hands and took off running through the house to find her brother.
“How are you feeling?” Henri asked, taking Hazel’s coat.
“Better. This guy”—she grabbed my arm and squeezed—“has barely let me get out of bed, even though my doctor told me I’d feel like my old self after a day or two. But I feel great, really. Excited to be on the mend and getting back to work.”
“Hazel,” Alice murmured, giving my wife a gentle hug, “come keep me company while I put the finishing touches on dinner.”
When the women had disappeared, Henri raised an eyebrow and gave me a nod. For such a small gesture, it had significant meaning. I was taking care of my person, just like he took care of his people. And that acknowledgment made me feel better than any words from him ever could.
“Dig in,” Alice said once we were seated around the table. She picked up Goldie’s plate and scooped a spoonful of carrots onto it. “So, Hazel, tell us about your work.”
“It’s boring,” she protested with a shrug, sipping her water.
“Not at all. We’re all so impressed, right kids?” Alice looked at them with that mom look she’d been perfecting over the last several months. When they grumbled in halfhearted agreement, she gushed, “Aunt Hazel is going to be a doctor.”
“Not a medical doctor,” my wife corrected. “I wanted to be one for a long time, but a few semesters of the pre-med program at Brown convinced me that I could not manage the physician life. Treating individual people is a very noble calling. But I found myself really interested in the big picture problems. Studying systemic problems causing disease and sickness and suffering and searching for solutions.”
“So you want to help a lot of people; not just one person at a time?” Tucker asked. The kid was sharp as a tack.
She smiled at him. “Exactly. Helping people who are hurt or sick is wonderful, but I’d rather do a quantitative analysis of drinking water quality and contamination and public infrastructure to support efforts to combat water contamination, you know?” She dipped her chin, turning pink, clearly embarrassed that she had nerded out at the dinner table.
“That’s fantastic,” Henri said. “Is that what you’re researching here?”
She pushed up her glasses, her face lighting up in a way I didn’t think I could ever get tired of. The expression she donned when she talked about her research made me wonder what it would feel like to spend my days devoted to something I truly loved. A greater purpose rather than just getting by.
