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Leavin’the hospital without Jeremiah got harder every time. He was gettin’ better, and I didn’t need a doctor to tell me that. He was brighter, smiled more, talked more, slept less, and didn’t wince every single time he moved.
I walked Doreen to the car park and thanked her again for coming to see him. She wasn’t the big bad meanie she made herself out to be, though I doubt I’d be calling her Dory again anytime soon.
She threatened a specific kind of bodily harm and then laughed. Not like it was a joke, but in a ‘do it again, I dare ya’ kinda way.
I wouldn’t be tempting that fate any time soon.
Knowing Jeremiah would be busy for an hour or so, I headed to the office. I’d basically abandoned my job in the last few days, so pickin’ up some slack while I could was a good idea.
Keepin’ busy was too.
I opened my emails, fully expecting a barrage, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’d only got through a handful when Rowan walked past my office, saw me, and stopped.
“Oh hey,” he said, coming in. “I didn’t think you’d be in this week.”
“I’m not here now,” I replied. “Just tryin’ to make a dent in my inbox.”
“Everything okay at the hospital?”
“Yeah, he’s just havin’ some tests done. I’ll go back soon.”
He only just seemed to notice my shirt. “Uh, nice shirt.”
I laughed. “Thanks. It was Jeremiah’s. Now it’s mine.”
He made a face that said ‘Jeremiah would never wear that’ but didn’t say it out loud. “Ellis said his dad gets in this afternoon.”
I inhaled and sighed. “Yep.”
“Is that not a good thing?”
“It is.” I puffed out my cheeks with another sigh. “Well, I hope it will be. They have a kinda strained relationship. Never been very close.”
He nodded slowly and came in to sit in the chair across from me. “It must’ve been difficult for both of them after Jeremiah’s mum died. And I’m not excusing his dad’s behaviour at all...”
I wasn’t sure where he was trying to take this.
“What?”
“I know if it was me, if I were in his shoes, well, I’d like to think... If Diah died, I’d like to think it’d make me hold my kids tighter, love them harder. But you just never know. I’d be a forever-changed man too. It’d break me. And I’m pretty sure after seeing what you went through with Jeremiah these last few days, it’d break you too.”
I... I was speechless.
Rowan shrugged. “And we have a big family that steps up when we need it, and I can’t imagine how hard it was for Jeremiah, having no one and growing up like that. I’m sure his father did all he could do to provide for him the best he knew how.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
I wasn’t sure either. “Are you okay, Rowan?”
He let out a breathy laugh. I couldn’t ever recall seeing him embarrassed, yet here he was. “Yeah, I am. I’m just saying maybe Jeremiah’s dad isn’t a bad person. And I know you’re inclined to be protective of Jeremiah and god help anyone who dares to look at him wrong, but maybe now you can sympathise with his dad a little.”
“I wasn’t gonna be rude to him.”
“I know. I know you wouldn’t. But he lost the love of his life, just like you almost lost yours.” He shrugged again. “Maybe when we meet him this afternoon, we can show him that Jeremiah—”
“Wait. Whenwemeet him?”
“Yeah well, Mum thought it might be nice if we all came around for dinner.”
“Oh, did she now?”
