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He chuckled. “No, not at all. I promise I was only teasing. I’m glad you’re stepping up. You know more about this than I do.”
The tension went out of her shoulders, and a small smile of her own grew on her face. Bits of her hair that had come loose from the ponytail she’d put it in made her look even more lovely than usual.
Hudson quickly stomped down those thoughts. She could never be his, and he needed to get all thoughts of it out of his head.
“Nora!” Hannah’s excited voice called out. Hudson smiled as he watched the girl roll over to them. “Nora, Hudson, did you see what they’re doing to the house?”
Nora laughed. “I did. You’re going to be able to get around much easier now.”
Hannah turned her gaze to Hudson, suddenly shy. “Thank you, Hudson, for putting new things in for me.”
His heart both melted and broke at that. She should have been able to just ask for this sort of thing. She should have felt like she could have. But there was still that strange barrier that he didn’t know how to cross so he could truly connect with her.
“You’re welcome, little one. Don’t be afraid to make requests of me. I promise I don’t bite.” He winked at her, and she giggled, knowing that he absolutely could bite.
The joke, of course, went right over Nora’s head, but she smiled anyway. She was probably just glad the two of them were connecting.
The construction crew worked well into the evening, and by that point, they’d gotten a lot more done than expected. After the crew had left, the trio enjoyed the quiet briefly, but it was soon time for bed. Both Hudson and Nora tucked Hannah in that night. The nurse read the girl a story and then sang softly to her as she fell asleep.
Hudson watched in amazement at how easily Hannah relaxed around Nora. He tried to pinpoint just what it was about the nurse that made Hannah feel so comfortable, so secure.
Not that there were a limited number of options for why Hannah could like her so much. Nora was caring and attentive and always seemed to know just the right things to say. Sometimes, Hudson wished he could claim he was the same way.
When it was clear Hannah was fast asleep, the two of them quietly crept out of her room. Nora smiled at him once they were in the hallway. “Well, I guess you must be pretty tired. I’ll let you get to bed.”
“Wait.”
The nurse paused and gave him a questioning look.
“Uh, would you like to join me for a cup of coffee,” he said.
She smiled tiredly at him. “I am planning on going to bed in the next hour.”
“Tea then,” he amended.
Nora chuckled. “Tea sounds lovely.”
They went into the kitchen, and Hudson brewed them both a cup of tea. For a while, they just sipped their tea in silence. Finally, though, Nora spoke. “All right. I can see the gears turning in your head. What’s up?”
Had he really been that easy to read?
Hudson sighed. “You know how to connect with Hannah so easily. You always seem to know just what to say to make her feel safe and at home. But I don’t. She’s been through something that no child should ever have to go through, and I don’t know how to help her. What it is I’m supposed to say and do.”
He stared at the kitchen table, drawing his finger across the surface of it anxiously. “Right now, I feel like everything out of my mouth is either too hollow or too harsh. And so I just end up not saying anything at all, which I realize isn’t any better. You just seem to have a sense of what she needs, so I guess I’m looking for input.”
Nora seemed to think for a moment before speaking. “Every child is different, which means there isn’t an exact right answer. What I do know is that, more than anything, she needs to know that you’re there for her. That she can count on you to be there in all the bad times.”
“Yes, but how? How do I let her know that?”
The nurse smiled softly. “In lots of different ways. By telling her, for one, but also by showing it. Playing with her, doing little crafts or activities with her, and taking an interest in the things she likes.”
Hudson had to school his face to not show his disdain. Nora was right, but the idea of playing a child’s games was hardly something he had a lot of experience or interest in. His bear didn’t mind the occasional romp in the snow, sure. But a grown man playing dress-up? For Hannah, he would learn.
“If she sees that you’re willing to take time out for her to do things she likes, she’ll know she can rely on you. Being patient with her and listening are also very important. Once you start listening, I think you’ll start to know how to help her better,” Nora pointed out.
“She lost her whole world not too long ago, and I think she’s still trying to adjust to this new one she’s been thrust into. She’s lost and scared about what her life is going to look like now, and she needs kindness and patience now more than ever. Knowing that she’s loved and has someone on her side means everything to her,” she finally concluded, sipping at her tea.
Hudson stared at her in amazement. Nora really did have emotional instincts that he didn’t. Instincts whose growth was perhaps snubbed by his own childhood and losing his parents so early in life. What would he have given to feel that same love and comfort Nora spoke of? He wished someone had been there for him like that, doing those things for him. Hudson vowed then and there that he wouldn’t let Hannah live the same life he had. He would be that person for her. He would be the person he wished he’d had as a child. For her, he would do everything in his power to give her a loving home.
