Page 70 of Welcome to Forever
Chapter 17
The hospital smelled of disinfectant tinged with a light citrusy odor.
Kat followed Micah briskly through the halls, feeling people’s eyes on them as they walked.
“Aren’t you going to get in trouble for wearing your uniform?” she asked.
He shrugged. “My son is in the hospital. I don’t give a damn.”
Right. She struggled to keep up in her heels as he held firmly to her hand and navigated past nurses and patients, past carts full of medical supplies. Ben was on the fourth floor—the children’s unit. They’d skipped the ER and admitted him immediately because of his cerebral palsy diagnosis.
They stepped into an elevator and Micah pushed the button for the fourth floor. His whole body appeared tense. Even his jaw, which had been relaxed in a smile most of the night, was tight, the bulky muscle along his cheek clenching and releasing.
“He’ll be okay,” she whispered softly, rubbing her hand along his arm.
Micah turned to her. The heat in his eyes was gone now. To an outsider, he might look calm, cool, collected, but she knew better. He had pushed his emotions aside, like a good Marine. He was on a mission, going through the motions. “I know. This happens several times a year,” he said.
“Several times a year?”
He nodded. “More when he’s on a growth spurt. His bones are growing longer, but his muscles remain tight, restricting his movement. He tries to do more than he should and his muscles won’t let him. Then he falls. I shouldn’t have left him tonight.”
“He was with your aunt, though.”
“Who doesn’t know his limits like I do. If I’d been there, this wouldn’t have happened.” He ran a hand through his cropped hair.
When the elevator stopped, she followed Micah down the hall, stopping at room 407.
“Hey there, buddy.” Micah’s smile was back, but the thick bulk of muscle in his jawline was still knotted. “Looks like you and the wall got into a fight.”
Ben grinned, lying on his back in a white hospital bed, looking smaller and more fragile than Kat had seen him. “Actually, it was the railing of Aunt Clara’s deck. I was trying to stand and look at her flowers.”
“Yeah?” Micah walked up to the bed.
“She has a rabbit that’s been chewing on the leaves. I was keeping a lookout for it.” Ben’s gaze jumped to Kat. “Did you have a good time with my dad? I’m sorry I ruined it.”
“You didn’t ruin it,” Kat insisted, stepping closer. “We had a wonderful time.”
Ben’s smile stretched, making her heart ache in her chest. He was such a sweet kid. He didn’t deserve his plight in life. No one deserved to have a body that didn’t listen to its brain.
“I was hoping you did. I think you and my dad are perfect for one another,” Ben said.
“Perfect?” she asked.
“I made a list. It proves you two should be together.”
From the mind of an eight-year-old.
“Buddy, I’m more concerned about you right now.” Micah sat down on the chair beside him and pushed a hand through the boy’s matted hair, revealing a bandage along his forehead. “Stitches, huh?” Micah shook his head. “You’re going to look like Frankenstein if you keep trying to stand.”
“Dad.” Ben’s grin faded. “My legs still work. I want to use them.”
“And I don’t want to end up here all the time.”
Clara had been quiet since they’d entered. “It’s my fault.” She was seated in a chair against the window. “I told him to keep watch for me. He was glued to the window, watching for you two to come home, so I thought it’d be better if he kept a lookout for my critter instead.”
The knot of muscle in Micah’s jaw was pulsing again. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left him.”
“Dad.” Tears formed in Ben’s eyes. “You can’t stay with me all the time. I’m not a baby. Tell him, Principal Chandler. You told me that I could do whatever I set my mind to. That my disability shouldn’t hold me back. Tell him.”
