Page 85 of Doctor Neighbor

5:01 pm

I step out onto the balcony with Liesle, the cool fall air a welcome change from my days, mostly these last several weeks, stuck inside a hospital. We settle into the chairs, and I can't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Cole, I'm in awe of how well you handled all of this," Liesle says, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

I shake my head, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I couldn't have done it without you and Buster. You both were my rocks through this nightmare."

"Buster really stepped up, didn't he? In more ways than one," Liesle remarks, a hint of admiration in her voice.

"He did," I agree, my mind drifting to everything Buster has done for us. "I don't know what I would've done without him. We very well could still be looking for a donor match."

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the muffled sounds of "Frozen" playing inside. Then, I can't hold it in any longer.

"You know who didn't step up? Steele," I spit out, anger suddenly bubbling up inside me. "That asshole never even bothered to call me back when I asked him to come see if he was a match for Maddie. It took everything I had to get the guts to call him. Can you imagine a human being being so insensitive? About someone who could have his blood running through her? A child!"

Liesle's eyes widen. "Are you serious? His own daughter was fighting for her life, and he couldn't be bothered?"

"Nope," I say, popping the 'p' with disdain. "I left messages, texted, and even reached out to his sister. Nothing. Radio silence."

"What a piece of shit,” Liesle mutters, shaking her head. “Well, good riddance to him. Maddie has Buster now, and he's more of a father than Steele ever was.”

I turn to Liesel, suddenly realizing I might have forgotten to share crucial information with her.

"Hey, I told you I had to admit my hunch to Buster about him being Maddie's father, right?" I ask, wracking my brain to remember if I'd shared this during the whirlwind of the past few weeks.

Liesle's eyes widen. "No! You left that massive nugget out. You act like you haven't had a lot on your plate. When did this happen? How did he take it?"

I take a deep breath, recalling the intense conversation. I detail the conversation, telling her how amazing he was overall with the news. I explain that we didn’t have much time to process it together because of the craziness with Madeline, the match test, and the whole procedure. I'm dizzy thinking of it all.

"Wow," Liesle breathes. "That's... pretty amazing of him."

I nod, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, it is. We haven't addressed it since then, though. Everything's been so focused on Maddie's treatment."

I pause, weighing my next words. "You know, I think the fact that he was a match is probably a pretty good sign that my hunch was right. I mean, what are the odds, right?"

Liesle nods thoughtfully. "That does make sense. How do you feel about that?"

"Honestly?" I say, looking out over the balcony. "I hope it's true, for Maddie's sake. She deserves a father who cares about her and would do anything for her. Buster's already proven he's that kind of man."

8:09 pm

I stare at my phone, my finger hesitating over the send button. My heart races a little as I hit send.

You up?

His reply comes quickly.

Yup, watching Hawaii 5-0 reruns. Everything okay?

Yes. We are good. Liesle and Anna just left.

Then, before I can overthink it, I ask if he wants to come over.

The three dots appear, disappear, then reappear. I hold my breath.

Be there in 5.

I glance around the living room, suddenly aware of the mess left behind from when we got home. I threw everything down when we got in, and it is a cluttered mess.

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